Our 2013 Landcruiser 200, time to move her on

[achjimmy]

Moving right along. Fitted coilrite airbags on the weekend. Was screaming along Saturday morning to get them in before going to the caravan and camping show so not many shots. Straight forward but I used spring compressors as well so I didn't have to disconnect the KDSS sway bar.

 

[mfexpanda]

Funny thing when I went to measure up for a stone stomper. Lady at Jayco said the 200s are the least favorite tug due to the high hitch! It certainly gives you something to work out. Last time I spaced the vans hitch up, the spacer weighed a ton. A mate with a 200 brought these in to try. Iam giving them a go, 8" and 10" drop. Hoping the 8" does it as I am not fussed on the big one. It will end up looking like a plow or discovery 4


They are heaps lighter than the OEM.

Rated to 8,000lbs beautifully made.

View attachment 25754 View attachment 25755 View attachment 25756

Is there enough room behind the tow ball for the stone stomper bracket ?

 

[achjimmy]

Is there enough room behind the tow ball for the stone stomper bracket ?

Hope so , if not I ll have to make something up. I haven't unpacked the stone stomper as it only turn up today.

Didn't think there was that much difference. Maybe this shot shows it better? Definitely not as much room?

 

[cruza driver]

It makes me feel a bit funny...

Is it the towbar tongue or the fact @achjimmy has a pink rag in his shed :gossip:

 

[achjimmy]

Catching up on photos as it was a blur before picking up the van and trip. Long been worried about the fuel filter on the 200. I believe the filters good just doesn't have enough water separating or catching room. I have changed the filter at each 6mth service and nothing untowards but worried what might happen if I cop a big dose of bad fuel somewhere.

Quite a few of the country Toyota dealers fit these kits so I thought I do the same. A change in my model meant the filter fouls the electronic box below. So I modded it with a 10 degree bend and a spacer. Slotted the holes to make it easy to remove the filter completely. Bought the optional water alarm, I now have a piezo buzzer in the cab !!!

 

[Hubble80]

Hope so , if not I ll have to make something up. I haven't unpacked the stone stomper as it only turn up today.

Didn't think there was that much difference. Maybe this shot shows it better? Definitely not as much room?

View attachment 25762

I liked the look of those hitches as I wanted to try to get something to lower the front of our van too. Found on the Titan Brakes page they are only rated to 1.5T. Is this correct for yours @achjimmy ?

 

[achjimmy]

I liked the look of those hitches as I wanted to try to get something to lower the front of our van too. Found on the Titan Brakes page they are only rated to 1.5T. Is this correct for yours @achjimmy ?

Yeah I saw that locally. Mate got these from the US and they are rated to 8,000 pounds or more can't remember. Downside is they need a 1" shank ball. I made a sleeve to allow 7/8" shank ball as the shanks are longer on 7/8" shanked balls. But I changed back to the standard hitch. The 200 has a short reciever and I noticed that the alloy was "marking" quite noticeably underneath on the edge of the reciever. The 200 receiver would have needed a bit of filing and maybe some shim to statisfy me. Also towing home it may of been because it was empty but it seemed to "buck around" a lot. After getting her home the Starcraft on 16"s is a bit higher in the hitch than normal Jayco so the difference after loading was only about 25-35mm so I ran the trip with that. I am looking at taller tyres for the van and a mchitch auto coupler (which looks lower) and then if still needed I will space up the hitch on the van as I did the Expanda.

 

[ben.lang 81@bigpond.com]

Great car,
Have same car and have same mods,
Only problem is that the drivers mirror rattles from air going around snorkel, just needed to silicone cover under mirror.
Towes likes dream

 

[achjimmy]

Ever since new and with the lift the cruiser sat slightly lopsided at the rear, was about 8-10mm and it favoured the wrong way so as it compressed it pushed over further.

I replaced the standard panhard rod with a tough dog adjustable one. Besides being adjustable to allow me to align the car up better they are considerably stronger in construction than the OEM rod.

Was in a hurry so didn't get any photos installed , will on my return.

 

[achjimmy]

Finally took some pics after a tub.

 

[bigcol]

Ever since new and with the lift the cruiser sat slightly lopsided at the rear, was about 8-10mm and it favoured the wrong way so as it compressed it pushed over further.

in what way was it sitting "lopsided" @achjimmy .......???

I am guessing high on the drivers side by a couple of mm????

I know with the Patrols, the springs for the drivers side are slightly longer than the passenger side
the theory being that once the driver is in, it will be level.............

 

[achjimmy]

in what way was it sitting "lopsided" @achjimmy .......???

I am guessing high on the drivers side by a couple of mm????

I know with the Patrols, the springs for the drivers side are slightly longer than the passenger side
the theory being that once the driver is in, it will be level.............

@bigcol the nature of the panard on a live rear axle means that at some point through the suspension travel you rear axle is out of alignment to the front. The only way to overcome this on live rear axles is sophiscated panard rods commonly known as "watts linkages". Used a lot on race cars and rally cars. But for production cars with limited suspension travel they are not warranted. When you lift a Cruza or Patrol etc you excentuate the misalignment. So you either have to live with it, cut and weld the original panard or use an adjustable. And you set it up so its neutral when at its standard ride hieght. Hope that explains it ?

 

[achjimmy]

Always want to replace the steps before I bent them but really couldn't settle on a design. TJM brought out a newer style last year using the larger diameter tube. Reasonable value, they ain't a full blown slider but will take some abuse and they make a better step for the vertically challenged.mabiut 4-5 hours to fit and they mount up with a really well designed base plate.

 

[cruza driver]

Looking good @achjimmy the bigger tube really suits the 200's imo

 

[dagree]

Like 'em @achjimmy ... Look great!

 

[achjimmy]

@Holden_man youll get new for cheaper! I sent you a pm.

The KDSS has no effect on towing. It is a hydraulic sway bar attachment. Just works better on road and off road than a GXL with standard sway bars as they are always a compromise. Airbags no issues.

If you fit a bullbar you need front springs imo. The best reason for suspension upgrade is get a GVM upgrade so your legal with another 500kg of payload.

Great car, best I have ever had bar none. Tows beautifully and offroad its unblievable more capable than me. Only bitch with the 200s is the cost of entry. Otherwise there would hardly be another fourby on the road. When you have one you can see where a lot of that money goes, but it's still $$$$$

Can you tell Iam in love!

 

[Bluey]

Nearly got one but the fule scared me with a v8 diesel

 

[TRAKADU]

KDSS gives you more wheel articulation while on offroad and better stability on bitchumen than the standard suspension. We bought our Sahara in January and we love it so far. The suspension is upgraded to Bilstien with 2inch lift all around. I have also fitted rear Airbags and run 26-27 psi while towing. Tows like a dream... IMO, if you upgrade your suspension and fit airbags, you probably don't need WDH. But it is a personal choice I guess. We never had the need to use the WDH. As for the price of a VX, I have the same view per achjimmy. It sounds a bit overpriced. Keep looking and I am pretty sure you will find a good one. As far as I am concerned, these vehicles are a long term investment. They are definitely not cheap but if you can afford one you would want to keep it for life or at least 10-15 years. Cheers Trakadu

 

[DRW]

@Holden_man go for the cruiser, after the Prado you would hate a ute chalk and cheese (god fancy me saying go for a cruiser lol)

 

[bigcol]

Can you tell Iam in love!

nah, sounds like a very logical UN-biased opinion