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00:00This program is brought to you by The Bush Company.
00:30This time on Rides Down Under Workshop Wars we head straight to the Simpson Desert where
00:42we test man and machine in Australia's toughest conditions.
00:46The Jeep Gladiator heads to MPT for a service and some new rubber before we head deep into
00:52the outback.
00:53We meet Dean Gurney, founder of The Bush Company, who takes us through the differences in quality
00:59when purchasing a rooftop tent and awning.
01:02John Clarkson from Dingo Track Tagalong Tours leads us on the ultimate 4x4 adventure.
01:10First up, we head to Tough Dog for a 4x4 suspension upgrade.
01:19We've got the Jeep Rubicon Gladiator in today for a suspension upgrade.
01:23We're going to kit it out.
01:24It's got a few mods.
01:25We're going to get it ready for a few off-road trips that are happening coming up in the
01:28next few months.
01:29The Gladiator is about to tackle some of Australia's most extreme and unforgiving terrains on a trip
01:34through the iconic Simpson Desert.
01:36To handle that kind of adventure, it's been fitted with essential aftermarket accessories,
01:40including a winch, a draw system, extra fuel storage and heaps of camping gear.
01:46While the factory suspension may be up to the task of your daily commute, it struggles under
01:50the extra load of these modifications.
01:53And that's where an upgrade comes in.
01:54A quality suspension system like Tough Dog is critical for increased reliability, comfort,
02:00handling and load carrying ability.
02:02Today, we're installing a set of award-winning Tough Dog foam cell shocks to get this Jeep
02:07ready for adventure.
02:10Foam cell shocks are great, really good, improved heat dissipation, a lot of things to help
02:14improve the performance of your vehicle.
02:16The magic lies in the foam cell technology, a microcellular foam insert that drastically
02:21reduces shock fade.
02:22This ensures the shock absorbers maintain peak performance, even on the harshest of corrugated
02:27roads.
02:29Cavitation and aeration are the nemesis of shock absorbers.
02:33When shocks are pushed to their limits, the oil and gas inside mix, forming bubbles that
02:37reduce the oil's viscosity.
02:39As the aerated oil is pushed through the shock valves, it compromises performance.
02:44Tough Dog's foam cell technology eliminates this issue by filling the space with a microcellular
02:49foam insert, which prevents the bubbles forming in the first place.
02:53This results in unparalleled resistance to shock fade, keeping the suspension reliable and responsive
02:58no matter the terrain.
03:01They're also upgrading the coil springs front and rear to handle the added weight of the
03:05two-ring setup.
03:06These new springs will improve load carrying capacity and lift the vehicle by approximately
03:1040mm for better ground clearance off-road.
03:14Tough Dog coil springs are engineered and manufactured in Australia from X5K Spring Steel.
03:20This advanced material allows for a lighter yet tougher spring that maintains its original
03:25memory even under heavy loads.
03:27The result, superior ride quality and durability.
03:31To address the Jeep's on-road handling, we're fitting a Tough Dog SV9 adjustable steering
03:36damper.
03:37This award-winning damper is the only one of its kind that allows you to adjust the damping
03:41force to suit your driving style and needs.
03:45With the SV9, you can fine-tune the steering feel and eliminate wheel shake.
03:49This ensures smooth handling whether you're on or off-road.
03:56Finally, no suspension upgrade is complete without a wheel alignment.
04:02After installing new components, a proper alignment ensures improved handling, extended
04:06tyre life and a perfectly straight tracking vehicle.
04:10Tough Dog was started in 1985, so we're about to hit 40 years next year.
04:14Big deal.
04:15Over the decades, Tough Dog has become a leader in four-wheel drive suspension.
04:19Built on a foundation of relentless innovation and commitment to quality, we've redefined what
04:24suspension systems can achieve.
04:27Based in Sydney, Australia, our journey began with a mission.
04:30To revolutionise the off-roading experience.
04:33Our team brings over 100 years of combined expertise to the table, ensuring every Tough Dog product
04:39is crafted to perfection.
04:42All our R&D is done right here at Tough Dog HQ.
04:45And we back it up with real-world testing in some of Australia's harshest conditions.
04:50We clock up tens of thousands of kilometres on our products to guarantee their performance.
04:54And we're so confident in them that we back them with a leading four-year unlimited kilometre
04:58recreational warranty.
