The Big Rig: Building DX69, Our Ford Ranger Super Duty. Showroom to sandy tracks.

The First Modification – Enter TUS Offroad

Every build has that moment where the vehicle stops being stock and starts becoming something else. For DX69, that moment happened at TUS Offroad, just outside Melbourne. The team there had already begun preparing for the launch of the Super Duty and had developed a tray specifically for the platform, they called this, the DR2. Now if you’ve spent any time researching trays recently, you’ll know the market is absolutely flooded with options. Everyone claims theirs is stronger, lighter or more innovative than the rest, and choosing one can feel like trying to order coffee in Melbourne, complicated and mildly stressful. But the DR2 caught our attention for a simple reason. It looked right. Not overdesigned. Not full of unnecessary gimmicks. Just a clean, functional tray that followed the lines of the vehicle properly. The specs were solid too, 1750mm long, 1800mm wide, with trundle drawer storage, underbody toolboxes, AdBlue provisions and aircraft rails for securing gear.

Within a few hours the Super Duty had gone from bare cab-chassis to something that actually looked ready for work. Of course, the real test wasn’t how it looked in a workshop. It was how it behaved when pointed at dirt. So naturally we did the most logical thing possible. We drove straight to Mt Disappointment. There’s something reassuring about testing a brand new vehicle by immediately throwing it at hills with a name like Mt Disappointment. The result? The Super Duty climbed everything we threw at it, comfortably. The factory suspension was surprisingly impressive, and the addition of the tray didn’t upset the balance of the vehicle at all. In fact, compared to some of our older rigs, it almost felt luxurious.

But the tray was only the beginning. Because if this was going to become a proper touring rig, it needed a canopy setup that could actually support life on the road. We envisioned building the full touring setup. Back at TUS Offroad, we sat down with the team to design the canopy layout. There are thousands of ways to set up a touring ute, but we knew exactly what we wanted based on years of travelling in the Hilux. Instead of going for a full-length canopy, we chose a 1200mm TUS Offroad canopy. Why not full length?

Because having open tray space behind the cab is surprisingly useful. Firewood, muddy recovery gear, tools, or just somewhere to sit while making a coffee at camp, it’s one of those things you don’t realise you need until it’s gone. Inside the canopy we built a proper touring setup. A 2000W dual battery system with inverter provided the backbone of the power system. Excessive? Maybe. But when you’re travelling remote Australia, running out of power quickly stops being funny. Especially when your Bushman’s Upright Fridge is responsible for keeping food, and more importantly, cold beers at the correct temperature.

From there the canopy started to fill up quickly. A slimline pantry, dual slide drawers, spare jerry can storage and a spare wheel mount were installed, along with a Westinghouse induction cooktop and a small camp oven for those moments when pies and sausage rolls deserve proper cooking. Everything was neatly wired and finished to an almost factory level. TUS Offroad had absolutely nailed the execution.