How would you make your 4WD better off-road with only $1500 to spend?

Look out for the bloke in the hat (page121) in the current issue of 4WD Action (issue 169) 

Eleven industry guys answer the question. "How would you make your 4WD better off-road with only $1500 to spend?" The same issue also features a massive air compressor comparo.

And my answer....

“A suspension lift with bigger wheels and tyres (for the dollar value) provides the best increase in off-road performance, as well as a cool custom-look. However, starting with none of the above, and having to choose one (sub $1500) I’d go for a reliable electric self-recovery winch.


If you're up past your axles in stinking mud, bigger, aggressive-looking tyres, diff-lockers (that cost you a fortune), and suspension, may not do much apart from coating everything in sight with a blanket of brown.


For less than the cost of the tyres, or a differential air-locker kit, you could have a good-quality winch that can help you out of many situations; (including verbal assault by distressed passengers!)


No other 4WD part, accessory, or vehicle upgrade can provide the same recovery effectiveness (or peace of mind) than a quality electric self-recovery winch.

A winch can be the critical difference between getting into real trouble, and getting home".


What about you? How would you make your 4WD better off-road with only $1500 to spend?

Cheers

Would you trust this man?  :)

The things I do... Meet 'Darth Rancho'

The things I do.....

What did you do last summer?

(above) A “RUSTY” (very rusty) Kirk Barker.

As you can see, Christmas pudding was good to me last year. My New-Year’s resolution was to work it off, but - I’m still working on it.

Over the festive period, the fam and I headed to NSW’s mid-north coast. We’ve a regular haunt there. It’s a great place to relax.

My favourite past-time is ‘beach driving’. Aussies have to be the luckiest people on the planet. You could spend a lifetime doing just a one-lap tour of our country’s coastline. And that wouldn’t include a peek at the more than 7,600,000 square kilometres in the middle!

Here is a clip of the JK on the sand. Annoying background music included!!

What about you? What did you do last summer?

I'd love to see you pics, clips or stories. Please email them here

Cheers.

A little bit about Kirk Barker

As a kid

During the 70s, my father worked for a high-profile auto-dealer and car racing family. It was the beginning of the 4WD recreation boom. Every day (seemingly) dad brought home different vehicles, from CJ Jeep Renegades and V8 Cherokees, Suzuki LJ80’s and Sierras, FJ series Landcruisers, Rovers, Patrols - whatever the dealership sold at the time.

Dad was also a regular contributor to the (then) popular 'Bushdriver' off-road magazine. Many a weekend was spent in search of suitable testing ground and dynamic photographic opportunities. My brother and I usually bounced around together on the back seat. This, combined with watching endless episodes of the ‘Leyland Brothers’, and my passion for all things 4WD began to evolve.

First 4WD

My first 4WD was a 1976 FJ55 I bought with my brother John. We got it off a clown at a circus - literally! (It was Perry Bros), although as it turned out, JB and I proved to be greater clowns.

The FJ55 was unregistered, and in order to get in on the road, it needed a major service, and well as rust removed.

We worked out that by the time we cut the rust out of it, we would have ourselves (like the old farmer’s joke) approximately five tyres left sitting in our driveway, so we moved the FJ on for parts to a happy buyer.

My first (road-registered) 4WD was a 1995 model Suzuki Sierra (the last of the leaf-sprung models). I bought it brand-new with borrowed money in my first year out of school. I was a first year apprentice then and also 'moonlighted' as a pizza delivery boy at night in order to keep it on the road.

The mods were limited to a set of 15X7” CSA alloy wheels, mounted to 30-inch Yokohama Super-Diggers. I had to trim the guards in order to fit them with the stock suspension. While the modifications were simple, the little Suzuki had a strong-shouldered look and (combined with the right attitude) took me pretty much anywhere I wanted to go.

Favourite 4WD?

I am driving it! It’s a 4-door JK Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. I love the Jeep’s practical size, comfort and off-road capability. The factory-fitted front and rear diff locks, combined with electronic remote-operated front sway-bar disconnect and super-low 4.10 gearing make the Jeep extremely difficult to get stuck or bogged. This one also has a high-articulating Rancho 4” short-arm suspension kit and 35” tyres mounted on 16x10 wheels.

Favourite specialised product?

Currently we are involved in providing suspension solutions for armoured vehicles in various parts of the world. Most of the vehicles are popular Australian-sold types (Hilux, Patrol and Landcruiser) but the application in terms of suspension is different compared to the normal touring vehicle.

