80 series landcruiser suspension/working trip around OZ!
Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 18:53
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JohnnyP
Hi every one. Just purchased a 80 series T/D landcruiser, only done 170,000. The wife, daughter and I are planning a working trip around Australia and have just purchased a 17ft 6" pop top van to tow. The van when empty weigh's the back of the cruiser down ever so slightly but i'm worried that when we put our stuff in the van and in the back of the cruiser, it will sag dramatically. Any suggestion on ways to prevent this? I was thinking along the lines of pump up shockers. I'm worried that if i go to heavier springs we will get alot harsher ride (or my daughter will) when not connected to van. Also would love some replys/info on working around australia.
Reply By: Hero - Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 19:43
Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 19:43
Find some good springs to support the weight, and combine them with some Foam Cell shockers. Forget about pump up shocks. Cheers.
AnswerID:
134172
Reply By: Member - Nick (TAS) - Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 20:04
Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 20:04
You could fit some Poly Air Bags,that way you can add some air when fully loaded to even the load then let them down to min.air when MT for a nice soft ride.If you dont know of these they fit inside your coil springs with remote air lines running to the back of your vehicle somewhere to in/deflate.
I fitted some to my parents 80 Series and they love em.
AnswerID:
134175
Reply By: Kruzr - Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 20:31
Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 20:31
PolyAirs Are The Go/Best Of Both Worlds
AnswerID:
134184
Reply By: snailbait (Blue mntns) - Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 20:32
Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 20:32
hi JohnnyP
i would sugest to weigh it seperatly then weigh it on the tow ball end the troppy should be able to have 150 kgs on the tow ball if you have more than that then measure the height on a flat piece of surface concret or road the height front and back of the caravan then the to ball to see if the caravan is level when attached to the troopy or is leaning back to the rear or falling forward to the tow ball the equal it is to the line of the troopy the better allow falling forward any thing up to 60 to 80 mm this will give momentiom to the carvan and m,ake it easy to tow if it falls backward it will sway all over the road if it has more than 250 kg on the tow ball or is high than the troppy it looks roten on the road and realy will be dificult to tow
AnswerID:
134185
Follow Up By: glenk - Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 22:20
Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 22:20
Hi Johnny
Just been through exact same thing only with 100 series.Got 230kg on tow ball.Put a new set of coils in the rear(kingsprings) and shockies front and back.Also got torsion bars on front(independant front) adjusted slightly to keep the rake of the vehicle the same as it was originally ( the LC100 IFS leans forward somewhat) ,to match the increase in height of the rear.The cruiser now sits perfect.Was going to put polyair bags in.Decided against it.Now I find I didnt need them at all and the ride is still good.Go
the springs in my opinion
Glen
FollowupID:
388295
Follow Up By: Member - DOZER- Wednesday, Oct 12, 2005 at 15:36
Wednesday, Oct 12, 2005 at 15:36
Mate, if you are happy with the cruiser
suspension without the van, then please take my advice and buy Hayman Reece load distribution bars.
The seller will do the techo stuff and fit them if you need (haggle to include this in price) and you could tow your van with a mini if you used these....they level it all out and most importantly, put the weight on the cruisers front
wheels where 70% of braking and 100% of steering occurs :-)
Andrew
80 + 17 foot van last 10 years
FollowupID:
388414
Reply By: Member - Jiarna (NT) - Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 23:26
Tuesday, Oct 11, 2005 at 23:26
I have Coil-Rite (similar to Poly Airs) and I find that when you're loaded up you can level up the vehicle by increasing the air bag pressure, and when empty decrease the pressure for better ride. Heavier springs will work fine too, but when the vehicle is unladen
the springs will still be heavy. That was my thinking anyway and I'm very happy with the air bag setup. Of course if you will always have about the same weight in the back, then go
the springs as they are a lot simpler and hence less to go wrong during your trip.
John
Alice Springs
AnswerID:
134232
Reply By: DamoHJ61 - Wednesday, Oct 12, 2005 at 22:01
Wednesday, Oct 12, 2005 at 22:01
Dozer has this one nailed, have seen bog standard vehicles tow huge vans with load distributers and they sit level, ride great and actually stop & steer too.
Upgrade your springs if the vehicle is a little soft or saggy WITHOUT the van.
AnswerID:
134396