We all have made mistakes in vehicle building. Stuff we purchased and fitted but never used. Thanks for your honest review.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Lessons learnt for the next build, isn’t that how it goes? 😂

Great review. So many people out there talk up how good their rigs are. Good to hear a bit of honesty

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Nothing but honesty from us, we like to be as transparent as possible with all our stuff. Thanks for the kind words :D

First time I've seen your channel, probably the best or most honest review I've seen, thanks it gives plenty of food for thought.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it. We try to be as transparent as possible with all our videos.

as soon as you mentioned the tub and canopy.... I always try to steer people away from trying to make it work. I had a canopy on my tub and tried for years, with drawers and shelves and all sorts of BS because I didn't have the budget to change it all... so I kept watching eBay and purchased a used alloy tray from a single cab for $250 and cut it down to suit a dual cab and got a ally canopy.... put a kings upright fridge in it... bang, single biggest improvement to the usability to my car bar none. Great video mate

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Same thing hey. Budget is always going to be a limiting factor with our rigs. I do like a good eBay or Facebook marketplace bargain so I'll be keeping my eye on them. How much did you have the cut the tray back by?

@theabombination1

Ай бұрын

@@Explore_oz I got a factory single cab alloy canopy which was 2400 long, trimmed it down to 1800. Still got some modifications to get it a bit closer to how I want it, but at least its a start... I can't justify 6-7k on a tray that I'm just going to sit a canopy on, and I have no idea how some people justify norweld or mits setups, but if they can afford it then power to them! You've got a well setup rig and looks really well setup bang for buck wise!

That's an excellent honest review mate. Agree with you about the ss snorkel, canopy, top light bar, shovel, swap bull bar for alloy, warranty, wrap, and lift. I would keep the rear bar as Triton have nothing but drama on the rear end overhang and van hook up. I would suggest dropping fridge to the floor and double stack drawers on side? Your economy is good I think? Best than v8 79 LC . GVM & GCM is a nightmare on more vehicles unfortunately unfortunately. Thanks again mate.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Thanks heaps mate, we try to be as transparent as possible with our videos. This is just a reflection of us, and what we have found that works and doesn't work. I did forget to mention about the overhang of the triton, but it could be a big issue for sure. Especially if you were to put air bags in the back etc. which we will never do haha.

Mate had the same issue with a shovel on the prado. All the marks polished/buffed out pretty easily, even the window. The new shovel has a shovel head bag (got mine from kelmat) that solves the rust problem. Limits shovel exposure to elements, but more importantly, water no longer runs across the rusty shovel head and down the car

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

That's good news about the marks being easy to remove for you. Love the idea of the shovel head bag, I'll take a look into them.

Mate! Thanks so much for showing the snorkel sound. We're new to touring but I expect we may need a snorkel in the future. Will definitely steer clear of a giant metal pipe next to my ears based on your video. Sorry you've had to suffer through that but happy you could help others avoid the same. Safe travels. Cheers.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

We live and we learn, it's certainly not a mistake we will make again haha. Snorkel are great for getting cleaner / colder air in the motor, so would recommend getting one at some point. But it certainly doesn't need to be too high up the list.

Thanks for your honest video. I was going to get the type of snorkel you have, you saved me from a big mistake.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

If we saved you from making a mistake, our job is done haha.

That appeared to be the majority of your upgrades. Good to hear honesty. I'm trying to keep my weight under the factory GVM which means some compromising but weight costs so much when touring.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

We are all about transparency. We try to be as honest as possible and sometimes people don't like that haha. GVM is such a big issue when touring. I'd hate to imagine how many cars and vans out there are overweight.

Great video mate. Thanks for sharing.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Appreciate it, thanks so much.

Draws. Heavy and not dual purpose. Wolf packs are light and multi purpose- table, tub for washing up etc and allows stacking interlocked with each carrying a certain area of your camp site eg cooking, tents pegs and ropes etc. Label them and good as gold. Take them all out when using load area for other things. Cheers

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

I agree with the drawers being heavy, they certainly add to overall payload. How have you secured the Wolf packs in your tub to stop them bouncing around?

