The BEAST Has Been Found to Pull the CARAVAN (BEAUTY)!!!
While finalizing the paperwork for the Caravan we started in earnest to search for the vehicle capable of towing this 100% off-road and off-grid home on wheels. The Land Cruiser by Toyota is a vehicle we have known from our time in Africa. BushTracker (the Australian Caravan manufacturer we chose to go with) recommended that we focus on a 200 or 300 series Toyota Land Cruiser with an 8 cylinder Turbo Diesel Engine. An extra fuel tank(normal is 190 liters) would also be helpful to get further when fuel stops are spread far apart as well as when fuel is $3.00 a liter in the outback (Normal would be about $1.75 per liter). Another key component for a tow vehicle is a ROO-Bar to keep the critters from crushing the front and sides of the vehicle.
We were also considering that this vehicle might need a load capacity above the 3.5 Tons required to tow our Caravan along with capabilities to haul extra people from time to time who may be visiting on mission trips to Australia. Then, of course, it would be good if this vehicle had low miles (low kilometers in our context).
Within about a week and some change of searching we thought we had found the perfect vehicle. When we saw it the first time… it seemed to be exactly what we were looking for and more.
For Those Who Love DETAILS See Below
Knowing fuel was going to be a factor we were excited that It not only had a 190 liter tank but also an additional 80 liter tank. This 270 liter tank capacity (75 US gallons total) will give us so many more options so we can strategically select where to stop for fuel. Wow, when I filled the tank for the first time this week I faced a grand total of $460 AUD ($309 USD)!!!
This vehicle has a 3.8 ton Upgrade to the chassis so it does not break the structure of the towing vehicle while pulling BEAUTY through challenging terrain.
A robust KAMAR metal bumper has been added to the front and back of the vehicle to add stability- the Roo-Bar connects to this system and protects not just the front but the sides of the hood area. The Step up also helps us climb in.
It has an 8 cylinder, Turbo Diesel engine with only 184,000 kilometers on it. (110,000 miles) For a diesel engine that can go 600,000 to 800,000 kilometers this baby is only getting warmed up!!! Thank You Lord for Providing!!!
They added a two tire extra mount on the back of the vehicle which might act as extra padding if an aggressive Truck Train tries to run us over. Having two tires at the ready will help tremendously when out in areas where services are hard to come by.
Suspension airbags have been added so it will help smooth the ride for those in the Tow Vehicle – Two valves are in the rear bumper area to inflate or deflate the two airbags when needed. This will also help to level the connection to the Caravan hitch.
The vehicle also has two rear seats which had been pulled out of the vehicle by the previous owner so they looked brand new. We love being able to transport many people when not towing the caravan. It will help when Work and Witness teams (Missions Teams now) come to see the powerful things happening in the outback of Australia.
The roof rack has already been put to use when we went to pick up the framing for a shed we will use on the NTC campus which will store items we won’t need to keep with us in the caravan like suitcases and other seasonal supplies.
So many extras were found on this vehicle which we did not expect but are grateful for…
- Heated and cooled seats
- an extensive camera system on the vehicle which helps us know when things are near the side of the vehicle when turning or backing up.
- an added media center with screens for the rear passengers.
- one of my favorites is a liquid cooler “COOLBOX” in the middle consul between the driver and the front passenger
Cindy loves that we have three buttons so we can set the seat height, length and tilt to…it even changes the lumbar and mirror settings. Each button, when set, can remember how the seat should be for the person who has set it. With three buttons even Roland (our leader for Australia/New Zealand field) can assign one for himself—We will save the #1 button for Him.
When connecting to the Bluetooth you select “The BEAST” to sync. What a fitting name for this truly off-road and off-grid vehicle. Thus calling the Caravan “Beauty”.
We are currently working on getting three upgrades done on the vehicle:
- Adding the 12 pin plug and Anderson plug to communicate to the Caravan’s lights, turn signal, fridge, and back up camera.
- Adding a new camera on the back of the Caravan that communicates with the New monitor being installed in the cab of the Land Cruiser.
- And lastly are lights, called SPOTTIES here, to add extra light to aid our vision when driving on outback roads at night where Kangaroos, Dingos, and many other animals move around at night. Safety is the Key and Being Prepared is our priority.