Comment: Toyota 79 Series Dual Cab - Finally Completed

Hi Ian…

A good question, and something we spent quite some time on, ensuring we sought out someone well qualified to deal with the weight of the vehicle, and suspension work.

We tracked down Mark Barnett and his team at Trac-East Engineering at Morriset on the NSW Central Coast. Trac-East has done substantial work with the Toyota 79 Series Dual cab, fitting GVM upgrades for vehicles used on the railway network as maintenance vehicles. This includes the fitting of rail wheels and associated equipment.

The overhang is something that stands out at first about the dual cab. But to a couple of points, firstly I chose the Toyota for the quality of build and have confidence that the product is capable of doing what is being asked of it. And whilst the GVM has been upgraded to 3,900kg, it doesn’t mean the vehicle is loaded to that capacity.

With the ball weight of the TVAN, full fuel (250 litres), three occupants, and our gear, the total weight of the vehicle is around 3,550kg. This is 250 kg above the standard GVM, hence the requirement to upgrade the GVM on the vehicle. Noting, the 80 litre auxiliary tank is not filled as a matter of course, but on a needs basis.

The other consideration that is what can be loaded on each axle, front and rear. The GVM upgrade has enabled a greater loading on each axle, and the vehicle is loaded well within these certified parameters. This is a key, but often overlooked consideration when loading vehicles. The GVM availability of a vehicle is spread over these two axles and should be loaded on this basis.

So whilst the canopy gives the appearance of being “loaded to the hilt” this isn’t the case at all, and loading within the canopy is mostly centered over, or close to the rear axle.

And whilst there is additional weight that can still be loaded onto the vehicle, a lot (not all) of this remaining capacity is available on the front axle, and therefore not necessarily usable from a loading perspective…

Cheers, Baz