The Cattle Truck

[Helmut79]

Rig looking good Dave.

Might be time for a run to the"W" place to test her out

She might even be able to keep upwith a stock lux now .....

[helicoptercow]

Rig looking good Dave.

Might be time for a run to the"W" place to test her out

She might even be able to keep upwith a stock lux now .....

haha yea nice try... who was bogged down on the sand??

but yea will have to take a look out there again. I heard on the grape vine they are looking to lock up medowie and wallaroo forests

[fridgie]

I heard on the grape vine they are looking to lock up medowie and wallaroo forests

don't tell me your FREE areas might be starting to be taken away from you heavens forbid!!!

If only you had parks down there like we have up here you'll always have somewhere to go

[helicoptercow]

had to bite didnt' you

while they like to lock up forests, clubs can often still get the keys to go play Still plenty more around...

[Helmut79]

Rig looking good Dave.

Might be time for a run to the"W" place to test her out

She might even be able to keep upwith a stock lux now .....

haha yea nice try... who was bogged down on the sand??

but yea will have to take a look out there again. I heard on the grape vine they are looking to lock up medowie and wallaroo forests

Come in spinner

They have been sdaying that for years, it is more to keep the knobs out that dump and burn out stolen cars out there tthan keeping out 4x4 drivers. More moto riders use the area than anyone else.

I'll drop you a pm and see if Jamo is keen too for a run

[helicoptercow]

Well its been a while since i pushed my luck but i'm feeling its time to spend some moo-la again

After a lot of fighting i finally have a slush fund that builds weekly for "my" expenses so i don't have to get the ministers approval for every purchase.... only problem is it takes soooo fricken long to build up when i want it now!

Anyways, so working off $2k by christmas, can't decide where i'm best to spend my hard earnt (not really) cash. I want to get the best value i can out of some combination of items.

The list i see in my head consists of - and in no particular order -

mcc rear bar
front bar
front locker
chip or tune
exhaust
rooftop tent + frame (like kwiji's)

The rear bar i would buy tomorrow but think i want to wait until i've seen one in the flesh - can't affort to buy an impractical tow bar

exhaust is a nice to have but not overly important in the scheme of things, i'm trying to build a speed machine, but could be beneficial particularly when i get back into towing.

front bar is optional

front locker, i would like, but is it realistic and that would be all my moola gone in one hit, and i question how often i'd use it.

tent i'd use, but how much? i have a swag....

i need to be pushed in some direction, and i know you guys are quite persuasive

/// ohh and i already fund Ultimate enough so i'm not after a sprint booster... i desire a torque power combination

[reeldreamer]

Ask fridgie about the benefits of a rear bar My advice would be a rear bar and exhaust get more for your dollars instead of a locker which you can't put your eyes on and ogle! Though the locker is very functional the rear bar will protect you and the exhaust well that sounds sweet and you are always using it!

[Homer]

It depends on what you want to do mate.

If you want to wheel a bit then the front locker is the go...although you would soon need a front and rear bar to protect you from the places you will now be able to go....

Catch 22

[JamoGLXR]

Chip with a tune and exhaust. U might make some return in fuel economy Aswell as it will help u on the track when u just need a little more torque..

But then again in typical cow fashion I have seen your ass up against a few trees in my time.. Could save a trip to the panel beaters..

Or buy all the and seek forgiveness it's easier then justifying so I've heard

[helicoptercow]

Or buy all the and seek forgiveness it's easier then justifying so I've heard

yea it use to be... but i took the no regrets option with a slush fund... although, i am regretting it, go figure?

rear bar will come, i just hope it does come before i end up like daisy , i just need to confirm the tow ball heights and the level of protection before i purchase the mcc bar. Misses would kill me if she couldn't connect the float... and i then couldn't justify the car as being 'to tow her stupid horse'

The way i'm looking at it, a tune and exhaust would round out my 2k.
similarly a locker would.
or i could probably do a chip + front bar or tent.. actually i dont think i need the tent that much atm so its off the list.

[Cowboy Dave]

you'll struggle to score the chip and front bar out of $2k.

I reckon keep an eye out for a used chip on the forum and on ebay, you might get lucky. You'll get a fair improvement in performance without the need for a zorst.

Take the leftover money, buy a shotgun and rob a bank to buy the rest. Or you could buy some lottery tickets...

Are there any birthdays, anniversaries (and christmas) that you can parlay into additional expenditure?

[Diddy]

Wat CD said

[NowForThe5th]

Fortunately it's a Triton so MCC front bar and chip is well within the bounds of reality with a $2K budget.

