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FULL HOUSE

What's black and white and red all over?

WORDS BY MARK ALLEN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM SKOURAS

That joke's an oldie but a goodie, and there a few different wise-arse punchlines to it. In this case, it's Pat and Michele's black Ford F250, their white Bushtracker caravan and the red bulldust that usually adorns their complete rolling home on wheels. Pat and Michele have been living on the road now for nearly five years, though the acquisition and customisation of the big black F-truck was only undertaken in 2005 by TJM 4WD Megastores in Maroochydore in sunny QLD. Having previously lugged the van with a struggling turbo-diesel Patrol, the wandering couple decided to bite the bullet and purchase a tow vehicle that would easily handle the long, outback miles, with their heavy load, in comfort.

The F250, complete with the 7.3L intercooled turbo-diesel, was the only option worth considering for its load-carrying capacity and towing ability, combined with enough creature comforts and reasonable fuel-consumption figures.

You're probably wondering (like I was), why choose a black 4WD? 'Cause they liked the look of it! They simply wanted black, so they damn well went and bought black, and with the amount of work that has gone into this very black F-truck, there is definitely no going back. Unlike many things that don't move too quick in the bush, on taking delivery of the F250 Pat promptly had a tailor-made tray and camper unit built onto the back by Custom Vehicle Fabrications of Caboolture.

The next step was to TJM 4WD Megastores in Maroochydore to massage the truck into an imposing outback tourer as well as fitting the suspension to upgrade the already impressive GVM from 4.2t to 5.195t. As if 7.3L of intercooled turbo V8 diesel weren't enough, Ford Queensland F Series Spares was given the nod to provide a Banks Big Hoss 80hp chip and a TransCommand gearbox enhancer kit along with a heap of other look-smart goodies. So, why the need for all this increased haulage capacity? Pat is an interstate road-train driver, and he is used to huge diesel power and towing extra-long loads.
 
Not that his F250 (prime mover) and Bushtracker caravan (trailer) are anywhere near as long as a road-train, but when you're used to the big stuff, nothing else seems acceptable. With their home-on-wheels Bushtracker off-road caravan hitched and ready to roll, 250cc motorbike strapped to the drawbar and a bed in the ute, these happy wanderers can't really see an end to their living-on-the-road working holiday, and who would blame them? If you can earn yourself a living while travelling about this great countryside, you'd be mad not to!

DRIVELINE
Seven-point-three litres - that's a fair whack more than most engines getting about these days. Add another litre and you're looking at almost double that of a 'Cruiser or Patrol diesel engine. And the power - the power and torque figures these engines put out are just perfect for towing, carrying and long, lazy hauling. As standard, the auto F250 7.3L intercooled turbo V8 pumps out 186kW@2600rpm and 682Nm@1600rpm. Ford Queensland F Series Spares was approached to provide more power and hopefully use less fuel. The F-truck specialist fitted a piggyback-style engine management Big Hoss chip, which adds an instant 60kW and 124Nm (at the rear wheels) and also claimed that Pat would save between 5-10 percent in fuel usage.

The oval-eyed boys also recommended a TransCommand chip be added to the four-speed auto box, which alters the torque converter to provide crisper, sharper changes, resulting in less slipping while towing the fully laden caravan.

Pat had Maroochydore TJM fit a Safari snorkel and K&N filter on the inlet side and a sports muffler on the outlet side of the engine to help with airflow. They provide that little extra in performance, as well as peace of mind while out in the dirt and dust.

LUXURIES
Bushtracker caravans are renowned for individual fit-outs to owners' tastes and are one of the few caravans built to really tackle the rough roads Australia has to offer. As if travelling with a luxuriously decked-out Bushtracker caravan was not enough of the good life, Pat and Michele also had plans for a unique canopy to be fitted in place of the F250's tub. Enter one Chris Quinlan of Custom Vehicle Fabrications in Caboolture, QLD. He was contracted to build a custom gull-winged canopy in matching beautiful black to the cab of this V8 ute.

Chris, Pat and Michele sat down to discuss what was needed for the canopy, and Chris duly constructed the 2.8m long, 2.2m wide and 1.25m-high canopy with gas strut-assisted full-length side doors. The unit consists of a 50x25x2mm walled steel galvanised frame, with a fully TIG-welded 2.5mm aluminium skin. Inside this skin is a second aluminium sheet with polyester wool insulation in between to help control the temperature somewhat while sleeping. Under the main canopy are four 1.6mm zinc-annealed toolboxes with pinch-weld automotive rubber to keep dust and water where they belong - on the outside. These underbody boxes carry a pair of 2.2kVA generators, fuel tanks for the boat, fuel for the drawbar-mounted 250cc Yamaha motorbike and extra diesel tanks for the big Effy - no excuses for running dry!

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