Yellow With Envy Sale

 

It’s sale time again and with massive discounts and heaps of freebies to be had in-store, this is one catalogue that is sure to have your friends “yellow with envy”. Check out the online catalogue here and then give us a call, drop in to the store or enquire online using our easy “Enquire Now” form on the side bar for a quote. It’s the perfect time to start planning that big build or just to pick up a few bits and pieces and you’ll save yourself plenty in the process. The sale starts on 1.12.2017 and runs until 23.12.2017 so get in and grab a bargain.

 

Yellow With Envy Sticker Competition

Every one loves freebies and TJM’s latest giveaway will have your friends YELLOW with envy. Simply pop in to the store here at TJM Hunter Valley and pick up your free TJM 4×4 Equipped window sticker to go into the competition to win one of 10 $200 TJM Vouchers. For more details on the completion click here or ask one of our friendly staff when you call in to pick up your free window sticker.

TJM Dynamic Flex Test

Ever wonder why your bull bar moves around on corrugations? Check out the TJM Dynamic Flex Test video below to find out exactly why:

 

Full Frontal Colorado

Holden have really stepped up their game on the styling of the new facelifted Colorado. They’ve replaced the love it or hate it style front grill and headlights with a mostly love it front end that gives the Colly a tough new look. In response to the new facelift, TJM decided they would go one step further and have developed what we think is possibly their best-looking bull bar they’ve designed yet.

 

The T13 Outback bar was completely redesigned for the facelift model using bigger 63mm top tubing over the 50mm tubing used on previous models. It retains all the traditional T13 Outback features you’d expect carried over from the last model including winch capability, high-lift jack points, rated recovery points, LED fog lights, park and indicator lights. The centre supports are angled to follow the inner lines of the headlights to give you the best possible protection for your front-end components while giving it an edgy look to fit in with the overall styling of the vehicle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re in the market for a new Colorado or have recently purchased one and looking for the ultimate in front-end protection, whilst retaining that tough new look, then give us a call here at TJM Hunter Valley. After a long-awaited arrival on the new bar – we now have them in stock and we can colour code to match your factory colours. We of course offer a full fitting service so call us for a quote.

GVM Upgrade

Here at TJM Hunter Valley, we quite often get asked the question “why do I need a GVM upgrade?” And there’s a few good answers to that question. The GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) is the maximum allowable weight of the vehicle including its load and passengers. There are quite a few 4WDs floating round on the market at the moment that make great tow vehicles or workhorses with the exception that they already have a tare weight (weight of the unloaded vehicle) that is close to the maximum allowable GVM.

The 200 Series Landcruiser is one of the worst culprits. Loads of power, plenty of space and a tonne of after-market accessories available make it one of the most sought- after touring vehicles in the country. But here lies the problem – the tare weight of a diesel 200 series is 2630kg and the maximum allowable GVM is 3300kg. The tare weight doesn’t include any after-market accessories, so you start to add the weight of a bull bar and winch, a good set of side steps, a long-range fuel tank full of fuel, a rear bar and roof racks, a couple of passengers and all of sudden you have no room left for any luggage.

It’s not a stand-alone example, if you research most modern 4WDs vehicles the story will be quite similar across the board. This doesn’t mean you should steer clear of these particular vehicles though – in fact, quite the opposite. A GVM upgrade can legally increase the load carrying capacity and there are a few different options available depending on the vehicle you have.

The good news – in particular for 200 series owners – is that not only can we upgrade the GVM but we can also increase the BTC (Braked Towing Capacity) of the vehicle making it an even more capable tug boat than ever before. We are approved installers of Lovells GVM and BCT Upgrade and our kits certify the vehicle Australia wide.

We have recently encountered a big run of GVM Upgrades on 70 Series LandCruisers using both the Lovells upgraded conventional suspension or the Jmacx rear coil spring converted suspension. The benefits of either really come into play when the 70 series is set up for long distance touring, heavy duty towing or loaded up with toolboxes for work applications.

Authorities have been cracking down hard of late on recreational and passenger vehicles that are towing caravans, boats and loaded up with work or touring gear in an effort to kerb road damage and protect road users from potentially dangerous, overloaded vehicles. Armed with mobile scales – they are quite prepared to have you leave your caravan, camping gear and even passengers on the side of the road until you find a suitable vehicle to return with.

Don’t get stranded in the middle of nowhere and risk your vehicle or your life with an overloaded 4WD. Give us a call to discuss the options for your vehicle or click on our GVM & BTC Upgrade page for more information.

