Tradie Tips

Colin Aldred's Helensburgh-based company, Aldred Engineering, tackles a huge range of jobs including CNC ( Computer numeric control) machining and cutting, custom fabrication, as well as fully engineered and customised staircases, balustrades and signage, and much more.

Josh Fleming is a carpenter, and works with Purkiss Construction in Sydney south and the Illawarra region, among other areas.Josh bought his 3.2-litre Ford Ranger in 2017 as a primary work vehicle but he uses it regularly as a tourer.Crafty: Why did you buy your Ranger?Josh: Liked the look of it and it's good for work and towing my work trailer.Crafty: Do you use your ute outside work?Josh: Yeah, we did two weeks in the Victorian High Country, three weeks down in Tassie, beginning of the year; we've done the snow season, constantly back and forth, three days down the snow in it. Bit of snowboarding down there.Crafty: Any mods?Josh: Yeah, just over time, I've added things on: canopy, rooftop tents, a Darche rooftop tent, an awning.Got a lockbox up top with drop sheets, gas bottles, you name it. It's one of those Rhino lockboxes.Ski racks on the top . It also has a TJM bullbar, bullbar-mounted aftermarket Big Red driving lights, a drop-down fridge-slide, under-tray toolboxes and BFGoodrich All Terrain tyres.Crafty: So, it's fully kitted out for work, travel and leisure?Josh: Yeah, I got the drawers in the back, got a full 12-volt system and everything.Crafty: Any problems?Josh: No.Crafty: Would you buy another Ford Ranger?Josh: Yep, sure.Call carpenter Josh Fleming on 0400 700 820. Call Purkiss Construction on 0433 204 827.

James Healey is a builder by trade, and has run his own company, JH Carpentry & Building.“I’ve had my own company for about two years now. It’s going good, keeping busy.”He bought his 3.2-litre Ford Ranger XLT super-cab 4x4 in 2017. Why did you buy your ute?James: It’s a strong truck, I chuck all my timber on top and it holds all my tools. I got the tray on the back, the trundle tray, so it’s very good for that.What's a typical work day for your ute?James: The ute’s important for my job just for getting me from A to B and from site to site, – and sometimes the sites are on some muddy surfaces and it definitely gets me through that. And also dropping materials off and my trailer with all the rubbish in it, so yeah, I definitely need my ute for my job.Do you use it outside of work?James: I've got a boat, so I put that in every weekend pretty much, and when I'm not working, I try and get out, down the coast camping and I also take it to my mate's farm to go four-wheel driving a fair bit. So it’s definitely sorted it out for all that recreational stuff.Any mods?James: I've done a fair few modifications. I've got a two-inch lift on it also for work, just to carry that extra bit of extra load. I’ve got some all-terrain tyres on it. I put a bull-bar on it and a winch to get me out of trouble, which I haven't been in yet.I put the tray on it, so it's definitely not standard any more. I've chucked some toolboxes on it just to keep your tools safe. I’ve got the trundle tray, also a bit of extra room to chuck some stuff in and I’ve got some fancy rims just to just jazz it up a it.Any other mods planned?James: I’m not sure if I'm too happy with the lockbox system, I might go a canopy, maybe a lift-top canopy eventually, but apart from that I'm pretty happy with it at the moment. Would you buy the same vehicle next time?James: Yeah, I’m thinking about upsizing and getting a dual-cab just for a bit more extra room and versatility. I do like the space cab, but I’m just weighing up my options, whether to bite the bullet and go the dual-cab soon, or not.Call JH Carpentry & Building on 0403 786 146 or visit the website for more details.

