Lightweight gear for 100 series

[LaOutbackTrail]

Just bought a 2000 LX470 (100) today and will begin outfitting it in a couple of weeks. Will start with OME lift and new tires. Then will move on towards bumpers front and rear. I know it is counterintuitive to some, but I want to build the truck with lighter weight gear. These are already heavy pigs so do not want to exacerbate the problem. I also do not rock crawl and consider our style of use to best fit the "overlanding" category so it doesn't have to stand up to that abuse. For the front bumper, I'm most concerned about animal strikes.

So, considering the options what would be the lighter weight bumpers to consider? Or are they all about the same?

 

[ChuckB]

I can't think of any off the top of my head. The only one that comes to mind is the Slee "Blueberry" bumper. Of course I'm assuming that ARB, TJM, etc are all roughly the same weight. You could contact Bump-it Offroad and see if they will do something custom for you.

I'm interested in what you come up with as I'm on a similar path with my 100. The one concession I have made is that I went with the Slee Step-sliders because they really help my 3 small children get in/out as well as Grammie.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

This is the front bumper you need: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/135676-Winch-bumper Mine weighs about 80 lbs.

 

[Mrknowitall]

TJM makes a very handsome aluminum bull bar.
Under $1300 here:
http://cruisersolutions.com/index.p...id=563&zenid=575248837293d1c8449f4244efda9fb1

There are a couple of shops in TX that can get one for you, too.

 

[enzo]

TJM makes a very handsome aluminum bull bar.
Under $1300 here:
http://cruisersolutions.com/index.p...id=563&zenid=575248837293d1c8449f4244efda9fb1

There are a couple of shops in TX that can get one for you, too.

My LC came with that exact same bumper. If I remember correctly it only weighed 50-60 lbs. My ARB Sahara bar feels like an anchor compared to the TJM.

 

[rlynch356]

as long as they are strong you should be ok with light weight front and rear bumper (front most importantly), my D90 weighs 4200lbs loaded and i do use the ARB front to nudge off of stuff occasionally (trees, berms, etc) if it sits too close and is "thin" your looking at sheet metal fixes... I'd rather pay the slight weight penalty
my 80 had ARB and it basically bounced everything off..

 

[Benc]

This is the route I'm going with my bumpers. I only have a front available so far but do plan on a rear. Like creepersleeper said, "about 80lbs with out bull bar


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[redthies]

My LC came with that exact same bumper. If I remember correctly it only weighed 50-60 lbs. My ARB Sahara bar feels like an anchor compared to the TJM.

Yours had the full lower fairing (which I think may have been for an 80 series?), so slightly different. Still way lighter than 90% of what's out there. (Not busting your nuts, just pointing out the difference, although it is probably only 1-2 lbs).

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/134828-FS-TJM-100-series-Land-Cruiser-front-bumper

 

[doug720]

AS someone who has had 2 encounters with animals - deer, while driving, my suggestion is to get a full coverage bumper design. We spend a lot of time in an area with a huge deer population, and deer strikes are common. The impact is dangerous and damage can be substantial.

After hitting the first deer, when a about 8 deer crossed the road from a steep hill while traveling about 30 mph with the stock bumper, I installed an ARB on my 60 with the full upper. I was lucky the first time, minimum damage, as the deer slipped on the pavement and went mostly under the vehicle.

The second incident, was about the same speed, early in the morning heading out to fish. Sun was just coming up as I came around a corner. A deer was crossing the road, I braked and steered away just a 3 more came out of the tree's about 20 feet in front of me. I hit one.

This time, the deer was standing at impact and much larger. The impact was drivers side towards center. The deer was dead, but vehicle damage was zero, and the full hoops kept the deer from going over the hood.

If you are concerned about anaimal collisions, get a steel bumper with a full upper. The extra weight of 30-40 pounds is nothing compared with the safety IMHO.



The second time

 

[continentaldrifter]

Absolutely correct Doug....i make quite a few bumpers and armor from jeeps to tractor trailers. They do get heavy but when fabricated/gusseted correctly, they are extremely stout....1/4 center and 3/16 wings. To date i have a client with 3 deer strikes on the same bumper,the last she was speeding and a deer crossed at approximately 70mph......0 damage to vehicle and bumper. But, it also weighs 140lbs and fully masked. If you are overlanding, you are covering ground, you need coverage, get someone to build a nice fitting bumper for you. You will pay, but you will only pay once. After the first deer strike, you will be satisfied with the results and continue to your destination not a radiator shop or worse.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

After further consideration and looking... I think I'm settled on the TJM offering (the steel, full coverage one). It looks the best and looks like it was built for the truck, not just fitted at random.

Now, I have an LX470. It has a softer spring rate torsion bar and the AHC system. Now to best accommodate the weight of the bars, I have seen a few folks suggest installing 100 series torsion bars. But, if I were inclined to install some OME or Ironman bars, what would I need to do to properly fit them and keep the AHC system intact?