 

 

Outback Armour Suspension

We’re proud to announce that we are now official stockists for the Outback Armour range of suspension and recovery products. Here at TJM Hunter Valley, we know quality when we see it and we’ve been eyeing off the Outback Armour range of products for a while now. This Australian designed and engineered product is built and tested to handle our harsh Aussie conditions and comes with a 3 year/ unlimited km warranty on suspension products and 3 year warranty on recovery gear. We can also take all of the hassle out of it by supplying a full fitting service for this awesome gear by our fully qualified fitters. It doesn’t get any better than  that, so drop us a line or enquire online to get a quote.

All-terrain Triton

79 Single Cab Build Complete

We’ve finally completed work one of our biggest build’s yet, this beaut single cab 79 Series Landcruiser. Those that have been following the build will be familiar with the work we’ve already done with the 2017 single cab including the stainless steel airbox, snorkel, and that awesome Jmacx rear coil spring conversion.
But that’s just the start of a long build list and we’ve since complemented the Jmacx setup with a Fox suspension kit using the Performance 2.0 series with remote canisters, Kings springs, and a set of Polyair airbags to assist with the towing duties. We went up to a ride height of 3”of lift which posed a little bit of a issue on the new 2017 single cab as Toyota has thrown in an extra cross member between the chassis that fouled on the front drive shaft at that height. However after a bit of consultation with our engineer we were able to come up with a solution around it keeping everything safe and legal. Jmacx also supplied an upgraded brake booster and braided brake lines to improve the stopping power with the added weight and bigger wheels.
The boys at Jmacx also supplied an exhaust upgrade with custom 3.5”stainless steel system to suit the new rear end and give the Landcruiser more punch and a much better exhaust note. Whilst we we’re underneath a Brown Davis 180L replacement long range fuel tank was installed to handle the big ranges that will be required for towing on some of those long outback stints.
Power gains are complements of a Torqit power module and pedal torque which work in well with the exhaust and air intake mods to give a power increases of up to 218kW and 628Nm of torque. Keeping it clean under the engine bay is a HPD billet alloy catch can and a Diesel Care secondary fuel filter to give the engine that much needed protection against foreign contaminates.
Power is put to the ground via a set of TJM Pro Locker air-lockers front and rear and running a set of Pirahna diff breathers. Those bad-boys are turning a set of Dynamic steel wheels wrapped in 285/75R16 Mickey Thompson MTZP3s for when the conditions get really ugly.
A dual battery system was installed using the Redarc 25A dual charge battery charging unit which is capable of charging solar and from the vehicle’s alternator simultaneously and looks after all of owner Alex’s power needs whilst on the road. It supplies power to an Ultimate Extreme red-top battery offering 110amp/hrs of power and battery voltage is monitored by a VDO volt gauge.
Recovery equipment includes a TJM 12,000lbs Torque Winch with synthetic rope and a Prolink shackle assembly, and it’s housed in the Sherman Tank of the bar work world- the Tuff Bullbars 4-post bull bar with 60mm double rail brush bars and quite possibly the biggest set of side steps you will ever come across. Owner Alex spends a lot of time in the Top End so this truck doesn’t just need to be roo proof, it needs to be buffalo proof and there is no stronger bar work on the market than Tuff Bullbars.
As the tray will typically be full with touring and work gear, more storage space was utilised by fitting a Rhino Pioneer platform on the roof with a Rhino spare wheel carrier. There’s also an X-Ray Vision 900mm Quad-optic light bar mounted to the platform which works in unison with 2 Lightforce HTX LED/HID combo lights to turn night into day. We also fitted the Landcruiser specific light switches by Lightforce to retain that neat factory look.
Communications are taken care of by way of GME’s top-of-the-line XRS 370C hide-away unit receiving signals through a GME AE4700 6.6DBi gain antenna. Inside the single cab, we’ve fitted an overhead console as well as a full length centre floor console by Department of the Interior and a set of tailored Wetseat neoprene seat covers.
We had our mates from Ox Enterprises come in and fit a Pioneer sound system with reverse camera, speaker door pods, amp and subwoolfer that leaves the factory Toyota unit for dead. We also added a set of Clearview towing mirrors for extra vision when towing.
With one of the biggest jobs we’ve completed at the TJM Hunter Valley workshop now done and all the hard work put in by the boys in the workshop has finally paid off. It was the first time a lot of our suppliers had seen their products go into the new 2017 model single cab so everybody was keen to see the end result and everyone including the customer was more than pleased with the finished product. That’s how you turn a humble single cab workhorse into the ultimate touring machine!

Tuff Lux

DSC_4202lHow do you make an unbreakable Hilux even more unbreakable? You back it in to the TJM Hunter Valley works shop and ask for a Hilux with the lot, that’s how. Our latest build involves taking an ordinary stock standard SR5 Hilux and transforming it into something unique and special.

The new Hilux is a pretty good looking truck to begin with and serves its purpose well, but the owner wasn’t content with pretty good, he was looking for some out of the ordinary and something to meet the demands of some serious off-roading and touring.

