Far Canal,
1.) Paint is cheap, so repainting to white is not a problem
2.) Based on what you said, check out what the SCORE trucks are using for tech.
3.) The Central Part of the US has a lot of big open space too: see Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, the Dakota's, etc
4.) Admittadly, the lifted mudrunner I posted is really suited to a desert racer but a burb can be - instead of 38 inch thornbirds run 35 inch BFGoodrich Trail/TA's..
5.) 6MPG?! I've never had anywhere near that kind of bad mileage, mebbe with big tires and deep gears and a biig engine, but I've never had less than 12 miles to the gallon with any of my burb's(BTW the truck that got 12MPG had a 150K miles on it with a wiped out 700R4 tranny!) My current truck gets on average 15mpg which works out to something like just under 6.5KPL.
6.) a 40 gallon tank is actually about 151 liters, a 44 gallon tank is about 166 liters.
7.) What about converting to LPG? From what BAW and others have posted, it's the thing to do in OZ with trucks as LPG is so cheap there. Here it's not really an option due to cost and lack of infrastructure.
8.) I didn't even mention diesel as a powerplant, so consider that - the newer Burbs here with the 6.5 liter get just under 20MPG - unfortunatly, GM in it's infinate wisdom has yet to release a Duramax 'Burb
9.) The Burb can haul more stuff like water, fuel, spare parts (a vital necessity in a place where you can die of dehydration), tools, camping equip., hunting gear, fellow travelers, etc, etc, etc. You would not believe how much you can pack into it. I packed up everthing in one trip, all the stuff we were taking when My mother cleaned out her cousin's apartment. It consisted of a coffe table, two end tables, a drop leaf table, a floor lamp and some bedroom furniture. Mom couldn't believe I got all of it in. She figured on at least two trips.

Toolmaker

I'm not suggesting you get a nice new one to take offroad, your loathe to put scratchs in it (something I discovered with the new 'burb with my proclivity for "shortcuts", never twas a problem with the last one!). What I'm suggesting is buying something like this:

Ebay Item

For a little over 700 bucks USD it's worth it even with the work you'll have to do to finish it. Plus at that price, I wouldn't hesitate to beat the crap outta it. Admittedly, it's a little underpowered with only a 350 small block(5.7L), but that's what boneyards are for! I'm sure a fow fitty fow could be scavenged and given a new life... Of course this beast will only get 9-10 miles to the gallon - My fuelie small block only gets 15. As for this thing:

Among the "truck" owners here they have an amusing nickname - "speedbumps"!

Toolmaker

Bowser! That'll need its own tanker

Is it good to ride around in naked?

That's an essential feature for Bakes.

yeah that should do the trick!
can you box it up and send it to bakes at raaf base Tindal.
the US airforce should be able to transport it for a reasonable fee.

I hope it's got a tow bar to hook up the bowser.

Once again, the Aussies manage to mispercieve the situation! The standard gas tank of the 73'-92 'burbs was 28 gallon but you almost always find a 40 gallon tank as it was a ridiculously cheap option, like 12 bucks. My 98 has a 44 gallon tank in it and something like a 600 mile cruising range on the highway... Admittedly it's "slightly" painful to fill up the last time I did it, it cost me something like $75 USD. Most of the mileage problem in the earlier year trucks is due to a lack of an overdrive tranny, but than can be rectified by several companies like B&M, Jet, etc who make kits to put late model OD trans. into earlier tin. Let's face it, it's a big(aprox. 7 feet wide by just under 20 feet long) heavy( just under 3 tons) truck with the aerodynamics of a brick, but it seats eight(!) sleeps 2(three if your kinky) and can put a 4X8 sheet of plywood in the back if you fold the rear seat. Oh, and did I mention it can tow something like 4 tons in the half tonner and something like nine tons in the three quarter tonner depending on year and options. Ann's suggestion can haul more outside but mine can tow almost as much plus all the room inside, plus dually's suck offroad. The Sammy(?) doesn't even come close to either. If you want to see what current state of the art is in offroad tech, take a look at the "top truck" challenge. The burb I posted would be laughed out of the competition as being too mundane. Stuff like multi link suspension and rear steering are pretty much run of the mill as well as monster engines. About the only relativily "stock" vehicles that compete on a regular basis are Unimog's and even they are usually modified albiet nowhere near as much as the rest of the field. Here's the page for the competitors for the '04 challenge.

Toolmaker

I know about 50 places I'd find Toolmakers 3 ton tank after half an inch of rain out Louth/Tilpa/Bourke way! Red or black soil would swallow that thing up REAL quick!!

Hope he's on good terms with the guys who have to re-grade the roads! Jesus, with that sort of fuel consumption, it'd be cheaper to fly in the groceries!

