The truth about 4X4 dual-cab utes, modifications & remote adventuring | Auto Expert John Cadogan
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 มี.ค. 2021
- That 4X4 ute you’re thinking of (quote-unquote) ‘building’ for that big adventure? Yeah, sorry to say but 80 per cent of your plans in that respect are probably really dumb ideas. Here's how I'd approach it (as an engineer and a dual-cab ute owner).
Podcast (audio-only version, for listening in the car, etc.): anchor.fm/autoexpert
Save thousands on any new car (Australia-only): autoexpert.com.au/contact
AutoExpert discount roadside assistance package:
247roadservices.com.au/autoex...
Did you like this report? You can help support the channel, securely via PayPal: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
Here’s the thing with these utes: Hiluxes, Rangers, BTs, Navaras, Tritons, D-MAXes, even Amarok: They’re light-duty vehicles. Like, keep saying this to yourself: “Light duty.”
If you’re thinking of your ute as a truck, wake up. I strongly suggest you go look at a real truck. They’re not the same thing. Not even close.
Bolting all this stuff up, in, on, and around these vehicles, and adding the 4-5 people and all those provisions, and otherwise maxxing out the 1100kg payload - and then flogging you prized possession over (quote) ‘medium to advanced 4WD tracks’ for (quote) ’10-15’ years is at best quite a bad plan when your stated, overarching priority is (quote) ‘reliability’.
In fact, that sound you hear is reality pounding on the door, demanding to assist you with recalibrating your frankly batshit plan. If you let ‘reality’ in, it would explain calmly that your light-duty 4X4 dual-cab pickup is about to get caught in the crossfire, because severity of operation is the enemy of reliability. And you want both, apparently.
Reliability is compromised when operational severity is increased.
These sorts of vehicles, frankly, are not designed to be beaten endlessly at the limits of conflicting capabilities. (Limit of off-road ability + limit of payload capacity = a great way to break something expensive and/or end up parked on the roof. This happens all the time.
People often think it’s a great idea to tow something really heavy as well. It’s not.
So if you are going to do this adventuring, I’d recommend figuring out a way to do it at well under the maximum payload capacity, or carry the maximum payload if you must, but don’t also do heavy-duty 4WD work at the same time.
Or buy an actual truck, like an Iveco Turbo 4X4, which is kinda designed to do both things at the same time (and when you’re checking out the Iverco, have a look at how different the fundamental engineering of a vehicle such as that actually is…)
That Iveco is not a ‘light duty’ vehicle.
Alternatively, you could put 500kg in the ute, which is really just the family and some essentials, and maybe tow a trailer not more than 2000kg. (Like 400kg tare and with a payload of 1600kg - two axles, braked, roller-rocker suspension… It does not have to be the fanciest off-road trailer money can buy - just a decent trailer, for touring.)
Lots of people turn their utes into the showcase of 4X4s - which is a great recipe to overload them (or on-limit load them) and thus engineer out any latent reliability the vehicle(s) possess. If you max out the payload and then max out the severity of the usage, everything will break sooner, and it’ll be a pig to drive. This is heresy, of course, to the ears of ARB or TJM. They want to sell you one of everything. But you don’t have to say ‘yes’. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Reminds me of a quote by the famous 'All Aussie Adventurer' Russell Coight...
"These hopeless hippies had broken down and the only tools they had were themselves."
Time to hit the road!
He loved their food that day.
@@lukeclarke8054 Never accept cookies from hippies in the Outback. 😁😋
@@mael-strom9707 if anyone offers you free drugs you take those drugs because drugs are expensive. But seriously people stay off drugs they are bad.
Hippies have full on 4x4s that don't usually break down.
That's how we get to our crops.
Honest advice, just what people needed (but not wanted).
But 4wd 24/7 told me to buy the shop and another two Isuzus with 1 inch lift
@@pineapplesideways3820
One inch lift can be reasonable if you need the extra ground clearance. It is also within the legal allowed limitation.
@@pineapplesideways3820 if I don't have at least 7inch the wife goes mad
Fun fact: The first East-West Australian crossing to go right through the guts of this wide brown land, including a stint on the then newly completed Gunbarrel Highway, was completed by a Mini and an Austin 1800.
Then, of course, were all those Jack Absalom docos in the '80s where he'd take a Sigma to Dingo Piss Creek and go do some painting.
So no, you don't need a wanking tractor or a ute with half of ARB bolted to it to go to Dingo Piss Creek and beyond.
HQ holdens driving on Fraser Island back in the day.
And don’t forget the Peugeot 404 and 504, they opened up the outback for many early tourers in the 60s and 70s, often at high speeds over very rough roads.
You actually don't even need a vehicle. Think about the ancient aboriginals.
@@jashugg there are still plenty of 404s and 504s belting around African roads to this day, and their roads are way worse than the road to DPC.
@@chrispbacon3042 John said we aren't allowed to buy French cars. There's no dealers at DPC.
