If you couldn't have a Defender...

[Ranga]

...what other dual-cab ute would you own?

[Blknight.aus]

in no particular order
Series II/III
Perentie
County.

[Ranga]

in no particular order
County.

??

Also, one you could easily get your hands own at a reasonable price :p

[isuzutoo-eh]

Ford Ranga oops i mean Ranger, or Mazdabater 50.
If cost wasn't a problem the Ford badged version has the edge from what I gather

[PAT303]

VW,the rest are crap. Pat

[Rimmer]

OKA dual cab.

[Blknight.aus]

??

Also, one you could easily get your hands own at a reasonable price :p

They're meccano kits..

Ive got enough bits ATM to make one out of series bits, I could use the back bits from the series to convert the county if I didnt do the series one and I expect that the dual cab perenties will be out next yearish.

[Vern]

I'm with pat.
Hang on, its the only duel cab I'd own, just not into defenders:(. Sorry.

[Slunnie]

Hilux

[Chucaro]

Ford F250 4x4 dual cab
If is to much money then rebuild an old\ F250 and fit a good diesel engine on it.
We used them OS on the rice farms fitted with John Deere or Perkins 6 cyl engines and they used to do 1000000 km.

[superquag]

Navarra diesel.
Drove one on the weekend with 2.5 tonnes of sweeper and trailer + tray load of consumables, fuels etc.
- Hardly knew it was following on behind.

[PAT303]

Hilux

Fall apart on corrigations. Pat

[PAT303]

Navarra diesel.
Drove one on the weekend with 2.5 tonnes of sweeper and trailer + tray load of consumables, fuels etc.
- Hardly knew it was following on behind.

They just fall apart. Pat

[munro]

VW,the rest are crap. Pat

That's a bold reply. Could you please elaborate as to why? Are not any of the other dual cabs available any good at all?

[steane]

VW,the rest are crap. Pat

Fall apart. Last time I drove an Amarok the gear shifter came off in my hand.:o

Clutch was a bitch and had noooo torque off the line.

I'll take the D-Max, after that the next best dc would be a wheel barrow with two people pushing :p

[loanrangie]

The VW is but a pup, not been around long enough to be put to the test - and dont give me that Dakar support vehicle crap, bout as much a VW as the winning Poojero's.

Dmax/colorado or Ranger if i had to have a ute.

[PAT303]

That's a bold reply. Could you please elaborate as to why? Are not any of the other dual cabs available any good at all?

After years driving flimsy POS ute's in the bush I figure I may as well drive something nice as a reward if I have to spend hours fixing them. Pat

[PAT303]

Fall apart. Last time I drove an Amarok the gear shifter came off in my hand.:o

Clutch was a bitch and had noooo torque off the line.

I'll take the D-Max, after that the next best dc would be a wheel barrow with two people pushing :p

Four Hilux's left Newman and drove to Port Headland for a training weekend,all four **** themselves on Nullagine road. Pat

[blitz]

OKA dual cab.

me too

[steane]

Four Hilux's left Newman and drove to Port Headland for a training weekend,all four **** themselves on Nullagine road. Pat

I wouldn't buy a hilux either ;)

[PAT303]

That's a bold reply. Could you please elaborate as to why? Are not any of the other dual cabs available any good at all?

If the other utes including the dual cab Land Cruiser are so good why do companies build 200 series utes?.I still haven't seen a LC CB on any mine site yet even though they were made for it. Pat

[Vern]

Having driven the d-max, Triton, navara, ford thingy, hilux, amarok, all current. Amarok is best, navarra second, ford third. Navara is nearly as comfy as the rok, and drives quite well, ford is big like the rok, and reasonably comfy.
Just my 2¢

[Ranga]

Out of curiosity, has anyone driven an Oka, and how did they find the ride in the rough stuff, given the driving position over the front axle?

[Vern]

See I could quite easily have an oka, not as a daily driver though:)

[Blknight.aus]

they're a bit "bouncy" no worse than a SWB series

[TonyC]

Out of curiosity, has anyone driven an Oka, and how did they find the ride in the rough stuff, given the driving position over the front axle?

I believe DeanoH owns one, you could invite him in on the conversation.

Tony

[Cobber]

Well I drive a Hilux for work, and that is a pretty good rig I have to admit ... but, if it was my money I'd walk into the VW dealer and buy an Amarok, if I couldn't have a Landy.
Capable they may be, I think the Hilux is too damn expensive for what you get ...

[goingbush]

SportChassis P4XL anyone ???


