Ranger Wildtrak built for the beach

Look at the postcards and you’d be forgiven for thinking Australia is nothing but endless red dirt. The occasional beach here and there, and about a million blokes wearing khaki shorts and carrying knives the size of some European countries.

But spend enough time zigzagging the dirt roads across this wide land and it becomes obvious just how diverse our geography really is. The endless plains of South Australia are a world apart from the snow-capped mountains of Tasmania. The ice-cold river crossings snaking their way through the Victorian High Country bear little resemblance to the sheer cliff faces of Western Australia’s Steep Point. And the rugged sandstone country surrounding Sydney couldn’t be farther from Queensland’s sand islands if it tried.

It’s fitting then that each state builds their 4x4s completely differently. It’s why just one look at Jimmy’s Ranger and it’s all too obvious it’s built for the endless summer beaches only Queensland can supply.

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Engine mods

So what’s the first thing a Queensland Beach Runner needs? The answer is simple, more power. Lurking underneath the bonnet of Jimmy’s 2017 PX2 Ranger is the big-swinging five-cylinder Ford affectionately refers to as the Duratorq. Jimmy’s is punching above its weight with a series of mods designed to shoehorn as much air into the 3.2 diesel as possible.

First things first, a Fabulous Fabrications stainless-steel snorkel raises the air intake well above beach washout heights. From there, an MTQ turbo smashes the O2 molecules together before firing them through a PWR front-mount intercooler and into the cylinders.

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Simply Tuning in Brendale has balanced the extra air with extra fuel, before the spent gases are fired rearwards through a Redback three-inch DPF back exhaust. Sending power rearwards, the factory 6R80 transmission is wound up tight with a remap from the team at Custom Car Coding, while a second PWR cooler makes sure soft sand never gets the better of it. The final piece to the puzzle is a factory electronically operating locker in the rear axle, ensuring maximum traction.

Of course, that extra pulling power isn’t going to get you far on a set of cheese cutters, so Jimmy has spec’d up some meaty tyres for maximum flotation on the soft stuff. Each corner is now shod in Nitto’s hybrid Ridge Grappler. Halfway between a muddy and an all-terrain, it’s the perfect combination for a rig that lives on the beach but still needs to get the job done in the hills. They punch in at 315/70R17, or 34.4-inch for Americans reading along. They’re wrapped around a set of spicy looking alloy wheels from Method Race Wheels, the bronze 17x9s pumping the Ranger’s overall width out a huge 180mm wider than stock.

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For the young blokes at home about to ask the question – no, you’re not fitting a wheel and tyre combo like that with no lift. To ensure the new shoes not only fit but work well off-road, Jimmy’s pieced together one hell of a suspension set-up. Leading the way up front are a set of Aussie-made four-inch lifted struts from GMF. With a 2.5-inch alloy body and external reservoir, the GMF shocks are built to the nines. They’re also packing Eibach springs, dual-speed compression adjustment and rebound adjustment as well as trick-finned reservoirs to help stave off shock fade.

They’re teamed up with a set of Blackhawk upper control arms to free up some extra travel and rein the alignment back in, while a 25mm diff drop helps knock a little pressure off the CV joints. Up the back, Jimmy’s paired up a set of Comp Shocks with helper airbags from Airbag Man to dial in the ride height, smooth out the ride, and cope with the extra weight when the canopy is bursting at the seams with camping kit.

Bar work

Moving outside and that same attention to detail has been laser-focused on every single aspect of the clean-as-a-whistle dual cab. The tip of the spear is an oh-so-light alloy bar welded together deep in the heart of Russia, then colour-coded and slotted into place back here in Australia. It not only looks a million bucks, it houses a million bucks’ worth of get-out-of-gaol-free cards, thanks to 12,000lb of TJM 12V winch. It’s wrapped in synthetic cable to keep weight down and tucked in behind a Factor 55 alloy fairlead.

Moving backwards, a pair of LED Mustang-style headlights add a unique look to the front end, while Utemart V60 flares have copped a lick of paint and keep the tyre poke reined in.

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You won’t find the old standard twin spotties up front though, as Jimmy’s opted for a sleek approach when it comes to lighting up the night sky. Twin Stedi ditch lights sneak in on the back of the bonnet, while a huge X-Ray Vision light bar takes pride of place on the Rhino-Rack up top.

That slim-line alloy rack not only stows usual kit like MaxTrax and a shovel up top, it houses 360 degrees worth of Stedi camp lights and a 300W solar panel feeding into the canopy. A set of steel rock sliders from Uneek 4x4 pair up with a full suite of Rival bash plates and a Hayman Reese X-Bar to round out the armour package.

Canopy

With the base vehicle sorted, Jimmy turned his attention to the canopy; and if you’re keen for a decked-out set-up, you’re not going to be disappointed. Expertly crafted by Concept Canopies in Brissie, the lightweight aluminium unit packs one hell of a punch. On the passenger-side flank, a slide-out pantry houses all the camp snacks, but the 110L upright Dometic fridge is where you’ll find the real camp gold.

There’s extensive storage throughout with a trundle drawer and saddle boxes, and a healthy layer of insulation ensuring internal temperatures are kept reined in. The final pieces of the puzzle inside are a huge 2000W inverter and JBL soundbar ensuring impromptu Khe Sanh singalongs are never more than a few bevvies away. A Drifta 270 awning and rooftop tent provide shelter from the elements.

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Back in the cab and Jimmy’s taken the approach of more is more. There’s the usual suspects like a GME XRS UHF and Lightforce switch panel, but Jimmy’s managed to shoehorn a monster electrical set-up hidden in plain sight. Behind the back seat is a 200amp/h DCS Lithium battery set-up. There’s a Victron Battery Management system operating as the brains of the whole affair, with an Enerdrive 40amp/h DC to DC charger keeping the party going long into the night.

A lightweight dual cab with plenty of poke and enough camping kit to enjoy a week of Fraser Island sunsets is almost compulsory for Queenslanders at this point, and who can blame them with so many bucket-list destinations all within a few hours’ drive. We love the unique rigs each state hits the tracks with, but you have to admit the Queenslanders certainly have it made.