05:01Tough Dog's success isn't limited to Australia.
05:04We export to over 50 countries and are proud to support off-roaders around the globe through
05:08international partners.
05:15Wow.
05:21What a transformation.
05:22We've absolutely turned the Jeep here into an off-road weapon.
05:25It's got the foam cell shocks front and rear, that extra 40mm lift for a bit more clearance,
05:30and the new springs in the back are going to help carry that extra weight on the trips perfectly.
05:34This thing is an absolute weapon now.
05:49Next up, we head to MPT, getting some new rubber for the Jeep Gladiator.
05:54Today, the Jeep Gladiator is coming in for its final service before it hits the tracks.
06:08We're going to give it a full service, but just before we do that, we're going to put
06:10a couple of tyres on it for it as well.
06:12So the tyres we're fitting today are a 285 7017 Maxxis AT811 Razor.
06:17Really good, solid, all-round type of tyre, but ideal for doing this sort of driving.
06:22So really what we want today is a tyre that's going to be more of an overall type tyre.
06:26Certainly good for the highway condition that we're going to be using most of the time,
06:30but we also need something that's going to be good in a sandy sort of a condition as well,
06:34and these are perfect for that application.
06:36Mud tyres are more for a very aggressive, you know, really heavy off-road,
06:41very, very muddy application, and they're fantastic in that environment.
06:46However, once you get them on-road, they do tend to distort and wear
06:49and become very noisy to drive on.
06:51So you really need a good all-rounder in this particular instance.
06:54With a mud tyre, you're really going to get a lot of heavy grip going down into the sand,
06:57and that's not really what we want for this particular application.
07:00We need a softer, more pliable application.
07:03The tyre has a really aggressive sidewall built into it.
07:05It'll dig down into the sand, but it'll give us some grip and traction,
07:09and you can see here that the actual tread goes a good way down into the sidewall of the tyre
07:14to make that grip much better in the sandy application.
07:16Generally speaking, tyre pressures in sand, if you're in a fairly heavy sandy condition,
07:20of course low speed would be the application here.
07:23You can run them down as low as sort of 20 psi,
07:26and this is going to give you the grip that you need, but also the stability,
07:29and a big wide footprint to pull you out of that sandy application if you need to.
07:33You can go lower than 20 psi, however, as you drop the pressures down more,
07:37the speed has to be reduced accordingly,
07:39because otherwise the tyre will fail if it has too much speed applied to it.
07:43The speed is really initially for causing the tyre not to deflate too much,
07:49and to be able to still carry the weight of the vehicle.
07:51That's really why you need to have that low pressure,
07:53but with the low speed in the same application.
07:56Look, we sell a lot of Maxxis.
07:58There are other brands in the marketplace that are really quite still well known,
08:02but the Maxxis Razor, we find an absolutely outstanding tyre.
08:06And what it does is it gives you the best of the both worlds in the highway application,
08:10along with the off-road application as well.
08:12Well, a lot of people have really in a 95% highway application, only 10% off-road.
08:17Now, it's going to be quite different in particular application that we're using today.
08:20However, really given the fact that you are doing a higher application in road,
08:26you really want that tyre to be able to handle that,
08:28but at the same time, if you ever need to go off-road
08:30and getting something that's a little bit more aggressive,
08:32you still have that ability to be able to do the same.
08:35We're going to fit up two spares in this particular application today.
08:38We fitted four tyres onto this vehicle a few months ago,
08:41and we're going to be carrying two spares in the foresight that if something does happen,
08:44we've got a really good backup plan work so we're not stuck anywhere on the side of the road.
08:49We've actually got one spare that has a mud tyre on it.
08:52We're going to take that one off and fit up the same,
08:54and so this will make it completely applicable for the vehicle.
08:57What we'll probably do is check all the tyre pressures again on the car.
09:00We'll make sure all the balancing is good still on the other tyres that we've fitted,
09:03and we'll also recheck the alignment on the vehicle at the same time before we do the service.
09:08The car's had the Tough Dog suspension put into it.
09:10We just want to make sure that everything's perfect before we leave.
09:13The last thing we want to do is have any signs of irregular wear caused by alignment or balance issues.