SportChassis P4XL - YouTube

[Tote]

Last Year I had the opportunity to drive a Navara around a 4wd test track for a couple of hours. The back end scraped continually and was very easy to get stuck with no traction control or LSD fitted. Out of the 5 vehicles I drove it was by far the worst value for money as far as capability goes. It was on a par with the Mahindra as far as the amount of skill required to get it around the track without getting cross axled. The Mahindra didn't scrape either.

Regards

Tote

[debruiser]

I like the older Ranger. problem is they are getting older :( getting rid of mine n the next month. The new ranger feels like a Mazda 3 thats been jacked up. :( It feels liek your going to break the gear lever

Hilux is too expensive for what you get. Triton is a rolling scrap heap, i'd rather a wheel barrow (like whoever said that before....) I've heard lots of complaints about the navaras but they the last one i drove felt pretty tough and truck-like.... :)

[disco gazza]

That Sportchassis P4XL might be a bit big for some of our tracks around here.:lol2: :lol2:


cheers

[Redback]

Amarok for us too, great car.

This is what happen to a Navara when it does too many corrugations
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

They also have a habit of bending if loaded too much in the tub, just like the Triton, yep there a great car;)

Here ya go another bent Triton
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/02/90.jpg

Baz.

[DeanoH]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/02/100.jpg

Near Well 25 Canning Stock Route.


Well if you want something with a bit of character as well as being very off road capable how about an Australian made OKA ?

No longer in production which ceased about 18 months ago but plenty of second hand ones out there.

Originally built for mining and tourism they came in single cab (2 seats), dual cab (6 seats), multi cab as pictured above (9 seats) or full bus (14 seats) which is the nost common and makes a great camper conversion.

Came in three model designations XT, LT and NT. (LT pictured).

THe XT/LT is powered by turbo'd Perkins 4 litre Phaser 110 Hp engine (same Bosch VE injector pump as 300 Tdi) feeding a Spicer all synchro 5 speed gearbox into either a Chrysler NP205 or Rockwell transfer case. Dana 70 rear end and Dana 60 at the front (LR's Salisbury is a metric license built Dana 60). Another LR component used is the fuel caps on the twin 105 litre tanks which is from the Defender.:)

The NT's are a bit rarer (newer and more expensive) and have a Cummins diesel, Vickers transfer case and Eastern European diffs and axles.

XT's and LT's are a very simple vehicle much like a 300 Tdi Defender design wise but bigger. Simple and easy to work on and are very comfortable both on and off road with their long leaf springs and dual shockers on each wheel.:)

Wheel centres are old style 8 on 6 1/2" centres a la Chev/Dodge/F truck so plenty of wheel/rim combinations available. Standard they came with either 8.25 or 9.00(255/100)R16's on 6 1/2" split rims or 265/285-70R19.5's on 7 1/2" rims. Pictured is with 305/70 R19.5's.
A common set up for serious off roaders is ex army ASLAV 325/85 R16 Michelin XML's on 8" steel rims. These are 38" equivelents.:eek:

Wheelbase is 130" same as The Defender 130 and they are a very capable and fun off road vehicle. Parts are readily available as they were all locally sourced originally with the engine/gearbox/drivetrain common as muck on a number of vehicles.

So if you're over 5'10" and want a dual cab ute that you can actually fit into (unlike the Defender :() and with a bit of class/character you can't really go past an OKA.:D If you're 5'4" like Kaye (SWMBO) you'll have no difficulty driving it either. If you reckon you have a commanding view from your 'normal' 4WD wait till you sit in one of these. :)

Second hand prices start around the $20 to $25 K mark depending on condition/configuration and go up to around $100K for mint XT/LT campers. As pictured with front and rear Dana/Spicer LSD's, HD 35 spline axles and HD hubs and under 200K Km probably worth about $50 K.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/02/101.jpg

Off-road Bunyip State Forrest.

Deano :)

[460cixy]

When talking navaras I think you need to be clear to what model nav. As the d22 is stouter then the d40 in many ways also with better ground clearance ect its aimed more at the farmer/ tradie d40 is just a toy for yuppys that want a ute

[AndrewGJones]

I drive a Ranger for work, plenty of power, but i don't trust it. goes OK for the little bit of off road i've done in it, but it is in my mind a fair weather friend.

I would love an OKA, and find it amazing that we don't have a Aussie contender in the 4x4 market.

There probably is a vehicle out there (Russia?) that could be a contender, but until someone starts building something decent I'll have to keep rovering on!

