Landcruiser TTD 200 Modifications

[Bill McIntyre]

I am seriously thinking of purchasing a 200 Landcruiser TTD to tow a 19' 6" Topender. I was wondering if anyone can advise me of modifications that I could/should make to the vehicle to make it a better tow vehicle for the Kedron.

[TonyH]

G'Day Bill,

On my 200 series I have fitted a 2"/50mm lift Dobinsons suspension font & rear with their sport shocks, actually had it fitted at the factory in Rockhampton. They are very friendly & helpful & the price was quite pleasing also.

I also fitted air bags to the rear, which I pump up to 25psi when towing.

The combination of these additions has taken away only a little bit of the limo ride you get with the 200 series.

Overall I'm very happy with these changes, it also has lifted the front so it does'nt have the 'sniffing dog' look. Handling & steering haven't suffered at all.

CU down the road

[jason]

Hi there Bill

First of suspension King Springs with Bilstein shocks 50mm lift then the important some herbs to tow the heavy thing with a Steinbauer chip with a Mercury exhaust dyno test at 1320nm of torque and 130kw of power at rear wheels. This cruiser really does fly with the van on the back ATV 3300kg you hardly notice it is there. Next of if you really intend to go off road not just a dirt road a Warn 12000lb winch i use it heaps i go places which make the Gall boys movies tame that is why i require bucket loads of torque. Add some air-lockers front and rear too for the off road work as well. A reversing camera so you can see when towing and when hooking up van.There are a few more tips, cost to do mods including other mods not mentioned here $30 000 not much money when spending $120 000 on a van and between $85 000 and $120 000 on a cruiser.

Good luck Bill

[John and Ann]

Hi Bill,

I'm with Jason and Tony, suspension modification that includes GVM upgrade and air bags would be first on the list of must do's, from there the world is your oyster, depends on the depth of your pockets :laugh:

1. If you want power and better fuel economy go for chip and exhaust I have Taipan XP 3" exhaust and DP Chip but would go for Steinbaeur chip kit and may yet change my own. Naturally you will need a snorkel, Safari is the most obvious choice.
   
2. Once all that is done you will probably be needing greater range from your 200 series than the 90 litre factory tank will give you, so rear wheel carrier and long range fuel tank.
   
3. A good bullbar is a must, hard to go past ARB here and if you plan on really getting out there you can't go past a warn winch. Now that you have the frame on the front you have a place for your UHF aerial and spot/driving light, if you have the cash go for Lightforce 240HID, expensive but worth every cent.
   
4. You will need somewhere to store some of your vehicle essentials so a good drawer set is next on the list, Im going to investigate putting sealed gel batteries in the side spaces either side of the drawers to provide auxiliary power with a jump start solonoid and DC-DC Charger probably from Redarc to give me total isolation of the auxiliary system, to this I will connect the Anderson connector socket for the caravan.
   

And the "list" goes on:

1. Manually selected diff locks, front and back. Autolockers are OK as well but manual air operated lockers give you more options, when stuck
   
2. Two wheel drive conversion for some better fuel economy.
   
3. Roof rack with awning
   
4. If you have OEM navigation, you can use this to display caravan reverse camera with a few simple vehicle mods.
   
5. To enhance the OEM navigation system experience so you passenger can use all functions as well as view reverse camera whilst in motion (as if you were parked), check out the Pretigious Society's Navigation/Video Enhancement out of the US.
   
6. To ensure you know what is going on in the engine bay, you might even check out the nifty and very useful ScanGuage it plugs into your vehicle network and provides all manner of useful information, if you do this first you will be able to map the impact of each of you mods on engine performance yourself.
   

After all that is done:

1. Check your vehicle recovery points.
   
2. When you need to replace the treads consider changing to Cooper Tyres
   
3. I read that it might be possible to upgrade tow capacity and GCM by 300kgs, this would be real handy as the cruiser is "almost" too light in weight and tow capacities for seious long term nomadic adventure.
   
4. Satellite phone, check the new and soon to be released InmarSat ISatPhone Pro, you can get a pre-paid SIM, the recharges are good for 720 days, and while your looking at that, don't forget to consider applying for the Federal Government 50% subsidy through DBCDE.
   

OK, well that pretty well covers my wish list, I have some of the above done but still have a long way to go before December when I go pick up my new ATV2.

Good luck Bill, enjoy the build :thumbsup:

[Bill McIntyre]

Thanks Guys, I have taken all your advice and had my cruiser modified as suggested. It has cost a lot, but I can't wait to use it with the new van (May delivery)

[John and Ann]

Hi Bill,

Geez that must have hurt (the back pocket), hope you enjoy the ride, I'm sure you will :thumbsup: