130 300Tdi carrying capacity

[Ranga]

I'm looking to swap the 110 300Tdi for a 130 dual cab. The intention is to get a canopy with wind-up legs for camping. This would carry all the usual camping gear, like fridge, Oztent, esky, food, clothing etc.

I'm not sure of the weight of the canopy, but was curious how much weight a 130 300Tdi can carry without putting too much strain on it, or if I was better off getting a TD5.

I'm currently looking at a 300Tdi with a Disco auto box and transfer case. It's a bit sluggish at take-off, but good on the the highway. I'd probably look at swapping the transfer case back to a Defender for better low down performance. Reckon this would handle the canopy OK?

[slug_burner]

You will always get a bit better performance out of a Td5. Td5 comes with its benefits as well as the electronics that many dont care for.

It will improve with lower gearing. Knew another bloke who had a disco transfer case in his 300 Tdi 130, performance was poor. It would not hold speed on the highway if there was any wind or slope. I suspect that your auto is making up for the taller gearing as the torque converter will allow the engine to get up higher in the rev range on take off.

[VladTepes]

The actual load carrying capacity of the vehicle is dictated by the chassis etc - and in this sense 300Tdi nd TD5 are identical. IIRC it's about 1 tonne. i.e. heaps.

Ho well teh vehicle actually goes with that sort of load aboard is, as the people above say, dependent on available power. Let's face it Defenders are not rocketships irrespective of which model.

The TD5 will be better in this respect however, and you can "chip" it to give it a bit more poke.

Of course TD5 130's are more expensive than a Tdi.
They have electronics / computers. (The only com,puter in my Tdi is your GPS suckered to the windscreen!)

and also irrespective of which model - the more weight carried means the more fuel consumed.