At the auctions

[roscoFJ73]

I was at a auctioN today looking around to see what a 79 or 105 could be got for

All of them had a mining background but the condition of the vehicles varied quite a lot
Some had been underground and others had been used exclusively to service the railways to the port that the iron ore trains use.

The HJ75 ambulance was old by workplace standards but being an amby it was in good condition.They dont replace them often as the rear costs more than the cruiser.
I didnt see how much the amby went for but it would have made a good camper
The troopy next to it had a roof so rusty it must have flapped in the wind It was like that all around .

 

[roscoFJ73]

The 75 and 79 cab chassis in the same lot were like the troopy.
The corrosive mud ate the edges of the fenders so you can imagine what underneath was like.

The ones parked inside were much better and were the rail maintenace vehicles mentioned earlier.
Most of them were 79 series with a 600mm cab extension and had mileage of 100-250 k/klm but still had some life left in them.
Bidding was brisk and it was obvious many of the buyers had bought previously so they would know what they were getting.
The 79 series were 2000-2002 models and went from $11k up to $17k for the low klm ones.
The 105s were about the same price maybe a little more as they were dual cabs

 

[roscoFJ73]

Some more close ups . Some of them had these modification tags fom Dobinsons suspension.
From what I can gather the aftermarket suspension gives them a higher load carrying.
All of the BHP Billiton cruisers had Dobinsons coil or leaves fitted
The Hyrail warning sign on the dash is to remind drivers they have railway wheels fitted front and rear and must remember to raise them when leaving the rail tracks
Most of the 79 series also had a padded roll bar behind the seats.

 

[bigbrowndog]

[second pic] the trayback with the extended cab would be a cool truck, bit more room for storage and to get further back from the steering wheel. Good pics.

 

[roscoFJ73]

[second pic] the trayback with the extended cab would be a cool truck, bit more room for storage and to get further back from the steering wheel. Good pics.

I have it on good authority a fridge full of coldies fits nicely in there

 

[bigbrowndog]

I have it on good authority a fridge full of coldies fits nicely in there

ROTFL, Like the old Northern Territory, How far is it to the next town. Well mate it's about a 10 stubby drive not that far.

 

[crushers]

cool pics there buddy...

 

[BJ-44]

I'd like to have one of those extended cabs too! Good pics.

 

[bj74noob]

Id rather get a landcruiser ambo, than a PC and deck that out for camping

 

[crushers]

i really like the idea of the ambulance turned into a camper...
too bad the shipping would kill the deal...
cheers

 

[Island Moose]

What I ca';t figure out is why anything would rust so badly in Australia?

 

[Wayne BJ73]

hi there

To try and answer your question about RUST.

Land Cruisers used in the mining industry get a very hard life, for example :

We are an underground operations and we only average approx 2 years use out of a brand new cruiser. Our conditions are rated as 10 times salter conditons than the sea. Another downfall with the cruisers are the chassis, they are open and water & mud once inside rust from the inside out.

The biggest corrosion problem is the alloy gearboxes and they are usually the first to go.

As for the surface vehicles its a lttle longer - but they also use lots of water on the roads for dust supression - and the cheapest and most available water around is usually salty.

We currently run around 100 + cruisers underground - most of them being 79 troopies & tray tops, once been in service they are not sold to the public - usually wreaked on site.

As for the vehicles pictured above - I would say they have been used in a open pit (with the looks of the red dirt) - the Ambulance is a fairly old model (we have two of them here we have wrecked) The Ambos's are usually are low KM items and kept in good conditions and maintained well - hensefoth last a little longer.

I hope this helps

Wayne

 

[Wayne BJ73]

Hi there

I have posted some of these pictures before - but here is our current fleet of Ambulances - they are all Turbo Diesels.

They have extended chassis - as the older model (pictured above)Ambulances above usually the patients feet would hit the rear door.

I will try and find some older pictures of wrecked Ambos's

Wayne

 

[crushers]

yep, i could see myself with one of those camperized...
thanks for the pics Wayne...

 

[Tapage]

I can go cray in this place .. !