What are the Top Three Off-road Accessories?
Even your most basic 4×4 can take you off the beaten track, but you’re bound to quickly learn that the stock setup has its own shortcomings. It’s like playing cricket with just a bat and a ball, without any protection equipment involved – you can still play, but it probably isn’t all that good of an idea. This is why most Australian off-road enthusiasts know better than that, and invest in some 4×4 accessories Australia stores and online retailers offer.
There are countless 4×4 accessories Australia wide, so do you just buy all of them and spend a fortune? Not really, there’s a small list of what I consider essential accessories, that are affordable and provide enough safety and comfort to get you through your journey. These accessories include recovery gear, a bullbar, and a backup battery.
Recovery Gear
As the saying goes “One day you’re going to get caught!”, you eventually really are going to get bogged into a mud hole. And getting out of one is virtually impossible without the help of recovery equipment. The most commonly used pieces of recovery equipment include the winch and recovery tracks. The recovery tracks are the cheaper and more common solution. You’ll have to get out of the car, and place them under your wheels so it can gain traction and momentum. The winch, on the other hand, is slightly more expensive, but it’s also more reliable, as long as there’s an object nearby you can hook it onto.
The Bullbar
The most fragile part of your 4×4 is without a doubt the front. Bullbars protect this vulnerable part where all the fluid heat exchange happens, including intercooler, air-conditioning condenser, transmission oil cooler and radiator are all right behind the stock bumper bar. When buying a bullbar, make sure it complies with the airbag triggering standards and requirements and it should be pedestrian-friendly.
Backup Battery
Your starter motor not drawing enough current from the battery is probably one of the worst things that can happen in the middle of nowhere. Most modern 4×4 electronics constantly drain the battery and any issue in the charging regime can be the cause of a cumulative draining that won’t show up until the battery is completely depleted. Even if you have a downhill slope to rely on, you won’t be able to clutch-start your 4×4, because almost all engines are electronically injected which demand battery power before they start. Moreover, most are automatic, so even clutching isn’t an option.
