New truck tent
As the weather improves, it’s time to get the camping gear out ready… Summit Racing now has a new range of Backroadz truck load bed tents, which is the ideal way to camp for two people. Quickly set up, they are available for long and short load bed trucks. The largest versions offer an impressive five feet five inches of headroom. We do advise, however, that you also get a decent mattress; load bed floors are not very comfortable, and we speak from experience. To find out more, contact Summit’s Alan Rebescher, email: [email protected] or go to: www.summitracing.com
Ever thought of having a unique spare wheel cover? Or maybe advertise your business or club as you motor around? If that’s the case, you really ought to contact the guys at The Sign Maker. This family business is based in Devon, and started as a small set-up making wooden house signs! Now you can have your very own spare wheel covers, either as the semi rigid (hard outer shell, with soft vinyl on the sides) or fully rigid, with a lockable stainless steel rim. Obviously the latter makes most sense if you don’t have lockable wheel nuts to hold the spare in place. Prices start from £72 for the semi-rigid option, which has cut vinyl lettering and images (usually single colour) and up to £175.60 for a full colour stainless steel option. You need to be able to supply the artwork, or call the company and have a chat with them as we’re sure they could help out. We are speaking from experience as we are having a cover done to promote the magazine – appearing on one of Our 4x4s real soon!
It’s often the small things that make such a big difference. Get caught out at night in your vehicle and need a torch, and if you even have one, chances are the batteries are flat. This could be a simple, inexpensive answer. Ring has produced a rechargeable torch that simply slots into your cigarette light, or 12v socket. You can charge and remove, or even leave it in the socket as an additional interior light. The RRP is only £5.99. Pretty good value, don’t you agree?
A couple of new products from the guys at MUD UK. Firstly they have teamed up with LeafSeat brand to launch a new seat cover, designed for all Land Rover Defenders. The Defender LeafSeat seat cover design is unlike the traditional seat cover design, thanks to its hinged ‘Leaf’ feature that folds to shield the vehicle interior from becoming damaged or dirty and then folds down to trap the dirt/wet. The LeafSeat leaf movement allows either a clean or dirty seating surface to be presented in seconds giving instant and additional protection for the vehicles occupants no matter what they’re wearing or the state of the vehicle interior. LeafSeat is available to fit Defender front seats only and costs £53 (inc VAT) per seat.
Not everyone’s favourite pastime, but after the winter we have just had, getting all the salt and grime off your beloved 4×4 is something of a must. The muck that ends up on your expensive alloy wheels can cause a lot of problems and so getting them clean is important. Britemax has a new ‘Grime Out’ degreaser which the company claims dissolves brake dust, engine grease, embedded dirt in rubber, bugs, tar, salt… It is said to be ideal for extremely dirty vehicles, and most importantly, it does not contain acids or heavy solvents and is fully biodegradable. Available at motor factor outlets the RRP is £10.99 for a 24oz bottle, or you can find your nearest stockist by going to: 
We enjoy getting details of the new items from Rugged Ridge since they always look so great! The latest is developed from the XHD Modular aluminium bumper range, but this one is made in steel and is suitable for 2007-2013 Jeep JK Wranglers. Built from durable black powder coated steel, the new All Terrain Double X Striker has a removable winch plate cover. It looks a great piece of kit. For more details you can go direct to www.ruggedridge.com. If you are looking to get any of this US kit, then we suggest you contact Omix-ADA, these guys have the greatest range of Jeep parts and can sort out getting them over to the UK. Check out: 
Here’s hoping the bad weather is now behind us and we start thinking about trips, holidays and weekends away. Now if you are a family 4×4 owner, no matter how big your vehicle is, it’s never big enough, is it? If that’s the case, then the brand new HandiHoldall will appeal. This foldable soft roof box has a 320-litre storage and a load capacity of 50kg and is 100 per cent waterproof, making it an effective alternative to the traditional roof box. Unloaded, the HandiHoldall is less than 5kg in weight, allowing you to store off the vehicle when you don’t need to use it. This latest version of the HandiHoldall actually comes on sale in May, but you can find more details by going to: 
Travall is a UK-based company that has become an official distributor of accessories from American Jeep and truck specialist, Bestop. Travall carries the entire Bestop range, from soft tops to bumpers, seats, windows, steps and tubular doors. A new website at 
The guys at Auto Styling have expanded their range of specialist pick-up truck tops with a new hard top for the latest Ford Ranger. The British-built Truckman Ford Ranger top has been specifically designed to support utility companies and fire and rescue services’ fleets of off-road and multipurpose vehicles. Offering extra secure storage, these tops also have large side access doors for racking and storage systems. The specifications include a double skin solid side door, extra deep drainage channels and solid double skin rear doors. All openings feature secure double slam locks. This top is also available for the Mitsubishi L200. The Ford Ranger top retails from £1695.54 (excluding VAT) and can be ordered from 
We recently ran a full feature on the benefits of DIY Diagnostics (
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