09:17Well, we're just taking a little bit of spare equipment away for us just in case we have a slight unforeseen incident that occurs,
09:24so we're going to make sure that we're equipped with a couple of extra radiator hoses and also some fan belts as well.
09:31The Maxxis also features a unique tread design that if stones or anything ever get caught into the tread,
09:37they can damage the carcass of the tyre.
09:39What this tyre will do is that the treads will close in on each other and eject the stones out from the tyre,
09:45which maintains the life expectancy of the tyre as well.
09:47Coming up, we meet the founder of the Bush Company,
09:51and he takes us through the materials and what's involved in making Australia's best rooftop tents.
10:03Funt and Bollards is a bollard installation company.
10:05We do installs for houses, factories, shopfronts.
10:09We've got a large range of products.
10:11It's removable bollards, different size removable bollards.
10:14We've got in-ground bollards from 90mm up to 200mm concrete-filled bollards for rain-proof top-of-style scenarios.
10:22There's been a lot of cases where people have come to me and people have scoped out their houses,
10:29and they work well.
10:31They work very well, especially residential.
10:43Must have these days.
10:44Plant and Bollards can definitely give you peace of mind to protect your classic car,
10:49tradies' cars, factories, businesses.
10:52It takes roughly an hour.
10:54A bollard, depending on what we do.
10:56If we do three, we can do it in about an hour and a half.
10:59We use internal locking systems on the bollards.
11:01We use high-security keys.
11:02They're all coded and registered keys, so they can't be picked as well.
11:06So the double-cut key.
11:08Core drill 250mm into the concrete.
11:11And then we have a galvanised sleeve that gets epoxy-grounded into place.
11:15And then the bollard locks into that sleeve.
11:17The Platinum ones come with storage holders included in the install.
11:21Very easy just to put the key in, turn it, and pull it straight out.
11:24I love touring.
11:25So I love getting out there, actually, you know, visiting all beautiful places.
11:29Growing up in Africa, we've obviously got a huge amount of wildlife to go and see in multiple countries around Southern Africa.
11:44Bush Company really started there.
11:45The goal was to bring out quality product that would be super easy to use.
11:49So the biggest thing with touring versus, let's say, long-term camping is the idea to be able to pack up really quickly and drive.
11:56And that's exactly what we did in Africa.
11:57And hence, it kind of pushes out through the rest of the world.
11:58When you want to go on a game drive in the morning, you need to pack up at 4.30 in the morning, go for a drive, see some animals.
12:03You back by 10 for breakfast.
12:04And you want to be able to close the tent, open the tent, for example, or set up your awnings really quickly.
12:09camping is the idea to be able to pack up really quickly and drive and that's
12:14exactly what we did in Africa and hence it kind of pushes out through the rest
12:18of the world when you want to go on a game drive in the morning you need to
12:20pack up at 4 30 in the morning go for a drive see some animals you back by 10
12:24for breakfast and you want to be able to close the tent open the tent for
12:27example or set up your awnings really quickly so it started from the idea to
12:32make a quality product that's going to last through all the roughest tracks
12:35worldwide and to allow fast setup time that was the main focus design
12:40philosophy myself for the bush company basically is the kiss principle keep it
12:46simple stupid now what I mean by that is want to make things super easy to use
12:51therefore you will use it more pretty simple philosophy simplicity in a sense
12:55that it makes it easy to use form follows function that's great second to that is
13:00if you're building quality product like what I mean by genuine quality product
13:04not just what's perceived or what's thought about but actual focus on
13:07building quality you're not in the throwaway state of mind I'm not going to
13:12be wanting to change my product out after two months worth of use of one trip I
13:15want to be able to build something that lasts for years and years and years and
13:19if something happens or something wears out as per normal use I can actually go
13:24and change it over or repair what I have which is great it's like keeping a car for
13:29long term same principle we invest in a lot of focus time to get the best
13:41specific quality in every aspect give you a simple example our awnings are cut
13:48or made from one of the widest reams of fabric in the industry so you're
13:53minimalizing joints or seams basically where you patching pieces of canvas
14:00together or sewing pieces of canvas together so even on our large 270 maxes
14:03there's only one seam on the entire awning run on the roof line so that
14:07little focus attention to detail the reasons we use the fabric that we're
14:12using not just being a rip stop type of fabric but actually the quality in how
14:18many times we dip it through a waterproofing solution so it's an