@landrover1155

Ай бұрын

@Explore_oz hi mate. Using adjustable ring tracks on the tub floor. But because the wolf packs/boab packs lock in so well if you have 7 or 10 say stacked on top and side by side each other than don't move. You can also use the factory 6 tub rings if you want to lash them. Cheers

Great video and lots of things to think about when doing upgrades.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

At the time of doing the upgrades I was so excited about it all, and everything has it's place....Just not for the type of travel we are doing. Lesson learnt hey...

Great video, you guys sure have covered some miles in those three years in your triton 🤗💫🙌

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Poor little Timmy the Triton has had a hard life haha

Awesome review. I have the piak front bar on our NP300 and agree, not the best quality and heavy but not different to other steel bars. Same with the rear bar, too heavy and unable to fit the recovery hitch due to size. Haven't had to use the side protection either as yet. Glad I didn't go with the ss snorkel.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Yeah the SS snorkel was a massive regret haha. Suck about your piak doing the same thing. I wonder if it was just a bad batch or if they are all like that...

Great advice for anyone setting up a tourer...!

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Thank you so much :D Lot's we would change if we were to go back and do it all over again, but you live and you learn. We'll just do it different next time around :D

great video for anyone that are setting up there car

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Cheers :D Hopefully it helps someone out that's looking for things to not to haha

Really interesting, thanks for making it. After my initial "4x4 binge" on my 4Runner (and resulting hit on my bank account + added weight/loss of space) it's really been now about determining what's actually WORTH having - much like you. At first it seems like there's unlimited weight and space, then suddenly you're like "oop, where'd it all go?" One of my biggest takeaways (and favorite things about wheeling/overland setups) is it's so incredibly personal. None of us should copy anybody else, but rather take their advice and experience as part of our own self-determined setups for the type of travel we do and the kinds of adventures we want to have. I don't even have armor/front/rear bars yet! I can't imagine how much weight that's going to add down the line, argh!!

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Our pleasure :D You hit the nail on the head, the space and weight allowance disappears real quick, as does the bank account haha

a tip for the snorkel noise, although i love the sound when not towing, when towing it is way too much. you might find some weathershields deflect some of the noise and you can comfortably have the window a quarter down with out hurting you eardrums hahaha. great review. my MQ is setup somewhat similarly

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

I'll take a look in to some weather shields and see if they help at all. Cheers.

Nice ute👍 powder coat isn’t what it used to be that’s for sure, my ironman bar looks the same.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

That's a bugger about the ironman bar, I've heard only good things about them.

I'm sure the indigenous community wouldn't mind the sound of a Didgeridoo Triton going over their property. Thanks for the tips!

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

The triton has been called many things over the years, but a Didgeridoo Triton is certainly a new one 😂

Great vid guys. I've just traded in my MR after travelling Oz towing a 2.5T van around OZ. Front bar was a pain with weights and engine cooling. I've got the new MV Triton and it's so much better than my MR. Tows my 3.2T van better than my MR towed the 2.5T one. Better economy as well. 16-18l 100. It won't be getting a front bar haha

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Thanks so much :D After putting this video up I realised I forgot to talk about the engine cooling issues haha. They struggle at the best of times, then add the front bar and a caravan... doesn't take much to get real hot! I do like the look of the MV tritons, good to hear from someone that's actually using one to tow something. Might have to look into getting an upgrade at some point...

The drytron vacuum sounds ok for a vacuum, Had a collorado had some thing with paint on the tray, and the dmax looks the same issue, also the panels onnthe dmax are papper thin and crease easy

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Haven't heard of the snorkel being referred to as a vacuum before, i like it haha

I just got a 2024 Rhino rack - they have the wind faring built into the front. Its still new so unsure how effective it is yet

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Keep us updated, very keen to see how it goes :D

You were so happy with the mods you did to suit what you were doing but things change hey!

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Exactly right. We were really happy with it when building it, just doesn't work for our needs any more. Not ruling out an upgrade / switch, but that takes money 🤣

Good honest review mate . you do sound like you hate the Ute

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Nah, don't hate the ute..Just the mods I did to it no longer work for what we need the ute for.

