G
Guest
Guest
Chris
I anticipated carrying heavy loads when planning the last african trip
so had heavy duty springs and shocks fitted - the upside is that they
also gave me an additional 2.5-3" lift.
I adjusted the headlight beams but I guess knowing what damage weight
can do to, especially at speed.
I secured all the heavy stuff, including 60+ ltrs of water right up to
the back of the folded down middle seat, as hard as I could, they still
worked loose.
I worked out that I was carrying half a tonne of stuff, most of this
was food, water and beast bits, and was accutely aware that my axles and
even the chasis might suffer as a consequence of desert dune driving. I
didn't fancy attaching a trailer, they are a serious liability in the
desert, and I came back thinking "next time, carry light!" and if this
meant more than two journeys then so be it.
I don't have any experience with trailers on my toyo but I know that it
takes ages to fine-tune for towing trailers and small caravans, and I
guess its the same for horse boxes. Not that I am the expert since I
aint, not by a long way.
Recently I saw a toyo 4x4 on the M4 with a hefty horse box - I've never
actually seen a horse box so finely tuned to being towed - the back of
the 4x4 was neither up nor down, nor was the horse box. So I guessed
they got the weight ratio pretty much aokay. When I overtook the toyo
and box I spend considerable time looking at how finely balanced
everything was. Usually I see them up ending a bit, or being so weighed
down at the back there is considerable chance for it all to go
pear-shaped. I don't know what the guy must have thought, me peering at
his bits and into the cab - a quick meeting of the eye resulted in me
giving the thumbs up and smiling, well, I couldn't do anything else - it
was a dark red 80 with grey trim, I think it was a K or an L
registration
So, just an observation, nothing important in that - well it made my
day, to see another 80 when all I tend to see these days is toyo surfs
with the front like an 80 but the back a surf.
Renate
>>> [Email address removed] 01/28/05 11:26am >>>
Julian Voelcker wrote:
> I would love to build a draw system for all the junk in the back,
but
> they are a pain when you need the full load space for fun tasks like
> shifting furniture.
Reading this, and the various threads about adding fitted kit to the
boot, I feel I should describe my experience of last week.
I had to travel to Yorkshire to clear out my father's house, and I
rented a 10'x6'x6' trailer to help to carry the stuff. On the way back
the trailer was laden, but in a well balanced way. However I had a lot
of heavy stuff in the back of the truck, mostly boxes of books, and the
headlight adjuster had to go down two clicks, which gives a measure of
the load on the rear axle.
At anything above 50mph the trailer was completely uncontrollable -
something I've never experienced before when towing the horses. Those
who have teased me (nicely) before about our equine activities will know
that I'm pretty experienced at hauling heavy loads, and 3 nags + trailer
are easily twice the weight of what I was pulling then.
So the moral is, I believe, that if you are going to add significant
permanent weight at the rear you really must think about upgrading the
springs, otherwise you may have stability problems when subsequently
towing - or possibly even solo at high speed.
Probably pretty obvious to all you experts, but it came as an
unpleasant shock to me - and Yorkshire is an awful long ride from Devon
at 50mph!
Christopher Bell
Devon, UK
1996 1HD-FT
I anticipated carrying heavy loads when planning the last african trip
so had heavy duty springs and shocks fitted - the upside is that they
also gave me an additional 2.5-3" lift.
I adjusted the headlight beams but I guess knowing what damage weight
can do to, especially at speed.
I secured all the heavy stuff, including 60+ ltrs of water right up to
the back of the folded down middle seat, as hard as I could, they still
worked loose.
I worked out that I was carrying half a tonne of stuff, most of this
was food, water and beast bits, and was accutely aware that my axles and
even the chasis might suffer as a consequence of desert dune driving. I
didn't fancy attaching a trailer, they are a serious liability in the
desert, and I came back thinking "next time, carry light!" and if this
meant more than two journeys then so be it.
I don't have any experience with trailers on my toyo but I know that it
takes ages to fine-tune for towing trailers and small caravans, and I
guess its the same for horse boxes. Not that I am the expert since I
aint, not by a long way.
Recently I saw a toyo 4x4 on the M4 with a hefty horse box - I've never
actually seen a horse box so finely tuned to being towed - the back of
the 4x4 was neither up nor down, nor was the horse box. So I guessed
they got the weight ratio pretty much aokay. When I overtook the toyo
and box I spend considerable time looking at how finely balanced
everything was. Usually I see them up ending a bit, or being so weighed
down at the back there is considerable chance for it all to go
pear-shaped. I don't know what the guy must have thought, me peering at
his bits and into the cab - a quick meeting of the eye resulted in me
giving the thumbs up and smiling, well, I couldn't do anything else - it
was a dark red 80 with grey trim, I think it was a K or an L
registration
So, just an observation, nothing important in that - well it made my
day, to see another 80 when all I tend to see these days is toyo surfs
with the front like an 80 but the back a surf.
Renate
>>> [Email address removed] 01/28/05 11:26am >>>
Julian Voelcker wrote:
> I would love to build a draw system for all the junk in the back,
but
> they are a pain when you need the full load space for fun tasks like
> shifting furniture.
Reading this, and the various threads about adding fitted kit to the
boot, I feel I should describe my experience of last week.
I had to travel to Yorkshire to clear out my father's house, and I
rented a 10'x6'x6' trailer to help to carry the stuff. On the way back
the trailer was laden, but in a well balanced way. However I had a lot
of heavy stuff in the back of the truck, mostly boxes of books, and the
headlight adjuster had to go down two clicks, which gives a measure of
the load on the rear axle.
At anything above 50mph the trailer was completely uncontrollable -
something I've never experienced before when towing the horses. Those
who have teased me (nicely) before about our equine activities will know
that I'm pretty experienced at hauling heavy loads, and 3 nags + trailer
are easily twice the weight of what I was pulling then.
So the moral is, I believe, that if you are going to add significant
permanent weight at the rear you really must think about upgrading the
springs, otherwise you may have stability problems when subsequently
towing - or possibly even solo at high speed.
Probably pretty obvious to all you experts, but it came as an
unpleasant shock to me - and Yorkshire is an awful long ride from Devon
at 50mph!
Christopher Bell
Devon, UK
1996 1HD-FT