How much does your trailer weigh loaded up? Trying to judge how much I can load up my cargo trailer and still tow it safely long distance.
Build "Rednexus" - 2007 GX470 Build and Fabrication Thread
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- #802
About 4,000# loaded. I'd be comfortable towing up to maybe 5,000# loaded a long distance (i.e., hundreds of miles). I've towed close to 6,000# when pulling my compact tractor locally here in MO, but it's quite a bit more aero of a package than a camper/enclosed cargo trailer.
Keeping it under 5000 was my plan. Most of my future mods revolve around prepping for our next move. I've already got a Redarc break controller and I plan on doing the same 460 break upgrade that you've done. Not to mention air bags in the back. Basically following your build since I know you put your rig to work.
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- #804
It's impressive how much real work a GX can do! They are very under-rated rigs from that perspective.
Have been thinking about flat towing my Jeep JK w/37" tires. Just in case something happens on the trail, I have my own support vehicle. I need to get it on a scale, but it's probably around 4600lbs. I definitely need to do this brake controller mod. I recently upgraded all of the Jeep's brakes, master cylinder, and booster. The Lexus rides better, but now the Jeep definitely brakes better! I haven't checked, but does the GX have an electronic booster? Or is traditional and upgradeable? I think part of the problem is that I need a proper brake bleed on the GX after swapping out all the calipers. I did a hack job of it by myself.
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- #806
The GX has an electrical brake system (I believe there is an electrical vacuum pump on the master cylinder) The GX brakes, when working properly, should throw you through the windshield (especially with the 460 rotor/caliper upgrade and good pads - I run EBC Greens). If you have even a tiny bubble in one line the braking will be greatly diminished.
However if you are going to flat tow your Jeep you'll need some kind of a brake actuator that sits inside the Jeep and applies the Jeep's brakes when the GX brakes are pushed. Otherwise, you'd have a total gross combined weight of nearly 10,000 pounds, which is waaaay to much for the GX brakes. You could also look at a lightweight aluminum car hauler trailer for the Jeep (some are around 1,100 pounds) but they are quite expensive.
Lastly you'll also need to watch trans temps closely and upgrade your cooler (if you have not already). If you are going to tow your Jeep up into the mountains, you'll end up in 2nd or 3rd gear with an unlocked torque converter, which can cause the trans temps to run away due to the crappy OEM GX radiator.
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- #807
Made a big order to Ascend Fabrications yesterday, including the front and rear bumpers and a swingout. Despite my portfolio of welding/fabrication equipment and newfound ability to lay some nice beads, I went with pre-built bumpers (but did get a DIY kit for the swingout). We simply have too many other DIY projects on the docket for this summer - including building and backfilling sizeable pair of tiered block retaining walls (which will then require me to build another 90+ feet of steel handrailing 
).
The owner of Ascend (Alec) also talked me to going with their HC rear bumper, even for towing up to the vehicle's weight rating, as the rear crossmember in their HC bumper is a piece of 2x2-1/4" tubing and is apparently quite robust. I may gusset it a little bit, but going with a off-the-shelf setup like that will save me at least a whole weekend in DIY'ing a new rear crossmember with an integrated hitch from scratch.
We'll see how these Ascend bumpers come out. It was certainly an expensive purchase for a relatively smaller and newer vendor (but, they are comparable to other aftermarket bumpers, if not a bit cheaper). I'll post detailed photos of the bumpers and any modifications I implement to them once they arrive. They are coming in raw steel and I'll get them locally coated and blasted.
The last things to purchase will be the Coastal DIY engine/trans skids (which appear to be a very easy DIY build), RCI Aluminum fuel tank skid plate, and LED lights for the front bumper. I'll snag all of those on a memorial day weekend sales.
).The owner of Ascend (Alec) also talked me to going with their HC rear bumper, even for towing up to the vehicle's weight rating, as the rear crossmember in their HC bumper is a piece of 2x2-1/4" tubing and is apparently quite robust. I may gusset it a little bit, but going with a off-the-shelf setup like that will save me at least a whole weekend in DIY'ing a new rear crossmember with an integrated hitch from scratch.