14:20acrylic resin that gets used are we giving it one or two runs at the mill of
14:24waterproofing that's just going to give you more mold resistance more
14:28waterproof capabilities the same goes for alloy everything that is extruded for
14:32example there's five different extrusions on our awnings it's a case where
14:36we allow to make up the chemical I suppose all the alloy composition on the
14:41awnings so I can specify how much certain nickel I want to add in or aluminium or
14:47for example tungsten or titanium you can mix your alloys suited to what you need
14:52done therefore getting a high tempered strength but still allowing flex so the
14:57nice thing with working and focusing on extrusions it's the ability to mix the
15:01alloys to suit your need so give you guys an idea if you had to take off the
15:06shelf box alloy and compared with our box alloy even though they might look the
15:11same the chemical makeup is very different and that kind of puts us apart from
15:16the rest it's having that real focus on getting the best of the best made
15:30the bush company is known for its fully freestanding awnings and as well as its
15:37hard clamshell or hard shell tent variants so where the main focus of that is
15:43whether we've got tents from a two-person clamshell derivative to a larger family
15:49style tent on our 1.6 wide tx maxes giving you a tent that's designed for
15:54larger truck bills or camper trailers
16:01Australia Southern Africa and probably South America camp and tour in a very
16:08similar way you've got long distances for example between camp spots or between
16:14areas for example we got the Cape up the top there the Kimberleys Arnhem Land you
16:18name it there's so many beautiful places to see remote touring is the big thing and
16:23that's where we really come in it's that fast setup pack up and pack down you're not
16:28going to be encumbered on your vehicle by towing something necessarily or something
16:31huge it's that easy to use touring setup like my ideal setup is vehicle tent awning
16:37really comfortable easy to use product so I must say on this gladiator we fitted a
16:44few of our products and it came up an absolute treat we've got the ax27 which
16:49is our most popular clamshell touring rooftop tent double skin canvas 80mm
16:53mattress that is with a double foam so you can flip it over for a more
16:57comfortable sleep or let's say softer to firmer sleep with the load rating
17:02capacity between 50 to 200 kilos when it's closed so more than ample for
17:06stand-up paddle boards or your adventure sports toys or solar panels on the roof
17:10of the tent as well not just that being a fully extruded frame it is super strong
17:14where we've attached on a 270 XT awning so that's quick setup one person takes
17:19less than 30 seconds and you can literally get coverage around the side and
17:24around the rear of the vehicle fully free standing so we'll withstand huge
17:28winds which is fantastic not just those two products but also the outhouse now
17:33the outhouse is exactly what it sounds like it's basically a coverage
17:38privacy room away from the main sleeping quarters so we use that for our
17:42shower you can rig up a portable toilet on the inside or if you just want to
17:46simply get changed on the beach or out when you're in the bush it's a great
17:49privacy screen as well it does come with a shower floor to keep your feet nice and
17:54clean and it also comes with a roof as well so that all set up with its bracketry
18:00suited to mount to the tent looks fantastic and is a really simple to use
18:04easy touring solution
18:08I think the original idea with starting up the bush company why do what I do is I
18:29love still being out in the bush I get to test the products I get to use them I get
18:33to try them second thing is I love design so when it comes into design and
18:38engineering actually drawing up the products getting them made and seeing
18:42something start up from nothing to for example develop in a tent just dealing
18:47with the people the amount of staff that we work with really trying to make a
18:51difference with that and trying to bring people quality to the marketplace makes me
18:57just feel good so I do enjoy do what I do and that's pretty much why I do it is
19:02for the love of the outdoors and getting outside myself
19:08next up we head to Marie in South Australia and catch up with John Clarkson from
19:22Dingo tracks tag-along to it
19:38Dingo tracks is a tag-along tour company it operates through the Simpson desert we do a
19:44couple of different trips in the Simpson we do the northern safari which is the
19:48Hay River track and also the Madigan line which runs west to east across the
19:53central part of the Simpson that follows in Cecil Madigan's footsteps the other
19:57one that we do is the hay which is the one we're on on this tour and that's comes
20:01down from the northern regions of the Simpson down through the swales of the
20:05dunes for 650 K's down through the Simpson eventually hooks up to Popple Corner
20:10and then across the QAA line into Birdsville and then back down the Birdsville track
20:15we're meeting here at Marie about 700 K's north of Adelaide our first day will consist of leaving
