Is this the ultimate Ford Ranger Wildtrak?
Mountain Trail builds $135,000 ute-based expedition vehicleAlbury-based off-road caravan manufacturer Mountain Trail RV has opened up the chequebook and turned an already impressive Ford Ranger Wildtrak dual-cab ute into its version of the ultimate expedition vehicle.
Following in the tracks of Gold Coast-based Patriot Campers' mega-bucks PCOR pick-ups and other show stopping camping rigs, Mountain Trail's Nick Edwards said his pimped-up expedition vehicle was put together in conjunction with local businesses including the Ford dealer in Wodonga and metal fabrication specialist Hicat Marine, along with Melbourne's ARB.
The full build and cost breakdown is covered in a 23 minute YouTube video, but suffice to say the team has made some serious modifications and additions to the $66,000 3.2-litre Ranger Wildtrak, including a full off-road upgrade kit from ARB (suspension, snorkel, bullbar, long range fuel tank, etc).
The custom aluminium canopy on the back features a long list of electrical and other items including a pull-out fridge and drawers, Redarc RedVision, 200Ah lithium battery and 3000W inverter, and a smick Hayman Reese X-bar for towing.
There's also a Webasto diesel hot water unit, and a matching black James Baroud Expedition roof-top tent on top of the Rhino roof rack, along with pricey 33in wheel and tyre package.
While the video outlines how all the additional gear was added, and how much you can spend on turning a dual cab ute into a self-contained off-road campervan, it does highlight the weight penalty of all the upgrades.
Mountain Trail says the project vehicle now weighs 3000kg, and with an uprated 3500kg GVM along with the original 6000kg GCM, the maximum weight trailer the 3500kg tow rated vehicle can now tow is just 2500kg.
"Our main priority was to make this a media/recovery vehicle that would be self-sufficient expedition ready," explained Edwards. "Towing was not a priority as our other vehicles are better suited for towing our vans."
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