If I was given it for free I would drive plenty of cars! but would still only go bush in a 110. I did consider others (Rodeos etc) but they just don't have the chassis strength etc to really stand up to a fully loaded flogging.

[86mud]

well...I will go a bit further and say a genuine Hummer H1 dual cab....I know they have there issues and are a very heavy truck....but I do like the look of them...

[AndrewGJones]

If the hummer h1 was about 300mm narrower and a proper 5 seater, they would have cleaned up world wide. They failed to spot the obvious, which is very unlike the amercians who seem to be continually pointing out the obvious as a normal way of communicating. go figure! (as they a want to say)

it has to have the best drive drain out there, those hub gear reduction setups are they way to go. expensive, but fantastic.

[Ranga]

Second hand prices start around the $20 to $25 K mark depending on condition/configuration and go up to around $100K for mint XT/LT campers. As pictured with front and rear Dana/Spicer LSD's, HD 35 spline axles and HD hubs and under 200K Km probably worth about $50 K.

Thanks mate. I've always had a soft spot for the Oka. However, I'm struggling to see many advertised, and definitely not as low as ~$25K. Am I looking in the wrong place?

Also, the big question for me is serviceability/parts availability. Is this an issue?

[AndrewGJones]

Mark Taylors Geraldton Autowholesalers - New and Used Cars - Ssangyong - Car Finance - Western Australia (http://www.autowholesalers.com.au/index.php?q=node/1065#)

with only 500 ever made, seems they will be forever a rare bird and damn expensive.

fantastic spec on this one.

[weeds]

there is three OKA's on trucksales.com at the moment, two in the trading post, one on aussie traders,

50K will get you a dual cab


Thanks mate. I've always had a soft spot for the Oka. However, I'm struggling to see many advertised, and definitely not as low as ~$25K. Am I looking in the wrong place?

Also, the big question for me is serviceability/parts availability. Is this an issue?

[DeanoH]

Thanks mate. I've always had a soft spot for the Oka. However, I'm struggling to see many advertised, and definitely not as low as ~$25K. Am I looking in the wrong place?

Also, the big question for me is serviceability/parts availability. Is this an issue?


OKA's come up for sale in the usual markets, CarSales, Gumtree and the rest and like these sometimes the sellers 'are dreamin'.

Another place to look is on the OKA forum which is currently in the process of moving from one server to another but is currently here.

Home (http://www.byles.net/www.oka4wd.com/home)

You get what you pay for. For $20 K you won't be getting a pristine example of the marque ;) but one of OKA's design criteria is that it's designed to be pulled down and refurbished without special tools or complex procedures. The OKA is as simple as a 300 Tdi Defender, no electronics, no ECU, simple old style diesel, tough gearbox and transfer case and common Dana drive line. The only difference here is that everything is bigger and heavier, so sometimes not as easy to work on due to the weight of components.

No problems with spare parts availability. The vehicle was originally built from Australian available generic components. eg. handbrake lever from XD Falcon, heater controls are Holden (can't remember which one), ash tray from VB Commodore, instruments are VDO etc. Body panels are flat steel and easy to repair or replace.

Specific OKA spares are available from East Coast OKA in Melbourne, OKA parts (ex factory spares) in Perth and Robin Wade in Coolgardie with lots of help and support from the Forum members.

Robin Wade in Coolgardie had a number of OKA's for sale on Gumtree last I looked, there's always a few for sale on the forum and OKA Pete is probably the person most across what's for sale on the East Coast as he buys and sells OKA's as well as sells on commission for other owners. He can be contacted on 0412376556.


Deano :)

[PAT303]

Amarok for us too, great car.

This is what happen to a Navara when it does too many corrugations
http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww173/Bartess/Oodnadatta%20Trk%20July%202012/IMG-20120712-00189.jpg

http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww173/Bartess/Oodnadatta%20Trk%20July%202012/IMG-20120712-00191.jpg

They also have a habit of bending if loaded too much in the tub, just like the Triton, yep there a great car;)

Here ya go another bent Triton
http://www.myswag.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=15403.0;attach=391 91;image

Baz.

