Fairlane and Franklin
This impressive combo was seen parked next to the old Hume Highway at Mittagong where the owner was taking a break to let the kids run around. He was taking his young family around Australia and had already been as far west as Broken Hill and the Flinders Ranges.
The tow car is a 1978 Ford ZH Fairlane, fitted with the 351 V8 and three-speed automatic. He picked it up for $2000 a few years ago. It was being used as a bush basher but he converted it back to road condition and says it pulls like a dream.
The van is a 1981 Franklin, weighing two-and-a-half tonnes. It cost him $2500. It’s large enough to sleep six. He’s fitted a shower and all the electrics are topped up on sunny days with a couple of solar panels.
He bought a Hayman-Reese coupling unit for the tow bar for $65 from a wreckers. These stop the dreaded sway in windy conditions.
That means the complete car and van package cost him less than $5000 on the road. Normally you’d need a small truck to pull a van this big but the Fairlane was designed for this kind of work. You may not pass much on the highway but you’ll get there in style and comfort.