In my opinion, this is the best video Cadogan has produced.
I may not always want to hear what John says but I have learned he is usually right.....just like my dad damn it
Boy
John Cadogan and Russell Coight are the only two experts worth listening to. 😋
@@mael-strom9707 It's like 'How to' and 'How not to do' [insert task here].
either that or learn through bad experience, like me...
@Alfred Wedmore I enjoy living vicariously through HubNut's terrible purchasing decisions.
Not everyone lives in big cities. I've hit about a dozen roos with my ARB bullbar. Living in the NT often has flooding so my ARB snorkel has helped when crossing high waters. 2inch lift hit has made my ride a lot more comfortable especially when towing the boat out to remote fishing locations and general 4x4 activities in the NT national parks on weekends. All of this was money well spent in my PX2 Ranger (no winch). Each to their own but if you can justify the money for accessories and actually use them then that's fine.
Enjoy you videos John
One day you might hit a tree instead of a roo, and that stupid bullbar is going to ruin the microsecond timing of the cars safety features. I'd rather have a wrecked car and a safe family. You can get insurance for hitting roos, you can't get it for your kids when the airbag deploys too early or too late, or when the crumple zone of your car doesn't crumple.
@@mrhorse6587 Exactly. I hit a Roo @ 110km/h. SUV still driveable (fortunately), $10k in repairs - insurance covered it. Airbags didn’t deploy (not required), just felt a small bump. No bull bars installed.
@@mrhorse6587 If you drive accordingly you shouldn’t hit a tree , they don’t jump out in front of you like a Roo . The problem now days is everyone is sold on having a safe vehicle for ‘when’ you crash , I don’t go out planning on crashing but I’m very aware on what the other road users are doing around me. As a motorcycle rider you have to think Iike this and my 4x4 does have a bull bar as we do travel remotely to go camping . No offence mate , we all have our own opinion, cheers 🍻
@@petewielsma423 Yeah true.
As far as I am aware the name brands bars are tested to ensure that they still work with the vehicle safety features which is why some vehicles won't be fitted with them.
The other thing is that with the way modern vehicles are built it doesn't take much to stop them. Most of the panels are lightweight or plastic and a hit will basically disable them. Personally I would rather drive away from an impact if I have the choice.
@@jerrymyahzcat Actually had a bit of a look at airbag deployment with a Roo hit and, apparently, the airbags won't deploy as there isn't enough deceleration to trigger them.
The whole standard front bumper etc on my SUV is plastic and I can't imagine that if I hit a roo at anywhere near that speed I would be driving away from it unless it caught the corner of the vehicle.
A refreshing dose of honesty and reality. Hopefully enough to promote a U Turn , half way to DPC.
Oh bugger, there goes my dreams of installing a coffee machine and pull out bar into my $45k Norweld canopy while I sit a dingo piss creek and admire the flies invading my every orifice.
th-cam.com/video/VnsNM-_1iaM/w-d-xo.html
🤣 😂 😁
@@untamedaussie1927 x2
My wife and I did the "Circular Tour" of Oz, Canning, Various central tracks, Vic high country and other remote areas over 5 years, 91 to 96.
This was done with stock standard 1982 HJ60 LandCruiser with only a 200 litre. LR tank, roof rack and tow ball. We didn't have phones, radios, fridges, max tracks, built in drawers, GPS's, ovens or roof tents. We informed the local police to our route and we had no trouble except for an alternator bearing, fixed in Ravensthorpe WA., and a fan belt breakage on the Tanami track, fixed by me. We enjoyed this time of exploration immensely, meeting all types of people who have us a warm welcome and info on what to see and do. Total KMs over 360,000.
I totally agree with the KISS principle - I know - we did it!!
you are absolutely spot on.....on my everyday job I do more 4x4 and off road activities than 99.9% of the people I know who think they need to make all this nonsense to their cars. I find that the only thing I've really needed was a good set of tires and a nice pair of boots!!
Looking at how my ARB shares have been performing, plenty of folks driving to Dingo Piss Creek tricked out to tackle the harsh Shitsville elements...Yessssssss!
Just because accessories are a joke to you John doesn't mean they are a joke to others. I've watched plenty of your video's and you carry on like you are the oracle of everything when it comes to all things automotive. I have a dual cab ute and I have put certain accessories on it and I'm more than happy with them for what I need. If someone wants to put a winch on their vehicle so be it, if they want a snorkel that's up to them.
You take out all the fun of being an owner of a vehicle with your negativity nothing seems to be good enough everything is doom and gloom with you.
As a fellow qualified engineer (auto design), I shudder when people talk about GVM like it's a target weight rather than an absolute limit. They also tend to be the people who talk enthusiastically about saving 1kg on some random, no doubt pricey, modification, whilst having an entire Chinese steel factory bolted on. The aftermarket industry needs a real kick up the arse when it comes to overloading, but as long as they have someone willing to praise them for providing free kit, which is almost every youtube 4wd channel, it sadly won't change.
