All Gassed Up: Forge Transport’s custom Kenworth K200

Words: Warren Aitken · Photography: Warren Aitken

Warren Aitken is a great trucking photographer and writer but his other passion is driving trucks. In this article he gets the chance to write about one of the trucks he’s driven for Forge Transport, a highly customised K200.

In the interest of preserving journalistic integrity I must make a confession first. As well as being a regular contributor to Australian Custom Trucks and running a small photography business my main career has been as a truck driver. That career has led me to my current job which has given me the perfect opportunity to photograph and produce this article.

It isn’t an easy job to make a plain white truck look good. However, Forge Transport of Cooroy in Queensland have taken up the challenge with vigour! With an entire fleet of eye-catching rigs, it is very hard to pick just one to focus on. But after seeing and driving Forge Transport’s Kenworth K200 I am in no doubt that this fits the bill as an Australian Custom Truck.

Alan Forge started the business just over ten years ago when he began contracting to ‘Kleenheat Gas’, one of Australia’s leading LPG suppliers. Alan began with an eight wheeler Iveco closely followed by a Western Star prime mover with both trucks still looking pristine and earning their keep today.

In 2011 with the business blossoming and the need for expansion eminent Alan’s son Matt took over the reins as Manager of Forge Transport. Matt has had the pivotal role of growing the business from a successful two truck company to now being a major specialist of dangerous goods transportation with a fleet of six impressive prime movers and six local specialist rigids.

One of Forge Transport’s latest prime movers is this extremely impressive King Cab K200. The increased workload required Matt to get another prime mover on the road very quickly. Needing the flexibility of a unit capable of switching between 26-metre B-Double work, single tanker work and double tanker road train work lead Matt to Brown & Hurley in Darra, Brisbane.

The Kingcab K200 offered the right wheel base, plenty of room for his driver and a 600hp SCR Cummins motor. However before the new truck could hit the road there was a lot of customising to be done!

Firstly the K200 needed to be ‘fitted out’ to cart dangerous goods. The fuel tanks were cut back to enable the fitting of all the necessary pumping gear and an Icepack cooling system from Haultech in Brisbane. The truck was then sent over to Retruck Australia who custom designed and fitted the wardrobe, fridge microwave and retractable table. Permission was given from Kenworth Australia so that Retruck were able to source the exact upholstery used by Kenworth to seamlessly incorporate the new cupboards. With the addition of a new surround sound system, Ballistic phone, GPS Navigation system and a DVD/TV in the sleeper, it was time to start on the exterior.

Tony Tester from Big Rigs Bullbars was assigned the task of designing and fitting the bull bar. Matt was after a FUPS bull bar that incorporated the best of his Western Star and his FH16 Globetrotters bull bar. A few rough ideas were sent through to Big Rigs Bullbars and from that Tony was able to set about designing an original bar that certainly stands out. Custom Kleenheat blue road train covers finish it off perfectly.

Truckin’ Stainless in Brisbane is the outfit responsible for the endless shine that radiates from this K200. Mick, from Truckin’ Stainless, started the job by removing the rear guards and replacing them with flat stainless guards and adding white vinyl wraps over each guard for a completely different look as well as custom built stainless covers over the brackets.

Once Truckin’ Stainless wrapped the fuel tanks and straps it became glaringly obvious that the Adblue tank, PDO and Icepack would need attention.

Truckin’ Stainless were able to custom build mirror finish covers for all three, including personalising the PDO cover with the letter FT to enable the oil cooler breathing space. The rear bar and lights were replaced with a custom wrapped bar. The mirrors were wrapped as well as stainless added in and around the windows. The boltless drop visor is one of the more impressive parts, looking solid and mean. The stainless stone guard to the front adds to the shine on this K200, which is outstanding!

The next step was lighting. Big Rigs Bullbars had already fitted twenty two white LEDs to the bull bar. Truckin’ Stainless added the fuel tank skirts with ten amber LEDs as well as the stainless around the base of the cab with another five. The factory Kenworth roof lights were removed and replaced with nine white lights across the roof and five above the cab.

As the truck was scheduled for a variety of work Matt is insistent on the best lighting while on the road. LED headlights were installed as well as a LED light-bar and four LED spotlights. Truckin’ Stainless then removed the Stainless Kenworth wings on the side of the cab and built customized Forge Transport replacements. They mounted a Kleenheat blue Perspex with a LED light inside the boxed in wing allowing the driver to illuminate the Forge Transport at night.

The K200 was then sent to Tony at Truck Writers in Caboolture for the last of its customising. Tony designed and printed the blue Kenworth emblem for the front badge as well as the ‘All Gassed Up’ name (appropriate don’t you think) on the side and the custom K200 sign on the rear of the cab.

All Gassed Up may be a custom truck but it is also a work horse. Shane Walters has the privilege of piloting this rig all over Queensland and into Northern NSW. It can currently be seen pulling double road trains down to Moree and Narrabri. Shane’s affection for it does extend past its appearance, although I did have to get him to stop polishing so I could finish the photos. “It’s great!” he says “ heaps of room inside and even though it’s still warming up it has better fuel economy and can out pull our 909,” he says.

All Gassed Up is definitely ‘all Blinged up’ as well!

Rear Vision: where are they now?

Do you know where this truck is today, or have an update on its story? We would love to hear from its owners, drivers or anyone who helped build it.