Which Landcruiser? 79 series have free wheel hubs.

There are benefits and down sides of part time (with free wheel hubs) Vs full time 4WD. Part time means the front diff and axles are only rotating when the hubs are engauged, so there is some fuel saving.

If you think you might need 4WD, then engage the hubs. They can stay engaged without using 4WD forever if you wish, without damage.
Cheers,
Peter

iana wrote:

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Looking to buy one, can't say I am excited about it, its an old truck, but gives me another half ton CVM. I have to pay twice the amount for a second hand unit, or double what I paid for my present Ute new. Oh well thems the breaks.

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 Great decision Ian....Even at twice the price of a brand new lightweight ute,a second hand 79 still is extremely good value.Nothing compares or competes. And the resale value is ridiculous...everybody wants one,which is why there is a 6 month waiting list to buy new.Happy to help if you have any further questions about the 79,which is,other than the BIG Yank tanks,(NOT the Ram 1500) I believe,the only ute that can safely tow 3500kg as a PIG trailer,thanks mainly to its 2300kg rear axle. Again,congratulations....at our age we all should know that we get what we pay for.Do it once,do it well! Cheers

yobarr wrote:

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iana wrote:

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Looking to buy one, can't say I am excited about it, its an old truck, but gives me another half ton CVM. I have to pay twice the amount for a second hand unit, or double what I paid for my present Ute new. Oh well thems the breaks.

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 Great decision Ian....Even at twice the price of a brand new lightweight ute,a second hand 79 still is extremely good value.Nothing compares or competes. And the resale value is ridiculous...everybody wants one,which is why there is a 6 month waiting list to buy new.Happy to help if you have any further questions about the 79,which is one of the very few utes that safely tow 3500kg as a PIG trailer,thanks mainly to its 2300kg rear axle. Again,congratulations....at our age we all should know that we get what we pay for.Do it once,do it well! Cheers

I dont thinks so   

I can assure you yobarr i for one would consider a 79 the very last on my wish list . 

-- Edited by yobarr on Friday 27th of November 2020 05:06:25 PM

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outlaw40 wrote:

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yobarr wrote:

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iana wrote:

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Looking to buy one, can't say I am excited about it, its an old truck, but gives me another half ton CVM. I have to pay twice the amount for a second hand unit, or double what I paid for my present Ute new. Oh well thems the breaks.

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 Great decision Ian....Even at twice the price of a brand new lightweight ute,a second hand 79 still is extremely good value.Nothing compares or competes. And the resale value is ridiculous..everybody wants one,which is why there is a 6 month waiting list to buy new.Happy to help if you have any further questions about the 79,which is one of the very few utes that safely tow 3500kg as a PIG trailer,thanks mainly to its 2300kg rear axle. Again,congratulations....at our age we all should know that we get what we pay for.Do it once,do it well! Cheers

I dont thinks so   

I can assure you yobarr i for one would consider a 79 the very last on my wish list . 

 

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outlaw40 wrote:

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All joking aside Iana I would suggest you take one for a good long test drive ,ie not just around the block but 10-20 km ..... they can be quit .... Agricultural   

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 What aaaare you on about? I'm by no means a small person,and I certainly am not young,but I've sometimes driven over 1000km/day in my 79 single-cab ute,with no problems at all. Having driven long distance in heavy vehicles since the 1960s,perhaps my comfort expectations are not as high as those of the "look at me" brigade,but these cars will safely tow 3500kg,as well as carry a heavy load on the tray,long after lesser vehicles have died. If you park a 79 alongside the current crop of twin-cab pretenders,and crawl undeneath ,you should be able to immediately see why these cars are so capable...... built to last.Nothing compares or competes.Since I have been a member of this forum,I have helped at least 3 other members with their purchase of a new 79,with glowing reports from them......I use PM and phone calls to avoid input from some on here who know little, understand less,and have no apparent interest in learning.Whatever Ian's final decision,I wish him only the best,but short of a REAL Ram (NOT a 1500),an F250,Silverado or similar,nothing else will do what he wants to do.Cheers

Hi Iana,

If you do road test the 79 series at length as is suggested by others and after a good run you can still walk, then just remember that the vehicle is inheritantly unstable on anything but a perfect road due to the narrow track on the rear axle. This is worse when towing.
I think from memory it is 95mm narrower than the front track.

So while you are hobbling around after the test drive, making a decision you may want to consider the cost to increase the track to be the same as the front track then you might want to factor in the cost of up to $7,000 to do the job legally.

www.allfourx4.com.au/Ultimate-Dana-60-Rear-Axle-suitable-for-Landcruiser-79-Series-Ute

I dont know how tall you are or how tall Yobar is, but I am 6ft 4inches in the old system and I find them very uncomfortable even if just for a short distance.
I am sure this has been mentioned before but I would be considering a small truck like a Canter or a Hino or similar. They will be half the cost of a new 79 series or about the same for new as a second hand 79 series.
Those small trucks have all the appointments of many lighter utes and are most certainly more comfortable than the 79 series tractor.