20:27here after a briefing in the morning at about 8 30 we will take on a couple of sites on the way down
20:33the Unadada track and then we'll head to a place called Coward Springs which has a date farm there and a
20:38coffee shop we'll have we'll have morning tea there we head off and make William Creek tomorrow we
20:43will then stay William Creek at the hotel there have dinner camp and that'll that'll
20:49that'll finish our first day on the Unadada track
21:00I'm probably one of the few tour operators that operate what I call clockwise in the Simpson a lot
21:06of them take up the Birdsville track and go across the Simpson from east to west I actually go around
21:11this way because it gradually breaks people into it you're taking on the dunes on the easier approach
21:18you're not driving into the Sun all day it's just easier on vehicles it's easier on the body and it's
21:24it's just a better trip all around I think where as I said a lot of them go up the Birdsville track and
21:30across and take on the most difficult dunes in the desert day one and it breaks a lot of people's
21:35spirit when they can't get up so I think this is the right one to do yeah look there's a lot of
21:39people that have come out into these places and think they've been full driving and they really
21:44they haven't they haven't even had the vehicle in low range they weren't even aware that they had a
21:48low range switch in the button or button in the vehicle so it's an eye-opener for them when they can
21:53transform their vehicle into a streetcar into something that'll climb be climbing dunes and having
21:58a wow of a time it's a big eye-opener for them and they much appreciate it we've had people out here
22:19that never been in a four-wheel drive before and it's their first trip they've hired a four-wheel drive
22:24they've read about what we do they know they're safe coming with dingo it's a tour that virtually
22:29any novice can get into and and have a lot of fun and and know that they're going to make it through
22:33the all the way you know and that's what what it is all about is having us there to support them and
22:39make sure that they do get through safely it's all about gaining new friends a lot of people want
22:48to do these trips but don't have any friends that are interested in that sort of thing so this is
22:53their opportunity to go out and do it and meet new people and then quite often we have them back two
22:59or three times and then they meet friends in this environment and they'll go with those people that
23:03they've met and take on other trips on their own so the dingo tracks tour that we're on at the moment
23:08we we kicked off in marie and then yeah at the moment we're on our way to unadada just stopped at
23:13the alger buckner bridge been a really really great tour so far yeah enjoying it the way that the
23:19the groups come together I mean there's quite a few vehicles in the convoy and like I've been
23:23traveling around by myself so to join up with with fellow travelers like yeah it's been been really
23:29good we're alger buckner about 130 k's north of of William Creek this is apparently the the longest
23:36bridge in the in the gun railway system there's there's a story about a car being hit here by the
23:41gun locomotive and pushed across the bridge and there's remnants of it here there's a creek here that
23:46holds water I think all year round it's a nice camp spot it's a good place to come and camp and
23:52have a bit of a wander around and we're only about 40 50 k's out of unadada we're an accredited four
24:04wheel drive licensed tour operator we operate in three different states and we are licensed in all states
24:10but we operate through this region in three different states so you know we have to meet certain
24:15criteria for every one of those and that's a bit of peace of mind for people too they don't need
24:18to worry about bothering with all that detail so we can take that that away from them
24:23coming up we begin the restoration process of the dingo well this will bring much needed water to this
24:42remote location for wildlife and needy travelers
24:46jameses equipment is a distributor for our global leading brands such as BendPak, Sturtle Coney,
24:57Bice Bath so we supply hoist lifting equipment specialised testing equipment throughout Australia
25:03in all segments whether it's a car dealership right the way through to a car enthusiast or a truck
25:09dealership right the way through to truck enthusiast the difference we see with the BendPak hoist is not
25:14just with the ergonomical technology that we use when we're operating the hoist and lifting the hoist
25:19it's all about safety and longevity we can put anyone under the hoist and we know they're safe with
25:25the BendPak hoist there's no complicated buttons to use when we want the hoist to go up we press the
25:30button in return then when we want to lower the hoist down it's just a matter of lifting a handle and that
25:35releases the safety locks we just press the button and it steadily brings that car down
25:42in our BendPak range we have the two post hoist which very very popular but we do the four post
25:47hoist and that's anything from a car to a truck in the four post range so the versatility for
