Australian 4x4 Adventre

Australian 4x4 Adventure

 

  Get off the couch and unplug the kids from the Xbox or Nintendo everyone, there is so much to do and see in in this amazing country of ours in every single community you happen to live in. Why on earth would you lock yourself up inside the house when you, your friends and your family could be out having an Australian 4x4 Adventure?

  I hear so many people complaining that there is nothing to do on the weekend and the majority of them own a 4wd. I for the life of me can’t understand what is wrong with some people today, I could safely say that about 90% of the 4wd owners around Australia have never even taken their vehicles off-road let alone locked in their hubs the whole time they have owned their amazing vehicles.

Owning a 4 wheel drive is like owning a ticket to another world. How many people driving around in a sedan can go to work and tell their work mates they took the old Falcon for a strap up and down a completely deserted beach with the missus and the brussel sprouts on the weekend? If you own a 4 wheel drive guys you have a golden key to see some truly amazing things that a lot of people only ever experience through their television sets or on their computers, you can go just about anywhere and show your kids things that will blow their minds.

I’ve never done any 4 wheel driving before, I don’t know how?

  That’s completely fine guys, we all have to lock in the hubs and throw her in 4 high or 4 low for the first time ever at some stage in our lives, and learning to drive a 4wd is as easy as falling out of bed. It doesn’t matter where you live there will be a 4wd club near you, the best way to get into the scene and learn the ins and outs of your 4x4 is to join up a club. These clubs are an absolute ball guys, they comprise of families to basically anyone who just loves a good excuse to get out there and have an Australian 4x4 adventure when the weekend rolls around. They are always accepting of new people and these clubs are a virtual wealth of knowledge when it comes to anything 4wd related and a whole lot in between, any club member will guide absolutely anyone on how to drive and where to go because these guys want to see you out and about and go on adventures with you and your family. You will meet some really to notch citizens within any of these clubs so we recommend this as your very first step to learning how to drive your 4x4.

What are some 4x4 clubs around Australia?

  There are heaps of them guys, heaps and heaps of 4x4 clubs all around Australia. Like I said they are a dead set great bunch of guys who enjoy getting out there and having good times with some good clean (well dirty but clean) fun out there in this beautiful country of ours. I have put a link to a really good listing of 4x4 clubs that lists a few clubs from state to state so this is a fantastic way to get started on your quick hunt for a local 4wd club, if you touch base with them I am sure they can point you in the right direction to finding a club in your neck of the woods. So grab the family, the dog, the fishing rods and pack something to eat  guys and just get out there and have a great time. I really hope to see you out there.

The Birth of Four Wheel Drives

The birth of four wheel drives….

  Hey guys its Mason and Steve here from Australian UteCanopies. Steve and myself much like the rest of you out there who are right into our four wheel drives love nothing more than getting out and about and having a great time with friends and family in our 4wd’s and just recently Steve and I were having a bit of a chat about all of the amazing new technologies coming out these days in these beautiful new release vehicles and having a laugh about how what we have today is a complete luxury compared to the earlier models we used to run around in and it occurred to us that it’s almost as if our brains think of 4wd’s beginning with the old school ToyotaHilux as if that’s where life began for us in our minds in relation to this technology. I asked Steve if he knew where the first idea of this technology come from and he was not 110% sure but thought it may have military origins and I honestly didn’t have enough of an education to even place a bet and this got me absolutely and utterly intrigued and I can’t stand not knowing something so I put on my research hat and picked up my shovel and starting digging around looking for the answers to this question and decided to put what I discovered out there for all of our friends out there so we can all be just that little bit the wiser on the subject.

  Alrighty then…..  Bramah Joseph Diplock is a pretty big deal in the world of four wheel drives guys, in 1893 in Britain this bloke patented the world’s first 4 wheel drive system, it was 4 wheel steering and had a series of 3 differentials and steam powered so this old girl pretty much kick started the entire evolution of what we know of 4wds today. This Diplock lad come up with the wildest bit of gear as far as getting the power down to the ground, check out this photo I found below of the Pedrail wheel.

   Now this Pedrail wheel was originally intended to give better traction in adverse ground conditions like out in the paddocks and was originally designed with agricultural purposes in mind, that and intended to reduce damage to the early road ways which I’m sure would have been pretty how you goin to start off with, what a lad. Bramah then took his crazy looking wheels, 4wd system and differentials and wacked them together to make his pride and joy the Pedrail Locomotive which was pretty kick ass back in the day, wonder if he ever took his locomotive down a few bush tracks to the beach for a spot of fishing on the weekends? Have a look at this old girl below.