Yobar,

Driving long distant heavy vehicles since the 60s.....really!!

Regards

Rob

iana wrote:

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We have the option, sell and replace the caravan, or sell and replace the tug. The tug is a BT50, when we brought her, the registration department put the wrong CVM in the papers, only to find after the purchases we have lost half a ton. The van is very comfortable, Recliner chairs at the front, plenty of room for us to both move with out having to squeeze past each other all the time, a compressor fridge, perfect loading over the wheels, as well as all the mods I have done to make it an ideal set up.
We have been and had a look at a Jayco Journey 19-2, nice but the same bolt up-right lounge, squeeze in everywhere etc. We will be paying more for the Journey than what we paid for what we have got now. Maybe just maybe we will have to go down that path, but the van we have now is not made anymore, a discontinued model (Silverline), and as we are living in it, we would never get another setup like it.

I sent enquiries via the net to various dealers that have a dual cab for sale, I stated "Send me a response via email", none of those sales idiots can read. My phone coupling device to my hearing aids is kaput and off to be repaired again, and I struggle to talk on the mob. But These salesmen must have a small mentality, if they think I will just rush in to buy, from what they have to say. Had a talk to one salesman, and it was plain he had no idea of what he was talking about re the 4x4 as a tug.

Read an article that the 2000 series will end production soon, are the 70 series utes also not going to be produced anymore?, something about a smaller 6 cyl motor being fitted.

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 Hi Ian.....Since you have spent both time and money modifying your present van to suit your needs,and you are likely spend a lot more time in your van than you do in your car,would not the comfort of the van be of more importance to you than would the comfort of the car? Just saying! Toyota spent big dollars a couple of year back to bring the 70 series cab/chassis up to a 5 star ANCAP rating,so I can't see them discontinuing to supply that model,given that there is already a 6 month waiting list to buy one. Given the car's proven track record and the shortage of supply,surely prices of second hand models would escalate if production ceased? Happy to help you with your search for a suitable car.Cheers

P.S PM sent.

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

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The rear track is NOT "narrow". The front is "wide" and was increased to accommodate the V8.
I suggest that the only time anyone would notice would be in soft deep sand.
This is the 4WD of choice for mining, cattle stations and "minor" militaries around the world. Not too much wrong with them.

Yes, a Canter or Hino is an option, but if you reckon a 79 series is uncomfortable????? They really are TRUCKS....and you need to spend a LOT of money on parabolic springs and super singles to make remotely usable off the bitumen.
Cheers,
Peter

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 Hi Peter...thankyou for clearing up the rubbish sprouted by some.There have been hundreds of thousands of Cruisers built with the same rear track as the 79,which had a small increase in the front track to accomodate the extra width of the little V8.As far as I am aware,there never has been any warning issued that such vehicles were "...unstable on anything but a perfect road". Anybody with even a basic understanding of physics would realise that increasing the  front track would make the vehicle more stable. And I have been advised by those 'in the know' that you would never spend big dollars to increase the rear track if you intend to  carry heavy loads,or tow heavy loads,because of the extra leverage on the axle bearings.Good addition for playing around in the sand etc though.As you suggest,79s  are the vehicle of choice in mines and on cattle stations etc..... there obviously is a good reason for this.As for a Canter or a Hino,you'd have to be dreaming? How anyone could suggest that a little buzz-box cab-over buzz-box 'truck' is more comfortable than a bonneted car is laughable....after all,the OP simply asked about freewheeling hubs.Cheers

yobarr wrote:

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Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

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The rear track is NOT "narrow". The front is "wide" and was increased to accommodate the V8.
I suggest that the only time anyone would notice would be in soft deep sand.
This is the 4WD of choice for mining, cattle stations and "minor" militaries around the world. Not too much wrong with them.

