JAY’S RANGER REPRESENTS A NEW OUTLOOK AUSSIES HAVE ON 4X4ING
bar from Uneek4x4, with powder-coated matte black wings on either side and a satin-finished stainless steel centre section to tie in with the XLT’S chrome highlights. Those with a keen eye might notice a large cut-out section on the driver’s side, a handy little trick from Uneek4x4 that allows Jay to protect the front of his Ranger with a stout bullbar without compromising the vehicle’s radar-controlled adaptive cruise control system.
Moving down the sides and the aggressive offset Pro Comp rims have been contained with moulded EGR flares. Rather than drilling through the ’guards like many aftermarket items, the EGR offerings bolt underneath into the stock holes then seal to the guards with adhesive. To ensure the sides remain dent-free and to provide a platform for accessing the roof, a set of Buds Customs rock sliders have been installed down the flanks – with 6mm-thick mounts and 50x50 RHS construction they’ll hold up to any abuse Jay can throw their way. Up the back the rear quarters have been protected and the stock ground anchor tow bar replaced with an Ironman 4x4 steel rear bar.
On the roof there’s a Rhino platform rack for storing bulky items and providing mounting options for both a high-lift jack as well as a long-handled shovel, both compulsory items when solo travelling. It also houses a passenger-side roll-out awning and 40-inch LED light bar from Ironman 4x4.
Up the back over the space-cab tub is another PSR item, this time in the form of its low-profile Baja Rack. With a 33-inch spare scraping the ground on every washout in the stock location, the Baja Rack gives Jay a mounting platform for it up top. His recovery boards also reside here, helping keep the tray set-up clean and empty for camping gear.
While hardly one of the most modified vehicles you’ll find on these hallowed pages, Jay’s Ranger represents a new outlook Australians have on 4x4ing – no longer the sole domain of families and grey nomads, 4x4ing is alive and well in the youth of today, and they’re not holding back.