I've seen 5 IRS cruisers do that in two years. Pat

[Ranga]

Robin Wade in Coolgardie had a number of OKA's for sale on Gumtree last I looked

The more I see them, the more I want one! Might have to seriously start doing some sums. Do they require a water ingress manual? :p

[MacFamily]

The more I see them, the more I want one! Might have to seriously start doing some sums. Do they require a water ingress manual? :p

Here you go Ranga Oka LT twincab | Heavy, Farming & Agriculture Equipment | Gumtree Australia Coolgardie Area - Coolgardie (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/coolgardie/heavy-farming-agriculture-equipment/oka-lt-twincab/1008896839)

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/wooroloo/campervan/oka-4x4-extreme-outback-vehicle-with-slide-on-camper/1009332390

I must say, Iam also a fan of the OKA and I think I saw one for sale just down the road the other day, might have been a coach, will have another look tomorrow.

[DeanoH]

............................................ Do they require a water ingress manual? :p

Err.................................noooooooooo, BUT. The original cabin roof is made in three separate pieces, a piece across the front and two mirrored pieces behind joining down the roof centreline. The joints fail with time and water leaks into the cabin from above and is captured in the channel above the doors which then lands in your or your passengers lap when cornering. :eek: It's always best to do a right hand turn after rain so that the passenger cops it not the driver. :D:D:D:wasntme:

Easily checked when buying as long as you know. Mine is currently having its cabin roof replaced for this reason. It's a simple job actually and quite easily done, all's required is a 1 mm cutting disk, a few pop rivets and a tube of Sikaflex to replace with a one piece roof. No structural work required as that's in the built in ROPS, a coat of paint to finish and 'Bobs your uncle'. A couple of hundred bucks if you do it yourself. :)

Another good water/dust design plus is the built in snorkel in the 'b' pillar. If you look behind the drivers door about 2 metres above the ground what you see is the air intake, not bad hey.:D If the water's this deep it's best to select reverse. :eek:

Aah the many joys of OKA ownership. A bit like Landy ownership really but more so. :D:D:D


Deano :)

[PAT303]

The more I see them, the more I want one! Might have to seriously start doing some sums. Do they require a water ingress manual? :p

I know of an unregistered one in Newman you could get for a good price. Pat

[Ranga]

I know of an unregistered one in Newman you could get for a good price. Pat

Please explain :angel:

[goingbush]

Something Sensible from USA

AEV Brute Double Cab: The Jeep Pickup That Jeep Doesn't Build - CAR and DRIVER - YouTube


interesting they use the Defender 130 as the benchmark !!


.

[Cobber]

I've often wondered why Jeep don't build one of these, surely it can't be that hard? Maybe they just aren't interested in the land of F-Trucks and Dodge Rams?

[BMKal]

Here you go Ranga Oka LT twincab | Heavy, Farming & Agriculture Equipment | Gumtree Australia Coolgardie Area - Coolgardie (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/coolgardie/heavy-farming-agriculture-equipment/oka-lt-twincab/1008896839)

OKA 4x4 extreme outback vehicle with slide on camper | Campervan | Gumtree Australia Mundaring Area - Wooroloo (http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/wooroloo/campervan/oka-4x4-extreme-outback-vehicle-with-slide-on-camper/1009332390)

I must say, Iam also a fan of the OKA and I think I saw one for sale just down the road the other day, might have been a coach, will have another look tomorrow.

Some of these in Coolgardie don't look in bad nick from a passing glance. I drove past them again yesterday morning on my way back to work. He has had four or five out the front for sale for quite some time now (don't know if they're the same ones and have been there for a long time, or if he actually turns them over). It's an old service station in the main street in Coolgardie - and it looks like an OKA dealership with the line-up out front.

[PAT303]

Please explain :angel:

It was bought as a project but like most ended up pulled apart and not put back together,the vehicle itself is fine,the camper body is in bits and the wife would sell it no problem. Pat

[Ranga]

It was bought as a project but like most ended up pulled apart and not put back together,the vehicle itself is fine,the camper body is in bits and the wife would sell it no problem. Pat

So, how much to buy, and how much to put it back together? :eek:

[DeanoH]

If you can find the last 3 digits of the VIN (large plate on chassis under passenger door) I may be able to find you some vehicle history.

Deano :)

[AndrewGJones]

Not really a defender alternative, but damn cool anyway,

Silant | Made in Russia (http://www.madeinrussia.cz/en/silant-200/)

[AndrewGJones]

or this one;

GAZ Tigr | Made in Russia (http://www.madeinrussia.cz/en/gaz-tigr-199/)

[Ranga]

or this one;

GAZ Tigr | Made in Russia (http://www.madeinrussia.cz/en/gaz-tigr-199/)

"Hereby we warn all the enthusiasts interested in, that Tigr is not car for everybody." :)

[AndrewGJones]

For interest sake only, I sent an email off the find out the price on the Tigr.

the bit I could find says they start at around $60K, which seems very cheap for what it is. but there doesn't seem to be anyone selling them. Google tends not to show sites that aren't in your language anyway, so perhaps they are there.

fantasy only for me, but interesting none the less.

more info;

http://www.automobile-catalog.com/car/2012/1024340/gaz_233001_tigr.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RsaXYCu2vlY#!

http://milindcom.ru/eng/partner/?id=473

sent MIC an email too.

