Total overlanding weight .

[Olazz]

As my truck has developed over the last 4 years, it has become increasingly heavier with all of the stuff that I thought I needed, to make it an unstoppable overlanding machine. Having just returned from Namibia and having done Van Zyl's Pass, I can attest that monster I've created is truly amazing vehicle. (Everyone said more than a 50mm lift would mean failure/breakage/breakdown etc etc. I have now completed close to 50,000km in the truck and the only failure has been the original rancho shocks.)

Anyway back to the point.... I have always wanted to know the exact weight of the truck when fully loaded and so managed to get the truck to a weighbridge station in SA.

Truck
35" tyres
Rock sliders
260L fuel
75L water
RR
RTT
RT Storage box
ARB front & winch
Double rear carrier & 2 Spares
50l fridge - full
Tools
Clothes
HLJ
Rear drawers
Metal shelving/storage in lieu of rear seats
2 occupants
Odds, sods & kitchen sink

Got the printout from the weight bridge:

Front axle 1,500kg
Rear axle 2,480kg

Total 3980kg.

Passed LEGAL

I had guessed at 4T so was not surprised.
Fuel economy however is not great , 13- 15MPG !

I'm now thinking of ways to shed a bit of weight......

Things I haven't used on any trip

Winch never used
Haven't needed 2 spares
Not needed any of the spares I carry
HLJ could be swapped for a bottle jack
Sliders... didn't need them

 

[Chris]

Interesting stuff. Does make me think about my build. What do you need v what you think that you might need. Versus what you want to have because it's cool. 4t - damn Bro that is one heavy mutha.

 

[vrecha]

Interesting thoughts.
I'm very weight-conscious when I prepare my vehicle, everything is more stressed with every kg you add. When considering upgrades, weight versus usability/necessity ratio is important. I'm ready to sacrifice some comfort for expedition performance.
Plus distribution of the weight can make a lot of difference.

I could say I'm very satisfied with the preparation of my 80 for the current expedition.
I weighted the fully loaded setup and together with the driver and navigator it is 3.035 t! And it drives on very challenging sandy terrain like a dream. And it consumes less than 12l/100km on the road. Very happy with the overall performance.
Some consciously decided compromises:
- no fridge (more space than weight issue)
- one spare tire
- stock front and rear bumpers
- no winch
- no sidesteps
- no HLJ

But before the next serious expedition, I will add cca 100l fuel tank (230l all together at the moment) and cca 20l water (85l at the moment), maybe also Michelin XS tires (BFG AT at the moment) so weight will go up a bit ...

 

[Paddler Ed]

But if you don't have it, there's a good chance that you will need it next time...

 

[chadr]

But if you don't have it, there's a good chance that you will need it next time...

I've never done a overland trip - but that would be my main concern. OP said they've never needed to use the winch. I bet you the day you take if off, is the day you'll get stuck somewhere.......

 

[vrecha]

It's true, there are times when you miss a specific piece of kit, but usually you can improvise around. I missed the winch a few times, surely. HLJ would often help me more quickly and efficiently with lifting or recovering the vehicle etc.
But the question for me is what is the minimum equipment that can get the job done in a reasonable manner (considering both time and effort required).
If my small jack together with an adapter gets the job done, it saves both weight and space.
If the professional tire repair kit (together with the training I've done specifically for this repairs at our REMA TipTop fascility) saves me carrying one more tire, that is considerable saving.

I'm very "Tom Shepparrdish" regarding the equipment. Essensials, together with knowledge and training is what I take on an expedition.

And after years and some serious solo explorations of places where others "just don't consider driving", I have honed a clear idea what I need and what I can miss (or should I speak "we"? My wife/navigator is usually part of the team). As a matter of test, I'm quite satisfied that after a year of overlanding in Western Africa we don't miss a single item equipment wise. Our setup proved to be just perfect (for us).

 

[clivehorridge]

I've never done an overland, so really I'm not qualified. I can only say that the only time I've been in trouble, my difficulties were worsened by inadequate tools/equipment for the circumstances.