[helicoptercow]

yea its not a strict 2k... but all i'll admit to is 2k and yea there is christmas in the mix too.
I was working off a front bar costing $1200 and chip $800. If i could snare a second hand chip i would be more then happy with that. And its likely to be an mcc bar too at this stage... just waiting on some feedback on the products

[borngeek]

For mine mate;

rear bar top priority. that thing has saved my arse (excuse the pun) too many times to mention. Front bar can wait, those nudge bars go alright

I know your keen on some extra power. Without a exhaust you can get some very decent gains. I be more inclined to try just a stainless 3" dump (with EGT gauge) and a chip to get you going. The stock dump and cat is VERY restrictive and 99% of the problem IMO. The rest is just for show & noise
Yeah you be the first to try it, I dont have any dyno results to prove it either..
But you can HALF the cost going this way and if you not happy do the rest later.
Will sound sweet and bring down the EGT's so we can dump some extra fuel in for you and get some extra power above what is available otherwise.

Budget a new HD clutch.

Then locker and front bar...

[snowman]

For mine mate;

rear bar top priority. that thing has saved my arse (excuse the pun) too many times to mention. Front bar can wait, those nudge bars go alright

I know your keen on some extra power. Without a exhaust you can get some very decent gains. I be more inclined to try just a stainless 3" dump (with EGT gauge) and a chip to get you going. The stock dump and cat is VERY restrictive and 99% of the problem IMO. The rest is just for show & noise
Yeah you be the first to try it, I dont have any dyno results to prove it either..
But you can HALF the cost going this way and if you not happy do the rest later.
Will sound sweet and bring down the EGT's so we can dump some extra fuel in for you and get some extra power above what is available otherwise.

Budget a new HD clutch.

Then locker and front bar...

Chopper,

if you will be going onto the trails...

there isn't much point denting your tub, then fixing it and buying a bar. get done first. don't forget no guarantees though, Geek, Ken and i have all done rear tub damage WITH bars....and probably many others i can't recall now.

if you lack power this will only be NEEDED for on-road to be honest.

as geek says the lower half of your front bar gets chopped off so a few scrapes wont be a big issue if you cant afford that yet.

go rear bar
chip (as you have the float)
front bar

remember with the chip you can adjust tunes as you do other stuff such as the exhaust. i don't know whether you will save heaps of money by doing dump only unless you are doing it yourself. by the time they stuff around with labour both times and reconnect, just get the whole pipe done, if that is ultimately what you want.

i would also be doing the EGT product with the Chip and exhaust upgrade, especially as you tow a horse float a lot. i just think that is good insurance - especially if you are playing with tunes.

my two bobs anyway.

[helicoptercow]

thanks guys

the rear bar is a certainty, its not really an 'if' just 'when'. As before i just need to see one of these mcc bars on an ML to work out what else i'll need i.e. an adjustable hitch to still be able to attach the float (jockey wheel only goes so high and its about at its limit now ) cause i expect the ball height will rise 3-4"

Not really going to go performance tuning, really just be a set and forget, and its for on road to provide that extra bit for economy and towing. And i'd go the whole exhaust if i were to buy one, and then try and convince fellow members or friends with some knowledge to help with an install Also agree with the bull bar, not in any great rush, but certainly a nice to have.

keep the opinions coming

[ultimate]

We will have a MCC bar on an ML very soon. Fraz is swapping his tub over on Wednesday night to an Ml one and we will be fitting the rear bar on Thursday morning if everything goes to plan

[daryn]

Brendan,

Next I hear is the engine swap to the ML 3.2, good to see the Ultimate development budget is being put to sensible use on a Triton this time

[trickydevil]

Nice one cow... It's looking good. I reckon the horse would account for about 5k a year in feed, vet, extra fuel to tow it around.

I think you're safe to get that. Front locker, the mrs's should pay for the chip & exhaust as it will help get the horse transported quicker, use less fuel and give her more time to ride it

[fraz91]

Brendan,

Next I hear is the engine swap to the ML 3.2, good to see the Ultimate development budget is being put to sensible use on a Triton this time

I wish it was the Ultimate development budget...

as for what to get in the way of Rear Bars, anything is better than nothing. All comes down to what one you like the most and whether or not it will suit your chosen uses for the cattle truck. I've got the MN ARB bar and while it looks neat and tidy and has protected the back of my car a fair bit, i'd personally prefer something with a little more side protection and rear clearance (i'm going to an ML tray because i want more rear clearance ). Most of the aftermarket bars should have a universal sized hitch receiver, so you should be able to get a Hayman Reese drop-hitch that will make life a little easier on your jockey wheel.

[helicoptercow]

Nice one cow... It's looking good. I reckon the horse would account for about 5k a year in feed, vet, extra fuel to tow it around.