[GoldCloverLeaf]

Easy question, one of these nice practical trucks... :p

416 DoKa

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/5350/197070mercedesbenzunimo.jpg

But alas, due to its GVM, it cannot be registered in Aus unless converted to RHD.

Unfortunatly the 6 cyl diesel is canted over so makes for a cramped conversion. :(

[Tombie]

Hilux

You silly bugger :p What a pile of crap they are....

The VERYbreakable...

[ramblingboy42]

I spent all day wednesday in fairly new...ie 30k on the clock Ford Ranger , mine spec, was reasonably impressed with its quiet ride but the springing got very quickly out of phase over varying rough surfaces and it was necessary to slow down, but then changing back to our 250k hilux....which has had 2 new suspensions in it, suddenly bought me back to reality.....reality that the hilux is a bigger POS than the Ranger. BTW, you do not see Navaras in mine spec livery. Our company has 2 , which have already had rear suspension upgrades and they wont be allowed on minesites because they will **** themselves. There are a few Rodeos which seem to holding up, very few Tritons.....they just cant cut the mustard.....no BT50's, a few VW's but the engines are just too small when asked to work with the loads and conditions imposed on them. Currently, the Ford Ranger is king of the castle........

[sashadidi]

For interest sake only, I sent an email off the find out the price on the Tigr.


fantasy only for me, but interesting none the less.

more info;


sent MIC an email too.

My wife's cousin is the Russian paratroops, maybe a a little brown envelope
might secure the car of your dreams!! I can ask for you :D
let us know the price of the Tigr if you get a reply

[DeanoH]

On a totally different tangent.

After spending a great deal of time, effort and $$$ rebuilding a Defender 130 single cab, the obvious jumped up and bit me on the bum.:eek: Defender cabins are too small for comfort (unless you're a Bushman on the veldt or something).

Tiny bloody cabin, aircon takes half the passenger foot well and doesn't work well anyway, door handle digs into the right knee and threatens to decapitate it in the event of an accident, hand brake digs into the left leg, more drafts and leaks than an old Melbourne 'red rattler' train, seat doesn't go back far enough without having the back vertical and so on. Talk about a hair shirt....................but they have character and soul by the bucket full.:D:D:D. But really not a practical daily driver for a 6' person :(, I'm talking non plastic fantastic bonnet bulge Defenders here, not Pumas which I haven't driven but have sat in and they don't seem much better in the roominess stakes. :)

My replacement for the Defender as a daily driver/workhorse is a 1994 build D1 Tdi 300. No electronics, airbag(s), ABS, ABC, XYZ's or whatever, about as close as I can get to a Defender mechanically and I can actually fit in it and it's comfortable and the aircon works and it doesn't leak etc etc, but whilst it isn't a Defender :( it's still a Land Rover :) and has a soul.

Of course for serious work there's the OKA which also has character and a soul. :D

Best of both worlds really. :D:D

Deano :)

[sashadidi]

For interest sake only, I sent an email off the find out the price on the Tigr.


Had a very quick glance on russian sites.
Here is a 2007 one in Russia (2,100,000.00 rubles)) rubles= Australian $67,000.00!!!!
-2975 (http://www.avtospectexnika.ru/vip/257-gaz-2975-tigr.html)

Military Spec? one 2009 year : http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-428.html
Near bottom of page:
ГАЗ-233034 СПМ-1 - 5 шт на сумму не более 25.912.350 руб (5.182.470 руб / шт)= 5,182,470.00 rubles = Australian$165,000.00

[AndrewGJones]

Good find!

Love the interior shots too, nice and simple. It's a very clean looking truck.

hermetically sealed drum brakes all round (I read else where), I guess that's one way to get around fading drum brakes.

So with conversion, freight etc it's up around the same sort of price as an H1.

[GoldCloverLeaf]

I must look like some Mercedes lover but if not the Mog i would settle for one of these

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/6937/mercedesg636x6xl.jpg

:p

[AndrewGJones]

the portal axles are extremely cool. i wonder if anyone is making this type of thing aftermarket?