Cutting weight off of the 100 Series LC - Pro tips?

[Sisyphus]

I am trying to keep the Land Cruiser light when I am on the trails and was wondering if any of you have had luck cutting weight off of the LC itself and or have added lighter bumpers or found lighter methods with gear storage (i.e. drawer systems)

Thanks for the ideas ahead of time!

 

[zimm]

I am trying to keep the Land Cruiser light when I am on the trails and was wondering if any of you have had luck cutting weight off of the LC itself and or have added lighter bumpers or found lighter methods with gear storage (i.e. drawer systems)

Thanks for the ideas ahead of time!

Use plastic bins. Take out uneed used seats. Dont ad anything.....and.... Cut the roof of with sawzall. Pull the ac. Take off all trim. You only need one headlight.......

Its a 100 dude. Its a pig. The best you can do is stay below the gvwr or go buy a sammi.

 

[BigSwede]

Fill your tires with helium.

 

[SmoothLC]

Tie balloons to the rack.

 

[Seeker]

Like they said... You're asking how to lighten a tank. Might actually be the first time it was asked.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Just being aware of the weight is almost enough. When you build a bumper, is it to hold lights and winch, - or push over a tree? Kind of obvious, anyways.
I travel long trips in my 60, what everything weighs is important. Plastic fuel cans, not steel, aluminum roof rack, not steel. Just remember, tools are heavy,
recovery gear is heavy, so don't carry them in steel boxes, I use canvas bags. My .02

 

[offero]

Camp like you're backpacking, which will lead you to pack less stuff. I find it's the stuff that really weighs down my vehicle on trips.

The note about steal bumpers and their necessity is sage advice. I'm really hesitant to add them to my new vehicle as I recall how much weight they added to my last one.

 

[Matto]

?

Failing that, I think you're on the right track.

A lot of people here (including me) like steel bumpers, because they stand up to abuse and can be easily repaired. But I really think my next car will have an aluminium bullbar, simply to keep the weight down. If I'm in a big enough accident that the extra strength would make a difference, I'm probably in big trouble anyway. I'll probably still fit steel sliders and a rear bar though, since they're the bits most likely to touch down on rocks.

Over here, Drifta make fantastic drawer units and kitchens out of plywood: http://www.drifta.com.au/faq-4wd-fitout/ . They use ply because it's a lot lighter than a comparable steel system. As the others have mentioned, a plywood shelf/false floor with canvas bags or plastic bins might be even lighter still.

As has been touched on above by cruiserpilot - aluminium roofracks are much lighter than steel. They also have the benefit of removing weight from the extremities of the car where it can be most noticed. You want the weight to be as low and central as possible. So a roofrack is a classic example of where good savings can be made that will directly translate to better handling. Likewise - do you REALLY need two spare wheels and tyres mounted on a rear wing-away carrier - RIGHT on the back of the vehicle? Where you're going, can you get away with one spare wheel?

Lastly, don't forget to add speed holes.

Good luck!
Matto

 

[86tuning]

Just being aware of the weight is almost enough. When you build a bumper, is it to hold lights and winch, - or push over a tree?

Camp like you're backpacking, which will lead you to pack less stuff. I find it's the stuff that really weighs down my vehicle on trips.

Yup. That's pretty much what I do with mine. My 80 comes with steel bumpers already. I believe the 100 comes with an aluminum front and steel rear bumper. Good enough. Just get the rest ready for your trip, and be cognizant of the weight every time you add something. The minimalist mindset is what will help keep you from growing to 7-8000lbs of stuff. 20% more weight sucks any way you look at it.

Shaving a few pounds here and there is helpful, because those pounds can easily add up to hundreds of pounds.