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Thread: Rear Coil Springs:- 1985 110 County

  1. #1
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    Rear Coil Springs:- 1985 110 County

    My existing REAR COIL SPRINGS are getting a bit sad, and because I carry a fair bit of weight I also need a slight 'lift' in the rear!
    Now, the problem is, the county was built with a LOAD LEVELLER, which I removed many years ago. BUT on a replacement spring website they have two diferent sets of springs, to wit, one to suit a County WITH the load leveller and the other for the County WITHOUT the load leveller. Which set of springs would I order?

  2. #2
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    are your current springs the OEM original springs?
    How much weight do you carry daily?
    Do you like the ride/feel of the truck atm?
    What rear shocks do you have?

    The only difference between WITH or WITHOUT LL is the spring rate. The springs are the same Dia, and go in the same location.

    Personally Unless you are loading to the max and doing outback travel over bad roads, I would get the LL rebuilt and reinstall

  3. #3
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    OK.....

    I have recently been through this and the facts are this....

    The load leveller is difficult and expensive to get rebuilt and even if you do it won't last as long as you will want it to.

    Readily available replacement springs are from 3 manufacturers - Dobinsons, Kings and Lovells - Dobinsons are by far the cheapest (direct from them) but come with little recommendation

    But, Dobinsons are the only catalogue/manufacturer that seems to be aware that there is a difference, and the effect of that difference ... with/without the load leveller.

    Kings and Lovells are both of little help with detailed advice....("stick to the catalogue sir" - yes - and be disappointed)

    In the raised 110 Defender springs Lovells are 22mm wire, Kings are 21mm wire....

    (the Kings County raised springs are 17mm wire - says it all really - and the post above by uninformed apparently is )

    What you need to decide is whether to keep your LL - (my experience would suggest that removing it is the best/most economical & practical option)

    Then if you decide to remove it - order appropriate springs not for the 110 County but from those listed for the 110 Defender

    If you decide to keep the LL I know where there is a hardly used set of Kings raised County springs (KLRR -04) cheap (pm me if you're interested)

    FWIW I eventually went without the LL and installed Kings KLRR-05 (the deare$t coils @ abt $250 delivered) .

    In my view, if you take an option similar to that which I did, you may be able to do away with the sway bar as well (just like in a Deefer).

  4. #4
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    Thanks "uninformed", replying to you (for more info!):-
    1.Yes! apart from the removal of the LL (and an engine change, see below) she's all original, I've had her since new, now got 300th K's on the clock.
    2.weight? A LOT! 9 pax, 200lts diesel, 100lts water, camp gear, 2 spares, full length roofrack (loaded)
    3. Handling, well she's a bit 'rolly' and very 'soft' and 'bottoms out' badly on bumps (I can see cuts in the BS rubbers due to pounding) It needs new shocks, but I'll wait until the new springs are in before I get them.
    4. I replaced the V8 (only due to fuel and rego costs) and put in an Ex Rangie VM 2.4 diesel (50,000k ago) I'm very satisfied with its performance and reliability &c., but it seemed to accentuate the "front up-rear down" attitude of the vehicle. So I think that I'd need the HEAVIER rate rear springs (which are they? w/ or w/out LL?)
    5. I dont think I'd get the LL rebuilt, I consider it extra weight w/out a great deal of benefit and ALL my travel is on bad roads as I live up north of Cooktown FNQ.
    6. I do all my own work on my vehicles, and I'm a bit of a Rover freak, having 4 Rover 2000TC saloons, 2 series 1's, 5 series 2's, 2 series 3's, 1 County, 1 Rangie and 1 disco. (Land Rover:- the grown man's meccano set!)

  5. #5
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    4. I replaced the V8 (only due to fuel and rego costs) and put in an Ex Rangie VM 2.4 diesel (50,000k ago) I'm very satisfied with its performance and reliability &c., but it seemed to accentuate the "front up-rear down" attitude of the vehicle. So I think that I'd need the HEAVIER rate rear springs (which are they? w/ or w/out LL?)

    Springs meant for use with a load leveller are a lower rate than those intended for use without a load leveller.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by 87County View Post
    OK.....

    I have recently been through this and the facts are this....

    The load leveller is difficult and expensive to get rebuilt and even if you do it won't last as long as you will want it to.

    Readily available replacement springs are from 3 manufacturers - Dobinsons, Kings and Lovells - Dobinsons are by far the cheapest (direct from them) but come with little recommendation

    [snip]
    Umm, Les Richmond Automotive in Victoria have springs on the shelf in much more realistic rates than the companies mentioned (and are wound by Browns Springs in Victoria)
    If you don't know exactly what you need, Andrew Richmond is the first port of call IMO.
    He knows Land Rovers and knows that the spring rates mostly offered by the big spring companies are crazy.

    OME and TJM also have a range of 110 springs.

    Any of the specialist Land Rover parts importers have springs, such as Bearmach.