I have enjoyed the challenge of “getting it right” and establishing good working relationships with conversion specialists and service companies.

The context of the work is also interesting. In the first decade of the “noughties”, war and terror around the world, plus the expansion of industry into countries with turbulent political environments, has seen demand for armour-protected passenger vehicles increase significantly.

This has brought many opportunists to the market, with not all firms being equal in their performance. There are plenty of small workshops and ex “chop-shops” grabbing the current opportunity. It’s like “pimp-my-ride” for some, rather than the business of saving lives.

Biggest "oops!" moment?

In the mid 90’s when I first began selling suspension, I supplied a pair of front shocks for a D21 Navara that I had “matched” from the almost identical D21 Pathfinder.

However, the Navara has a different upper wishbone, requiring the fitment of a smaller body shock. During my customer’s travel through central Queensland, he discovered this when the inside area of the wishbone jammed onto the shock body and fused.

Upon inspection (on the side of the road) my customer was bitten by a brown snake. While he was OK, he had a fair way to travel back for medical assistance.

Weeks after the experience, he rang our office to tell us about it. His main concern was if it would be alright to post the shocks back to us for a refund!

Fortunately, I have learnt a lot since then.

Best tips?

Know the inherent strengths and weaknesses of your 4WD type, before you spend money on accessories. Remember this before you buy your next 4WD too.

Some vehicles with independent front suspension really suffer from the fitment of the traditional steel bar, winch and dual-battery fit-up. It can make for a very demanding suspension application, particularly on corrugated roads.

Always try to keep weight (accessories and load) to a minimum. Always think safety. Ask yourself (or find out) if the modifications you plan to make will have some other effect on the vehicle that needs to be compensated for, or at least be taken into account.

From experience, higher-priced products provide the best value-for-money.

When making any type of product purchase, be certain about the features, benefits and responsibilities that come with fitting and using it.

Don’t spoil your time away with a highly-accessorised, yet under-serviced vehicle. Generally, vehicle reliability issues are the first consideration to ensure you have safe travels and a good time off-road.

Cheers, and thanks for reading.

The Pure Waters of Tasmania

My favourite ad on TV last year was for Boag’s Draught.

It’s a clever one that plays on experiencing the “pure waters of Tasmania”

An old bloke tells the story while picking out notes on his guitar – “The pure waters of Tasmania make everything a little bit better….”

In the first scene, a guy riding through a stream on his bicycle leaves the water riding a motorbike.

Then somebody launches their canoe off a wharf with a splash…. Rising to the surface is (not) the canoe, but a half-cabin cruiser.

A bloke cleaning fish drops his pocket knife into a stream. Reaching in to retrieve it, he pulls out Luke Skywalker’s light saber.

Crowds of people bring down crates of empty bottles to submerge them, and lift them out as fresh trays of Boag’s draught.

The old bloke telling the story describes how his father never wore the same pair of shoes twice.

Another guy pushes his girlfriend into the water!

Watch the ad right now before reading the rest of this story. Just click in the video.

After seeing the ad a few times, I was starting to feel inspired…

Imagine if you drove your old fourby into the water……..what new-look 4x4 would you drive out in?

An old bush-basher might get a new engine, or suspension or lockers!

When I talked to the guys at the office about it, John and Ray said. “Why don’t you take down a brand new 200 series Landcruiser” ….”Imagine what you would have when you drove it out of the water!...”

So that’s exactly what I did. I borrowed John Agostino’s (Tough Dog) Landcruiser, promising to bring it back in better condition that when I first received it.

I made arrangements to get it onto the Spirit of Tasmania, taking me from Port Melbourne across Bass Strait, arriving in Devonport.

After getting off the ferry, I drove west, heading to Dove Lake, a World Heritage area, and home of the spectacular Cradle Mountain. “It can’t get any better than that!” I thought..

The Tough Dog 200 series ‘cruiser got me there in no time. Enough though to anticipate what would be. The Tough Dog flagship vehicle was already a great machine. How to do improve on one of the best?

When I got to Dove Lake, no-one was to be seen. It was quiet and the water surface still.

I engaged low-range 4WD. My plan was to take the ‘cruiser into the water just above the axle line and see what happened. I was a long way from home, and with no-one around for miles I erred on the side of caution.