  Agriculture was the original intention of this technology but on the 16^th of February in 1915 they put together a little demo for Mr Winston Churchill and showed him how this little invention could be put to work with military potential, this was the birth then of what we know as the modern armoured tank of today, except we know them with “caterpillar tracks” which first come about from another clever bugger by the name of Richard Lovell Edgeworth also of England who in the 1770’s after a good 40 years of mucking around with this idea placed the first patent on the very first continuous track system.

  So there you go guys, this is the factual birth of 4 wheel drives that we all know and love today. Who would have thought ey?  I can’t believe I am going to say this but a big thanks to the poms for getting the ball rolling on my weekend adventures I enjoy so much today. 

  Well I hope you have all learned a little something and I hope I haven't bored you too much in the process, I found this fascinating and wanted to share with you all what I discovered. If you made it all the way down here to the bottom of this page then thanks heaps for reading and look forward to seeing you down at Australian Ute Canopies.

Mason

Mitsubishi Triton

Mitsubishi Triton Canopies and Hard Covers

     Hi guys, great to see you all back again.... This is my second blog and I am slowly finding time here and there to sit down here and keep doing a little blogging for our amazing followers out there who have been asking to learn a little more about our great range of 4X4 hard covers and canopies. Now I have decided to throw together these blogs aimed at individual products based around each make and model one at a time because I have had some Toyota Hilux fans mention that there was a Nissan Navara sharing their hero's page..... Now now guys, cant we all just get along? oh well..... You are all probably right anyways, I run a Nissan D40 and I don't want to share a page with the Hilux boys anyways, its bad enough I am constantly pulling them out of the mud and sand traps but to share a blog as well???? BBBUUURRRRNNNNN  (thanks to all my Hilux owning mates that have reefed my D40 out of the traps on more than one occasion on the quiet as well :-) )

     Mitsubishi Triton owners, its your time to shine boys and girls out there who own one of these great 4x4 dual cabs. All jokes aside guys and girls it doesn't matter what we drive, all vehicles have there positive and negative features and we all choose our vehicle to fit our lifestyle and personal preferences, so it all comes down to what floats your boat. Having said this we here at Australian Ute Canopies have some absolute pearls here for all of you Mitsubishi Triton dual cab owners out there that will I am sure only go towards enhancing the visual appeal and add some great practicality to your Triton. 

     Australian Ute Canopies offers Triton drivers 3 exciting choices to enhance  your rides, the sports canopy (starbox) , sports hard lid (fullbox) and the standard canopy. They all look sensational and like I said they are all mega practical and will all completely transform the visual aesthetics of your Triton. 

Mitsubishi Triton. Hard cover hill climb

     The sports canopy or starbox as they are called are all hand made multi-layered strong and lightweight fiberglass structures. Both the starbox sports canopy and the standard canopy share the same product features:

•  Interior light
• Inner carpet lining
• Rear window demister
• 3rd Brake light
• C-clamp fitting
• Keyed locking
•  Perfect seal 