G'day, Maybe a Safari plastic Ramhead which faces forward could help with the noise worth a try . cheers

@Explore_oz

12 күн бұрын

Cheers for the suggestion. Unfortunately due to the angle of the snorkel, the plastic ramhead would angle to the sky and fill with water.

my mates PIAK bar is starting to look the same too, crazy!

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Wonder if it was a bad batch, or if it's just how they are...

Thanks for this, was so close to buying a ss snorkel just because I thought they look sick but won’t anymore, still considering a roof rack just for storage and awning

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

They do look the goods, and if we could find a way to keep it quiet we would love it even more. Before you do get a roof rack make sure to check the load ratings. Static load v dynamic load are very different.

@lord7th207

Ай бұрын

@@Explore_oz thanks for the advice mate will do 👍🏽

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Too easy, happy to help 👌

Wow. I couldn't live with that air intake.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

As soon as we can find a way to change it we will. Big regret.

Hit all your steel with Inox M4 . Not only will it protect you from any future rust but it will also restore the steel back to its former shiny black glory you can thank me later.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Thanks for that. Ill head to Bunnings shortly and see how it goes.

Great Video, I have a 2020 MR GLX+ with similar mods, Piak bar being one of them and agree, a bit disappointed in the quality after 18 months. Decided to get a GVM on mine, was expensive at the time, but really only about $1000/1500 more than the standard 2" lift from Pedders (Included Engineer cert). What happened to your sidesteps, as they would have saved the stone chips on the back door/tub.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

GVM upgrade would make a huge difference with these utes. Did you have to get any engine bay changes or cooling system etc changed. Or was it just suspension work?

@shaneberry6465

Ай бұрын

@@Explore_oz No engine bay changes, only suspension work. The only requirement from what I remember was the Wheel/Tyre Combo needed to be able to take the increased weight, in particularly, the tyre's had to be Light Truck rated, but lucky I had upgraded that already to CSA 16 inch Satin Black Bullet wheels rated to 1250kg's with 265/75/16 Bridgestone Dueler 697's AT (LT) - awesome combo!

Just need a bigger car bro and probably not iron man stuff in my opinion new sub bro like he work mate ❤️🇦🇺🙏

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

If the budget allows a bigger car we'll get one haha. Cheers for the sub :D

?????... Would you buy a Triton again, But great honest vid....New subscriber.🤠 🤠.

@Explore_oz

12 күн бұрын

Thank you for watching and subscribing 👍 Yes, we would buy a Triton again. It has been a great vehicle for touring with minimal issues. We would just modify it differently to suit our needs better.

Touring with a van you need to minimise the gear on the vehicle. As standard as possible. Save the weight for stuff that matters- water fuel food etc.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

100% right. That's the main reason if we were to get another tow rig it would be setup completely different to this one. But at the time we weren't looking at touring full time. You live and you learn haha.

great video guys! really informative and helpful. would you recommend a triton for a touring vehicle? we are looking at one atm

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching :) We certainly wouldn't say don't get a triton, we do love ours and it hasn't really had any major issues. We lost brakes once, but that was just a split brake line and could happen to anyone. The only thing i would say about them is they could do with a little more power. They don't like hills when towing anything haha. Although I have heard good things about the new MV Triton that's out now. As I said in the video though, if we were to find a way to cut some weight down, it would probably not have issues with the hills etc.

@markt9156

Ай бұрын

@@Explore_oz that is really helpful so a big thank you :) does it over heat? or is it the bullbar that causes the heating issues?

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

@@markt9156 We have had some 'over heating issues', but nothing that would cause any issues. We have seen the temps get about 3/4 up on the dash, but it sorts itself out pretty quick. I would suggest getting the Dayco Viscous Fan Clutch. We haven't got it sorted YET, but it is something we will be changing.

@markt9156

Ай бұрын

@@Explore_ozthank you! genuinely thankful for the advice and owner review. lots of dual cabs out there hard to narrow down but reliability is a big point for us!