I reckon that the manufacturers have quite a lot to answer for there as well.
Most vehicles just don't have realistic GVMs for the purpose they were supposedly designed for, or at the very least marketed for. Take our landcruiser for instance, 800 odd kg payload. Whack off a chunk of that for the bull bar, winch and side steps/scrub rails, say 200kg, take off another 100kg for fuel, 250 for the four of us passengers and there's 250 left for everything else from food to bedding etc.
Given how many people struggle with weight on their vehicles, they really do just need to be designed from the ground up to take those kind of loads.
@@dtnicholls1 There's also a huge problem with the percieved 'use' by the customer too, largely led by the aftermarket industry. These are fundamentally road vehicles, designed for road use, but with some offroad capability & therefore no consideration, from a design perspective, is given to whatever people may wish to add to them to make them into an "offroad tourer". Another fun fact from auto design world, you add 75kg per seat space, plus 10kg of luggage each, when doing GVM calcs to see if they come in under the specified weight. Add 85kg for every seat on the current top spec Nissan Patrol (8 seats) & you probably can't put a large Maccas meal in there, let alone modify it. That's ok though, in design world as it's a road vehicle & you've already been allowed 10kg of luggage per person anyway.
I am a regular Dingo Piss Creek visitor btw & I've had both of my 4wds on a weighbridge to ensure I'm well under GVM. Was hard to achieve on my GU Patrol, much easier on my Defender as its a lighter vehicle with a greater payload. They don't make grown men drool after their modified looks, as there's not much to see, but get me everywhere I've tried to go all over & through Oz. It can be done, just not how any of the major industry players show you how.
@@gaj5701 That is exactly what they're marketed at though. "Go your own way" comes immediately to mind.
As I said, manufacturers have a lot to answer to in that regard.
And yes, we struggled with weight as well. I put the car over a weighbridge at the start of our last trip, we were 10kg under both front and rear axle ratings and significantly over the GVM, fully loaded and both fuel tanks full. Not impressed.
Since then, I've started to build a trailer to get a significant amount of that weight back off the car.
Those passenger allowances are completely rubbish as well. I'm 30kg over that allowance, including the luggage, and I'd warrant that in this day most blokes would be over by some amount.
If a vehicle is going to be advertised as a 4wd, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that people looking to purchase it are going to want to use it as such and will require a payload capacity to suit that use. That expectation is not the fault of the customer, failing to meet it is the fault of the manufacturer.
@@dtnicholls1 I'm purely talking from a design perspective, as I know just how difficult it is to achieve a moderately equipped vehicle under GVM. All the current TV adverts are there to show you that the vehicle is very capable of going offroad, but if you look, they aren't loaded up with any extras & would be well under GVM. That's all a manufacturer needs the vehicle to do, go offroad in standard form, or carry tools/equipment in the load space provided. We're then responsible for deciding what modifications we carry out beyond that, as they can't assume a vehicle will be fitted out as many of us do, no matter how many do it. That's when the aftermarket lead you into thinking you have to bolt ever larger & heavier lumps of steel all over.
Another design factor that comes into things, that many people don't realise, most countries around the world have a passenger car driving licence limited to 3500kg. That's why the GVM is set there for 4wds/utes, as more people globally can drive vehicles of that size, compared to anything heavier & you can't actually register a vehicle over that weight as a passenger vehicle in these countries. That's always going to be an issue when it comes to designing a larger 4wd vehicle when looking at payload, as that 3500kg GVM really is a limit you can't cross when it comes to getting a vehicle approved for road use at design stage.
I realise I'm not providing any solutions, other than not being led astray on modifications, so apologies for that, but hopefully giving a bit of insight into why these vehicles actually are the way they are.
@@gaj5701 The international thing is an interesting one. The downside to being a small fry market there I guess.
What's to stop them building it to 4.5t and registering in those markets at 3.5t though? I can't imagine the additional steel required in a ladder frame chassis, axle housings etc is going to weigh in at all that much more. Especially if you use high tensile steel and heat treat.
There's got to be a market out there for such a vehicle. Especially if you start to go more down the no frills path and aim it directly at mining, military and government.
I think they should also be forced to be a whole lot more forthcoming with the design of the vehicle, at least to government and engineering places, if not the general public. If they won't build it to the spec that people want they should be made to provide the information necessary to allow people to properly engineer the changes needed to spec the vehicle appropriately for their use. It should be the case that the cad models used should be available to end users.
Jack Absolom used to drive the strezlecki track in a Sigma station wagon...mic drop
....I was watching him a couple of months ago. Classic Jack.
He had a fully sick roof basket. I cant remember if it was ARB or Rhino Rack... Would not have made it through without it.
When I lived at Meningie, I'd take the Valiant across the 42 mile crossing to fish the surf beach. Also a mate's Datsun 1600. We also did the water crossing across the coorong at the Tea Tree crossing and 99km along the beach back to the Murray Mouth in my 2wd rodeo ute.