This is a good thread, it makes us think more about what we do, irrespective of the application.

Cheers!

 

[AndyCook]

an interesting discussion

I am going to make a big effort on my next vehicle build to trim down on weight for an overlanding vehicle
boot storage system will be much lighter
I dont think I will bother with rock-sliders for example, which will mean if i take it greenlaning I will stick to the less-extreme lanes

long range fuel tanks add a fair bit of weight, but are pretty essential in some areas, lower COG compared to jerrycans, and meant you dont have fuel cans in boot or on roof

not even sure about fitting a winch to start with - may leave it a year or so, even though I will have a spare winch ready to fit, i wouldnt have a winch bumper initially
yes i used mine in Morocco, but could have just as easily have been pulled out by another truck, and i have a handwinch i could use until i get winch bumper

fridge - now I wouldnt comprimise on that!, warm beer isn't good!

 

[moggy1968]

A plasma rope will greatly reduce the weight of the winch.

I think preparation depends a lot on where you are going, and wether you are alone or with others. IN the desert a winch isn't necessary. driving to Vladyvostok it may be more useful.

Those 35 inch wheels and tyres are going to weigh a fair bit, do you need such big wheels (a wide tyre is not actually that helpful in sand, better a tall tyre that airs down well to increase the footprint!)

I've always been a bit antipreperation, although some of that is due to lack of funds! It always amuses me when you read in the magazines about how you have to spend 40-50k on a truck and it's preparation with checkerplate, winches, underbody protection fridges, drawere systems etc etc etc. If you want all that, ok, after all, any idiot can be uncomfortable, but do you REALLY need it, nah!!

My first drive down to the Gambia I did in a Suzuki jeep bought for £250.



I have always got by with waffle boards, shovel and rope. Although I have a hilift I have never used it. I used jerry cans for fuel but am now getting a long ranger tank fitted, weight and weight distribution being one of the many reasons.

If you have a second vehicle do you really both need a hilift, do you both need the same spares (especially if you have the same vehicles) do you both need a tyre repair kit, do you both need 2 spare wheels?

 

[Chris]

I like this thread and have asked before what is junk, what is life saving and what you can get away with. I think that for my suggestion, I would say that travelling with at least two vehicles must surely negate many of the issues here. Especially if they are similar - like 2 80s. Commonality of parts has to be a bonus and sharing the spares list and tools across two vehicle has to be the right way to go.

 

[AndyCook]

I also plan to stick close to factory tyre sizes...
but if my colorado wheels and 265/75-16 fit a mk7 hilux... I may be increasing the diameter slightly

running 265/75-16 on my FX colordo with 4.1 ratio diffs defintely slowed it down a bit and made the engine work harder on long hills in france and Spain. and also in sand in morocco, I have VDO temperature gauges for coolant and ATF, so was able to back off on speed well before factory gauges would think of moving. ideally i should have stuck to smaller tyres, or regeared diffs to 4.3 which the GX and VX with taller tyres have.
i went for bigger tyres primarily to increase ground clearance on UK greenlanes, and probably didnt really need this for the trails I have driven on trips outside the UK.
full ASFIR ski plates overkill for europe and morocco, probably didnt need the middle transmission plate at all - an extra 15kg?, but the front and fuel tank one have taken some hits, that would have dented the factory steel ones

 

[Olazz]

The one time I really needed to use the which, we got stuck in Moz and had to be crane lifted, there was nowhere to anchor the winch to. Quicksand everywhere!

Long rang tanks for overlanding are essential, as is the water capacity.

I have to admit that almost everything EXTRA that I have had added to the standard truck is probably NON-essential. All it has done is aid my life and make it easier and hassle free. Now this has also been an important and major factor in my consideration. Yes I have beefed up the suspension etc etc, but I pay heavily in fuel consumption. In 50,000km I have not had any major mechanical failure that could be attributed to the extra weight I carry.