25:52whatever you use and in any type of application in a workshop we've got the hoist there to accommodate that
25:58dingo well was put in about 10 years ago by the biodiversity company in Queensland it was primarily
26:14set up to bring water back into the desert for the dingoes the dingoes have been a big part of
26:20the desert and they've been here for many many years and back into the days when Aboriginals wandered
26:25around here there was plenty of water in the desert then because a lot of the Aboriginal sites had had
26:29soaks and different water sources so the dingoes thrived a lot of the wildlife thrived and then of
26:34course once the Aboriginals left the area a lot of the dingoes just just you know ceased to exist so
26:40they put this well in in order to try to bring life back into the desert now it worked and it did
26:46work for 10 years and on one of my trips two years ago I noticed that it wasn't working and I it took
26:52me nearly 18 months to get to the bottom of who put it in and reach out to the people that were
26:57involved in it all I succeeded and got involved in being dingo well and this is dingo tracks I
27:03thought there was a good catch there so I figured this could be beneficial for everyone I'll get this
27:08well going again so I took it upon ourselves to with some of our customers pull the pump out of the
27:14bore back in June and I had it refurbished in Broken Hill I've recently just picked it up only a
27:20couple of days ago and we've got some of our guests from previous trips that have come back
27:25on this trip to be involved in reinstating it and getting water so this is a really a special trip
27:31in a sense that it'll be putting water back into the desert for the dingoes and for the camels and
27:36you know a lot of people don't like the idea of camels out in the bush but they're a part of
27:39our history as well so without them these places wouldn't exist they were here carton building materials
27:46in and really part of our history so yeah they'll get a drink as well well yeah that the well has
27:52stopped working and we've decided to have a crack at getting it back up and running again it was my
27:57first tag along tour and John was telling us about the well it just seemed like a good idea at the time
28:02to to try and get it up and running and we couldn't so we pulled the pump and had it repaired today is
28:08to put the pump back in down into the water and hopefully turn the tap on and have water back in
28:15the desert we're about to reinstall that pump that we took out a few months ago got it refurbished
28:20and we've placed the pipe back into the ground here so in a few minutes we're going to pull that
28:26out hook that back up to our pump and drop it back down the hole all things being well with the
28:33connections all done correctly maybe some priming not not sure how we're going to go yet on that but
28:38we'll just we'll drop it in the hole and we'll give it a test and see how we go from there
28:45here eternally from west side camping in broken hill was great he organized the pump to get
28:52refurbished from a calorie nose over there and we picked it up on the way through on this trip
28:56the way it all works is the ball casings here pumps water up into a pipe pipe runs up along the ground
29:04here to a header tank up there 100 meters and holds in that tank it then feeds down to a trough on a ball
29:12valve so once that's full in theory the ball valve locks it off and it's there for the animals to
29:18just come in and get a drink they've got a barricade around that as well so camels can't get in and bust
29:22the trough up the pumps a solar pump so it runs during sunlight hours only and that in theory again
29:28is supposed to just fill everything and then at night time it rests and then the next day it runs
29:33again so there's plenty of water in the ground here and hopefully we can keep it running for years to
29:37come
29:46a submersible it's a pump that put you put down the bottom of the hole you have your stator and
29:52your electric motor and you have a lead coming up to the top that hooks up to a control here and it
29:58goes from there to the solar panel and the solar panel creates the energy to run the pump the way
30:04we get the pump down is we'll have some people somebody here and some people back here feeding
30:09it in so we don't kick the point put it down the hole once it's down then we can start working on
30:15putting the electrics on and so forth and hooking the volley up and hopefully then it'll work we arrived
30:23here late yesterday afternoon it was about 36 degrees I believe and we stopped in here had a
30:29look set up camp and we've come down here early this morning and we've completed the process of
30:34reinstalling the pump and it's all working which is a great outcome in a desert there's very minimal
30:40water so these wells can sustain all sorts of wildlife bird loss animal life and also travellers
30:48who run short of water can come here and get life-saving water if necessary it feels great
30:55because I've traveled all over Australia and I really love the country and it's great to be
31:00able to contribute and help things for other people so they can come in the future this is a sign from on
