2016 'Defender'

Yep, it can also be where the load is placed. I saw a Mazda BT Dual cab ute in Alice with a heap of weight behind the rear axle. Saw the same ute in Birdsville and there was a much wider gap between the top of the cabin and the canopy because the chassis had bent. All that weight behind the rear axle had flexed the chassis rails over the corrugations until they bent. If the weight had been further forward he might have been OK. Mind you, a Triton carrying a fair weight further forward chopped out its suspension bushes, broke a Sax leaf spring and had a crack in the side of the ute body from the weight of the canopy bouncing. Too much weight is the enemy. Reckon many people would be surprised at how much weight they are actually carrying on a trip.

The trouble is the Asian manufacturers are fitting bigger cabs with bigger motors to chassis designed 20 years ago,back then the motors were NA boat anchors that nobody towed with because they had no power,now they have plenty of power with larger cabs so the trays have to move back to the point that they have half the tray overhanging the tow bar,add up the leverage onto the chassis above the rear axle and snap. Pat

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Interesting story in the latest 4 x 4 Australia about utes bending their chassis. Some of the pics were taken during our Simpson crossing late last year so I saw it first-hand. I can say without a doubt they were grossly overloaded, particularly behind the rear axle. This makes the point that most modern utes, except the 130, are just not up to carrying heavy loads over severe corrugations. Will the next Defender be able to do that?

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Just to balance this...

I have seen a couple of damaged 130 chassis from heavy loads and offroad work. I have also seen a defender 130 that had started to bow from its load on a trip.

IIRC, A few members here have reported a few chassis cracks...

Anything will stress under certain conditions, and most of the punters will never put their vehicles through those conditions... But everything has its limit.

This is becoming a bigger problem nowadays, as people buy endless gadgets and other junk for travel. Overloading a vehicle way beyond what is necessary for their journey.
Most do not need all the items they take, and never use much of it, but it all contributes to mechanical stress & fuel consumption.

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Originally Posted by PAT303

The trouble is the Asian manufacturers are fitting bigger cabs with bigger motors to chassis designed 20 years ago,back then the motors were NA boat anchors that nobody towed with because they had no power,now they have plenty of power with larger cabs so the trays have to move back to the point that they have half the tray overhanging the tow bar,add up the leverage onto the chassis above the rear axle and snap. Pat

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No one can accuse LR of overpowering the Defender Chassis :p in its current rendition

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Originally Posted by PAT303

The trouble is the Asian manufacturers are fitting bigger cabs with bigger motors to chassis designed 20 years ago,back then the motors were NA boat anchors that nobody towed with because they had no power,now they have plenty of power with larger cabs so the trays have to move back to the point that they have half the tray overhanging the tow bar,add up the leverage onto the chassis above the rear axle and snap. Pat

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When the current shape Triton was released there were a lot of complaints the tray was too small so Mitsubishi solved it by lengthening the tray. I don't think there were any other changes so basically all the extra length was behind the rear wheels and moved the tow bar further from the rear wheels. See a lot of them driving around the metro area looking like the gap between the canopy and the rear cab is bigger at the top than the bottom. :angel:

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Originally Posted by loneranger

When the current shape Triton was released there were a lot of complaints the tray was too small so Mitsubishi solved it by lengthening the tray. I don't think there were any other changes so basically all the extra length was behind the rear wheels and moved the tow bar further from the rear wheels. See a lot of them driving around the metro area looking like the gap between the canopy and the rear cab is bigger at the top than the bottom. :angel:

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I heard there is a strengthening kit available from Mitsubishi, but I haven't seen it myself.
All I know is my BIL is disgusted with the weakness of his Triton, which he says is made from soft drink cans, and has bought an old 80 series as a project car, pending getting rid of the Triton. I told him he should have gotten a Defender instead, but he has read too many stories in 4WD Action about how the 80 series is 'the best car ever made', so the propaganda got him.

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Originally Posted by Summiitt

Defenders have no change in their GVM for off road work.. That's the primary reason I run the 130s, I can run them at or close to their GVM straight out of the show room, with no upgrades, new suspension or other mods..and, they hold up to it very well, typically I can get 6-8yrs before looking at new suspension.
Whatever the replacement for the defenders, I hope LR keep the chassis engineering at the top of the list..
GVM has nothing to do with towing..that's GCM..

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Exactly Summiitt. No other comparable vehicle has the chassis strength of Defender. If they go to aluminium chassis or monocoque, Defender is finished as a working vehicle. It might yet be something else great, but it's very unlikely it will ever be as heavy duty again.

Ps: interesting to hear you get six years with no mods. ...I blew my original shocks on just one trip up the strezlecki. Only one mod I'd recommend for a stock Defender - Koni Raids.

A lot of people like Koni...

I removed the set on one of my previous vehicles and dropped them in the bin!!! (Serious)

Wouldn't that be an interesting 4wd comparo, off the showroom floor, loaded to GVM, no support vehicle, shortest route Sydney Alice

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Originally Posted by MrLandy

Exactly Summiitt. No other comparable vehicle has the chassis strength of Defender. If they go to aluminium chassis or monocoque, Defender is finished as a working vehicle. It might yet be something else great, but it's very unlikely it will ever be as heavy duty again.

Ps: interesting to hear you get six years with no mods. ...I blew my original shocks on just one trip up the strezlecki. Only one mod I'd recommend for a stock Defender - Koni Raids.

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Mine have done almost every track in WA and are going strong,the only thing I replaced was the bottom bushes on the rear,an alloy monocoque defender will be lighter and stronger than one made from steel with bolted on alloy body. Pat