GU GVM upgrade

[JoeG]

Hi Folks
I Have a GVM upgrade by Peders to 3.45T and need to go to 3.9T (I'm grosly over weight)
It seems the Leaf spring rear axel allows that (both OME and Peders have kits)
So this means changing from rear coil to leaf spring.
Has any one done this and if so was it sucessfull?
Regards
Joe

[MudRunnerTD]

IMO it would seem far more practical and probably far cheaper to sell your current Ute and buy a Leafy Ex Telstra which will come with a GVM Upgrade, probably only to 3.4t but with the leafs already.

3.9t is getting very heavy! especially for a Ute! what is your load? maybe an Iveco or something would be far better suited to your needs.

[Cuppa]

IMO it would seem far more practical and probably far cheaper to sell your current Ute and buy a Leafy Ex Telstra which will come with a GVM Upgrade, probably only to 3.4t but with the leafs already.

3.9t is getting very heavy! especially for a Ute! what is your load? maybe an Iveco or something would be far better suited to your needs.

All GU leafy utes have a GVM of 3400kg, not just Ex Telstra.
Most GVM upgrades for these only increase GVM to 3700kg, Lovells is 3900kg but is not cheap, especially if a 4.2. (The Lovells kit approval is for 3L Patrols so requires 'engineering approval' for 4.2). All up mine was $5200 in 2013. $1200 was the engineers fees

As for converting a coil ute to a leaf ute - I agree, probably cheaper & less drama to change utes. If doing that it may be worth looking for one with a gvm upgrade already.

[JoeG]

Hi Mudrunner
I've been running 3.9T for 5 years (thinging it was less) however the allowable load is 3.5T . my engineer will sign off on 3.9T with a leaf spring back end
(OME ans Lovels have these off the shelf) hence why I want to do the conversion.
My load is around 700KG but the extra fuel and water for central crossings bring me up another 200KG hence the need for 3.9GVM
a single cab is not suitable as we need a dual cab or at least a extra cab.
we have mucked around with lighter dual cabs and found them wanting and not reliable hence the switch to Nissan Patrol and it has not missed a beat
all we need now is to raise the GVM and be legal
Regards
Joe

[the evil twin]

What cuppa said X 2

IMHO it woud be simpler to get a Leafy Ute and upgrade to a King Cab or drop a wagon chop body on it.

At 4 ton I would be looking at an expedition truck setup myself... those Ivecos are seriously awesome off road for example

[JoeG]

Hi Evil and Cuppa
Yes I looked at the Toyota dual cab befor moding the Patrol
Although the Toyota was a dual cab it needed a chasis streach and then a GVM upgrade so it could have a 2.4m tray and carry 1.1T
The Iveco was not available at the time and is still questionable re service and dealer availability.
So it seems a leaf spring conversion and a happy certifying engineer is the way to go.
Possibly in 10 years time when the Patrol is at end of useful life (only use it for trips) we will look at a 5th wheel unit as mobility for us will also become a major issue by then
Regards
Joe

[BillsGU]

Talk to Paul at Statewide 4X4 (03 9484 7838). They laminate the rear diff housing on coil sprung Patrols to increase the GVM. Not sure how high they can go.

[BigRAWesty]

Talk to Paul at Statewide 4X4 (03 9484 7838). They laminate the rear diff housing on coil sprung Patrols to increase the GVM. Not sure how high they can go.

They did mine as an ex ses vehicle.
3490kg is it..

[BillsGU]

They did mine as an ex ses vehicle.
3490kg is it..

OK. I hear they are developing new kits all he time. Won't hurt to call.

[BillsGU]

It's worrying just how little weight most 4X4s can tow and carry legally. It's even more worrying how difficult it is to understand all the rules and acronyms they use when explaining why such a large vehicle as a Patrol can only tow and carry so little in weight.

There would not be many Patrols out there towing reasonably large vans that are doing it legally.