We started with the full bar work treatment including a colour coded T13 Outback bull bar housing a TJM Torq 9,500lbs winch with synthetic rope to handle all the recovery duties when the conditions turn bad. A set of TJM side steps and brush bars look after the front quarters and sills, and the rear is protected by the TJM RB6 rear bar. The RB6 bar has a built- in tow hitch as well, so there’s no need to buy a separate tow bar to tow the camper trailer or caravan around and there’s provisions for those pesky but essential rear parking sensors.

DSC_4217lA suspension upgrade was taken care of by fitting a combination of the Fox 2.0 Performance Series coil-overs up front, fox 2.0 shock absorbers and TJM leaf springs in the rear. We went with 2”in the rear and bought the front up close to level with the rear using the ample height adjustment available from the Fox coil-overs. Ride quality has improved 100 percent as well as travel and axle articulation.

Under the guards, traction is delivered by a set of 265/70R17 Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 all-terrain tyres wrapping the 17×9 Mickey Thompson Deegan 38 alloy wheels which provide plenty of functionality as well as style.

With touring and weekend trips high on the agenda for this Hilux, a canopy and Outback Interiors rear storage draw system was essential for the dual cab to keep all the gear secure, dry and well organised for trips away. The Aeroklas canopy is a double skinned ABS construction offering a tough shell with a low roof line that keeps the same profile as the vehicle’s roof.DSC_4215l

A Rhino Pioneer Tray was also fitted over the canopy to allow for extra storage up top as well as providing a mounting platform for the TJM 2 metre awning and a pair of Lightforce ROK 20W floodlights to light up the campsites. A set of Rhino cross bars where also fitted to the cab of the Hilux because… well, you can never have too much storage space now can you?

Power needs for touring include a dual battery set-up using a Century 100 A/hr deep cycle battery and the TJM 25A BC-DC charger which is a dual charge unit capable of charging alternator and solar at the same time. There’s power to the rear via an Anderson plug and a Redarc Tow Pro Elite for taking care of all the trailer breaking applications with full automatic, set-and-forget settings.DSC_4219l

Turning night into day up-front is a set of Lightforce HTX driving lights which use both HID and LED technology to bring you the best of both worlds in one light. These are controlled using a dual stage switch meaning that either LED or HID can be operated and with both lit up you can grab over 1800m of light down the track and almost 100m of spread from the one set of driving lights.DSC_4224l

The interior has had the once over, fitting a set of Wetseat neoprene seat covers and a centre console by Outback Interiors with the UHF console mounted. The Wetseat covers will keep the Hilux looking pristine and the centre console is again adding more of that needed storage space and getting the UHF up of the dash.

We’ve taken some inspiration for our own Hilux that we’ve recently taken delivery of so stay tuned to this channel to see that build take place in the coming weeks.

J to the Macx

DSC_4252lWell this is exciting! We’ve just completed the Jmacx coil conversion that we are doing to our latest customer’s 79 build.

Anyone that’s driven the 79 series will be all too familiar with its stiff rear ride attributes that give it such a great load carrying capacity, but on the rough stuff can be a little unsettling to say the least. The leaf spring rear suspension on the 79 series is definitely built for work but we’ve always wondered why Toyota (I’m risking my life by saying this) didn’t follow Nissan’s path and released a rear coil sprung ute, which offers superior ride quality and rear axle articulation.

Fortunately, Jmacx came up with a solution to this issue by developing a rear coil spring conversion and upgraded rear axle housing. This conversion improves the ride quality of the 79 Series, increases axle articulation and wheel travel while still retaining the Cruiser’s legendary load carrying capacity. This is all achieved by fitting the Jmacx fabricated frame which is a complete bolt-in system requiring no welding, to do away with the leaf springs and house the new coil springs, adjustable control arms and panhard rods.

DSC_3515lThe kit also comes with a complete newly fabricated, heavy duty diff housing and chrome moly axles that are 200 times stronger than the standard axles. No that’s not a misprint, I said 200 times stronger! While Jmacx was at it they thought they would fix another Toyota design idiosyncrasy by widening the rear wheel track to bring it back in to line with the front with the new axle housing. This assists the cruiser to navigate ruts and sand much easier as the rear wheels don’t have to push a second track through the soft stuff. It also gets rid of that crab walk look when you see one drive towards you.DSC_4253l

It’s not the first time that we have fitted a Jmacx kit to a 79 Series and those familiar with our own 79 Series would have no doubt had their heads under the rear end checking out the conversion that we have fitted to ours. However, it is the first time this kit has gone into the new model single cab that has had the upgraded 5 star Ancap safety rating so everyone is keen to see the end results. Stay tuned as we’re getting closer to completing this build.DSC_4250l