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

@@markt9156 One of the major reasons we bought the triton when we did was money. They were cheaper than any other decent dual cab on the market, and reliability has been great for us. That said....every manufacturer can have a lemon car every now and then.

Put the drawers on top of each other and sit the fridge slide on the floor.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

I have thought about doing that, unfortunately we need the space on top of the drivers side drawer for storage. We normally have our portable toilet and Webber sitting in there.

I agree with you on all of your points.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Cheers mate. Glad to hear it.

@R00RAL

Ай бұрын

@Explore_oz I have a Land Cruiser 79. 2007. I'll be forking out $$ for the upgrade. The reason being I seriously want the Zone 19' Van. Plus, the Norweld T&C .. she is like an old truck to me now. I've bought a new gear box, 2017, for a higher ratio. New rear diff housing to come. I've got two new drive shafts front & rear to go in at the same time. Then it's upgrade rear springs to 600kg from 400. I've already got BP51. Spent over $40 k on upgrading & servicing. Recently, $5k, Water pump, belt, belt tensioner, fan, fan hub viscous assy. New radiator. New water cooled Alternator to get her running right. But I haven't bought a new car in years. I'll also be upgrading performance to 400HP with G-Turbo front mount intercooler & bigger injectors. I've taken note of your shovel problem. Thank you. My snorkel is the Armax from safari. Forward facing. Having a big boat & working on big boats never understood rear facing intakes. As they act as venturi. Lowering your intake pressure driving up fuel use. You want it the opposite. Pressurised intake, more oxygen, less fuel. I enjoy the no bs style approach, thank you. Watch your back window. Bouncing on 4wd tracks can see fridge dislodge & break the glass.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Sounds like your 79 is going to be an incredible touring weapon that’s capable of going anywhere! Are you looking at the Peregrine from zone? They look like a fantastic van inside and out. Great tip about the rear glass too, I might pop out and have a look at the straps holding it just to make sure 😂

@R00RAL

Ай бұрын

@Explore_oz Yes, be the Kenworth/Toyota hauling van, capable desert tourer with ARB Diff - Locks & Warn Top of line 12 000 Pound Winch. Duel batteries, DCDC charger for Solar for the car. Max tracks on roof.. My plan is to retire her as an incredible fishing bus, go anywhere. Probably just buy a Yaris grocery getter to grow old with.

What bullbar for MR Triton won’t go like that? Was thinking of getting piak but this has changed my mind

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Ive heard good things about the ironman front bar, and the ARB one too.

You can buy stainless shovels

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Knowing our luck, someone would probably steal it 😅😂

@302esky

Ай бұрын

It wouldnt surprise me too

Side steps will stop some of those chips Does that tailgate bag wear the paint away on tail gate?

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

We did have factory side steps, but damaged them and never got around to replacing them haha. As for the bin bag, it has a carpet backing on it so it doesn't damage the paint at all.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Here's a review we did on the Bin Bag. www.exploreoz.org/about-1-1

Oh dude, I’d have ripped that snorkel off by now 🙁

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Not even kidding when I say it's my biggest regret. Can't stand the bloody thing!

Easy fix for the shovel is maintain it, simple right 🤔

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Hahaha Yeah look....That's too simple for me 😄😄

@christurner68

Ай бұрын

@@Explore_oz 👍

Clean and spray that shovel asap!

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Hahaha it certainly needs it! Think it will be a job for tomorrow ;)

I remember u building this beast. Now, what's your favourite mod?

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Well the fridge still holds beer, so that's a positive . I honestly wouldn't say i have a *_favorite_* mod at the moment, more just the reliability of the triton has been amazing. It's takes us everywhere we have wanted, and hasn't really had any major issues.

10:20 I think you mean BFG 😅

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

As soon as i uploaded the video i realized what i said hahahah. Oh well, can't change it now. But yes I did mean BFG. Thankfully not sponsored!😂

Good vid bud. I hate stainless snorkels for that reason. But you live and learn hey

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Live and you learn for sure! So bloody noisy haha.

@FNQOutdoorAdventures

Ай бұрын

@@Explore_oz are them tires noisy too?

