BUILT FZJ80 or BUILD an LX450 (1 Viewer)

[hoser]

Case of beer to the person who can get the damned trailer hitch off my 80.... Damned thing, lock is stuck. I was hoping to break it off at Windrock last weekend, no such luck. So yeah, mine will tow....
TJK

WD-40 the hitch lock, put in reverse gear back up over curb OR BFH!!

 

[e9999]

pulled a utility trailer with the 80, not too long ago. Estimating 1500 lbs or so. Man was it slow going uphill...
E

 

[sleeoffroad]

So, going back again... besides weight capacity, why are leaf springs better for towing?

I think with the 80 & 100 it is wheelbase the makes it not ideal for towing., coupled with a linked suspension in the rear that has a tendency to unload and the rear steer when you are in corners. So when you start to corner, the truck leans, the rear axle changes position and steer the rear of the truck. This is all amplified when you add a heavy trailer.

Remember the start of the post mentioned towing a FJ40 on a car hauler. Certainly a small trailer is not that big of a deal, but a car hauler is not a good idea. When I towed I had airbags in mine, so I did not have any sagging and also a weight distribution hitch, but the truck still had a tendency to pivot the front end up and down around the rear axle.

 

[Kaderabek]

Not yet.

Finally cleaned my truck up this morning, noticed I flexed the tire carrier into the tailgate, crunched the Cruiser emblem over there. More surprisingly is that I bent the arm that holds the tire. And people say I don't wheel....

TJK

 

[ginericLC]

What about taking a 91/92 FJ80, swapping in a cummins turbo diesel, and a 14 bolt rear end narrowed to 80 series width, but with HD leaf springs, rather than the coils? Yeah, OK, a bunch of work, but wouldn't it be cool????

You'd have to do the front axle too, plus the wheelbase is still too short. A Huge body lift would be needed to fit the Cummins. You'd lose your fulltime transfer case. You'd have to convert to a manual tranny. In my opinion, it would be simplier to find a wrecked Dodge regular cab and section the frame and drop the 80 series body on it. But why bother? You just have a Dodge pickup with a LC body on it that rides like crap because of the SWB and heavy springs.

 

[Tigerstripe40]

You'd have to do the front axle too, plus the wheelbase is still too short. A Huge body lift would be needed to fit the Cummins. You'd lose your fulltime transfer case. You'd have to convert to a manual tranny. In my opinion, it would be simplier to find a wrecked Dodge regular cab and section the frame and drop the 80 series body on it. But why bother? You just have a Dodge pickup with a LC body on it that rides like crap because of the SWB and heavy springs.

FWIW< I have access to a tow rig. It's a 440 powered Dodge SWB pickup. I know it will probably tow better than an 80 series. But its still a SWB. My FJ40 weighs about the same as the dodge.. SO that might make things kinda scary in the towing department.

I can purchase EITHER a used tow-rig pickup, OR an 80 series. I don't have ALOT of use for a dedicated tow rig, to be honest (maybe 4 times per year). So I can't really justify the cost.

Anyhow, after the trip yesterday, I am still really leaning toward buying an 80 series/LX450.

Once again UZJ-100/LX470 is not something I will consider because of BUDGET reasons (if it was within my budget, I would still get an 80 series, AND buy a TD pickup).