We'll see how these Ascend bumpers come out. It was certainly an expensive purchase for a relatively smaller and newer vendor (but, they are comparable to other aftermarket bumpers, if not a bit cheaper). I'll post detailed photos of the bumpers and any modifications I implement to them once they arrive. They are coming in raw steel and I'll get them locally coated and blasted.
The last things to purchase will be the Coastal DIY engine/trans skids (which appear to be a very easy DIY build), RCI Aluminum fuel tank skid plate, and LED lights for the front bumper. I'll snag all of those on a memorial day weekend sales.
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I’m so sick of my spare tire being inside, taking up precious cargo room, marking up the interior and the odor! I’ve been looking for a rear bumper that’s not too heavy and still retains the factory tow hitch. Ascend bumpers look good but my concern was towing. No tow rating worries me.
I really like the Ascend bumpers. Excited to see how it turns out. Have you decided on lights? I picked up some yellow Diode Dynamics in the SAE fog pattern and they have been great.Made a big order to Ascend Fabrications yesterday, including the front and rear bumpers and a swingout. Despite my portfolio of welding/fabrication equipment and newfound ability to lay some nice beads, I went with pre-built bumpers (but did get a DIY kit for the swingout). We simply have too many other DIY projects on the docket for this summer - including building and backfilling sizeable pair of tiered block retaining walls (which will then require me to build another 90+ feet of steel handrailing
The owner of Ascend (Alec) also talked me to going with their HC rear bumper, even for towing up to the vehicle's weight rating, as the rear crossmember in their HC bumper is a piece of 2x2-1/4" tubing and is apparently quite robust. I may gusset it a little bit, but going with a off-the-shelf setup like that will save me at least a whole weekend in DIY'ing a new rear crossmember with an integrated hitch from scratch.
We'll see how these Ascend bumpers come out. It was certainly an expensive purchase for a relatively smaller and newer vendor (but, they are comparable to other aftermarket bumpers, if not a bit cheaper). I'll post detailed photos of the bumpers and any modifications I implement to them once they arrive. They are coming in raw steel and I'll get them locally coated and blasted.
The last things to purchase will be the Coastal DIY engine/trans skids (which appear to be a very easy DIY build), RCI Aluminum fuel tank skid plate, and LED lights for the front bumper. I'll snag all of those on a memorial day weekend sales.
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- #810
Definitely going with Diode Dynamics! The fact that they are based here in MO is a huge plus as well. I'll grab lights on Memorial Day weekend to save a few dollars.
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- #811
Another vacation-via-GX is on the books. We pulled the camper down to Gulf Shores, AL for spring break. These are the closest beaches to us (just shy of 700 miles, or about 11 hours of drive time).
^We got lucky and reserved the only available electric spot in Gulf State Park last fall.
^The Gulf Coast has some legit white sand beaches, along with fresh seafood, southern cooking, and Cajun food (all three of which are in short supply up here). We stocked up on quite a bit of local food and brought it home.
^We took a side trip one day into New Orleans, as neither my kids or wife had ever been before. This is on the I-10 causeway over Lake Pontchartrain (which is over 5 miles long).
^Old vs. New in NOLA. We parked downtown, had some crab cake eggs benedict (best breakfast/brunch I'd had since the last time I visited NOLA), and walked down to the French Quarter.
^Low-stress towing home through the piney woods of Mississippi. With the cruise set at the speed limit, 95% of the cars passed us as we chilled in the right lane. The GX got around 12-13 mpg (other than a couple 10 mpg tanks on the way down in 20-mph headwinds) and was flawless other than one of the airbags developing an intermittent leak. We drove close to 2,000 miles between the round-trip tow, NOLA side trip w/o the camper, and driving around Gulf Shores. This concludes our 5th "big" family vacation in the GX.
^We got lucky and reserved the only available electric spot in Gulf State Park last fall.
^The Gulf Coast has some legit white sand beaches, along with fresh seafood, southern cooking, and Cajun food (all three of which are in short supply up here). We stocked up on quite a bit of local food and brought it home.
^We took a side trip one day into New Orleans, as neither my kids or wife had ever been before. This is on the I-10 causeway over Lake Pontchartrain (which is over 5 miles long).
^Old vs. New in NOLA. We parked downtown, had some crab cake eggs benedict (best breakfast/brunch I'd had since the last time I visited NOLA), and walked down to the French Quarter.
