Passing through Palmerston North the other day I passed Autokraft, the North Island ARB distributor and local ARB agent, (Peter Munro Commercials in Christchurch is the SI distributor) and parked outside was a stunning red Ford Ranger Ute that stood out in the afternoon sun. The Ranger was so prominent with its body-coloured accessories and stylish alloy rims that I had to take a closer look.
As it turned out the Ford Ranger was actually ARB Palmerston North, Tim Crawley’s own vehicle, one which he uses as a platform to promote the ARB range of products as well as meeting the demanding daily needs of a business and farm ute, 4WD Safari tool and family vehicle.
If fact, said Tim, if I gave him a little while to sort out a missing container load of ARB products that had gone astray, we could take the Ford for a drive to experience some of the local Manawatu and Rangitikei’s signature off-road sights. Who wouldn’t say yes to that?
So while Tim was doing that I headed into the workshop where the specialist team were equipping up yet another Ford Ranger for a customer. With the vehicle on the hoist it was very easy to see what actually goes into the mounting of an ARB bull bar on a vehicle fitted with crumple zones and air bags and there is a fair bit involved especially with the new vehicles. This also goes for the specialist recovery points which are suitable for winching and snatch towing.
These recovery points are designed specifically to use a 4.75t bow shackle and 8000kgs snatch strap and are engineered to ensure they do not adversely affect the air bags. The only downside of these recovery points is that they are almost ‘under’ the vehicle, where the only existing structure is to mount, and therefore difficult to find in muddy conditions, but if you are going into these conditions then a little forward planning would have the rope shackled on in advance in case of need.
I was also able to take a closer look at the range of protection products being fitted to protect the vulnerable underside of the vehicle. These are laser cut, pressed and folded from 3mm steel plate and are up to 56% stronger than folded steel alone and are zinc then powder coated for a premium finish. In the case of the Ranger, there are four separate components protecting the steering, sump, transmission and transfer case with the mounting bolts all recessed to protect them from damage. The best thing though is how practical they are with owners easily able to remove them for servicing.
By Ashley Lucas
