Dual cab or half cab?

Agree ..the longer tray ( 300 mm apox )allow you to put weight in front of the axle more . Definitely more double cabs to choose from .

You can order the same length of the tray to be the same as that of a single cab if the ute is being purchased principally for towing. This will keep your weight forward and you will also not have to climb under the tray when hitching or unhitching.

Stevemac : I have the extra cab and have a long-range fuel tank up behind the cab in the tray I also put the heavy items far Fordward as possible like you are mentioning here .
I find the configuration of doors on the extra cab to be an excellent choice for accessing the vehicle when travelling camping etc and you do not lose too much space inside and an extra foot on the tray as for the stress on the chassis it's all a matter of balancing the load IMO

Steve.
A bit of confusion with LR tank or an AUX tank, If you fit a Long range tank then the original is gone and the extra fuel is now carried in effectively the same space. An Auxilliary tank however, can be as Nick mentioned, up front of tray/tub. I have dual cab and have 40L of water ,slim tank, and 50 litres of AUX fuel immediately behind it, then home made drawers. Whatever you carry, I regard the ability of the suspension to be paramount and if it is compliant, with sufficient ride height, good performing shocks and no bottoming to cause sudden chassis destroying stress, it all should work well for you. There is always stress on a chassis, they are designed to take it, only when the design ability is exceeded is there a problem.

Well, aux or replacement is another issue. I did favour the Longranger aux tank, mounted up against the rear of cab but the accessories people that I trust don’t do the aux. I have had an aux before, which worked well with fuel gauge able to display accurately but I dare say I’d cope with replacement tank fuel gauge display discrepancy/adjust.

Hmmm... a fair bit to consider. Was thinking going new but might go used if a good un appears.

Stevemac : regarding aux tank .. i don't know what brand of vehicle you are thinking of But the px ranger like mine can be a nightmare , sensing any little changes to the system . I have my auxiliary tank running into the filler / Inlet fuel pipe and only while the car is stationery otherwise it does not register correctly on the fuel gauge .

Hi Nick,

A Ranger, would you believe? :)

That was my original preference, having had a gravity fed one before but that was on a 130 Defender, which was great. I am moving back to the idea of a replacement tank after coming to terms (I think) with the gauge. As far as I understand, with a 140/122 tank, once the fuel level gets down to the oem level, which the gauge understands, it reads as normal. Whatever, it doesn’t appear to be a major problem. The main thing I wanted to get my head around was the effect of towball weight on super ab as opposed to dual cab. I am thinking that loading the rear of the cab seats/floor might do the trick. I was also thinking about a toolbox in the tub up against the back of the cab but the access becomes an issue. I didn’t really want to go the further expense of a custom canopy.

This was the tank that originally caught my eye:

https://www.allfourx4.com.au/Brown-Davis-Long-Range-Fuel-Tank-100L-Tray-Tank-Ford-Ranger-Dual-Cab-TTF2

Superior engineering sell chassis strengthening kits now for utes
Be a peace of mind to spend a $1000 - 1300 and get the work done
If your going to deck the ute out and tow heavy


Just buy the ute you like / want.
And get the work done to the chassis
Listening to some arm chair experts aint best.
You need to be able to live with the vehicle you buy than...
This weight over the axle stuff.

No brand is better than the other
They all need to be thicker materials.
The kits also arent vehicle specific like one brand has issues more than the other.
Like the kits is only done for one type
Theyre is a range of kits you can buy
Soo dont go off the axle crap rules to stop you choosing the better vehicle for you ( going off forum chit chat craaap )
You need to enjoy your vehicle

Than regret a purchase off some critics on a forum

Most of those types of chassis kits but not all of them are designed to strengthen only between the rear leaf spring mounting points for those looking for a band aid fix because they use air bags incorrectly and bend their chassis instead of upgrading the springs to suit the load. There is a fear out there that you will get a harsh ride when empty yes it will get firmer but choosing a good quality shock and also using rubber bushes instead of poly will help.

The chassis area between the front of the rear spring mount and back of the cabin is a high stress area when the vehicle is not loaded correctly and is then prone to damage this area may need strengthening if you don't know how to load a vehicle correctly or have the wrong vehicle for the job and expect it not to fail or are just plain ignorant of what is safe and what isn't which is the usual case.

If you want to or think you need a chassis strengthened get a proper engineer to look at it not someone that supplies kits to fools for their own profit instead of talking to the customer and addressing the issue correctly like where is the weakness in the chassis now as you have greatly reduced the twisting and flexing ability of the area that you've strengthened. There is a lot more to it then just welding on some fancy looking pieces of flat bar and thinking you've solved all the issues that can arise when off roads in harsh conditions.

Is this the sort of thing your referring to mountainman from us supposed arm chair experts.