Entering the water seemed fine. All tyres kept traction, until suddenly the ‘cruiser 'dropped' free-fall style, placing the water-line half-way up the window glass, and beginning to stream into the cabin.

Panic-stricken, I floored the accelerator in an attempt to get out. The Toyota’s V8 howled and the tyres churned enough to make their own wake, destroying the remaining window vision I had left.

Not good.

Then, without understanding what or how it had happened, the Landcruiser (with me still inside it) was back on the shore of the Lake. The interior was completely soaked and a mess.

A CB radio microphone was draped across the dash as well as an old bushman’s hat.

The vehicle’s soaked interior now looked ‘old’. At the rear passenger foot wells, beer bottles ‘clinked’ together as they floated around like dead fish in a couple inches of water.

Funny thing was, I didn’t remember bringing any of that stuff with me.

I opened the door to step out. The door was stiff to push and the hinges creaked.

Turning around to look at the Lancruiser, intent on assessing the damage and thinking about how I would go about explaining it to John back at Tough Dog headquarters…. I stopped still and just stared – stunned.

I was now the driver of John Rooth’s HJ45 series Troopy (aka ‘Milo’). 4WD Action magazine’s celebrity journo’s vehicle. The old troop carrier was a star attraction in itself!

Sitting on a nearby log, I took some time to take in everything that had happened.

The ‘pure waters of Tasmania’ were meant to make everything a little bit better!

A guy drops his pocket knife in and pulls out a Light Saber. I drive in with a new 200-series Landcruiser and drive out with Roothy’s troopy!

Then it occurred to me. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad deal after all. Old Milo has conquered just about every rugged inch of Australia without a hitch. She’s had more exterior work than the audience at the Hollywood Globes, plus high-ground clearance, a solid-axle front-end, and just about every conceivable touring and bush-driving equipment that you could want.

The old Toyota is not flash, but for the serious off-roader, what more could you ask for?

When I got Milo back to Tough Dog headquarters, Agostino and me didn’t really see eye-to-eye.

I had taken his flagship vehicle, with its mirror-image black paintwork and paw-print graphics, and brought back a shed-painted troopy more than 30 years its senior.

I tried to explain to John, the same conclusions I had come to – and how it could be even better if he replaced the suspension with Tough Dog springs and shocks….. but to no avail.

A few weeks later, I checked on him to see how it was all going. At last he’s seen the light, and old Milo’s never ridden better.

Easter Holiday 2010

Somewhere on the mid-north coast of NSW.

A head for radio - but a tough Jeep!

I’m pretty excited to be featured in the latest edition of 4WD Custom magazine (including the front cover).

It’s available at the newsstand – issue 25. If we haven’t met before, I’m the bloke with the balding skull. Now you know why most of the profile pics I use for myself are from back when I was a little kid!

When we did the shoot a few months ago, it was great to meet Earle Emanuel and team and have some fun. From our luck with the weather and the location, everything seemed to work out neat. While the red JK Rubicon Jeep is kind of ‘pretty’, it’s also one very tuff truck in which few road-registered vehicles can match its off-road performance.

It’s a funny thing to see yourself in print. I’m now thinking about getting one of those big akubra-style hats to cover up my mug – just like our OJ (Outback John) wears. See the homepage of 4WD1.com

But OJ reckons they don’t make hats that big!

A great time of year.

I like this time of year.

The first half of a Sydney winter is mild. Warm in the sun, cool in the shade. Polarized skys and white clouds, bar a few wet days. The air feels cleaner.

On Saturday a sky-writer plane was in the air. Everyone in the street was drawn to their front yards and looked up. Just as the figure '1' had been completed, a Qantas jet flew low across the scene. I was too slow to capture it.

It's also a great time to be outdoors. A great time to be 4Wding.

Soon it will be cold and wet. You go to work in the dark. Come home in the dark. Lots of jobs to do on the weekends.

So get out there! It's a great time of year.

A different blog?

I'm hoping this blog will be different.

It's too easy to make your blog a sausage-factory for recycled news and propaganda.

This is the plan. I'll be real... Real info and tips. No jargon or sales-spiel. You can ask questions in the comments. I'll say it how it is.

You can learn stuff. Stuff that's good to know, or just plain fun.

What about you? Don't be a lurker. That's a person who shuffles around cyberspace gleaning it for info and entertainment - but does not contribute.

Say g'day. Share some stuff with others, and post some feedback.

Come back to the blog. Bookmark it. Cheers, KB.