1.      The interior light is a small but powerful little LED light that comes standard to all of these great canopies and also is a standard feature within all of the hard covers (fullbox) products as well. A very handy little feature that will save you a lot of pain at night trying to rifle through your tray looking for something and possibly save the box of band aides getting pulled out if your tray looks anything like my tray.
2.      Inner carpet lining is a great feature, you probably would not even stop and take the time to think about this either guys but the carpet lining inside of your canopy not only looks great and just finishes  your canopy off looking smart and tidy but it actually reduces the road noise in  your 4x4 dual cabs hey. Yep, its true and hardly anyone even takes notice of this but yeah guys adding one of these carpet lined canopies will in fact reduce your road noise inside the cab as well as looking great and providing a practical and great looking storage hub to your vehicle.
3.       Rear window demisters are yet another simple yet so incredibly practicle idea that really makes a massive difference to the driver. Everyone knows that as soon as you wack a canopy on your tray the immediate realisation that hits you is that you have just reduced your visiblility through the rear window of your ute, so does it not just stand to reason that the bit of visibility that you do have you need to protect? Well now you can guys, all sports canopies and standard canopies come standard with demisters in the rear glass window to give you the best crack at maximum visibility when you really need it. Yet another fantastic feature that people really dont stop and give a second thought prior the purchase of their canopy.
4.      I love this one guys, 3rd brake light nice and high with mega bright LED's for the whole world to see. You would have to be blind Freddy to miss these bad boys when you fire them up, they truly take your driving safety to a whole new level and they are yet another standard feature of these beautiful custom hand made canopies and yes even the sports hard covers have these as standard issue as well. Just another reason why these canopies and hard covers are right up there with quality and practicality plus they just simply look so unbelievably amazing.
5.      C-Clamp fitting guys.... This is probably my absolute favorite feature of these beautiful canopies and hard covers. The C-Clamp system eliminates any cutting or hacking into your tray people, you simply get a mate to help you lift your canopy into place and just walk around the tray and check shes where you want her all nice and lined up then simply pop the lid and go for a crawl inside and pop 4 of these specially designed clams in place and tighten her up and that's it.... your done.... This is a magic idea that is starting to be copied by other manufacturers now days simply because it works, and after all imitation is the highest form of flattery so it shows that we have a great system that works and in turn makes these canopies and hard covers a DIY project which in turn will save you hundreds on having a 4x4 shop to install it for you.
6.      Keyed locking comes standard on all sports canopies, standard canopies and sports hard covers. The locking mechanism is tucked away neatly within the fiberglass shell construction and incorporated heavy duty components that will keep going and going. The units have a key chamber built into the handles and are of very sturdy construction. Locking your covers and canopies is one of the biggest reasons why people opt for these additions, turning your tray space into dry and secure storage space within the confines of your vehicle creates a greater use of your vehicle and if you are a tradesman or anyone who relies on this feature to generate your income you will know exactly what I am talking about. 
7.      Every single product comes with the rubber kits pre-installed from factory which will save you hours and hours of endless headaches and give you a perfect weather seal. Completely ready to go straight out of the box, all you have to do is of course give the landing surface of your tray a good clean removing any dirt and grime built up to act like a sand paper to the paint work on your tray. There is no tray on any vehicle anywhere in the world that does not have considerable movement out the back, have a look while you are driving around and it will probably blow you away as to how much movement is going on back there, don't stress out though because they are designed this way and it is perfectly normal behavior and I am just bringing it to your attention to highlight the importance that a little 2 minute clean around the top of your tray will make to the life of your paint work.

     So there you have it guys, our sports hard covers, sports canopies and standard canopies all share some pretty impressive features that we know will add amazing practicality to your Mitsubishi Triton's and you only have to take a look at the pictures below to see how we will make you guys look absolutely red hot.

Mitsubishi Triton sports hard cover with lid open

Mitsubishi Triton. Sports hard lid.

Mitsubishi Triton. Standard Canopy.

Mitsubishi Triton. Sports Canopy. Black

Mitsubishi Triton. Sports Canopy. Starbox

Sports Hard Covers and Canopies

Hey guys thanks for dropping by....

My name is Mason and welcome to my blog about sports hard lids and sports canopies, I will introduce you in this first post to the very popular hard lid that we offer through our online store at Australian Ute Canopies, and in particular the Nissan D40 model. As you can see they are completely new to Australia and have been creating quite a stir because they are so unique and completely transform the look of the car completely. I have one of these sports hard lids on my Nissan D40 and I have people constantly telling me how great my 4x4 ute is and I even get the odd person asking me what type of car I am actually driving which is testament to just how dramatically these 4x4 hard covers truly change the appearance. Have a look for yourself...

At Australian ute canopies you will find this style of 4x4 hard cover to suite most makes and models of today's most popular model 4wd, we also offer you a great selection of ute canopies, sports canopies and as time goes by we are beginning to offer our valued customers an ongoing selection of other 4wd accessories such as xenon HID conversion kits and HID spotlights as well as high power Cree LED light bars, roof racks, electric winches and so on, so drop by sometime and take a look around because you wont be disappointed.

Nissan D40 Hard Cover. Creating much more storage room inside makes these hard covers much more practical. 

Nissan D40 Hard Cover. Silver. Styled lines completely transform the shape of the entire vehicle.

Nissan D40 Hard Cover. Made from high strength double skinned fibreglass.

Nissan D40 Hard Cover. Each of our hard covers and hand made to the highest standards.

Nissan D40 Hard Cover. All hard covers are colour matched to your vehicle paint code.

Nissan D40 Hard Cover. Each hard cover has a lockable handle and weather sealed to keep thieves and water out

Nissan D40 Hard Cover. All hard covers come standard with LED brake lights and interior courtesy lights.