If you were to ask your average city dweller Aussie what they think of big American trucks like the Ford F-450 you’d likely hear a string of insults. But to be honest you’d get a similar response going to places like San Francisco, Manhattan, or Chicago. However, get away from the hustle and bustle where everyone’s packed together like sardines and Australians happen to really love our pickups, which is why they’re being imported at a quickening pace.
Social media influencer kid drives distracted and finds out.
You could blame this phenomenon on the ending of the domestic automakers and their traditional Down Under-style utes. Gone are those machines with their thumping V8s and superchargers. While some Aussies might be content to drive a Suzuki Swift or Chinese EV, others want something more visceral and more importantly more capable when the going gets truly tough.
That’s what this Ford F-450 is all about. The diesel truck has been tuned and outfitted with modifications to make it burlier, hardier, and ready for anything nature throws its way. While extra power is great, that’s meaningless without proper traction and handling on more technical trails.
Which brings us to one of the coolest features of this built Ford truck: the Liquid Spring suspension. They’re filled with a high viscosity silicone fluid that can be remotely controlled to raise the ride height an additional four inches. Liquid Spring has gained in popularity here in the US but in Australia they’re quite exotic.
The exterior is outfitted with all kinds of goodies, including light bars integrated into the aftermarket grille, steel bumper, and roof rack. There’s a 20,000 lbs. winch tucked into the underside of the front bumper so discretely if the recovery hook weren’t orange you might miss it altogether.
Around back is another winch integrated into the overlanding box replacing the factory bed. On top is a four-man tent from RoofNest, making this rig perfect for overland adventures.
You’ll notice the front fenders are flared out to make the truck six inches wider than the factory setup, accommodating the wider track and big 41-inch tires. That just adds to the tough, aggressive stance.
We expect to see more impressive, monstrous truck builds out of Australia.
Images via EC Offroad/YouTube, The Explore Life/YouTube
[…] people believe all it takes for their truck or SUV to get through anything on the trail is a lift and some big tires. The truck in the included video […]