Most (if not all) of his docos are now on TH-cam. They still hold up after all these years.
Just two points. Firstly, I have an Iveco Daily and I love it. Factory diff locks, ultra low gearing, climate control, lots of mod cons and it fits in a standard car bay. Secondly, I always love the Jeep ads that pop up part way through John's reports. We all know how much he loves them.....
Don’t forget the Nuclear power station and multiple power outlets mounted in the back of the tray, just so your beer stays cold for a 2 day trip.
Well said. I grew up in rural Africa in a 1985 hilux. It did 500+ km and basically did 4x4 tracks loaded all day
Is that 500+ km a day or you mean 500k+ km (500,000)?
500 000
Had my Iveco now for 6 years. Just love it. Every time i walk past it and look at the truck chassis etc it has the goods.
Standard diff locks front centre and rear.
Mate im thinking of buying one, and have heard some iffy things, i have 1 question, are they reliable
Finally someone speaking the absolute facts and a true reality check, please people listen too what he is saying- well done buddy.
There's nothing wrong with buying the vehicle first, getting some real world experience with what you're planning to do, and how it's limitations will affect your intended use and installing mods down the track based on what becomes necessary.
It's also not a bad idea to know the baseline of what your vehicle can do out of the box without modifications.
The number of people I've seen that sink $50,000 on a ute, then sink up to $20,000 on modifications that really never get used because they don't understand how their vehicle in stock configuration would handle your planned usage. Case in point, people who mainly do beach driving but insist on installing a bullbar and winch!
@@alexalbans6478 The bull bar usually now comes with the winch installation.
Look up "sand anchor" and see how a winch, if employed properly, could get you (or someone else) out of being stuck in sand.....
th-cam.com/video/1br1lQjithg/w-d-xo.html
@@JohnSmith-pl2bk I'm aware there are ways to make a winch useful but on the whole, a winch is less useful for sand based recoveries than elsewhere and anything a winch can do, you can probably do with a set of tracks and a shovel.
@@alexalbans6478 maybe Land Rover is doing their customers a favour by making it virtually impossible to add a winch to the new "Defender"?
@@TheKnobCalledTone. I'd say definitely not. Winches have their place (even if it's not as common as some like to think, or they have become since the market has been flooded with a heap of budget winches
Another very good video john. I just hope people learn from your very good and important advice. Keep up the good work.👍
Another awesome episode of Keeping up with The Cadogian!!👍👍
So refreshing !! well done John about time someone puts the record straight . So much 4x4 you tubers going on about" building" the "ultimate 4 X4 truck" ; fed up about all this !
Yeah... Just get the IVECO 4x4 already.
Then don't watch, each to their own mate.
Hi John, very good advice, just modify it for what you really need it to do and that’s it.
I recently bought a Raptor and got two mods only, one was the lockable roller shutter, standard on the Wildtrack, as I need to lock up stuff in the Tub like Golf clubs, the other was a steel bumper, no winch or anything like that because where I live - well out in the jungle, random things and animals get in front of the car.
I got the Raptor because where I live, I actually need a serious 4WD as the road conditions can change dramatically and all the advanced technology is needed. Then I have also long distance high speed stuff that a power car can eat.
I call it a car as I see the F150 as the entry point of a truck.
Hopefully it won’t be 30 years gap talking again, like we did in the train with Vanessa and Sonya.
Always great advice. Thanks, John.
Agree with you John- except for the comment about Amaroks. I bought a second hand 2l Biturbo Amarok with a canopy, ARB bull bar, brush bar and side steps, long range tank with additional sub tank (total 190l diesel), dual battery system, Safari Snorkel, OME(ARB) suspension upgrade etc etc. Took it over the weigh bridge with the only additions being my ikamper roof top tent, engel fridge and DIY draw made from ply ( light) which came off my Subaru XV ( don't laugh it's done Big Red twice). Came in at 2940kg- GVM is 3040 kgs. I started ripping off things that did not matter- sub tank, brush bars, switched from two AGM house batteries to one lithium with more capacity for 25kgs less weight and doubles as extra crank battery, rear under canopy draw that would fill with sand /water. Dropped it down to 2640 kgs. I crossed the Simpson from East to West last July ( just me & the missus) without a problem and only used 79l of diesel- the Amarok has proved to be quite capable and reliable. Now that I will be taking delivery of a new Cub Explorer ( tare 800kgs ATM 1400kgs), the roof top tent will be going and possibly the canopy and just fit an alloy tray with a couple of tool boxes for extra gear- net weight saving would be between 300 to 350 kgs.
Weight and high centre of gravity is what you need to keep an eye on if you are building a rig for outback touring. Keep them down as much as possible.
Anyway - planning Cape York trip on the OTT, trying to make up my mind whether I'll fit a winch, probably will never use it considering that its like Pitt St Sydney during peak hour on the OTT these days.