The big wheels have in my opinion, been perfect for the vehicle. They are LT tyres so have an load rating of 1800kg each corner. They do not deform any further below 22psi, so I never run them less than that, and their footprint is massive. So beach and dune driving is easy, provided I keep momentum.

The truck also has amazing torque and power and unless I am travelling in very thick riverbed or climbing steep mountainous terrain, I never need to use low range.

I carry spare wheel studs,(don't use spacers) but never had an issue, and CJ your right, travelling with 2 vehicles means you can halve what you carry.... but you still need the fuel range and the water capacity.

Is a fridge really essential.. IMO its not you can use a cooler box and chuck ice in it. A good box will keep the ice for days, and the run-off gives you ice cold water to drink.

If I had to build the truck again, and I am considering a 100 series build, I would do it differently for sure. I wouldn't want to lose the simplicity an convenience of what I have, after all I don't want to go traveling to remote places and then fight with the bloody thing to get set up.

So realistically I could lose the following:

Front ARB ; dont need a huge bumper
Winch ; not as essential as we think
Heavy rear double carrier ; nice but not necessary
Smaller tyres and alloy wheels;
Don't need heavy bespoke storage;
Rear drawers are not essential;
Rock sliders; why?
HLJ ; heavy and dangerous to boot
Roof tent ; could carry much lighter Oz tent
Roof rack ; couple of roof bars instead.
I could half my tool box and still carry the essential tools.
Spares????


The real question is: Has my vehicle become more unreliable or unserviceable as a result of all of this?

The answer is no it hasn't.

It has been more expensive to build and yes its more expensive to run and maintain, and I can't hurl it up sand dunes and it doesn't do much more than 130kph. But then thats not what it was built to do !

 

[Chris]

Ok mate couple of Q's. A. will tent pegs work in sand? I appreciate you could use sand bags (now where would I get some sand ) to attach guys to etc, but not possible for every tent I have. B) I hear the bit about water but just what do you do with it all? Genuinely I am curious. I do lots of camping and I know that you can gallop through water. But that's being lavish because I camp somewhere where there's loads of water. Just how much do you actually need to carry. Logic here is that it is somehow linked to the range of your vehicle too? You need as much fuel as it is between fuel stops - so is that the same with water? Given that water comes in gallon jugs nowadays do you need a tank in the vehicle which inflexible or do you carry smaller pots of water that you can move around. Is it for drinking, washing or the engine? I have to confess I am a stranger to all three. If it's a tank, how big should it be?

Ta

C

 

[Andy]

I dread to think what my total weight for one of our deep desert trips is, when fully loaded with 700l fuel, 150l + water,food & provisions for 3 weeks with NO chance of resupply, it doesn't bear thinking about.
It all depends on where your going though, in my case I have never needed my winch or any of the spares (apart from oil & air filters) that I have carried, although I have used my wheel bearings & brake pads to help others out.... No tell a lie, used my spare p/ steering pump seals once when that developed a leak.
Always try to share out the spares list between us to save weight, that's common sense really....what are the real chances of needing two starter motors?
It's easy to cut out much unnecessary nicities like chairs, tables, awnings etc etc, if it gets too hot in the midday sun, snooze under the car in the shade, at night sleep on the sand, cook in one pot............but a cold beer in the evening is a must!
Unless my wife is with me, I don't bother with a tent even, & then prefer a lightweight jobbie, haven't used the roof tent for years now, & have an oztent for Europe.
As I said, it all depends on your destination, that definitely dictates your real needs, but a well prepped vehicle, and by that I mean maintained / checked out before any big trip, not just fitted with the latest gadgets & gizmos, should be no1 priority.

In my case that means suspension, bushes, axles, bearings etc etc, they certainly take precedence over the the aircon & CDs player.
Yes it's nice to have what many ( myself included) people class as 'luxuries' but have you seen what many, if not most Africans drive about in without any worries.
Again, it all depends on destination and preparation

Andy
ps the moral of the story is to keep the weight down to a practical minimum

 

[yogi]

I would imagine that its like any sort of packing. Just on a larger scale.

