Direct 4wd - Jol Fleming


		What I drive and why?

		www.direct4wd.com.au WHAT I DRIVE AND WHY. I’ve been confined to a wheelchair for last 26 years or so, after a single vehicle rollover on the South Stuart Hwy, in October 1981. This left me with out a huge amount of muscle movement due to a high level break, C5/6. One blessing I can still drive. Finding a vehicle that suited me wasn’t easy. A street runner wasn’t too bad, I managed to get an HX Statesman, hand controls etc, this at least gave me some independence – a bush car, not. The simple explanation was all 4wd vehicles were too high. The seat height made it way too difficult.. The first thing is access, to be able to get into the vehicle. With a wheel chair seat height of around 500mm not too much above that is ok. As most 4wd’s of any sorts has a seat height of around 800mm to 1 meter, independent I don’t think so. I started out with a HZ Holden Ute, used it for a while, then a WB Holden, used a ‘Detroit locker diff’’ in this 9R15 Desert Duelers, that was a good vehicle. In 1994 I bought a XG Longreach, brand new. Lovely vehicle, when it was purchased from Centralian Motors Alex Bohner, I had a pile of accessories for it. These included: Long range 125l fuel tank, Detroit Locking Diff, Koni Shocks, 2’’ raised front and rear springs, Recaro seat frames for the seats I had, replacing the bench, Alloy roll bar and lights, the bull bar came standard on the 60^th Anniversary model, new set of hand controls 15 Alloy rims and a set of 9R15 Bridgestone Desert Duelers replaced the standard 195R14. Once all this was fitted it was off to get a custom spare wheel carrier and diff brace. A reasonable amount of mudguard metal was removed with full lock not possible. Who cares there is a lot of country out there. I crossed the French Line in the Simpson with a group of people in July 1995 in this vehicle without a snatch strap going any where near the vehicle. Getting up Big Red from the western side was the most memorable part. Tyre pressures set for 300mm of foot print did the trick. I made 5 crossings of the desert in that Ute sure taught me how to drive. I started 4wd training that same year, the Ute went every where I wanted it too. I got a Cherokee Sport in ’96 couldn’t get into it independently but with a little help wasn’t too bad. Got a newer model in 98 which did a lot of bush trips all towing a trailer, either a camper or my 7x4 bush box trailer? My every day driver was still the Ute. By the time 2000 came around the Ute had 100,000km on it. Not only used for every day travel but for traveling the Finke Track doing track marking, down the off road track marking that, doing recovery, a real good place to test suspension, and wreck cars. I needed a newer vehicle, what’s around, the XH Ute were out, with the funny front suspension couldn’t fit big tyres in there. Another XG??? Tyres original 205/75R15, I use 31x10.5R15. Sure need a 3 acre paddock to do a U turn, we got plenty of room. Yes it was a 95 XG Outback in mint condition, swap the wheels tyres seats, rear diff, roll bar new suspension on with it, this time the factory hand controls care of Ford. By the time the XJ Jeep Cherokee had done 100kkm on outback trips, towing trailers it was getting to expensive to keep, even with the trailer it was too small. Now what?? Well I needed space. Cruisers & Nissans tooo expensive too high, even with my 4wd electric chair, with these not enough room and auto’s fairly rare. Chev Suburban, love it but nearly choked at the price tag. Still got the Ute. Ok saw an add for an ’89 F150, reco motor good condition, for $16k lets check it out. These have been one of my all time favorite. Not a bad rig, room, plenty of it, told the fellow, who I’d known for years, “If I can get into it, I’ll buy it”. To do this they had to remove the side step, put my Recaro in it use my bush ramp on the concrete one in the drive way, I made it with a lot of grunting and groaning – then bought it. Now that’s one hell of a vehicle, still tow my trailer with it, pass everything but a fuel bowser. I had a mate, Danny, of mine work on it for a couple of weeks, from front to back, went through everything. Removed the gas, cant get it out bush, replaced the rear gas tank with the original rear petrol tank, UHF and HF radio, hand controls 2 batteries, 800w inverter, diff brace, twin tube bumper as the original step bumper collected sooo much grass, it was a danger. 31x10.5R15 were replaced by 33x12.5R15, after a year reco’d the C6 trans. Parts are easy to get through F100’s in Sydney and Eagle in Melbourne. I’ve been talking TO Leo Wignell about a 6.5 Chev diesel, maybe one day. So you think I’m crazy, you’re probably right, but we did our sums, with a Subaru at 2100kg all up, yes a 2l Forester with a lift kit etc from SubaXtreme, a real Desert Rig that will embarrass the toughest 4x4. This car used half the amount of fuel I did. Tested it over a couple of long trips. By the way, I weighed in a 4700kg in the F150 & 7’X 4’Trailer. For me its equivalent to two vehicles max weight legally 4999kg. it has 3 bucket seats across the front, good enough for 3 big blokes, not too wide, long wheelbase rides well, pulls great, and the only vehicle I’ve had that doesn’t require new springs. I did replace the shocks, all 6 of them, comes standard with quad shock front end. As I said I use it for bush trips an occasional day out, so it sits all summer doesn’t do much. I have a $25k investment, not $100k Now its 2008 I have used the ’95 Outback to the point its need replacing. Now what, a quick look around and there is nothing I like or is easy to get into. Look at the net week after week looking for another XG. I found one Gerard Daff in Remark SA had one. Gerard did a Ford Light Truck trip with me in 1998. Its nice to deal with some one you know. It was a bright red XG 60^th anniversary model in really good condition 100kk on the clock. Exactly the same a the Green one I had in 94. These were one of Australia’s Best.

Jol Fleming
Jol, Trixy & the Ute pic by Barry Skipsey



Jol's Jeep


Jol's best friend Trixy