For everyone who’s ever dreamed of selling the house and hitting the road for extended periods of time, here’s one bloke who’ll show you how it’s done…
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Ron has perfected the Outback life. One of those blokes that we all secretly envy. One of those fellas that arrives amid a cloud of dust 10 minutes before dark and has a cracking fire and complete campsite set up before you even have the two minute noodles on the boil. An experienced traveller with the perfect setup borne from decades of travelling – usually up to six months of the year.
Just a few months ago Ron sold his house, deciding to explore our great continent on a full-time basis. Lotus Caravans was called upon to provide the accommodation while the tow rig BT-50 was built up with well thought out mods to handle what Outback life can throw at it. After four months of solid travel so far, Ron reckons the setup is working well… so let’s have a look at what makes this extended tourer tick.
Starting with the base MY14 3.2L turbo-diesel Mazda BT-50 dual-cab, a serious list of fruit was added. Power was one of the first things addressed. A Steinbauer chip was chosen for its good reputation, giving both power and torque a healthy boot in the pants. Given the remote destinations Ron gets to, the engine now sips fuel from a 150L Long Ranger tank, bringing just about any campsite within reach. Rounding out the powerplant a Safari raised air intake now delivers cooler and cleaner air to the inlet. Putting all of the newfound power to the ground is a job trusted to a set of Cooper ST Maxx tyres in 265/75/16. The hard-wearing characteristics of the rubber make these tyres a popular choice among the dirt-road crowd.
Ditching the factory suspension is pretty much a given for most serious off-road travellers, particularly those who tow. Ron chose a 50mm lift with Old Man Emu components front and rear, while 600kg rated rear leaves were installed to keep things level when towing – and Ron reckons they handle the job well. Interestingly, he notes that the ride when unladen is also comfortable. Not bad for a rig running cart springs!
We all know the perils of wildlife strikes in the Outback. A serious one can make short work of your front end and ruin your trip. With this in mind, Ron hit up his local ARB store to provide some body protection. A colour-coded steel bullbar (housing a Warn XD9000 winch), rear bar and full underbody protection were considered essential. While he was chatting with the blokes at ARB, Ron also managed to talk them into fitting a roof rack along with an internally-braced canopy, with gullwing windows, to house the brace of 42L and 32L fridges complete with transit bags. An Outback drawer and MSA drop fridge slide are also mounted in the tray and they round out a very practical camping setup.
There is not much worse, or more dangerous, than having loose heavy cargo moving around while driving in challenging conditions – so Ron installed a set of rails and tie-downs for securing jerry cans and other camping equipment in the rear cargo area. A smart idea that does not take up much room at all; and frankly, we reckon it should come as standard equipment on every ute.
Having reliable electrical power, and plenty of it, is crucial when travelling remotely. Not only that but managing that power is essential once you start adding accessories and towables to the mix. Ron’s BT-50 is well and truly sorted in that department though, and now runs an additional two auxiliary batteries – both housed in the rear cargo bay. The system is managed by a Redarc 1240 BCDC controller.
A COTEK 300W pure sine wave inverter, Baintech Universal Panel, multiple 12V and Anderson outlets and a roof-mounted 60W solar panel complete what is a very effective and handy power package.
Towing the Lotus Caravan is managed by a combination of a Redarc Tow Pro Elite brake controller and a Polaris rear-view camera. Ron is very happy with the new Elite model, saying that he doesn’t even have to think about managing the braking anymore… the intelligence built into the unit takes care of the job nicely. As for the rear-view camera: Seriously, if you’ve ever tied to hitch up or keep an eye on things without one, you’ll know how much easier life is with one on board. Communications are handled by an 80 channel GME UHF unit (mounted in an Outback roof console) and a HF radio; and navigation is made easy with the Hema HN7 Navigator.
With the whole setup now proven and run in with the new van, there is no limit to the travels he has planned – basically the whole of Australia… several times over! What is a dream for most of us is a reality for Ron, enjoying the bush 24/7, 365 days a year. Go ahead and tell us you’re not a little bit jealous… we should warn you that we won’t believe you.
