Defender 130 Newbie enquiries

[Bushal]

Hello

I'm considering a second hand 130 for remote trips for up to 3 weeks being self sufficient, mainly because of the high payloads, room in tray toughness, reliability. All Wagons just don't have anywhere near enough payload. The new LC70 dual cabs look like an alternative but too pricey so I think second hand 130 is the only option.

My setup is arrive at destination & unpack rather then have things permanent stay mounted to the 4wd like on board water with shower etc.

Tray.

I would like to store 5 20L water containers across the width of the tray, somewhere 3 20L fuel jerries & 3 9kg lpg bottles ring holders

along with 2 fridges & at least one draw or box for tools. Can jerry containers & gas holders be mounted on the tray either by bolting therm or welding?

Should the stock tray be replaced with a flat no side walls tray? My concern is the wheel arches take up alot of space.

The fridges would sit in a platform on thick hard rubber foam to absorb impacts.
The water containers would sit in jerry holders that have the front cut away with a gate that swings open
so they can slide out rather then lift out.

Canopy.

I can't decide if a hard shell canopy is really worth it or if it will just add more hassle? To me if its steel you should
have 2 spare wheels on rear wall for easy access, however Id like an open rear tail gate to climb into.
With just side opening hatches I think it would be too difficult getting heavy items like jerrys & fridge due to the tray height.


I think a canvas style which allows access to rear tailgate would be best so you can climb into the tray to lift heavy items.
Also such a canopy has structure, could awnings be mounted on it? if one wanted cover further rear of the 4wd.



3. I read the wagons are not sealed well against dust & water at the tail gate, is this the same with the 130 & its 4 doors?

4. In the newer models its said the air con still isn't too great.Id like to know how it compares to decent 4wd AC where on a 40C day
after a while the cabin is cool enough you don't feel uncomfortable & you usually feel a little cold.

5.Since this is a HD 4wd with high payloads are HD aftermarket suspension upgrades still recommended?

6. With a full payload, does it have enough power to maintain speed climbing long steep hardtop grades in a 90km/h zone? What about offroading up steep sections? Do you need low range?

7. I'm still a little confused about servicing, from what i can gather the motor needs serving quite alot more frequently than other brands diesels but probably only small work.
Who do you take these to just generic mechs or should I look for diesel place?


Looking for as much help & detailed answers.

Thanks

[weeds]

Whats your budget for just the rig? This will determine which era you will be looking which in turn will assist member with replying.

[weeds]

I haven't owned a 130 but can answer some questions.

My 110 wagon never leaked dust

It had enough payload for us a family of five.

On my Simpson trip (2A 1C)
92L water
Equilivant 4 jerries diesel
2 x 4kg gas (hell 3 x 9's is a lot of gas)
2 x fridges (1x40L and 1x32L)
2 x spares (one on Bonnet and one on roof rack)
Awning.
You don't mention any other major item you need to carry.

Puma air con is quite good
TD5 air con is marginal
300tdi useless (well on mine anyway)
They might all struggle on a 40 degree day

Re: suspension, are you likely to be loading up to GVM?

Power, puma is good and will speed, TD5 not as good, 300tdi not the best.

Off roading up steep sections low range is always a good option as there is a good chance you have to go down hill

Servicing, I do engine every 5k, all other oils as per manual

Always good to build a good relationship with an independent Landry repairer, just basic servicing any mechanic.

[Tote]

I have built a 130 tourer setup using a removable pod on my new vehicle, link here http://www.aulro.com/afvb/projects-tutorials/231870-another-130-build-thread.html

There are some other very good ideas in the project section as well.

Regards,
Tote

[MLD]

my 130. canvas drop sides with Alu skin roof on canopy. RRT sits on top when the wife comes away or i swag it when solo. the grey container is 70 ltr water. I have the same for diesel on the other side. my spares (x2) are under the tray or 1 spare and space for other stuff like tools and recovery equip.

