John and Tina Posted April 21, 2016 Report Share Posted April 21, 2016 Attached is a photo of my 200 Series after a 3800 GVM upgrade from Lovells. I was left with no option but to have the upgrade carried out after a visit to the Weigh Bridge stated the weight of the vehicle at 3220 klg without caravan attached and other items carried in the car. The thought of changing to a GMC of F 250 did cross my mind however this was not practical for my every day use around town because of their bulk size. Had a trial run last weekend with the caravan in tow and handled perfectly not that the 200 series did not cope well before the upgrade. I am now looking forward to our departure in early June for a 3 months break. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter and Gwyn Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 I've done this upgrade as well and it works well. Unfortunately, can't do it on the new upgraded 200 Series and Toyota now have a GCM as well and any increase you make to the GVM comes off the towing capacity. So if you use all of the 3.8 available after the Lovedlls uipgrade, your towing capacity drops to 3.0. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merv and Di Posted April 22, 2016 Report Share Posted April 22, 2016 When something sounds too good to be true there is always another side. If you need a larger towing capacity vehicle to tow in excess of 3.5 tonne then unfortunately you have only one way to go and that is the American trucks. Cheers Merv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John and Jo Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 (edited) I heard through the grape vine and just now spoke to them ,that Lovelles now can upgrade your 200 series to, 4000kgs ! Towing capacity ! Wish that would be possible on our 100 series John Edited April 28, 2016 by John and Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATV42 Posted April 28, 2016 Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 Hi John Sadley the 100 series Landcruiser is not in this equation. Being a 200 series owner, with a Lovell's GVM upgrade, I can hardly wait for the towing capacity to be upgraded. I don't want to tow 4000kg, I just want the buffer zone of 100 or so. I also realise that I'll have to get the Kedron re-plated to 4000kg ATM, and have an annual inspection, but I'm happy to do that. It's that little safety margin I want. Cheers Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merv and Di Posted April 29, 2016 Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 Hi Peter Just check with Lovells, there seems to be a question of when increasing your GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) on the tug to 4000kgs does this in fact then lower your towing capacity? I have spoken to a couple of guys that I used to work with in Vehicle Safety Testing and they have questioned the validity of whether or not the towing weight is increased with this upgrade. their opinion is the opposite. Their line of thought is that it actually lowers the towing capacity as mentioned in a previous post. Food for thought...I would be doing a little more digging in relation to this question. There is definitely a lot of confusion when it comes to GVM and GCM on the Toyota 200 Series (new). When you increase your GVM this only applies to the carrying capacity of the vehicle within the vehicle including all accessories, fuel etc and tow ball weight, load capacity not towing capacity. GCM is the the gross combination mass, the total weight of the vehicle and what is being towed this what has to be increased and to simply increase your GVM does not necessarily mean an increase of your GCM, confused yet...welcome to the club with a lot of others. Cheers Merv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John and Tina Posted April 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 Latest information on 200 series upgrade from Lovells is the GVM will be increased to 7300 klg along with the 4000 klg towing capacity. warm regards John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merv and Di Posted April 29, 2016 Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 Thanks John That is GCM gross combined mass, combination of vehicle and towed component. Land Cruiser GVM is standard 3350kgs so it will be interesting to see just what they are claiming to be increasing with the combination of heavier coils/shockers etc. Merv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John and Tina Posted April 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 My apologies. Should have read 7300 GCM. Was supposed to be released in Feb/Mar. Is now in final stages of testing. What will be involved or cost is unknown at this stage Regards John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATV42 Posted April 29, 2016 Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 Hi Merv Thank you for your thoughts on this ever evolving subject. This discussion will probably go on until the 200 series is replaced by Toyota. Prior to having the Lovell GVM upgrade to our 2011 Landcruiser, I too did a lot of research. From my perspective, the Lovell GVM upgrade does not reduce the towing capacity, it remains at 3500kg. Nowhere in Lovell's paperwork and their Department of Transport approval does it mention decreasing the towing capacity. My installation was signed off by a Queensland Transport authorised automotive engineer, who was also approved by Lovell's, and he issued a new plate reflecting the new GVM. When I took the vehicle to Queensland Transport to have to have registration details changed to reflect the increased GVM, I had to have it inspected by their inspection department to validate the installation against the Lovell's paperwork, and to insure the modification plate was installed correctly. In addition, the early 200 series did not have a specific published GCM, only the newer do. Nowhere on my vehicle, it's paperwork or the registration is a specific GCM stated. During the Queensland Transport inspection, I asked the Senior Inspector if he could put all this in writing, and he said there was no need, because my vehicle complied with the Law and Regulations. He said that if, in the initial Federal Transport Department approval process, a reduction in towing capacity resulted, the paperwork would reflect this and an information placard would be part of the approved modification process. Lovell's have Federal Transport approval for the GVM upgrade, a process they are seeking for the towing capacity upgrade. In my case, I had the upgrade done after registration, and approved in Queensland. This means, I can drive the vehicle anywhere in Australia, but can only sell it in Queensland. If I were sell it interstate I would have to have the upgrade approved in that state. I've even had the GVM upgrade and caravan ATM noted on our insurance, no problems However, all this may not be the same for other GVM upgrades, it depends how it was "engineered" and how it was approved. So, as you can see, it's a complicated process. But from our point of view, we have done everything to comply with the Law and its Regulations. Cheers mate. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATV42 Posted April 29, 2016 Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 Hi Merv Sorry for the layout of my reply to you. It went all "wonky" and despite several attempts I can't get it to look the way it should. Cheers mate. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve and Kez Posted April 29, 2016 Report Share Posted April 29, 2016 I don't think I would like to tow 4T with the cruiser. It is a definite case of tail wagging the dog.They don't pull up 3.5t well let alone 4t and when it comes to long steep inclines, they couldn't put the skin of a rice custard with 4T.......... and yes I have tried them and learnt my lesson. The only good thing about it is you will get a warm and fuzzy feeling of being legal, but that will be short lived when you go to pull up in a hurry and it doesn't happen. Been there and got the t shirt. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted July 7, 2020 Report Share Posted July 7, 2020 Hi I was wondering how much difference does GVM upgrade make to driving dynamics when not fully loaded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John and Jo Posted July 15, 2020 Report Share Posted July 15, 2020 Hi Pete , we have, since this post started purchased a new 200 Sahara and had both GVM and the 4 t tow kit installed by Lovells and couldn’t be happier with the vehicle. Handles very well towing and on its own. No or little body roll is felt .We also have installed torque converter and a chip . Towing around 3.6 t we are getting around 19 lt per 100 sitting on 100 klm per hour. But around town 15 so not much different. That’s the only downside I recon . John 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeance Posted October 21, 2021 Report Share Posted October 21, 2021 Hi It's over 12 months since this thread has been contributed to, my question is.... we have purchased a new GXL 200 series and are keen to understand how the gvm upgrade affects the ride when not towing/loaded up for a trip. What are your experiences? Thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John and Jo Posted October 21, 2021 Report Share Posted October 21, 2021 (edited) Hi Leeance, still love our 200 series, and have found that driving around town is great .No body roll and very responsive. Always a pleasure to drive including when towing. We just completed a 8000 km trip up north, dusty roads so she had a birthday done professionally looks like new again . Congratulations and enjoy your new ride . John Edited October 25, 2021 by John and Jo Spellcheck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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