Thread: 130 or off road trailer?

Originally Posted by ashman

Hi Simon

I have had my 130 now for 2 years and very happy with it, we are a family of 4 and go camping when ever we can, you will be surprised at how much you can carry in the back tray, when camping we take a fair bit of gear as you have to with 2 teenage girls as well we tow a trailer with 2 dirtbikes, we go to Mamar park a fair bit, as for driving I have no problems parking and very comfortable on long trips, my wife is only 5' and she has no problems with driving it as well, it is a bit harder parking in tight places but you get use to it, at the moment I'm building a top rack for the back tray, I will be carring 2 spare wheels up top and a solar pannel for the fridge as well a bladder water tank in the back seat storage box am setting it up for long stays in the bush and travel up to Cape York, we had a Landcruiser before the 130 and was the best thing I ever done, mine has a long range tank and is good for 1300 ks as well the maintenance is a bit more, mine has the TD5 engine...

If you want to know more I will be very happy to answer anythink you like to ask...

Cheers Ashley

Thanks Ashley,

Sounds like a good set up. Any photo's?

The 130 is the go for me I think, even though my patrol is well set up for touring it just aint big enough for the growing family without a trailer being added. The good thing is I am in no rush so can wait for the right 130 to show up.

When you say "the maintenance is a bit more" what do you mean exactly?

Cheers

Simon

Hi Simon, just let us know when you want to meet, our 130 is being setup for touring, it's a 2005 mod td5 with the following already completed: EGR kit, 2.5 exhaust system with vortex muffler, toombie ECU remap, bigger intercooler, silicone hoses, engine saver, upgraded headlight wiring loom, dual battery with traxide unit, ARB front and rear diff locks, Maxidrive heavy duty axles and flanges, heavy duty CV's, ARB compressor, Wolf rims and wrangler MT/R kevlars, Icom 400 mounted in a Outback 4wd interior roof console....still to do list are Heavy duty king springs all around and Bistiens front and dual on back, plus a good set of hid driving lights...then hopefully off on our trip, talk soon Gaz and Georgie.

Originally Posted by gaz

Hi Simon, just let us know when you want to meet, our 130 is being setup for touring, it's a 2005 mod td5 with the following already completed: EGR kit, 2.5 exhaust system with vortex muffler, toombie ECU remap, bigger intercooler, silicone hoses, engine saver, upgraded headlight wiring loom, dual battery with traxide unit, ARB front and rear diff locks, Maxidrive heavy duty axles and flanges, heavy duty CV's, ARB compressor, Wolf rims and wrangler MT/R kevlars, Icom 400 mounted in a Outback 4wd interior roof console....still to do list are Heavy duty king springs all around and Bistiens front and dual on back, plus a good set of hid driving lights...then hopefully off on our trip, talk soon Gaz and Georgie.

Certainly sounds like another well set up 130. I look forward to seeing it in the flesh sometime soon.

Originally Posted by camel_landy

Hi Simon,

Go 110 or 130... If you're comfortable with a 110, the 130 is very similar.

The 130 does make a good touring rig but don't let that extra space lull you into packing too much... Be strict with yourself on the packing.

M

Well 'Mrs Earvin' has weighed up the pros and cons of the 130 from the info supplied here and we will now be seriously considering the 110. Whilst for touring the 130 is my preference as a daily driver for her she has a big say in the decision, and from what I can tell we don't necessarily miss out on too much with the 110.

So I will still be checking out the 130 but keeping a keen eye on the 110's due to more ease of parking, seemingly more suitable for child restraint fitting, and the cargo area seems bigger than the Patrol (am I correct that this is so?).

Cheers

Simon

Hi Earvin,

We (family of five) recently did a 3 week camping trip, touring Kangaroo Island & SA Peninsulas in a 110.

We managed to fit a large Blackwolf tent, double swag, sleeping mats & bags, fridge, 2 tables, camp cupboard, 5 chairs, LPG bottle & Cooker, folding toilet, tools, spares, tarps, esky, beach shelter, dry food boxes, 5 pillows, x-large first aid kit... behind the cargo barrier. Some recovery gear was in the back too, some under the drivers seat.

Kayak, bikes, boogie boards, life jackets, sand toys on the roof rack, and some small items in a dirty gear bag on the rear wheel. Some low boxes also under the kids feet.

It was cramped, but no one was uncomfortable or complained.

We managed shorter trips when we had to carry a porta cot and pram (but obviously less gear).

So with only one child, it's definitely very do-able in a 110.

Items to consider are :

Water tank : makes cleaning hands & kids easy, and you don't have to risk lifting or spilling water containers. I have a 45 litre tank under the LHS wheel arch and a 50 Litre tank (only 8cm wide) up against the cargo barrier. Great for carrying drinking water, and you can use the local brackish water for cleaning.

Seat Organisers : for all those small items that crowd out the cabin area, such as phone & camera chargers, torches, tyre gauges etc.

Trinket Tray : a moulded tray that slips over the transmission tunnel and gives you drink bottle holders and a little tray. Land Rover Australia used to supply some, but I think they're out of production, but there are a couple of varieties available ex-UK.

H/Duty Side Steps : family access and side impact protection.

I try to keep weight down by having racks and draw systems all made of aluminium, rather than steel / timber.

Thanks Michael. So I am right in that the Defender cargo area is bigger than the Patrol aren't I?

Hi Earvin,
My family went from a County 110 to GQ Patrol and back to a Defender 110, the 110s were much easier to pack and have a larger cargo area because of the vertical sides of the vehicles. I'm not sure about the later shape Patrols. The narrower door opening of the 110 means large items are harder to load but for camping that was never a problem.
The 110s would fit 2 adult and 2 kid bicycles in the back, with the Patrol we had to buy a bike rack.
Hope that helps

Originally Posted by Earvin

Thanks Michael. So I am right in that the Defender cargo area is bigger than the Patrol aren't I?

I think it's bigger, otherwise I'm just got really good at playing Tetris. The Patrol does have a lower floor area and a wider back door, and you may need to adjust your packing style to suit the vehicle. I've got the ARB Cargo rails on top of my fridge box and I'm able to stack up to the roof and secure items from the top of the fridge box / draw system to the cargo barrier using elastic straps. This means that I can stack high, but still be left with "shelf space" near the back door.

Another thing I've seen in a Defender is using mesh security grilles that fit on the inside of the back side windows. Then the grille, like the cargo barrier can be used for securing loads.

I also think that the Defenders suspension handles loads a lot better, but I don't have a lot of experience with Patrols and my 110 has H/Duty springs. My comment comes only from the number of sagging Patrols I've seen.

Some photos of the draw system I've made are available on the following link :

Defender and fridges