The canopy frame

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/401.jpg

now wrapped in canvas

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/402.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/403.jpg

As you will see from my pic the roof doubles as a viewing platform

If you don't plan to do much crossed axle work think about inner air bag helpers instead of the inner coil. That way you can set the PSI according to the weight. Otherwise my strong recommendation is to leave the suspension standard. You'd be better off with lockers and 33" rubber than a lift for a tourer.

I service 10,000kms for engine oil and filters. 20,000 for all transmission & diff oils, fuel filter.

enjoy the journey, plenty of great 130 set ups out there.

[strangy]

As others have said, have a look at the 130 builds and rides here, then pick the things you feel will work best for your main style of use.
There are some fantastic setups and ideas here.
Weekend camping as opposed to Touring camping is quite different particularly if you are away for more than a week.
Ive found this to be the most difficult considerations prior to getting my setup.
I wanted some extra comforts for Mrs Strangy too. After all if she isnt happy, the trip wont be enjoyed and future trips wont be likely.
No matter what you settle on it will be a compromise at one time or another.
I prefer a hard canopy for security and dust, but it costs and weighs more.
In the end I settled for a lightweight slide on camper unit. This gave the best balance of easy setup for overnight or long stay setups for our main camping needs. Its overkill for over nighters- perfect for 7 to 10 day remote stops. but only for 2 people.

Suspension- typically Defenders are well sorted straight out of the box.
A search on suspension for Defenders will provide hours of reading and opinions, however, the general concensus is leave as standard, if not, dont go more than 2 inches lift. You can go more than 2 but costs & mods dont provide any real benefit for the average punter.

Air con- he he he. depends on year model and level of insulation/heat shielding applied by previous owners for older models.

Servicing- no more servicing than any other brand- however- the earlier motor 300tdi does benefit from more frequent timing belt changes compared to others (around 80km instead of 100km)

Performance- whichever model you choose, they are a small motor in a big vehicle.
all can be tweeked easily and cheaply to give better reliable grunt.
The TD5 and 2.2 - 2.4 engines are more powerful in std trim and respond well to a remap.

[Bushal]

Whats your budget for just the rig? This will determine which era you will be looking which in turn will assist member with replying.


Hi. Not sure really. Was looking at the older 90's models but now the 2007ish might be more better. Haven't really decided on budget.



Re: suspension, are you likely to be loading up to GVM?

.

Usually 1100-1200kg for long trips 2people being fully self sufficient. Most of the weight even across the vehicle with a bit more focused on tray area. Which is why I wouldn't want a heavy canopy.

How ever with extra passengers Id say some trips will hit the GVM.

Thanks you everyone who replied. I will keep researching these.

[mike_beecham]

I have just fitted our new tray camper. Very pleased with it. We travel a lot and find this setup very good for us. I keep things as simple as possible.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/280.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/11/281.jpg

Cheers,
Michael

[DiscoMick]

I don't own a 130 so the only comment I'd make is the Puma Defenders have six gears, which makes a difference, particularly for very slow climbs/descents and for highway cruising. Pumas also have effective air-con.
Many people say there is no need to lift a Defender as it already comes with plenty of clearance, but you do need a snorkel and to seal the battery box under the front passenger's seat to keep water out when wading.
The 130 already has HD springs as standard. Rather than replacing them, you might just add rear airbags to level up a load. It is working well in our 110 for towing.
Personally, I try to keep the weight down as much as possible.
Have you considered a long range fuel tank rather then fuel containers? Gets the weight down low and frees up space on the tray.
Hope that helps...

[Bushal]

I don't own a 130 so the only comment I'd make is the Puma Defenders have six gears, which makes a difference, particularly for very slow climbs/descents and for highway cruising. Pumas also have effective air-con.
Many people say there is no need to lift a Defender as it already comes with plenty of clearance, but you do need a snorkel and to seal the battery box under the front passenger's seat to keep water out when wading.
The 130 already has HD springs as standard. Rather than replacing them, you might just add rear airbags to level up a load. It is working well in our 110 for towing.
Personally, I try to keep the weight down as much as possible.
Have you considered a long range fuel tank rather then fuel containers? Gets the weight down low and frees up space on the tray.
Hope that helps...

