Getting Started – How to
prepare your vehicle

So you’ve picked up your new truck and can’t wait to start fitting it out. You’ve read the websites, flicked through the catalogues and produced a list of all the goodies you want to buy. So what’s next?

Well, there are accessories that are ‘need to have’ and accessories that are ‘nice to have’, so it’s best to start with the important items first.

As safety is one of the major reasons for adding accessories to a 4WD, first you should look at the items that will make your style of travel safer. And these items should also be considered insurance policies, as they are designed to ensure that if by some remote chance an accident does occur, they save not only your vehicle, but your life.

You’ll also need to think carefully about the daily role of your vehicle, as some accessories may prevent it from being used in the manner intended. With any vehicle, the fitting of accessories will be a compromise between off road and on road use.

One of the most important factors is the overall weight of your vehicle. As overloading a vehicle can be extremely dangerous as well as illegal, it pays to consider carefully the GVM of your vehicle and the possibility of having to pull a trailer to carry the loads you require. This may have an effect on the order in which you fit your accessories and ultimately what you can fit and carry.

So once again, a detailed checklist of the accessories you need so that your vehicle is capable of getting you to where you want to go, as well as those that help to do it safely is a must.