EV’S FNB 4WD COIL TOWER BRACING
The old GQ Patrols are damn near bulletproof… but considering how many miles they have racked up since they rolled out in 1988, any weak points have been found and addressed through the aftermarket industry. One such area of concern: The rear coil towers have developed cracks if overloaded or driven hard. As it turns out, my old Pooie is in really good nick underneath. Thankfully. So while my GQ was on the hoist at Dobinsons Suspension in Sydney having the coils and shocks upgraded (cheers again Marty and team), I decided it was a smart idea to keep it this way.
Chris at FNB 4WD Supplies in South Australia is fiercely proud of the products his team manufacturers in Australia. His solution to the coil towers issue is unique and simple at the same time. More importantly, he promised his coil tower braces would be a direct bolt-in fit with basic hand tools. So I had to grab a pair.
The quality of welds and finish was first-class (the same goes for the FNB dual battery tray I’ve recently installed). While the bracing installation was a little fiddly for me in this first instance, if I was to install a pair again it would take half the time. I hope to never need to use this new enhancement to the vehicle’s strength… but it’s nice to know it’s there.
TIM’S ROADSAFE 4WD RATED RECOVERY POINTS
My Prado 150 has been involved in numerous recoveries over the years, but (thankfully) as the recovering vehicle in most cases. However, I thought it was about time I got serious and made sure that when I am inevitably the ‘recovered’ vehicle, rated recovery points can be used on the front end.
So I grabbed a set of Roadsafe 4WD rated recovery points and got to work. The recovery points have a working load limit (WLL) of 3,250kg and are designed to improve the safety of a recovery – rather than using the tie-down points which come standard on vehicles and which are often mistaken for recovery points themselves.
Installing these took me around 15 minutes on each side of the vehicle and only required a couple of different sized socket wrenches to ensure the plates were fitted up tight. They sure look the biz and should come in handy for our upcoming recovery feature.
Grab a set of rated recovery points for your vehicle.
Check them out at: roadsafe.com.au