Hi.

For an almost 10year old defender with 100-200,000km, would the suspension have to be replaced still due to wear & tear?

I would consider a LR tank, but still fuel jerries might be needed for my activities.

Another question I can't seem to find an answer for is about longer trays up 1.8M or even 2M, do you just get an extended hitch for using the trailer?

thanks

[DiscoMick]

Hi.

For an almost 10year old defender with 100-200,000km, would the suspension have to be replaced still due to wear & tear?

I would consider a LR tank, but still fuel jerries might be needed for my activities.

Another question I can't seem to find an answer for is about longer trays up 1.8M or even 2M, do you just get an extended hitch for using the trailer?

thanks

As a rule of thumb I'd say a suspension might be OK for around 100,000, but it varies greatly. Does it bounce repeatedly when you push the corners down? Do the springs seem sagged?
Can't comment on the other items.

Sent from my SM-G900I using AULRO mobile app

[MLD]

Hi.

For an almost 10year old defender with 100-200,000km, would the suspension have to be replaced still due to wear & tear?

I would consider a LR tank, but still fuel jerries might be needed for my activities.

Another question I can't seem to find an answer for is about longer trays up 1.8M or even 2M, do you just get an extended hitch for using the trailer?

thanks

To see if your coils have dropped by a material amount these are the bump stop clearances for a 130. Keep in mind that the bump stops vary from the factory and on a 10 y/o vehicle will have been compressed over the years.

97 ? 15 mm
152 ? 15 mm

Coils and shocks are, relatively, cheap and if you are minded to carry weight it could be a sound investment from the outset.

As for the tray length:

- the 130 tub is sub 1700mm
- IMO a tray of 1800mm offers a balance between length and not having to have an extended tow hitch (with the associated weakness in a longer tow hitch) to give access to the ball. My tray is 1800 and as you will see from rear pics still has a bit of overhang.
- IMO 2000/2100mm is too long. Paul (iclick) had a 2100 tray and the overhang was considerable. A longer tray tempts you to load more and more to the rear where that puts the front tray mounts under duress. It also affects departure angle when towing and not towing (less so the later).

There was a post about 24 months back were people contributed to the pros and cons of various tray lengths. it was informative if not stimulating with competing views and opinions.

[VladTepes]

ryangus (member on here) has a 130 with a "jack off" camper. He went through several incarnations of camping set ups and is convinced his set up now is the best value for money and works really well for him.

Lift Off Ute Canopies - Liftoff Ute Bodies - Liftoff Service Bodies - Liftoff Ute Tray - Slideon Toolboxes - Liftoff Toolboxes (http://jackoff.com.au/liftoff-ute-bodies/)

[Bushal]

To see if your coils have dropped by a material amount these are the bump stop clearances for a 130. Keep in mind that the bump stops vary from the factory and on a 10 y/o vehicle will have been compressed over the years.

97 ? 15 mm
152 ? 15 mm

Coils and shocks are, relatively, cheap and if you are minded to carry weight it could be a sound investment from the outset.

As for the tray length:

- the 130 tub is sub 1700mm
- IMO a tray of 1800mm offers a balance between length and not having to have an extended tow hitch (with the associated weakness in a longer tow hitch) to give access to the ball. My tray is 1800 and as you will see from rear pics still has a bit of overhang.
- IMO 2000/2100mm is too long. Paul (iclick) had a 2100 tray and the overhang was considerable. A longer tray tempts you to load more and more to the rear where that puts the front tray mounts under duress. It also affects departure angle when towing and not towing (less so the later).

There was a post about 24 months back were people contributed to the pros and cons of various tray lengths. it was informative if not stimulating with competing views and opinions.

Thanks.

With any typical wagon 4wd one of the first mods is upgrade suspension, so for me I wouldn't mind with a defender as long as it's original heavy duty.
About the tray, it seems 1800mm long would suit me given that there are no wheel arches taking up space.