Strapped for cash but still wanna go nuts off-road? Here are 10 tips to help you do it - affordably!
WORDS BY MARK ALLEN
1) TYRES
Let’s face it, tyres are expensive. And, as most of us tend to use our rubber for work and play, we can chew our daily driver’s tyre longevity to pieces with just a few dirty weekends in the scrub. With off-road rubber costing anywhere up to $300-400 each for 33-35in all terrains or muddies - start thinking even higher for 37s and look skyward if you’re after serious competition rubber in the 44in market - it makes sense to consider retreads or possibly higher-quality Monoforms. One point to keep in mind is the reduced speed ratings some retreads have. The Monoforms from Motorway are a recycled tyre with a bead-to-bead rubber replacement.
Monoforms have many sizes and patterns, but currently don’t cover the 35, 37in or larger tyres. If you’re after a set of weekend play-in-the-dirt tyres - gnarly, chunky buggers whose on-road handling may leave a bit to be desired - then Mongrels may just fit the bill. Keep your all terrains for high-mileage touring and weekday commuting and then swap over to the serious stuff. A set of Sunraysias can be picked up pretty cheap second-hand, too. Keep an eye on the Trading Post as well, because both private ads and traders may just score you a bargain. Or try the 4WD Action Forum’s For Sale section. Beware of any second-hand tyre though, because you never really know its history, which may have been a lot more abusive than recommended. Have a good look around the bead, sidewalls and tread sections for any damage. If you’re in any doubt, give them a miss, because you and your passengers’ safety should be paramount when choosing tyres.
PRICE
Mongrels
31in $160ea
32in $190ea
33in $240ea
Retreads from Motorway (BFG pattern)
31in $125ea
2) SECOND-HAND 4WDs
Instead of dishing out 30, 40 or 50 grand for a brand-spanking-new 4WD and then adding a few thousand bucks’ worth of accessories, consider the second-hand route.
Second-hand doesn’t mean shitbox, either. You can still buy a pristine-condition vehicle, just a couple of years old, with thousands of dollars worth of depreciation thrown in.
Combined with the initial huge depreciation, you should be looking for a 4WD with as many accessories as possible already fitted. Although, you want to check that the new love of your life hasn’t been given a proper caning to warrant all those lovely toys hanging off it!
Figure on at least a front and rear bar, electric winch, spotties, two-way radio, aftermarket tyres and maybe even a long-range fuel tank. That’s an instant minimum of six or seven grand of extras, usually at no extra purchase cost. Many of these items are fitted to brand-new 4WDs and are literally never used or, if they are, not to the point that they would be stuffed. However, as with the vehicle, check them out before parting with your money.
If you’re looking at upgrading your 4WD, think about what accessories can be easily taken from your old fourby and refitted to your newbie.
PRICE
How much you save depends on how hard you look, but for $3000-4000 you could start with an old Rangie, an MQ Patrol or vintage ‘Cruiser. Around 15K could bag you a Disco or 80 Series.
3) DRIVING LIGHTS
If money is an option and you really do need additional forward lighting - most 4WDs do need an upgrade of some sort - try some of the lessor-known spotties on the market.
Have a look back at the 4WD Action light test in issue 63 and note that the far-cheaper Nightstalkers are not bad lights and are far cheaper than the big names. Go for a walk through your local car accessories stores and check out the prices. You might also want to check out the Trading Post or venture into the world of eBay for a good bargain. Less than a hundred bucks will see you walk out the door of most accessories shops with a decent set of spotties.
Also check out truck parts suppliers and shooters’ shops. (Can you afford a new wiring loom and up-spec globes for your factory headlights to assist in the quest for more illumination?) There’s more to lights than price and the amount of light thrown out, which is all we tested previously, and you should have a good look at the wiring, strength of the mounts and the type of mounting system. Poor construction will see your el-cheapo lights crack, blow or fall off your rig all together if you tackle many kilometres of outback corrugations. Corrugations really are the killer of all things inferior. And have them added to your insurance policy, too!
