Club 4X4 are giving one lucky 4X4’er the chance to win $30,000 worth of ARB modifications and labour for their very own 4WD. That’s the kind of mod-money that completely transforms a 4X4 and it got me thinking… If I had a bog stocker and $30K to spend on ARB modifications and labour, what would I do?
BOG STOCK TO TRACK EATING TOURER
I've toured Australia in everything from 8-inch lifted trucks through to mild 1-inch touring setups with sensible GVM upgrades and a bunch of rigs in between. Some have been brilliant. Some have been fantastic at creating problems I didn't have before. And after enough kilometres, you start to develop a pretty clear philosophy around how to spend money on a 4X4.
Mods should always be solving problems, not creating them.
FRONT END PROTECTION: ARB Commercial Bull Bar + Rated Recovery Point
ARB
There's no shortage of good reasons every single one of my 4X4s has a bull bar fitted. A roo with zero regard for your travel plans meeting your rig at 100km/h will end your trip just as quickly as it destroys your front end. When it comes to bullbars, I'd choose a triple hoop bar that gives you a proper platform for lights, a winch and a UHF antenna, turning your front end into a proper platform for touring gear rather than a very expensive crumple zone. ARB's Commercial Bar does exactly that job perfectly.
PRO TIP: While the bar is being installed, chuck rated recovery points on - you’re going to want them.
REAR END PROTECTION: ARB Rear Protection Bar
Rear of a 4WD
It's amazing how quickly the rear of a 4WD can find a bank, washout or rock ledge when you're distracted by what's happening out the windscreen. A rear bar protects some very expensive sheet metal while improving departure angle and adding properly engineered recovery and towing points at the same time. That's a pretty good return on investment in my book.
WINCH: Bushranger Covert 12,000lb with Synthetic Rope
I recently tested the Bushanger Covert along the Old Telegraph Track and after putting it through its paces, I was impressed. What I particularly like is the slick top-mount design that ditches the external winch control box, which on a traditional winch would spend its life getting flogged by the sun, filled with salt water and generally punished into an early grave. Synthetic rope, clean install, serious pulling power. Tick, tick, tick.
RECOVERY GEAR: ARB Premium Recovery Kit Series II + Maxtrax
The stuff you need when things go sideways, and trust me, eventually, things will go sideways. This recovery kit has everything covered in one hit, snatch strap, shackles and tree trunk protector all packed into a bag that actually fits back in neatly when you're done. Throw a set of Maxtrax in and combined with that winch, you've got a recovery setup that'll get you out of just about anything short of full submersion.
PROTECTION: ARB Under Vehicle Protection & Safari Snorkel
Two mods that do their best work quietly in the background. The snorkel keeps dust and water out of your engine on creek crossings and outback dirt roads. The bash plates mean you're not wincing every time you hear something scrape underneath you.
STORAGE: ARB Modular Storage Drawer System + Fridge Slide
Organisation is one of the most underrated upgrades you can make to a 4X4. A drawer system means everything has a home, nothing moves around on the tracks and you're not performing a full exhumation every time you need your recovery gear. Add a fridge slide and your priorities are always within reach.
12V Fridge: 69L ARB ELEMENT DUAL ZONE
A solid fridge is non-negotiable in my opinion. Fresh food, cold beers and the ability to spend longer off grid are things you won’t regret having when you’re out on the rough stuff. The Elements series is built tough, runs efficiently and can cope with decent heat.
12V POWER SETUP: ARB Auxiliary Battery Kit + REDARC ICON LiFePO4 200Ah
Power is important. A proper dual battery setup means none of your accessories are drawing off your starter battery and you're not waking up at 3am in a cold sweat wondering if the rig is going to start in the morning. The ARB auxiliary battery kit paired with a REDARC ICON LiFePO4 200Ah should do the job nicely.
SUSPENSION: Old Man Emu MT64 Suspension Kit
Suspension is one of the most important mods on any build. The OME MT64 setup is tuned for real-world touring loads, which means it rides well empty, rides better loaded and handles the corrugations, dirt roads and the highway kilometres in between without rattling your fillings out.
LIGHTING: Bushranger VBP 9” Driving Light Kit
I absolutely love these lights, seriously. What sets the Night Hawk VBP apart from a standard driving light is the variable beam pattern, meaning you can dial between full spot and full flood on the fly with a dual-dial controller on the dash. Spot for opening up the Nullarbor, flood for picking your way through tight scrub at night. Designed and engineered in Australia, IP67 and IP69K rated, and built tough enough to handle whatever the track throws at them. Clever bit of gear, eh?
The Other Essentials
Every 4X4 still needs the basics nailed. A quality UHF radio and aerial kit, air compressor, tyre repair kit and a first aid kit should be considered mandatory equipment for anyone heading beyond the ‘burbs.
How Would you Spend $30k?
That's a bog stocker turned into a capable, comfortable, long-range tourer. Every mod on that list is solving a genuine problem, making a real difference to how far you can go and how well you get there.
And that's exactly why the Club 4X4 $30K Mods Grant is such a cracking prize. Thirty grand spent in the right places can completely change what a 4WD is capable of.
If you've got a 4X4 sitting in the driveway and a list of modifications longer than your arm, make sure you get your name in the running by entering here.
Got the mods?
now get a quote for insurance that covers them.