31:07behalf of workers that have been involved in making this happen next we check out older dados station
31:31and take on the big red sand dune in our jeep gladiator
31:35here in forbes machinery house are your aussie-owned one-stop shop for everything workshop machinery
31:49if you've got a job we've got the tools and machinery to make it happen we're one of the
31:54country's largest stockists and suppliers serving your machinery needs throughout Australia to keep
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32:26equipment before it comes to you not sure how to use your machinery no problem we've got you covered
32:32our staff are trade qualified and can provide you with the right advice when you purchase a machine from
32:38here in forbes machinery house it's not just a sale it's a partnership
32:42it's a personal thing tire pressures I I won't take people out in the desert unless they're prepared
33:10there are people that just refuse to let their tires down I don't quite understand why but some old
33:15blokes you know I bumped into have just been you know old school and go no no we won't do that well
33:20you know after I've towed them up two or three dunes and I'm not going to tie them up anymore they're
33:25going to let their tires down so we've had to physically actually just go and do that for them
33:30sometimes but the idea is to lengthen your tread out on your tire a bit so width and allegation so
33:36length and width and once you do that there's not a dune in the Simpson desert that you can't drive
33:43halfway up get out take a photo get back in the car and drive the rest of the way if you've got the
33:48right tire pressure it's not a dune in that desert and I've been all through it there's not a dune in
33:52that desert that you can't do that in and yet I go out there consistently and see people trying to
33:57take on dunes with speed and can't get up and they can't understand why and when you tell them to
34:01let their tires down they tell you to nick off you know they're not interested but honestly with the
34:07right tire pressures you can just walk up any dune in that desert no problem half the time you don't
34:12even need four-wheel drive but I don't encourage that I think four-wheel drive is necessary because
34:16it treats the desert a bit more gently it's just you're not chewing holes in the in the dune so
34:21four-wheel drive engaged right tire pressures and just cruise around and you won't have a problem in the world
34:31well to put you in perspective first we're about a hundred and thirty k's line of sight from the
34:42center of Australia our nearest town where we do our shopping is Alice Springs which is about
34:46three hundred and three hundred twenty k's it's northwest of us other than that we've got out of
34:53250 k's to the south of us and Calgary that's out on the highway about the same distance it was
34:59originally a station you know so it was taken over by parks and the whole there's a the whole of
35:04Witcher National Park used to be part of Mount Deer station and so all the buildings you see here are
35:09all station houses station buildings apart from the pub which was it was always a station building is
35:15just a shed well obviously the hotel food we've got cabins we've got eight cabins and we've got a
35:21large bush camping area we've got a fully equipped workshop professional mechanics working for us have a
35:27lovely beer garden out there a bit of greenery that's what a lot of people comment when they
35:30come in something green fantastic we do recoveries out in the Simpson those will do one side and or
35:36they do a lot we do a lot of there's no particular strict line oh it's fantastic being on the dingo
35:58tours it's it's an experience and I've done it once now I've done it twice it's yeah I like to help out
36:05where I can yeah I've done lead I've done Charlie it's easy to get lost in the desert so I like to
36:11have something that will guide me through as well as a backup you can go from beach to beach to beach
36:17to beach water's water you get out here the country changes day by day vegetation changes wildlife changes
36:25birds everything it's yeah diverse yeah we the first thing we've seen after we left the Baton Hill
36:32was a camel so something you don't expect to see straight away oh yeah well everybody's got to
36:38help everybody out here survival is the key if somebody has run out of something well you share
36:45and but you never leave them behind oh it's magic and with a leader like John it's yeah the whole trip
36:54just keeps getting better people that experienced full drivers there's a couple of mates of mine that
37:05you know race cars and things like that and they love this track out here not for the speed of all
37:10we don't encourage that but just that the conditions and the way that it sort of mirandes around and
37:15winds itself around everything it's beautiful to drive you know there's cattle that dotted through it all
37:20the way so you've got to keep your eyes on open on them they're a bit wild some of these cattle out here
37:25they're pretty crazy they stand there until they're just you're just about in front of them
37:29beside them and then sort of dart off in front of the car so you've got to keep the wits about you