PRICE
Nightstalker 170 $153 a pair (suggested RRP only)
Repco’s cheapest - Narva 72230 $124 a pair
EBay ranged from $45 for truck bull lights to $369 for a pair of Hella Rallye 4000s
4) MULTI-USE JACK
Funds don’t stretch to buying an electric winch or even a hand winch? Can’t see the need to dish out money for something that may only be used on the odd occasion? Another way around this is to utilise one piece of equipment for several jobs. The trusty Hi-Lift jack can be used for more than just lifting a vehicle. With the right attachments, you can utilise your jack as a hand winch. Now don’t go thinking this is a quick, easy way of winching, because it’s not. It is slow and means relengthening of chains/ropes (due to the short throw of the jack leg), but it can get you out of trouble.
One attachment allows the Hi-Lift type of jack to be used as a clamp ($59 for a Jack Mate) and others slot into various places on front and rear bars ($57 for a Bumper Lift) making it a very useful tool. A larger base plate is also available to replace the standard foot for $44. A note here is to check that this sort of jack can be used on your model of vehicle, because they tend not to be able to be used on newer 4WDs unless you have aftermarket barwork.
PRICE
Hi-Lift jacks can be bought at 4WD and camping shows for $100, but beware cheap imports that’ll only do one lift before crumpling. There was one on eBay for $45, which is a bit cheaper than the retail of between $160-180 for a Jackall brand. But that’s still cheaper than a winch...
5) HOMEMADE GEAR
Homemade snorkels, drawer systems, roof-racks and coming up with all sorts of inventive nick-nacks are what Aussies are renowned for. If it can be made from scrap gear you happen to have lying around in the shed, then all the better. You do keep your spare bits and pieces just in case it can be used, don’t you? This in one sure-fire way to save dollars for a whole host of gear in your 4WD. Not paying for labour is the number-one saving. Not paying for overly inflated hardware and cutting out the middle and end man means you will save a bundle.
The downside here is that the finished product may look a little less than professional depending on your abilities and money spent on raw materials. One point to watch out for is strength. No matter what you are making, make sure it’s strong enough for the intended job. A full 40L fridge can weigh up to 60-80kg, which is not something you want landing on your foot at dinnertime. Think over-engineered!
PRICE
Fridge Slide: Mark Allen’s homemade fridge slide cost nothing and was courtesy of workshop floor scavenging. A retail unit? $120+. Cargo Drawers: Antman’s recent fit-out cost less than $500 and would have been cheaper again if he’d of installed the marine-ply shelves himself. Retail unit would have been nearer $1500-2000!
6) EXTRA FUEL CAPACITY
Many aftermarket long-range fuel tanks - as good as they are - are an expensive accessory. Often just under a grand is the cost for a top-of-the-line tank fitted and ready to go. If you have the know-how, spare time and are prepared to do the hard yards, you can get plenty of fuel storage for your long-distance runs. Here’s one way. For the tank, search the wreckers for a factory tank (about $50). It doesn’t really matter what it is made out of, so long as it fits in the space you have under your 4WD.
An example here with a HiLux is to buy another HiLux tank and fit it on the opposite side of the tail shaft. You will have to move the exhaust system first, so this is a little extra expense! Once fitted, source tubing for the filler (try exhaust shops for stainless pipe, you might pick it up for nothing). You’ll also need a fuel pump to transfer fuel from the second tank to the first (car accessories outlets or wreckers are ideal and will set you back less than $20) and various bits of steel for mounting the whole kit (free if you save all your offcuts in the shed). Be careful to get the tank level (so you get maximum usage of the stored fuel) and that fuel lines don’t foul or come close to hot or moving components.
PRICE
Should be less than a couple of hundred dollars, and depending on the vehicle, once you’ve done one, the next one will be easier and you’ll probably get more inventive. Triple tanks, anyone?
7) TOOL KITS
Garage sales, farm sales/auctions, the Trading Post or eBay are ideal places to pick up big brand-name-quality tools. Besides the obligatory spanners (open and ring), sockets, pliers, screwdrivers, hammers and hacksaws, there is a huge list of bits and pieces that you should consider packing in the toolbox that can be found laying around the shed.
Wire (fencing and electrical), wedges (timber and metal), tape (electrical, thread and gaffer), nuts, bolts and washers, rags, chisels and so on, are all useful things to have out in the bush.
Not everyone needs top-of-the-line tools like Snap On, with their lifetime warranty and sky-high prices. They are top tools, no doubt about it, but there is a place for cheaper tools. Now, this is the hard part. There is cheap and there is crap. Steer away from the 501-piece tool kit for $89, because it just won’t cut the mustard - or undo the rusty nut!
