We recently completed a project on a Land Cruiser single cab, which entailed stripping an old viewer frame off of the vehicle and starting a new frame from scratch with a few tweaks here and there to create our best viewer frame to date.
We did away with the usual four post support frame design and went for a completely open side frame, with extra support on the front and rear to accommodate the battering that it will be exposed to out in the field.
We changed the pitch profile of the top of the frame to give the profile some attractive lines.
This vehicle often has toddlers on board, so we modified the viewer seats to accommodate isofix mounted Car/Baby Seats, creating a safe and comfortable ride for our little game enthusiasts. We added seat belts to the buckets seats to secure all other occupants on the bumpy roads.
We created driver and passenger seat belt mounts on the frame so that the vehicle can now be used for pick ups on public roads.
Two cooler box frames with Canvas covers and personalized leather inserts create the central arm rest for rows 1 and 2.
Footrests have been tweaked in such a way that it still allows a load to be stored underneath the occupants.
We eliminated one of the two spare wheels and created a single central spare wheel mount. The area that this vehicle operates in does not require a second spare as help is not far away in the unlikely event that a second puncture is experienced.
On each side of the rear spare wheel brackets, we created two storage bins, one of which, has a custom canvas bag installed, which can be used as a dustbin for those afternoon sundowners. These storage bins are ideal for deck chairs, firewood, cooler bags and many other items which would normally clutter the inner “cabin” of the viewer frame.
A 3 compartmented carpeted storage tray has been added at the front of the frame (behind the driver and passenger), which is ideal for cameras, phones, binoculars and any other sensitive items which may be needed during the drive. This tray also houses a 3 point power console, which has power points for cig lighter connections, 2xUSB connections as well as a hella point, so all bases are covered, whether you are plugging in a fridge, powering a spot light, charging your phone or powering a GoPro with this system you can do it all at the same time!
Underneath the tray, we have installed one bottle opener on each side, to make life a lot easier 😉
At the front of the frame we have installed a Large Lightbar, with a custom canvas cover for protection. This light is ideal for night drives and sits high enough and far enough forward, to avoid any “bonnet light up” during your drive.
The inner roof of the frame has convenient lighting for the occupants arriving back at night and needing to find their personal items in the viewer without a struggle. All lighting is activated with a flick of a switch in the driver’s cabin.
The canvas roof has been redesigned to have full length Velcro sleeves on all of the support pipes, to fully grip the canvas tightly. This will eliminate wind flap while on a drive, as well as creating an easy solution to re-tension the canvas if it weathers and stretches.
Hi Lift jack and Spade have been relocated to the side of the viewer for convenience of access, but still out of the way for the guests.
A stainless steel Braai/fry grid, with a custom canvas cover has been installed on the spare wheel at the rear of the vehicle. A braai grid is one of the worst items to transport, especially after the braai… This solves that problem!!
All in all, we are really proud of the outcome and we hope that this viewer has many happy and convenient kilometers out in the bush ahead of it!