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Don't know...cant hear them over the snorkel hahahaha. But we haven't noticed them being too noisy, I think because they are an AT not a MT they aren't too aggressive which keeps them a bit quieter. What have you got on the Ranger?

@FNQOutdoorAdventures

Ай бұрын

@Explore_oz I have the falken wild peaks AT3. The reason is they have a thicker side wall for heavier loads and towing than the BF goodrich. And they're $400 each, not $450. And the tread is great. Very quiet on the highway.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

@FNQOutdoorAdventures that $50 per tyre makes a big difference hey! Not friggen cheap. I’ve looked at the wild peaks before and they are a decent tyre for sure. I’ve still got a spare ko2 under the ute that has never even been on the ground 😂.

Are you actually having gvm issues or just would like to keep the weight down for things like fuel consumption, overheating etc?

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Last time we had it weighed we were under GVM by around 200kgs fully loaded (fuel, water, 2 adults etc), but we didn't have the van on. So if you include the ball weight of the van we would have been close. We have moved things from the car to the van and culled some stuff so we know we would be under now. Keeping weight down is still something we like to do for the reasons you mentioned. With a little 2.4L diesel motor every KG matters 😅

@56JimboSlice

Ай бұрын

@@Explore_oz thanks mate. I'm looking at getting van in next couple years so all info is good. Interesting you are so close to gvm, guess your drawer setup with Esky battery etc would weigh a decent chunk along with the bar work. I think those kings drawers are quite heavy. Also if you put drawers on one side and then get a slide out fridge you could still potentially stack gear on-top of that fridge. There are a few options now for slide fridges.

Bull bar and rear bar a waste of money and weight. In the 3 years you’ve had them what have you hit with them ? Same with snorkel, doesn’t change your wading depth limit and fresher air is minimal.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Yeah agree. If we were to get another tow rig now, it would be setup very very differently.

How does the triton perform overall?

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

We can't fault it really. We have loved it since 2019 and it's gone everywhere and done everything we have asked of it. Only thing would be that a little more power would be nice, especially when going up hills towing haha.

what mirrors do you run as i dont see any

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

We have the Milenco aero 4 tow mirrors that we attach when we have the caravan on 👍

Agree the S/S snorkel sounds awful Still dont understand what the benefit is by having the S/S facing Safari and others facing forward. Was talking g to a gut the other week who has a S/S snorkel,on his D Max which wax already fitted when he bought his DMax with 60K on the odo,and his isn't as noisy as yours

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Originally I got the S/S snorkel just for looks since I do like them in that regard, but I will never get one again, and wouldn't recommend one to anyone either haha. All cars sound slightly different if they have a S/S snorkel, different airbox setups etc make a big difference.

@gnome4x480

Ай бұрын

Safari etc have water run offs build into the head, stainless don’t. The direction doesn’t really matter so much as the turbo/engine will suck whatever air it needs.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

@@gnome4x480 Sucks whatever it needs you say... ;) haha. I remember watching a video talking about the direction not really mattering and it makes sense really. Having air 'rammed' into the snorkel doesn't allow the turbo or engine to take extra air.

I put an ARB commercial bar on our 2013 Dmax. Its steel but heaps lighter construction than their fancier bars. The powder coating isn't as good as their fancy bars but no where near as bad as your Piak.

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

Front bar doesn't need to be fancy haha. If you do happen to hit something and it stops major damage, it's done it's job :D

Maybe remove your shovel from the roof when you're not travelling...dah!! Maybe you're one of those tools that leaves all his maxtrax, shovel on the roof while your at home? If you took it off then you can clean off the rust and maybe oil the thing? I've carried a Bunnings special for years. No rust. But I take it off when I'm not travelling...

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

I mean we could do that, but we are full time travellers that have been on the road for over three years. We don’t have a home to leave our stuff at. I guess that means I’m one of those tools that leaves them on the Ute full-time then…😂

@robertwilson1827

Ай бұрын

Wow... be nice, hey? 😇😇😇

@Explore_oz

Ай бұрын

@@robertwilson1827 Haha, it's ok. There's always someone ;)