I bought a second hand hilux. My friend recently drove it and told me he couldn’t believe how smooth it drove “it drove like a new car”
No dude. The 3inch lift, mud terrains and every accessory you could think of just makes your car drive like absolute shit.
My nephew put huge mud tyres on his Ranger, l drove it back from a fishing trip and was bloody terrible .
I just love listening to John, but I have learned to wear headphones when at work :)
Love this mans blogs. He's honest and down to the core and the rest just simply talk shit talk up what ever product they are flogging then talk up the same type of product the week after telling you why it's a better product than the last
On any Sunday afternoon you'll see a steady stream of busted 'hardcore' 4x4 utes on u-haul trailers making their way back to Sydney along the M1 Motorway after breaking down in the Watagans. The most popular transmission destroying modification these days seems to be the 33" mud tyre on cheap chinese rims that don't engage the hub properly. Those U-haul trailers have a tare weight of 800kg and a GVM of 2000kg so a payload of 1200kg. These boofheads are carrying 2 tonne plus 4x4s on them.
Some of those U-Haul trailer's do have a 3.5t rating, that said the vehicle is normally over the 2.3t payload that gets you any way.
Your gonna piss off a lot of sheep with this one mate. Cheers
You either do one thing or another when building a 4x4 light duty ute/wagon. You either build it for daily driving/touring/towing, daily driving/light to medium level 4x4ing, or hard 4x4 tracks.
Don't expect it to do everything with all the fruit on it. Some people really think they can take everything including the kitchen sink and the kids, and then tow a 2T+ thing behind them while doing hard offroading too.
As general rules:
If towing and touring, don't load it up with heaps of protection and make the tow vehicle heavy for no reason. (bonus, it helps save fuel not being so heavy).
If offroading on some fairly decent tracks, its probably a good idea not to tow, and have adequate protection on the vehicle.
If hard offroading, go light but have all the protection, don't take a 600kg canopy set up loaded to the hills with 12v gear and drawers on top of drawers. Generally if you're doing this kind of thing with a 4x4, it's not a daily or a tourer
Great advice. I only do mods that are actually required for what I do. For example, I don't ever want to do deep water crossing so never had a snorkel installed.
Thanks for the video. Good advice. We have taken our basically stock 4x4 all over the place and to its limits. Now we know what we actually need to add (tyres, rear locker, transmission bash plate). We haven't done damage also, as we researched what tracks to drive, and drive with respect for the vehicle. We also air down, don't drive fast, etc. But we do have lots of fun. I can see maybe a lift in the future, as we do tend to rub on the front (stock) bash plates. But we'll see.
Btw. Please review the physics of a bush winch (mounts to wheels). These seem like a good option, as you don't need a bull bar, or a suspension upgrade. Plus there is no drain on your battery. There is also less to go wrong. One downside is you can't pull a log off the track.
No surprises that the weight builds up so quickly and that plenty wouldn't even know.
My wagon is lightly modified and the only thing added that weighs much is the steel bar on the front, yep lots of jumping rats around the country area we live in.
With my gear in it for about a week away it is within about 100-150 kg of GVM and I don't have fridge, dual battery, water tank etc etc etc.
Couple of passengers and oops.
I really don't understand the desire to pound the crap out of it over corrugations in the middle of nowhere to get to campsite that everyone else can get to now anyway.
Plenty of nice spots that can be accessed very easily these days if you look and can go when the rest of the great unwashed masses can't.
I was going to do more mods but have decided I will streamline my gear, going camping not dragging the contents of my house with me, find somewhere nice, set up camp and eat steak/drink beer.
Most standard vehicles will scare a lot of people with what they can do offroad right out of the box anyway if that is your thing.
Any other great video mate. Was wondering when the iveco would get a mention. Have been loving the towing and load etc videos. Very informative.
Thanks for the video John.
Good solid advice no BS
Way good info here! Thanks Auto Expert
Another great video John 👍🍻
Finally someone talking sense and being honest.
Maaaate , owned a BT50 for 4years now. Some useful additions I have added are rear suspension air bags and comfort springs, dampers and a canopy. The Air bags improve comfort, load carrying and towing. Didn't fit a snorkel as I don't feel the need to improve what's "down there".
Ol mate John is absolutely totally correct 100% on this video!
Another interesting video thank you John. Please review the 4x4 dual cab GWM Cannon ,
I have an old 4x4 built in the 1990's, and owned it from new. Just use it to go beach fishing and camping - it has never let me down. I shake my head seeing these "Barbie Campers" hit the beach and immediately start canning the crap out of their vehicles just to keep the momentum going. Half the drongo's get bogged, and I use to help, but now I just leave them.
Great advice thank you John 👍
Owning a 4WD today is like a “keeping up with the Jone’s” type of deal. You’re kind of frowned upon if you don’t deck the thing up to the hilt with stuff you just don’t need.
Exactly!