37:33you can't afford to be sort of speeding along you just got to poke along quietly and keep an eye on
37:39everything keep an eye on your gauges keep a window down have a listen for rattles and bangs
37:44outside the car because that's a good indicator something's going wrong so a lot of people sitting
37:48vehicles with radios going air-conditioners on and the cars falling apart around them outside they've
37:54got no idea we're heading to old and dado station today was owned by Mac and Molly Clark
38:13yeah Molly was a founder of the Women's Pioneer Association in Northern Territory and lived out
38:18here for 50 years with her husband Mac Clark Molly left this place is a bit of a testament to the way
38:24people lived back in these places so back in the early pioneering days of Australia it is a time
38:31capsule and well worth a look around
38:43this is Molly's kitchen here you can only imagine how hot it would have been I mean with this thing
38:58running Billy would have been on every day all day because she was always expecting guests and
39:03obviously this is where they sat down she made them cups of tea it's a cool day today and it's still 38
39:09degrees on the thermometer out there so you can imagine on a 45 degree day what it'd be like in
39:15here you'd be frying eggs on the roof I reckon this is fantastic because it's a live line Telstra's got
39:22this hooked up and they encourage people to use this because if they use it they won't disconnect it so
39:27it's outside calling and yeah no problem hello yeah g'day can you hear me how are you going John yeah from
39:35dingo tracks so that's a brick I'm pretty certain that's a shortwave radio you've got a HF radio
39:45so this is the old meat safe out here which is worth a look you won't believe how cool it is like
39:50it's a 35 degree day 38 degree day here now but it'd be mid-20s in there absolutely beautiful
39:59okay so this is the meat safe here where they did a lot of the butchering of the meat
40:03so here's the ring they used to hang it off and it's really cool in here so they'd just keep the
40:08flies off it and it'll hang for days or weeks I suppose really still in good nick old benches
40:16old grinding stone outside
40:33we're at Popal Corner right now this is the three states we've got Queensland over there
40:43South Australia there Northern Territory that way
40:47new
40:58you
40:59you
41:00you
41:07Oh, it was great going with Dingo Tracks Tours, I think.
41:23We always wanted to go across the Simpson, but we just weren't confident to do it on
41:26our own, so it was really good to go with someone that knew the territory, could show
41:32you the great spots, but also just that safety aspect of knowing that you weren't alone in
41:36the desert.
41:37And the other really wonderful thing about it was the group that we went with.
41:42You know, it was just fantastic people, and the camaraderie was great, and yeah, it just
41:47made it so much more fun.
41:49I went on the Dingo Tracks tour about eight weeks ago, and I really enjoyed myself.
41:54It's a well-managed, well-organised tour, but you don't seem like you're under a real
41:58tight schedule, so you can really enjoy yourself, and all the issues are taken care of.
42:03I heard about the Dingo Well project, so I signed up for that, and we've just completed
42:08that, and it's been a really great tour, and I recommend it to anyone.
42:11Oh, it's just been unreal.
42:13I've done a lot of four-wheel driving, and you don't realise until you go with someone
42:17who's experienced, like John, that you find out the things that you don't know.
42:22You know, I've learnt quite a lot, particularly doing the sand dunes and things like that,
42:27so it's been awesome.
42:28The Dingo Track experience has been fabulous.
42:31I love the sand dunes driving up and down.
42:34What I didn't know was you should do sand dunes at a nice, steady pace.
42:39I thought you had to floor it on everyone and literally smash your car, but you actually
42:46don't.
42:47You set your car up, and pretty much it walks up really nicely, so that was a really
42:51fabulous experience, and John's just been amazing in walking us through all of that.
42:57The other thing I really loved was sleeping outside under the stars.
43:01That was just amazing, and waking up to the beautiful sunrises, sunsets, just unbelievable.
43:21Next time on Rides Down Under, Workshop Wars.
43:45We begin a whole new build as Luke Mitchell takes on the Oz Wheels HQ.
43:51The boys at Sue Performance continue the galaxy build.
43:54Aidan from Bespoke Coach Works gives us a masterclass in metal shaping.
43:59The guys at Valley Grunt test drive the VG Jet with the next Haltech ECU.
44:06And us, here at Dynamotive, we do something, we're saving it, it's special, and it's just
44:11for you.
44:12All that and more next time on Rides Down Under, Workshop Wars.
44:17Rides Down Under, Workshop Wars is proudly supported by Hare and Forbes Machinery House, Hemi Performance,
44:24Pacemaker Headers, and Genesis Equipment.
44:28Our crew stays at Quality Hotel Robertson Gardens and Hunt's Hotel in Liverpool.
44:38This program is brought to you by Fuzzy Media.
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