History
The Long Ranger has its grass roots embedded firmly in the outback of
Australia. It was during the late 70s that owner of Out of Town 4WD Fred
Black, recognised a need for 4WD travelers to have a greater fuel capacity
to travel the vast distances required in vehicles that were designed for a
purpose and not fuel efficiency. It began in a domestic back yard in Wangi,
NSW. The business grew.
In 1979 the
business was relocated to a service station in Argenton, a suburb of Lake
Macquarie. This provided much better access to the large customer base of
Newcastle and The Hunter Valley; with the ever-increasing popularity of
4WDs and an increasing number of national resellers they had out grown the
current site. In 1986 new premises were purchased in nearby Barnsley were
we have become a major employer in the local community.
By the
early 90s with a growing reputation for quality and reliability it was
recognized that a national presence was needed for sales, support and after
sales service and a partnership was formed with ARB Inc. By the late 90s
adjoining buildings were purchased and the Long Ranger has its own
manufacturing facility fitted out for specialty manufacturing, including
Overhead crane, Modern Mig welding bays, vehicle hoist for product
development, Computerised profile cutting machine, Computerised press brake
folding machine and a modern paint and detailing area.
The company
now incorporates five major arms - Sales, Mechanical Workshop, Manufacturing
Facility, Driver Training & Tag-Along Tours.
Sales - The modern
showroom handles a large range of well-known and respected 4WD accessories.
The
Mechanical Workshop undertakes servicing, maintenance and repairs along with
fitting of accessories.
The
Manufacturing division is kept busy in design and production of a large
range of long range fuel tanks, workshop bodies for light trucks, and other
4WD accessories.
The Driver
Training & Tag-Along Tours division provides Nationally Recognised Training
in 4WDriving, along with tours ranging from local one day outings to
extended outback adventures.
Location
- The large Barnsley premises provide spacious working areas, with
significant room to grow. Barnsley is located within easy reach of the major
population centers of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland in the lower
Hunter Valley. The close proximity to the major Sydney - Newcastle freeway
also puts the company within a one hour's drive from the northern suburbs of
Sydney, which is steadily increasing in importance as a customer base for
our specialist services.