^Low-stress towing home through the piney woods of Mississippi. With the cruise set at the speed limit, 95% of the cars passed us as we chilled in the right lane. The GX got around 12-13 mpg (other than a couple 10 mpg tanks on the way down in 20-mph headwinds) and was flawless other than one of the airbags developing an intermittent leak. We drove close to 2,000 miles between the round-trip tow, NOLA side trip w/o the camper, and driving around Gulf Shores. This concludes our 5th "big" family vacation in the GX.
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Welcome to the Nola. Sounds like y’all had a great time!
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- #813
Beaches were great and I gained several pounds that I now need to work off! Love the food and friendliness of the South.
code staymoist for free shipping and maybe other goodies thrown in
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- #815
After doing some reading, I became concerned with the Ascend aftermarket front bumper exposing my airbox to splashing when going though shallow water at speed. It's a wet climate around here and we get water on the road all the time after thunderstroms. IMO the plastic Sarafi/Ironman/Dobinsons snorkels are fugly. I had bought a Lenz in 2025, but after examining it, put it on eBay due to how small it was relative to the OEM intake air tube.
This time I rolled the dice on a King Fab Customs 4" stainless Aussie snorkel for a Prado 120. Came it at $900 USD with snorkel/shipping/import fees, which isn't terrible considering a Dobinsons with a Sy-Clone head would have been ~$650 or so. I'm also hoping it will flow better than other snorkels as it's 0.5" wider than the OEM intake tube and is smooth.
www.kingfabkustoms.com
Definitely a leap of faith on another Aussie vendor (my Ultra winch did come in) but I'm willing to take it! Just waiting for Memorial day to order the remaining final parts for the 2026 upgrades (fuel skid and LED lights). These parts will be installed in the July/August timeframe.
This time I rolled the dice on a King Fab Customs 4" stainless Aussie snorkel for a Prado 120. Came it at $900 USD with snorkel/shipping/import fees, which isn't terrible considering a Dobinsons with a Sy-Clone head would have been ~$650 or so. I'm also hoping it will flow better than other snorkels as it's 0.5" wider than the OEM intake tube and is smooth.
120 SERIES LANDCRUISER PRADO 4" SNORKEL
TO SUIT 120 PRADO THIS SNORKEL DESIGN WILL ONLY SUIT CLEAN, UNCUT GUARDS. OUR 120 PRADO SNORKEL KIT INCLUDES: 4" STAINLESS STEEL HAND CRAFTED SNORKEL IN YOUR CHOSEN FINISH TEMPLATE FOR CUTTING PINCH WELD AND BOLTS FULL INSTRUCTIONS FOR EASY DIY INSTALLATION PLUMBING MATERIALS SOLD...
www.kingfabkustoms.com
Definitely a leap of faith on another Aussie vendor (my Ultra winch did come in) but I'm willing to take it! Just waiting for Memorial day to order the remaining final parts for the 2026 upgrades (fuel skid and LED lights). These parts will be installed in the July/August timeframe.
Not dogging on the Aussies but why didn't you opt for an American fabricator that offers those same stainless snorkels?
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- #817
There appear to be two US-based fabricators for these, both are the "short entry" design where elbow coming straight out of the fender, leaving a sizeable gap between the tube and fender, which IMO does not look good. The Aussie snorkels are mid-entry and hug the body better IMO. I saw one of those protruding SS pipe snorkels in-person on a 100-series and did not like the way it looked at all. I did ask one US-based fabricator about modifying their design to be more like the Aussies, but they indicated it would cost well over $1K to do so.
DIY'ing is on the table for me but not an attractive option considering it would be 2-3+ solid days of my time to design and build one from scratch and would cost $500+ in tubing, elbows, stainless wire, tri-mix welding gas, and powdercoating. So, the Aussies seemed to offer the only option that checked both boxes of being cost-effective and good-looking.
Makes perfect sense to me.
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- #819
I'm certainly picky on GX aesthetics
. I set up a LLC specifically for fabrication, but have not got it off the ground yet. If this snorkel works out, I may consider finding a way to import and re-sell them in the US. Or, I may consider making my own Aussie-inspired (but slightly different) design in batches for sale (hopefully lowering production cost/effort compared to making a single one-off snorkel for myself).