I think you're safe to get that. Front locker, the mrs's should pay for the chip & exhaust as it will help get the horse transported quicker, use less fuel and give her more time to ride it

bwahahaaha!!!

every time i mention the horse in the context of 'the triton should there for have ....' i get my arse kicked was an effort to get the sussy and brakes done 'because it'll improve towing'

[helicoptercow]

Well its been a while since i've really done anything with respect to updating my build thread...

first of all, i'd like to begin the story back at Easter where i trialed a product called autoskin. Its a roll on paint protection that costs about $30 for 1L. With half a litre (half the recommended amount) i did the sides of my triton and headed to coffs for the long weekend. Coffs being notoriously bad for lantana, figured it would be a lot easier to 'peal' away the mess and scratches then polish for hours.

The idea of the product is, lay down a wax - reason being it makes it easier to peal off later, using a foam roller apply an even coat, and let it dry clear. The coat does need to be thick enough you can't see paint below, if its to thin its a bitch to remove without the aid of a pressure wash I applied it everywhere, rubber and panel.

goes on white


dries clear


to look at you would think its just a terrible paint job cause its comes up like a matt finish

and when the fun has ended, just peal away




Next was a provent catch can. Not having a blank and already rolling up 50,000km figured better late then never to some form of carbon build up preventative, although already to late.

so i purchased some basic supplies from bunnings to fit. i was in a rush so nothing fancy and like everything figured i'd revisit it and do it properly one day.... yea right.


used the these little bracket things and the cable ties were for the bash plates I had a heap of little nuts and bolts at home.

so putting it all together, its ended up like this...

I had some garden irrigation crap in the garage so used that to plumb the drain till i sorted something better out... so far its done ok so in no rush to replace it






after a 300km run i thought for $hits and giggles i'd check and surprised to find moisture in the tube. had collected about 20ml of water, and still to this day am collecting moisture and the slightest taint of oil.


Ohh and of course the cable ties to hold on the bash plates. Since this was taken, i now have both sides held up in all their glory by cable ties The plates were made by my father - love a freebie - out of 4mm mild steel using buzzy's design.. and they have taken a beating since fitting



Next after cogging round for so long un harmed, seem's the above discussions about what i should invest in next jinxed me. a few weekends ago while playing in sugarloaf drowned the poor girl twice and dented her curvacious arse. she only had to last the weekend and she was getting a nice new rear bar at bylong... Think the misses felt bad too after denying me the bar so so long, she just looked at it and said 'lets discuss this rear bar'... WIN!



seems the best thing i could have done was try and dry it asap... when i finally got out of the mud and water, straight away ripped up the carpet and had towels in there to draw out the moisture. then that night alternated towels through, trying it by the camp fire and shoving it back under the underlay. Once home just left the carpet up for a week to breath, but by the Sunday arvo it all felt pretty dry, so after a week was pleased with the result and had the carpet all back down in place.




Fitting the rear bar was simple enough, thanks to Brendan, Ken, Ben and Dougy for the help. and later Garth for re wiring the trailer plug and fraz the lights

No photos of the install taking place, but a few shots i took recently










My thoughts... seems like a good bar - only time will tell. I like the added protection of the higher side bar, and it covers my dent nicely It maintains much the same height and angles as an arb or tjm bar, but with less of a 'grader blade'. I don't think the lower edge of the tub will drag to much, unless on an awkward angle cause you can see its in line with the spare and chassis mounting.

I have noticed that I can't fit my old factory hitch into the receiver because it is mms to small. luckily the supplied hitch is perfect... till i want larger tyres And the 2 recovery points on the back don't take the 4.7T shackle not to worry though, just have to use 2 smaller ones, and share the load if needed.

After fitting and having a play around bylong, had to return home to take the mrs's to a horse comp. thought this was a perfect op to show how well the ultimate suspension was taking the load admittedly, he float we were using on the day, is about 500-700kg short of the one in the first pic below that we usually use...


it can be seen its a bit weight down in the rear with 2.5T hanging off it with the standard VR suspension


leaves are upset


different (500kg lighter) trailer empty


ultimate suspension unloaded


ultimate suspension with float (light 850kg)
FYI the float in the top pic weights in at 1300kg empty...


ultimate suspension with 1 horse (light little thing ~400kg)


fatty going in ~580kg


float + 2 horses about ~1700kg

so with the other float + a second normal sized horse that second stage would be loaded.

the fatty did perform on the day luckily...




and she thinks more of these little fatties will get to go places in a few years


more to come, but that's enough for now... apart from some more glory shots... i have to do something to fill in the day at these horse comps




like many, my nudge bar doesn't look so straight these days

[4WD Supplies]

looking good mate. nice work on the provent.

[helicoptercow]

looking good mate. nice work on the provent.

shame you can't see the bottle cap i used for a washer Just proves you should always have a beer in hand when working in the garage/shed