Even 'cruisers were a problem - the one Suzi I saw had no probs!

The problem isn't the mileage, it's the cost you poor smucks pay for fuel - I've posted prices here of what "petrol" is going for here, now. What I haven't mentioned is that these are the highest prices I've seen in recent memory - gas was less than a buck a gallon in some places as recently as four years ago. As for the burb' getting stuck, well all trucks get stuck in mud eventually - that's what winches are for! Something to keep in mind is the burb is riding on much wider tires with a big increase in tire diameter which translates into a huge "footprint". Even if the 'Burb weighs twice as much, if it has four times the "footprint" it will have half the PSI applied to the ground - that's why you air down tires, to increase the contact patch and decrease the Weight/area ratio. As for "flying" things in, can ya fly in a bobcat? My brother used to tow his with my fathers Suburban all the time. Don't get wrong, there are a couple of things I would change - mainly the engine, a 350 is just too underpowered for a truck this heavy with big tires. A 454 or better yet, that new 502 Ramjet they just released as a crate motor would be a significant improvement. The other thing I would have done is to trim the fenders and put on fender flares instead of lifting the truck - this way you have a much lower center of gravity. Believe it or not the tires aren't really that big - 31.50's will fit in the factory setup with no problem, this is what I had on my '89. If you want really big tires, well Interco makes a 49 inch(that's a 1.25 meter diameter!) IROK tire for those who truly want to "ride high", with only a 21 inch width:


Toolmaker

rugeruser,



In the UK, the SJ 413 has become very popular with people wanting a cheap and cheerful off roader. Thats not to say they are not very capable; they are especially if you willing to spend a little on them. There biggest down side was that little 1.3 petrol engine; if ever there was a vehicle calling out for a 1.8TD engine, this was it! Various conversions were, and are, still being done in the UK. Not to long along a 4x4 magazine done a series of articles based on the idea of doing one of these up on a budget. I don't remember all the details but the cost of buying a used vehicle and doing the various mods would have come to less than a set of tyres for on of Toolmakers monster trucks! If my hunting was more local I would certainly consider a SJ 413 or a Lada Niva, but as I do a 1000 mile round trip once a month I need something a bit more comfortable!



NitroX,



Do you guys get the new Spanish Santana Defender clone over there? Its been out in the UK about 18 months I guess and is getting some good reviews.



Santana used to build LandRovers for the Spanish army under lisence; they also built SJ's under lisence for Suzuki, so they have a background in these vehicles. They actually build agriculural vehicles as well.



The new vehicle looks very much like the Defender, and is aimed squarley at the "working sector". To start with, its done away with the Defenders cramped drivers position by loosing that tiny seat in the middle.



Rather than develop a new engine, Santana have fitted an off the shelf Iveco Turbo desiel..I think its a 2.8L but I might be wrong. What ever it is, its a commonly used, well respected engine used in a lot of light commercial vehicles in Europe.



The axles are Dana and the gearbox is again another off the shelf light commercial unit I can't remember.



They have kept the live, beam axles and gone with parabolic leaf springs. They developed these some years ago for a LandRover variant they planned to build back then. Basically they offer a big improvement on standard leaf springs in terms of both ride and "travel" but not not quite a qood as the coil springs on the standard Defender. Its a compromise that keeps things simple, robust, and a bit cheaper. These springs are now abvailable as after market replacements for Series LandRovers here in the UK and are supposed to be a real improvement over the old design.



I am not sure if the vehicle comes with diff locks as standard, but as the axles are by Dana you would have no problems fitting Airlockers or what have you.



The other refereshing thing is that the interior is metal and hard wearing plastic, no carpet in sight! Its all designed to be easy to wash out and maintain.



And best of all, its about �10,000 cheaper than the basic Defender! Santana are only expecting to sell a few hundred each year in the UK, so I have not seen any on the secondhand market. To make matters worse, apparently the Spainish Army have signed another contract for these, and they will be getting priority production!





















Regards,



Pete

I second the comealong, they're nifty tools and can be used for heaps of jobs besides unsticking trucks. I used to use them for loading race cars onto trailers as the converter had too high a stall speed. Do you guys have "hilift" jacks? They are one of the best jacks I've ever seen, simple, tough and reliable. Just gotta remember to bring a chunk of 2x12 to spread the load in case of soft terrain. I would also suggest a tire patch kit. I have a no personal experiance with the "fixaflat" type products but I have heard that something called "greenslime" is particularly good. A 12V aircompressor is also a necessity if your going to be prepared for flats. Not to mention tire spoons, hand tools, spare fluids, extar fuel, etc, etc, etc. The list just goes on and on...

Toolmaker