    There are small independent spring winders as well that can wind springs to your specs. eg K-Mac in Sydney, Betta Springs in St Mary's (Sydney), Liverpool Springs Moorebank (Sydney), etc.
    Not sure if they still supply, but Eibach make possibly the best springs in the world and used to wind Defender springs.
    They were just off the top of my head.

    FWIW, here's a list of springs in the pdf below compiled by Red90/John B, whose online list seems to be down ATM
    Attached Files Attached Files

  7. #7
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    Dear 87County,
    Thanks, by the way, I was advised some time ago to do away with the 'sway-bar', took it off, yeehah! All over the road, very nearly went over on the Docker River Road, soon as I got to Perth, put it back on....Beaut!!

  8. #8
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    Hi

    I'd have to agree with Rick on the springs

    I run an 85 county now without a load leveller - old an died.To correct my sagged original springs I replaced with same rate as stock for an 85 County with LRA springs. They have lasted me 4 years and 50k km so far.

    I run it without the rear sway bar around the hills and put the sway back on for loaded desert work ( 2 people + sat 250 kg of camping gear), it really helps more with a load.

    I've found this work very well but it is really quite soft, and leans pretty bad on the corners, especially loaded w/out sway bar. But it rides very well and works well off road.

    In my experience I'd suggest sticking with original springs rates and slowing down. The benefits with the ride and articulation compensates for the handling loss.


    Clive

  9. #9
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    Ok..................87 County

    Lets look at the OP's main question: Does he order the springs for WITH or WITHOUT load leveller?

    Now this is a very basic question, given the hardware in a LR rear end: A frame arms, bushes and ball joint, trailing arms and its bushes, axle assembly, springs, shock absorbers and EITHER WITH or WITHOUT Load leveller.

    So what is the Difference? well simply the LL, either WITH or WITHOUT.

    NO magic between coils WITH or WITHOUT, no extra gadgetry that changes the laws of physics....so OUTSIDE DIA of 110 coils WITH or WITHOUT LL are the same. Do you get where I was comming from and what I was trying to get the OP to understand...basic answer for a basic question


    You can quote part numbers and brands all day, but WITHOUT a spring rate and spring type, ie varibale rate etc, then they mean bugger all. And that goes for lift or no lift.

    Whats the bet the OP's bump stop space is at or below 100mm in the rear.

    If he likes the ride or almost, then running some heavy arse springs isnt going to give him the package he wants. By the sounds of it he doesnt need, nore after huge travel. So some decent off the shelf Koni or Bilstein would be my recommendation for shocks. If he doesnt want to run the LL, he can take the measurements and pretty well known spring rate of his OEM rear, WITH load leveller springs, as a base for feel, just getting them longer for the BSS he wants....

    As a note the spring rate on my OEM 110 CC springs is about 320lb, this is WITHOUT load leveller. The 85 county OEM WITH Load leveller are about 180lb...So the OP, should be on 180lb rears.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by dick180641 View Post
    Thanks "uninformed", replying to you (for more info!):-
    1.Yes! apart from the removal of the LL (and an engine change, see below) she's all original, I've had her since new, now got 300th K's on the clock.

    OK so if they are the original you now have a base rate for "feel" that would be 180lb


    2.weight? A LOT! 9 pax, 200lts diesel, 100lts water, camp gear, 2 spares, full length roofrack (loaded)

    What is 9 pax? The diesel and water would be about 250kg plus tank weights, so say 300kg plus the other gear...how much of this is carried by the rear axle only?

    3. Handling, well she's a bit 'rolly' and very 'soft' and 'bottoms out' badly on bumps (I can see cuts in the BS rubbers due to pounding) It needs new shocks, but I'll wait until the new springs are in before I get them.

    Well the BS copping a pounding are due to your now old sagged springs AND the fact they were designed to work WITH the load leveller....But if you like the ride, other than the bottoming out, you could go for a new spring in either same rate of a bit more ( Say upto 220lb)


    4. I replaced the V8 (only due to fuel and rego costs) and put in an Ex Rangie VM 2.4 diesel (50,000k ago) I'm very satisfied with its performance and reliability &c., but it seemed to accentuate the "front up-rear down" attitude of the vehicle. So I think that I'd need the HEAVIER rate rear springs (which are they? w/ or w/out LL?)

    This could have also co-insided with your LL crapping out...I would doubt the VM deisel to be that much lighter than the 3.5 v8...


    5. I dont think I'd get the LL rebuilt, I consider it extra weight w/out a great deal of benefit and ALL my travel is on bad roads as I live up north of Cooktown FNQ.

    Then go with a slightly heavier spring rate and to the length you require.


    6. I do all my own work on my vehicles, and I'm a bit of a Rover freak, having 4 Rover 2000TC saloons, 2 series 1's, 5 series 2's, 2 series 3's, 1 County, 1 Rangie and 1 disco. (Land Rover:- the grown man's meccano set!)
    If this is the case, Im a little suprised you have to ask about what springs to order. This is not a dig at you, just how I read the info thus far.

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