Mark Purkiss, founder of Purkiss Construction, is a builder with more than 15 years experience. He has built a strong reputation as "a trustworthy, honest and reliable builder" serving the Illawarra region.Purkiss Construction employs six tradesman and apprentices, several respected sub-contractors and administration staff. Mark reckons he's had his 3.2-litre Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 for "about four years".Crafty: Why did you buy your Ford Ranger?Mark: I bought it as a vehicle for work but also to tow and to use for camping and caravan trips.Crafty: Do you use your Ranger outside work?Mark: Yes. We go to Thredbo a bit – take the van down for snow season on weekends, and for mountain-bike riding in summer. I go away at least once a month for a long weekend.We use it heaps ; we've got a caravan – a Crusader, which we've had for about two years and weighs about three tonne fully loaded – and that's why I bought the Ranger, to tow.Crafty: Any mods?Mark: Priority was snorkel and bullbar and two-inch lift – all ARB gear. I also have a Thule roof rack, an ARB Ascent canopy and an Oztent Foxwing awning. That's all for leisure – most of this car is leisure.The CSA rims came with it.I've also got Kings LED lights, water tank, fridge slide, kitchen.I've got a dual-battery set-up in the back.I've wired up a water pump in there with a shower hose. We camp off power a lot so what it does is it allows me to fill up the caravan out of that [the water pump/tank], fill that up at a tap and drive back to the caravan, so I can stay for longer off-road – otherwise, in three or four days, it runs out.No real changes in the cabin – I put TV head-rests in there and I've got a Redarc brake controller in there.Crafty: Any problems?Mark: There's nothing wrong with the Ranger but I just wanted a bit more power to tow; it did the caravan okay but on hills and long trips it lagged a bit so I've just bought a Safari ECU upgrade – just for the power – and the Ranger goes much better with the towing.Performance and even fuel economy have improved: I'm now getting 10.1L/100km, and that's around town, fully loaded – which is great with all that stuff on it and the extra weight in it.Crafty: Would you buy another Ranger next time?Mark:  Yeah, well, I did – pointing to the other company Ranger. I wouldn't buy a 2.0-litre . If I didn't have a Ranger, I'd probably go a 200 Series, but just the cost and the outlay for one of those – it's like another mortgage!And for work, even though it's set up like this , I can still throw stuff in it for work. I've got a drawer here – with just basic hand tools and things like that.This Ranger, I've done so much to it I just won't get rid of it.Call Purkiss Construction on 0433 204 827 or visit the website for more details.

Builder Jack Middleton works alongside Mark Purkiss as part of Purkiss Construction.The 3.2-litre Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 was purchased new in 2017. Crafty: Why did you buy your Ford Ranger?Jack: It was Mark's old ute , so it was only six months old when I got it.It's mainly a work car, but I do use it for towing my boat.Crafty: What's a typical work day for your ute?It gets pretty loaded up, just dropping stuff off to sites for the boys. The tray's really durable – it gets loaded up with rubbish and we don't go easy on it. Crafty: Do you use your Ranger outside work?Jack: We've got a big boat, me and my old man, so it tows that around, that's good. That's about three ton loaded up.I already had the Ranger before we got the boat, but it was one of the good reasons for getting the boat because it's easy to tow around. It makes a good towing vehicle, 100 percent. Crafty: Any mods?Jack: It has a Rhino rack, ladder rack (because we carry six-metre lengths of timber), and Kings seat covers (to save the seats from getting trashed).Crafty: Any problems?Jack: No.Crafty: Anything else you'd like to do to it?Jack: It's good as it is.Crafty: Would you buy another Ranger – maybe the latest model – next time?Jack: Yep.Need a builder? Call Purkiss Construction on 0433 204 827 or visit Purkiss Construction.

Peter Stockton is a painter by trade, and has owned his 2019 Ford Ranger 3.2 for about four months.Crafty: Why did you buy your ute?Peter: My previous vehicle was a Ranger dual-cab 2013 model 3.2-litre turbo-diesel and I absolutely loved it, so I had no hesitation to upgrade to the 2019 model. I liked the power, smooth ride and that it didn't have the diesel rattles – unlike some of its competitors – and also the storage space behind the rear seat was an added bonus. Crafty: What's a typical work day for your ute?Peter: A fair majority of my work is in the Snowy Mountains and all over the Monaro so we normally cover a couple of hundred kms per day.We load the vehicle up in the morning with trestles, planks, stepladders and any other scaffold required for that day and having a large steel tray helps with the loading of all the tools and paint materials for the day.Having a small crew of four tradies, the Ranger has the leg room and comfort (so I am told) for the guys in the back.Crafty: Do you use your ute outside of work?Peter: I spend a lot of time fishing down the coast and also up at Lake Eucumbene, so being able to tow the boat with ease was an important part of the decision to get the Ranger.We also camp in the back of the vehicle with a canopy there's enough room to fit a double mattress and when four-wheel driving it does everything we require of it in the bush and having the diff lockers in this model is a great benefit.Crafty: What modifications have you done to it?Peter: It has an ARB bullbar, towbar and winch; Kings 9-inch driving lights and two small light bars either side of the number plate; Safari snorkel; two under-tray Ironman 4x4 toolboxes; and two flush-mount LED reversing lights. Crafty: Anything else you're planning for it?Peter: Just waiting to get the windows tinted, then sidesteps put on and two 12-volt outlets put in the rear of the tray to run my LED lights in the canopy and charge phones etc when camping in the back.Crafty: Any problems?Peter: Not yet. The Ranger has only 8000km on it, so early days, fingers crossed I don't have any.Crafty: Would you buy another Ranger?Peter: Absolutely. The Ford Ranger has been the best vehicle I have ever owned, so in another five years or so I will definitely upgrade again.If you need a painter, get in touch with Peter Stockton of PDS Painting & Decorating on 0408 236 541.

Chris Leak is a builder by trade, and has owned his 2018 Ford Ranger 3.2 for six months.