Overlanding In Australia With A Ram 1500 or 2500 or Ford F150,250, or 350
- Thread starter Humvee4us
- Start date
nitro_rat
Lunchbox Lockers
I'm sure it happens all the time, Australia isn't like Europe where roads are too small for full-size trucks. American 2500 and 3500 trucks are even marketed and sold there (RHD converted).
There are allowances for foreigners on holiday to use a LHD vehicle while in country but I'm not sure about specifics such as length of stay permitted.
Having driven a LHD vehicle in RHD traffic I would not recommend it. I would do a RHD for sure, I narrowly avoided a few accidents that were due to blind spots!
There are allowances for foreigners on holiday to use a LHD vehicle while in country but I'm not sure about specifics such as length of stay permitted.
Having driven a LHD vehicle in RHD traffic I would not recommend it. I would do a RHD for sure, I narrowly avoided a few accidents that were due to blind spots!
Last edited:
Paddler Ed
Adventurer
Effy's aren't that uncommon - I've got a mate with an early 2000s F250 Double cab that they use for horse float dragging... but use a VDJ Land Cruiser as their daily ute.
We've got a few new Rams around town, but they are for a bit of show, get down into horse country and they're a bit more common as an alternative to a Forward Control 4.5T truck for towing the big gooseneck trailers.
So yes, they do get used for covering ground (overlanding) but they don't get used so much for off-roading (that's the domain of Land Cruisers and Patrols, with little Zooks used quite often as well)
We've got a few new Rams around town, but they are for a bit of show, get down into horse country and they're a bit more common as an alternative to a Forward Control 4.5T truck for towing the big gooseneck trailers.
So yes, they do get used for covering ground (overlanding) but they don't get used so much for off-roading (that's the domain of Land Cruisers and Patrols, with little Zooks used quite often as well)
Todd n Natalie
OverCamper
Pretty sure they sell RHD converted full size trucks there. Quite pricey though! Not sure if anyone uses them for overlanding, but I can't see why you couldn't
www.just-auto.com
maracoonda.com
Demand takes Australian RHD RAM conversion operation to three shifts
Demand for RAM Trucks in Australia and New Zealand means the local right hand drive conversion operation in Melbourne is moving to 24 hours a day, five days a week operation from 1 June 2019.
www.just-auto.com
Vehicles in stock
maracoonda.com
Wallygator
Adventurer
Check out this guys channel.
alanymarce
Well-known member
Australia has the biggest truck combinations on the planet - "road trains" - they are the real "full size trucks".
Having said that, in terms of overlanding, as Paddler Ed says, you'll see F150s/250s but not that many. The vast majority of overland vehicles, in our experience, are LCs, Patrols, and Pajeros, along with Hiluxes, Rangers, and similar utes, and a few LRs.
re "allowances for foreigners on holiday to use a LHD vehicle" - as long as the vehicle is less than 3.5 t GVM you don't need to do anything. If more, then you need a "LHD" sign on the back. You'll be driving on a carnet, and there's no other paperwork requirement. The vehicle does need to meet Australian Design Rules (ADRs) in some respects. As long as the vehicle is legal in the country of registration you're OK, HOWEVER obvious things like "dangerous protrusions" are potentially going to result in problems. Although you'll see many vehicles with (for example) exposed winches, which can be considered "dangerous protrusions", it's a good idea to make sure that your vehicle is not going to attract unwelcome attention from the police. You can stay as long as the carnet is valid - 12 months, normally, with the possibility (depends on the country of registration) of a 12 month extension. If you are RESIDENT in Australia, then you have to register the vehicle, which is a different challenge.
Australia is one of the easiest countries in which to drive a LHD vehicle. There's hardly any traffic (which statement is always a surprise to Australians, however in absolute terms, the traffic is really light), and out of towns roads are usually straight and wide, so overtaking is easy/safe, certainly compared with driving a LHD vehicle in the UK (for example) or a RHD vehicle in Norway (for example).
Do you think that there's not many F-150s/250s simply because their availability is limited, or because they're just not suited for the Australian off-road?
Paddler Ed
Adventurer
Bit of both - a RHD converted one (remember they've not been factory RHD since the 1980s) is north of AU$100,000 new, so they tend not to get used for that sort of work around here unless you can:
a) write it off on the tax books
b) be paid to flog the guts out of it by a sponsor
The other thing is that over a GVM of 4500kg it's a Light Rigid truck, so needs an additional licence category, and corresponding higher rego costs (and insurance)
American Pickups Australia | Performax International
Visit the Performax International virtual showroom to see the latest new and range of used American pickups and performance vehicles.
and an idea of the prices:
Our Cars, Glanmire - Performax International
Buy Our Cars, Glanmire - Performax International
cars.performaxint.com.au
There's an F250 for sale with delivery K's on it, for AU$162,000.... or US$113,000....
Also I took our (stock) 80 down some trails here the other day and it was pinstripping on both sides quite happily - so the trails often aren't that wide when you get out of the main areas.
alanymarce
Well-known member
I think that they're not ideal for the Australian environment, AND that there are more suitable vehicles, which means that they haven't penetrated the market.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Also Japan is a lot closer to Australia than Detroit and their vehicles are already RHD. So there's that too.
Paddler Ed
Adventurer
Only ones that come out of Japan are the Land Cruiser and Patrol, everything else is from Thailand (Toyota Hilux & Fortuner, Ford Ranger, Nissan Navara, Isuzu DMax) or China (Great Wall, SAIC)
What would you say is their limiting factor and what other vehicles would you recommend instead?
alanymarce
Well-known member
Short version - Size - too big (not a major issue in Australia however evidently you're planning on a trip including other continents as well and some places the size will be an issue); weight - too heavy, track - too wide (won;t fit existing tyre tracks - can hence scuff/wear, damage on tree stumps, use more fuel since you're breaking new ruts), engine - too big (fuel consumption is high - fuel is still more or less free in the USA... however in many parts of the world you won't want to pay for the quantity a big engine will require), availability of spares (depends on what you need, some stuff is available, but if you break something not available readily then getting it can be a big problem). familiarity of the vehicle to mechanics (finding someone who's knows how it's built, etc.).
I suggest Land Cruiser, Montero/Pajero, and Patrol, in that order.
Hmmm I have noticed that the Ford Ranger, and Toyota Lineup is much different in the rest of the world....rated for so much more weight then they are in North America (well ok we do not have the Hilux/Landcruiser line up...but compareable sized trucks), but do not really have anything "beefed up" to handle it. Pretty much standard frame, suspension, and brakes for smaller pickups. Any one that wants to open that can of worms? and try to educate?