You start out with a list of what you WANT to bring, and then whittle it down to what you NEED to bring, and finally again to what you CAN bring.

Also, having looked at a lot of overland blogs etc on the interweb, if your the kind of person who has barely changed a wheel before, what is the point in bringing 30kg of tools with you, along with a pile of spare parts that you don't even know what they are for?? I mean if you wouldn't dream of trying to change an oil filter or adjust a wheel bearing in the comfort of your own home/garage you are hardly going to swap a CV joint and an injector pump at the side of the road in Kenya?? Sorry for the rant but this just bugs the ++++ out of me.
There are mechanics in most places, and some of them can probably fix some stuff otherwise they wouldn't be in business.

At the other end of the spectrum, lots of people travel by motor bike, So that's bivvy bag, few tools, puncture repair kit, bit of food and a change of socks and jocks and room for sod all else.

Or what about this guy, Luke Perry Gore, travelling the infamous BAM on a BICYCLE.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?doc_id=12233

What it really comes down to I think is a trade off between what your minimum comfort level is, and what your practical maximum amount of 'extra' stuff is that you can fit in.

My Aunt, Uncle and my 2 cousins travelled the length and breadth of France every summer for six weeks in a VW beetle with a roof rack and a tent for years and never looked back. They camped every night and cooked ALL their own food. I know, I was with them one year for part of it!! But they loved it and never felt like they needed more stuff, they did eventually upgrade to a Peugeot 505 and a trailer tent, but when they did that they got rid of the roof rack!.

 

[Chris]

Not sure I quite agree with that Yogi. If you don't know how to fix something but have the spare part then all you need is someone who can. If you don't know how to fix something and don't have the part then finding someone who can presupposes that they have the part. Err, well that may be a little flawed I'm afraid. Ahh, you see if only you'd had the spare CV I could have fixed it for you. New one? Yes I can get you one but it will be two weeks from Mombasa and $500

Critical spares AND the ability is best, but failing that I'd rather have the spares on board. Now having the ability and no spares is just plain stupid.

No?

 

[yogi]

Ah!!

Yes I see your logic Chris, and I can see the flaw in mine.

Well I'm still right about the tools, if you can't use them!!

 

[SpinDrift]

Same logic applies Yogi. While you might not know how to use the tools, you might meet some one who does

 

[Olazz]

Ok mate couple of Q's. A. will tent pegs work in sand? I appreciate you could use sand bags (now where would I get some sand ) to attach guys to etc, but not possible for every tent I have. B) I hear the bit about water but just what do you do with it all? Genuinely I am curious. I do lots of camping and I know that you can gallop through water. But that's being lavish because I camp somewhere where there's loads of water. Just how much do you actually need to carry. Logic here is that it is somehow linked to the range of your vehicle too? You need as much fuel as it is between fuel stops - so is that the same with water? Given that water comes in gallon jugs nowadays do you need a tank in the vehicle which inflexible or do you carry smaller pots of water that you can move around. Is it for drinking, washing or the engine? I have to confess I am a stranger to all three. If it's a tank, how big should it be?

Ta

C

Ah, but the Oz tent doesn't need pegs nor do the Jet tent bunkers.
Remember the truck is only 4tons when it is fully brimmed at the start and we are heading to a remote location where we are not sure if we can get fuel. Each Km the fuel load lightens. If I know we are going to get fuel within 400km I don't fill the big tank.

Water is interesting. We've come across other overlanders who never cary less than 100l. We carry 60l in a fixed tank and 3x5 litre bottles. The bottles for drinking and the tank for everything else. If we break down in a remote area as we did in kaokoland ( you'll have to read my blog for the story ), its 40°+ and you are no where near civilisation or water, then it's good to know you can survive for a good while if you have to. The plastic bottles can also puncture and you lose water... happened to us in Malawi. The main tank can also leak... so we always have water available of some sort. We have found, for 2 over 6 weeks we can (without emergency) get through 120l easily, but we are not particularly careful.

 

[Chris]

Hmm, I see,. Have to say it would be pretty dire straits before you'd find me drinking water though.