Spot on mate. Get a Ute get the kids to pop some bags in the tub + tent + portable stove + esky and you are off. Zero mods. Oh the bags, make sure they are soft bags... hard ones are Too heavy.
The trick is getting the dearly beloved to bring one pair of shoes (boots), not eight.
Don’t forget to add the 4 inch lift kit. I love the idea of drongos changing something vital, such as the suspension geometry. The only pre-requisite fo making the change is having no clue whatsoever as to why this is a dreadful idea.
See them upside down often
@@markwilkins8314 Spending a lot of money to degrade the safety of your own vehicle is definitely a bold and unconventional strategy.
Got to feel superior to all those stock wannabe's, SUV and small vehicle owners when pulled up at the lights on the daily commute to work. Love the ones who think they're in a drag car and floor it when the lights change, get a deep throaty diesel roar, and then go nowhere particularly fast.
I've got the winch bar and winch on my BT50, combined with my 100kg in the driver seat I now have 10kg to spare on the max front axle load.
Driven with mechanical empathy the average ute will last pretty well, you can do rough tracks without flogging it up them and a winch helps progress. Doing it a lot at, or over, GVM and all bets are off.
A hand winch makes you a better driver, its hard work and a pain setting up and packing it all away, so encourages you not to do dumb stuff that gets you caught in teh 1st place.
That Iveco is a beast.
unlike the 'light duty', it looks like it was built for the job.
What about the Landcruiser? How light duty is that John?
There are plenty of ex Army Unimogs for sale lately he could buy. Just saying 🤣
I wouldn’t take an Iveco anywhere where my life depended on it, do yourself a favour and buy a unimog or a Mitsubishi Canter 4x4. The Italians haven’t discovered reliability yet ! 👍🏻🇬🇧
That Iveco probably cost north 100 , 000 dollars..You could buy 2 utes for that..
Couldn't agree more. Modern 4wd utes are so capable straight off the show room floor...all you really need is some recovery gear, UHF hand held, and a first aid kit.
In some few cases, a rear locker would be good.
@@AutoExpertJC factory fitted on most dual cabs these days.
Might not always agree with you John, but I'll fight for your right to say it.
Both barrels John. 3,2,1 shoot . Nice analysis.
Very refreshing....love my stock GLS
Another great report.
This is a brilliant educational piece. I've been telling people this for years. Maybe they'll listen to you. P.s. I have actually weighed these vehicles with no people inside and all of the loose items removed. Best one ever was a broken chassis where the vehicle with all the crapssesories was shy of it's GVM by......
83 kg. 1 average adult and their chihuahua
“I want it to go everywhere, do anything and never break. And not cost a ton.”
Engineers everywhere: *Bruh*
There is one vehicle that will do that, it's been doing it for the last 70 odd years been driven through hell and back as well as up and down shit creek. It's called the AEC Matador, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AEC_Matador When the military finnished with them they were purchased by the timber industry where many are still working today. Officialy the winch was seven tons but for forestry work they replaced the cast drum and shaft with turned steel and it would then give a forty ton pull.
@@Equiluxe1
I doubt the cost part. As all military things, it always costs tons to keep it going.
@@GuitarsRockForever They are not modern military vehicles they were designed and manufactured in the days when first cost and simplicity were the rule and maintenence had to be minimal.
Where I am in Canada, I see all sorts of pickups modded to hell and back... With nary a speck of dirt on them. There are exceptions, of course. I tip my hat to those who are serious. But most of them are "built" for looks and will never see more than the occasional gravel road. Good Lord, it might get dirty otherwise!
Much the same 4x4 porn, show but no actual off road go here in New Zealand. I liken it to the 90's ricer/boy racer trend where people would bolt ridiculous items to their vehicles and expect no one will laugh at them
@@maxpower7774 The ricer thing is alive and well here! Sometimes, a lot of effort was made, and I can credit that even if I don't like the end result. But when I see some rotted out old piece of crap with big wheels and a wing... How can they expect to be taken seriously?
'Murica
@@sandybarnes887 Hey! We're not the only ones! John's in 'Straya, and Max Power is in NZ talking about this terrible problem also.
@@markh.6687 I'm Canadian. 🇨🇦 🍁 A fellow Islander wrote a song about it. Johnny Chrome.
brilliant mate, thumbs up
Old mate ex adf mech and adf 4x4 instructor said same. Old mate ranger vic high country said same. Old mate police stationed years ago Coffs said same. Old mate does outback in a stock prado every school holidays said same. Then there’s the backpackers in the hiace on the gibb
Russel Coight 'All Aussie Adventures' said the same... 😅😂😋
@@mael-strom9707 alby mangles yatch also said babes, beers, more babes, so the same
Hiace not needed on the Gibb, passed an EH Holden station wagon that was going up past Drysdale Station :)
went past a 2004 Corolla on the Birdsville Track. x2 tyres were shredded..
@@mael-strom9707 was that the rescue hippy cookie adventure?