Sidchrome and Kingchrome (as well as plenty of other brands) have comprehensive kits in a quality toolbox that’ll set you back about $600.
PRICE
Just remember the saying, "A poor man buys tools many times, a rich man only once," and you too can be rich - in sense, if not dollars.
8) ESKIES
A grand or more for a tiddly little (by household comparisons) fridge is a big ask. Take a 40L fridge away for a week with the wife and kids and you’ll see just how few beers you can keep cold when combined with day-to-day food. To make some huge savings, look at some of the better eskies on the market that claim to keep ice for up to five days. Obviously, this depends on ambient temperatures and the number of lid openings/closings. Also try buying block ice instead of party ice - it lasts much longer. While buying ice every few days may be a pain in the rump, it’s by far and away a lot cheaper. You’ll still pay a couple of hundred dollars for a good esky, but hey, it’s cheaper than a fridge!
PRICE
As varied as the number of models on the market.
9) DRIVER TRAINING
Paying for driver training is one way to learn the tricks of the trade when it comes to four-wheel driving - to an extent! There is much more to learn in the real world, so getting out and doing it with your mates is 100 percent free. (NB: Not including breakages!) It always pays to have more than one 4WD while out and about, just in case.
Joining a club is also a good way to learn the ropes. Paying your joining fees will give you access to not just the training days, but also plenty of other likeminded people, both novice and expert.
PRICE
Driver Training Examples (NSW):
Great Divide: $450 Basic, $450 Advanced (Both two days)
Getabout: $400 Basic (Two days), $295 Advanced (One day)
Aussie Off Road: $430 Basic, $430 Advanced (Both two days)
Clubs:
On Track (VIC) $60/year (Training included by attending club runs)
Central Coast (NSW) $55/year (One training day per month at no extra cost)
Quad Drive (WA) $66/year $125 one-off upfront fee - merchandise pack (Driver trainers are club members)
10) DO IT YA SELF
Obviously, paying someone else to do your dirty work costs money. So, if you have the know-how to do the simpler mechanical jobs yourself, you’ll save yourself a bucket-load of dosh. Now we’re not talking about major engine overhauls or fitting a five-link solid-axle conversion to a torsion-bar front end 4WD, but just the simpler grease and oil changes. Buying your own oil, grease, tools and spending a little time under the 4WD will save you many hundreds of dollars. However, if you are in doubt about anything mechanical, check first, as rectifying your mistakes may cost more than the repair/service in the first place. The advantage here is that over time you’ll not only save money, but also learn heaps about your truck, which should prompt more money-saving ideas when it comes time to upgrade the factory-spec equipment.
PRICE
Knock off $50-100/hour in labour and you’ll start to get the idea.
BUDGET IDEAS TO STEER CLEAR OF
1) CHEAP COMPRESSORS
Don’t waste your money. They often won’t pump up a 4WD tyre, let alone four of them on a hot beach, without spitting the dummy.
2) D SHACKLES FROM HARDWARE STORES
Don’t tempt fate. They are not load-rated and can kill in the blink of an eye when they let go
3) UNKNOWN RECOVERY GEAR
Again, don’t tempt fate. If it breaks midway through a recovery, things can go horribly wrong and/or cause serious injury.
4) CHEAP PLASTIC STORAGE TUBS
Cheapies tend to crack and fall to bits the first time they are used. Buy decent ones in the first place.
5) COMPETITION TUBE BARS ON AIRBAG-EQUIPPED 4WDs
They might look great, but unless they have been tested and comply with relevant Australian standards, you are breaking the law and insurance agreements.
6) HOMEMADE BODY LIFT KITS
You really don’t want hollow box-section body blocks folding up in an accident, do you? Injury, no insurance - it’s not worth it.
7) CHEAP RADIOS
Okay, we fell for it. Cheap UHF radios are not worth the spit they accumulate in their mics. We bought a few Digitechs and were ready to throw them away within minutes of using them.
8) CUPHOLDERS
Plenty of 4WDs don’t have them as original equipment. If you buy aftermarket ones, make sure standard-sized drinks fit in them – don’t laugh, some are the wrong size!
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