troopy rollover

True the 75 troopies are a bit top heavy when you load up the roof rack, but not knowing what that driver was doing leading up to the blow out (driving to fast etc) I have not heard of to many playing dead ants through normal driving.

Only pack light things up there, I shudder when see a troopy carrying a boat and motor pluss spare tyre on the roof heading up the OTL or into Cape Melville, thats asking for trouble.

Sorta remnds me of a guy who came around for 4wdver training. He told us the story about a youngr lad in his classpouted about hiluxs being roluxs and always go over. He walked him out to the carpark and asked him how many were parked there (about 4) and told him to come back when he saw one of them roll. When he replyed that they wouldnt roll because noone was in them the penny dropped - it is the way they are driven. Quite a few minesites have mandatory roll over protection for vehicles because the industry is full of #$%heads that are young dumb and full of stuff. Havind said that the less weight up high the better (check out my rig pic to see that is a hypocritical statement)

If it is the article on the left drive Troppy that came from Europe....I beleive he states in the write up that he had a tyre repaired, and that was the tyre that failed. Says he learnt his leason on getting tyres repaired.

May have or may not have contributed to the roll over. Also, as mentioned in other posts, you don't know what he was doing.

Simon

The number of Britz troopies that have been rolled in the outback would be frightening.

It happens because:
#1 Vehicles driven too fast on dirt roads by inexperienced drivers
#2 They are easily made top heavy with a roofrack, jerries, tyres etc
#3 They are part-time 4wd. If 4wd was engaged on all dirt roads, the chances of rollover will be reduced as its less likely that the driver would lose control of the rear end.

Cheers
Phil

After having driven a laden troopy all over Oz for over 20 years with only one 'moment' that I can recall, I'd agree with most of the comments made.
It is a truck and should be driven accordingly within its and your limitations. I always ran standard split rims and yes did experience a few flats but as I wasn't driving at excessive speed for the condtions was able to keep control.
If the particular trip required a roof rack (with 5 in the family it was frequently the case) we only ever had soft/light stuff up there when on the highway and quicker dirt roads. On desert trips we occasionally had a fuel bladder with 80 litres of diesel for the first day or so but it was emptied ASAP and when it was up there the vehicle was driven accordingly.
I too have seen troopies roll over, usually at excessive speed for the conditions.
We would rarely travel in excess of 95 -100 on the highway and around 80 max on good dirt.
Most 4 wheelers will fall over if driven beyond the vehicle and drivers capabilities, I'd bet that far more Prado's, 80 series, 100's and Patrols have been rolled than troopies purely on the ones we've seen on our travels.

http://www.fjexpeditions.com/expeditions/past/nov00/gap_cars.jpg

(500 litres of fuel on roofrack)

I load my roof up more than I should, however I stiffen up the rear end with the poly bags and the surf is not real tall to start with. But yeah,it's down to common sense really.