Yes, a Canter or Hino is an option, but if you reckon a 79 series is uncomfortable????? They really are TRUCKS....and you need to spend a LOT of money on parabolic springs and super singles to make remotely usable off the bitumen.
Cheers,
Peter

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 Hi Peter...thankyou for clearing up the rubbish sprouted by some.There have been hundreds of thousands of Cruisers built with the same rear track as the 79,which had a small increase in the front track to accomodate the extra width of the little V8.As far as I am aware,there never has been any warning issued that such vehicles were "...unstable on anything but a perfect road". Anybody with even a basic understanding of physics would realise that increasing the  front track would make the vehicle more stable. And I have been advised by those 'in the know' that you would never spend big dollars to increase the rear track if you intend to  carry heavy loads,or tow heavy loads,because of the extra leverage on the axle bearings.Good addition for playing around in the sand etc though.As you suggest,79s  are the vehicle of choice in mines and on cattle stations etc..... there obviously is a good reason for this.As for a Canter ir a Hino,you'd have to be dreaming? How anyone could suggest that a little buzz-box cab-over buzz-box 'truck' is more comfortable than a bonneted car is laughable....after all,the OP simply asked about freewheeling hubs.Cheers

-- Edited by yobarr on Saturday 28th of November 2020 12:17:43 PM

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Yobar,

 It may be classed as rubbish by you because you are in denial, but it is a fact.

79 series are inherently unstable on all but perfect road surfaces and are an extremely uncomfortable vehicle which are not built or designed for highway cruising.

To claim that the rear track is not narrower than the front is actually laughable. The fact is that Toyota were too mean to change the rear diff and subsequently widen the rear track to create some form of stability. Probably ok while selling to the mining and construction industry. They were never meant to be a highway cruiser.

Here is a topic which Iana may want to read as there is some good info and views on the 79 series. I might also suggest that if he is married or has a female partner he may want to include her in the decision to buy a 79 series. In the link below it does mention the anti attitude of a couple of wives who were assessing that vehicle.

https://www.caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=80327

Regards

Rob

bentaxlebabe wrote:

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yobarr wrote:

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Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

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The rear track is NOT "narrow". The front is "wide" and was increased to accommodate the V8.
I suggest that the only time anyone would notice would be in soft deep sand.
This is the 4WD of choice for mining, cattle stations and "minor" militaries around the world. Not too much wrong with them.

Yes, a Canter or Hino is an option, but if you reckon a 79 series is uncomfortable????? They really are TRUCKS....and you need to spend a LOT of money on parabolic springs and super singles to make remotely usable off the bitumen.
Cheers,
Peter

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 Hi Peter...thankyou for clearing up the rubbish sprouted by some.There have been hundreds of thousands of Cruisers built with the same rear track as the 79,which had a small increase in the front track to accomodate the extra width of the little V8.As far as I am aware,there never has been any warning issued that such vehicles were "...unstable on anything but a perfect road". Anybody with even a basic understanding of physics would realise that increasing the  front track would make the vehicle more stable. And I have been advised by those 'in the know' that you would never spend big dollars to increase the rear track if you intend to  carry heavy loads,or tow heavy loads,because of the extra leverage on the axle bearings.Good addition for playing around in the sand etc though.As you suggest,79s  are the vehicle of choice in mines and on cattle stations etc..... there obviously is a good reason for this.As for a Canter ir a Hino,you'd have to be dreaming? How anyone could suggest that a little buzz-box cab-over buzz-box 'truck' is more comfortable than a bonneted car is laughable....after all,the OP simply asked about freewheeling hubs.Cheers

-- Edited by yobarr on Saturday 28th of November 2020 12:17:43 PM

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Yobar,

 It may be classed as rubbish by you because you are in denial, but it is a fact.

79 series are inherently unstable on all but perfect road surfaces and are an extremely uncomfortable vehicle which are not built or designed for highway cruising.

To claim that the rear track is not narrower than the front is actually laughable. The fact is that Toyota were too mean to change the rear diff and subsequently widen the rear track to create some form of stability. Probably ok while selling to the mining and construction industry. They were never meant to be a highway cruiser.

Here is a topic which Iana may want to read as there is some good info and views on the 79 series. I might also suggest that if he is married or has a female partner he may want to include her in the decision to buy a 79 series. In the link below it does mention the anti attitude of a couple of wives who were assessing that vehicle.

https://www.caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=80327

Regards

Rob

 -- Edited by bentaxlebabe on Saturday 28th of November 2020 12:53:44 PM

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 Perhaps you would be kind enough to point out to me where I have ever claimed that the rear track is not narrower than the front.Again I will ask you to explain to us how the many hundreds of thousands of Cruisers sold BEFORE the VDJ series arrived,managed to survive with the SAME REAR TRACK as the 79 has? The ONLY thing that changed with the VDJ series is that the front track was increased to accomodate the extra width of the little V8.This would make the car more stable,surely?It concerns me little whether Ian chooses to purchase a VDJ79R,or a lesser vehicle,as already I have successfully assisted other members in their purchase of one,with only glowing reports.But I simply do not understand why some members waffle-on about things they do not really understand? So the 79 rides a bit rough...this will be of little concern to a lot of people,as rarely do caravanners drive all day.Again,I will say that,short of the BIG Yank Tanks,it is the ONLY twin-cab that will safely tow 3500kg,and carry a load on the tray.Hope this clears things up? Cheers