I drove an ex PMG land rover ute in the 70s into the toughest terrain u could imagine stock standard, so I can only smile when I see the current urban cowboys in their shiny lift kitted mud terrain tired, snorkel equipped fashion statement pose machines.
John Cadogan - the Scotty Kilmer of Australia.
Spot on , and we could also add not putting on ridiculous massive wheels and tyres that go way outside the vehicles design parameters , and which will further shorten the service life and put strain on the driveline, axles , wheel bearings , suspension , shocks , transmission , clutch , brakes ,steering , etc , etc .
I've had alot of fun with a bog standard 2002 xtrail with A/T tyres back in the day, taking it on tracks where the exhaust system was treated like a consumable product and the thing never let me down reliability wise. Mind you, I never overloaded it. In the end it was written off whilst parked, when a guy named "Howe Wong" reversed into it pretty bloody hard, pushing it into the kerb hard, which ended up rooting the chassis.
Absolutely true now as it always has been... One of my neighbors was an off road racer... he built his racing Jeepster from the ground up for competition. It wasn't even close to street legal and needed to be transported on a trailer. And when he was very lucky, it survived a single race on a given weekend without more than a few hundred dollars of damage. More than half the time, it never made it across the finish line due to mechanical failure. It always spent the workdays of the week disassembled in my neighbor's well equipped shop. So yes, for me it was fun watching these guys untangling Lilli pads and seaweeds from their mechanicals every Sunday night and watching them drain water from their engine, transmission, etc onto their driveway... And the dude was dead serious about becoming a competitive racer and had big bucks to throw at his hobby... But even he wasn't stupid enough to think that his hand built racing Jeepster was a family or business vehicle. The guy owned a fleet of other vehicles for his family and business needs.
Every friend who ever took a light duty 4x4 off paved roads, wound up with significant repair bills, literally the first time they did it... Something as simple as sand in the brakes or salt water in the exhaust is going to cost you memorable repair bills and that's assuming you don't bend a control arm or steering linkage or need unibody straightening or hydrolock your engine.
Lastly, I had a friend who owned a Korean War Jeep... perfectly equip and built to spend it's life off road, in deserts and jungles, and the only place he actually drove it was in military vehicle parades. He never even drove it to work on paved roads... mostly, because he didn't want to break it.
There's nothing wrong with building an off road vehicle, or buying one designed for the task as a toy or hobby vehicle, but literally by design that vehicle shouldn't be your everyday driver.
Thanks John, you just saved me a fortune on shit mods I was going to do to my Triton.
There’s bad shit and good shit
I’ve only got good shit on mine
This is by far your best video John! I love people's reactions when they ask me.....are you gonna put a lift in your 79 series? And i say what for? The look on their faces is priceless. Then when they try to give a reason for it i shut them down with rational, professional reasons which i've learnt from 24 years as a mechanic and they just look confused. They look confused because they're wondering why everyone else they've spoken to has a totally different tune and are seemingly happy with their modifications. But not realising that they would never disclose to you if they ever had something break. As they themselves are in ultimate denial as to why it happened! Stock is best.....that is absolutely 100% true! The oldest cars on the road are almost always.....stock.
Love it "reality pounding on the door" 🤪
Reality should have yelled "Truth Warrant!!" and kicked the door in already. :)
Experience is the best thing. When I got my Subaru XV 3 years ago, I joined the Subaru 4WD club (doesn’t have to be a Subie). I have done a few one day trips with other people and gained valuable experience in airing down and driving through lots of mud.
Less risky than doing it on your own. And they advise you on which accessories are needed.
I have a 2015 XV with 2inch lift, AT tyres and have used it on many outback trips - including a short stint into the Simpson Desert going over Big Red from east and west on return trip. They are a great car.
That reminds me of my cousin's husband. They live in the country, near a 4x4 offroad adventure park and they happen to know the owners. My cousin had just bought a brand new Forester and hubby somehow convinced her to hand it to him to see what it'd do.
What did it do? Well, he took it to the 4x4 park on the same day that a Jeep Owners Club just happened to be visiting from the city. All these blokes with Wranglers and GCs covered in half an ARB shop struggling to get up sand dunes... meanwhile, a local bloke taking the misso's Fozzy for a bit of a stretch made it up the dunes, no wukkas. What a day that was!
Please continue to pelt me with your honesty... I came in at 60sec mark to say love ya John.... When you offend me it feels good in a real world way ha ha! it is realistically genuine good old fashioned wisdom in what we label modern world... Pretty much came in to say that I really love your blunt 'Ghard' on bull poo.... dude
Dish. It. Up.
You are wise Mr Cadogan.
Thing is if the person who asked you has watched your videos for any period of time they should know you will say it how you see it, and hopefully they got what they wanted,
And you were respectful keeping there identity "withheld" so big 👍
End of the day i like your style cause if you think i am a prick or a saint you wont mince your words about it
From 🏴 with 🤪
only time i went down the 4x4 mods was a winch /winch bumper a new set of leaf springs with a 4 inch lift since the the truck had 280 thousand miles springs needed help , but it was form follows function build .
