GVM Upgrade for Toyota Landcruiser

Hi.Just wondering if your front springs are parallel to the shock or "bowed" We have had two sets fitted so far and both were bowed. The third set will be fitted soon. Thanks,Bob.

Bob, we have had two sets of front springs fitted in our, the first set dropped with the bull bar and winch and even that they had the weight carry capacity we wanted a bit more lift..... contacted Lovell's and their straight of the cuff reply was " give us some measurements and we will have a look", we sent them the measurements and with in a few days the got back to us with the reply " your front suspension is within spec and the GVM upgrade was never designed for a true 2 inch lift BUT if your not happy we will fix it for you for FREE and set it up to how you want it to be - no problems"

Over the next few months we had regular updates to where they were at with the new spring design.

They arranged for their new springs to be fitted and after 6 moths we are raped...... BUT since having the rear 180 litre tank, wheel carrier and racking the 200 series has doped a little more them we wanted (bare in mind our 200 series is set up for remote travelling and is a constant 3600kg), so on the phone again this morning to our contact Dragon and he said get to get some measurements to him and he will speak to the engineers and he is sure there is a rectification.

His parting words were we don't want you to use airbags because the constant weight and we are prepared to stand behind our produce get it right for you to your specs.

GVM upgrades are a funny thing and just because the suspension drops a little doesn't mean there is an issue, it's all about carrying the weight legally.

With our dealing with Lovell the few issues we have had have been dealt with properly and we were happy with the out come...... it's good to see a company that will go the extra mile even if it's with in specs and ensure the customer is happy.

We have been dealing with Lovell direct and this may be the reason we have had good relults with them.

Again it's good see a company and Dragon from Lovell take a strong stand in getting it right for our application and not just pawning us of like some others do.

If you want I can give you our contacts number.

Thanks for your detailed reply. The 200 I am refering to belongs to my brother who travels full time towing a 24ft Baroma Caravan. He and his wife live in the van so between it and the car they are both fairly well loaded. Last year he weighed the van and it was 3850kg so he decided to weigh the car and it was near 3500kg with the load he normally carries in it. The van towball weight is 380kg so he reserched and went for the Lovells upgrade.
The standard upgrade has been fine as far as carrying his combined weight, it is just that the front springs have "bowed" so badly that they only clear the shock absorbers by a few mm at their closest point.
Like you, we have found Lovells to be doing their utmost to rectify the problem as they have replaced the front springs once already only to find they bowed again.
In the meantime my brother has gone back over to Perth as the car is registered in WA. Lovells have sent another set of springs over to Perth and organised to have them fitted. Once that has been rectified he can then have it engineered over there and certified for WA rego.
Our contact for Lovells has been Mike who has looked after us well also. Cheers,Bob.

Hi Kev,

I'm a member of the LCOOL Forum and have posted the same query there to see what responses I might get from this group.

Thanks for the suggested contact.

Cheers

Rob K

Rob,

The discussion I mentioned is in the NSW section.

Cheers Kev

Kev,

I've checked the post in LCOOL and it sounded promising. I've sent an email to John Wilson and I'll be interested to hear what John has to say about an upgrade for the LC100.

Thanks again.

Rob K

You need a Signatory Engineer to certify - google is your friend for your location , and you should increase the GCM as well as the GVM , otherwise increasing only GVM DECREASES your towing capacity , cheers .... I had my Nissan GU ute GCM upgraded to get my towing up to 3100 kg.

Hi Lizard

I was under the impression that the GCM can never be altered???????

I have had by GVM upgraded on my '79 series cruiser but obviously in that case if my vehicle is at the max GVM then my towing capacity is reduced to comply with the current unaltered GCM

With respect are you sure that the GCM can be altered?

Cheers

Bung who did your GVM upgrade?

Hi John

Mine was done by this crowd. The GVM is now 3900

http://www.westcoastsuspensions.com.au/gvm_upgrade.htm

Cheers

Lizard,

The bloke I suggested does that, as per what I posted above ie increased the GVM from 2960kg to 3350kg and changed their towing weight from 2500kg to 3500kg in an 80 Series.


Cheers Kev

yes , that sounds right

Thanks Bung, Cheers

Hi Peter,

Do you have any contact details for this engineer?

I received a response from John Wilson in ACT earlier this week and he indicated he couldn't do an upgrade (easier in NSW) and that it was very difficult to get a GVM upgrade in Victoria because of VSB14 requirements. I'd like to have a chat to another local engineer in Victoria. In reading the various follow-ups from fellow ExplorOz members, I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that different States have different requirements on GVM upgrades and Victoria might be the hardest jurisdiction to get an upgrade - just my luck!

Thanks to everyone who responded to my query.

Cheers

Rob K

Rob K (Vic)
Do not have this engineers permission to publish his name, would need to get his OK,
Will get back to you, if I have the Go ahead.


Peter

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the follow up. If publishing is an issue, maybe an email to my email address might be OK?

Cheers

Rob