Wise words! I've got a Triton (with John's endorsement being a big reason why) and one year in the mods I've done have been minimal, and each for an actual purpose, filling a need. Canopy, all-terrains, radio, light bar, second battery to run the fridge. Stock suspension, no engine mods etc. Wonder how much an Iveco Daily is, though, hmm..,
I've been running a fridge for 5 years without a second battery, Waeco has a battery monitor system and has never failed.
Less is more, John, in every aspects of our life. So...you're damn right.
If you think that a 1100kg load and rock crawling go together then perhaps you should stick to sedans and paved roads.
I got put in my 4X4 place in 1982 I was sitting in my FJ40 at a remote beach after negotiating some very soft sand tracks when a HG holden station wagon pulled up next to me stuffed with surfboards & four scaffold planks
And you felt rather silly suddenly, right? :)
@@markh.6687 yes I did and every time I pulled up to the petrol pump afterwards the 40 drank fuel at a scary rate
@@kisbushcraftdownunder I'm sure that did drink like a thirsty camel.
@@markh.6687 I think about 3km to a litre if you kept the speed around 90 kmph over that or offroad about two on a good day
@@kisbushcraftdownunder It's not the the fuel consumption that's the problem, it's the way it smacks it's chops everytime you pass a petrol station. :))
I’m going to get weird and say I love you John. Well done for calling out the most common type of vee-hicle on Aussie roads. *well it seems it.
Spot on.
Brilliant !!!
Love the honesty, and this line (and it will be a pig to drive) 😂. I’ll keep my stock Dual cab.
If you insist on going regularly to DPC, get an ex Aus army Unimog. Doesn't need a snorkel, 35s or anything added cause it comes standard i.e it's already fit for purpose.
@@davexb6595 If you're fine with not going over 90km/h then you can just drive your unimog to DPC.
If a Unimog is good enough for Larry Perkins, it should be good enough for anyone.
@Dave XB whoa too expensive for me!!! I was trying to keep it in the realm of reality whilst at DPC. The Volvo truck sounds about as expensive as a couple accessories from ARB. How ''bout we meet in the middle; put some air spring seats in the Mog and a set of 10 buck ear muffs from Bunnings.......
Well said !
Ha, ha, this one was fun! So true.
Brilliant only thing I do is a pre filter and catch can what's yr thoughts on those mods
It's the reasons you outlined as to why I traded my NP300 Navara ( that had a few good mods ) for a 4x4 Wagon with a better towing capacity. Don't need a lot of payload as it just my wife and me.
Sounds like what they need is a dual cab 79 series
Life is much less stressful when you DGAF what everyone thinks of you.
I agree about utes being light duty. That is one reason I just bought an actual truck. Funny thing is it cost the same as a shiny new ute.
👍👍 grate vid and so so true
Bells and whistles, the first signs of affluenza.
That's GOLD! 🤣
First symptoms of affluenza.
Pointing it out : First symptoms of jealousy.
Leading to terminal Pooritis by wasting their money.
@@farokhbulsara4890 Lots of effluents in between all the sufferers of affluenza
Anyone who is now thinking of an Iveco Daily will do this but even so, you could've done the maths on buying a Hilux or similar and then outfitting it with a lift kit, big tyres, diff locks, etc. as compared to the Daily as is. It just would've made the point more pointy. BTW, I once owned a 1988 Suzuki Sierra that was 100% stock (including the road tyres) and have had it places that would scare a lot of people.
Amen brother, amen!
and awoman sister, awoman, p.c. required here
is John your brother?
I liked the work Nissan Patrol for beach work, removed the brakes and installed new seat covers, pretty flash.
Yep, hard truth. For many people, the main limiting factor for mods is not money, it is weight..
I watched this half expecting you to suggest a caravan for those that modify their utes. That way they're set when the ute breaks down near Dingo Piss Creek...until Darwin gets his final word in;)
In all honesty I'm guilty of modifications to my Outback XT. More in line with "Super Gramps" from that other Aussie show than for off road. I love your show though so maybe I'll fit a snorkel in your honor;)
You just changed my mind for now on buying front and rear winch for sand driving, and twin lithium to run my coffee machine and bring my payload down to 40 kg under gvm.
I have a 20 year old disco 2. With all the extras I have put on, sheepskin seat covers and rubber floor mats, it has been super reliable. Much to the disappointment of the pimped out, jacked up, IFS utes, I go further, easier and have never had to replace a CV on the side of a bush track..... 🤣
Yes, my FJ cruiser looks underdressed compared to most four wheel drives here in Queensland. An off road replacement bar on the front, after damaging the original while off-roading and different spec tyres.
I lust over the lift kits and massive wheels and stainless steel snorkels but i like the standard ride and I don't want to cut holes in my car...
That moment when you see a completely stock anything. It's like sun beaming through clouds. Time stands still.