Toyota 70 series

[ZG47]

$1.15 in the North Island, mate

I was wrong, last fill was actually cheaper!
Seriously though, I do a bit of work , some hunting and a lot of talking; with a mate who owns an early 70 series SWB. It has leaf springs all round and the last iteration of the 3B motor. Needs a wee bit of rust taken out when the cash is there but still going strong. It also has the PTO winch and manually actuated difflocks.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I was wrong, last fill was actually cheaper!
Seriously though, I do a bit of work , some hunting and a lot of talking; with a mate who owns an early 70 series SWB. It has leaf springs all round and the last iteration of the 3B motor. Needs a wee bit of rust taken out when the cash is there but still going strong. It also has the PTO winch and manually actuated difflocks.

The owner will break before that truck brakes.....

 

[ActionBob]

I have a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 and my wife has a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. There is no way either of these would make it a day on a hunting trip in RSA much less Zimbabawe! They have all sorts of comfort features that are great, when they work. Can't even change a headlight myself on the damned things! You have to take off the flap over the radiator, pull out the grill, hoist it up and pull a front tire off and know exactly how ot reach up inside the wheel well and push (not pull) a tab to relaease the light assembly and go from there.....

Now the old 1978 Ford F150 I bought when I was 15 could take it and I could fix anything myself. Drove it over trees while drunk at parties in the woods, drove up and over hills and piles in gravel pits, hauled firewood out through the woods and over rocks, pulled way too much behind it to be safe, like two or three big wagons filled with corn, silage, or hay. Took it ice fishing through the damnedest blizzards and it always got me home. Even took one first place trophy at a tractor/truck pull with it... And pulled a hay rake the next day when the tractor was broke down, still had the extra 260 pound weight bolted under the front end hidden behind the bumper.

Pretty much always had a deer rifle hanging on the rack in the rear window, even when parked in the school parking lot. And simply cleaned it up and used it on weekends to go out on dates. Yea that truck could compete with any Toyota.... This Dodge pussy truck I have now would break in half if used that way! I will admit the old Ford pretty much got 8 miles to gallon every tank.... This new Dodge will get 20 miles to the gallon with my wife driving downhill with a tailwind, but hook something behind it or push it 80 into the wind down the freeway and it is pretty much down to 8.

 

[bellero]

Back on topic, some Land Cruiser porn!

 

[bluey]

hows the body roll ,on this one ,Bellero ?

 

[bellero]

hows the body roll ,on this one ,Bellero ?

It's not mine unfortunately, just another internet find

 

[bluey]

looking at the background ,l thought ,mmmmm summer in Canada
them guard flares , and if that's what you call a bull bar ,there cant be much wildlife in that area

 

[gizmo]

I have to say that I really liked the cruisers while I was in Africa. My wife has a Toyota 4 runner and it's an off road monster but... I've yet to see anything my 2015 dodge 1 ton 4x4 crew cab with a 6.7 liter turbo diesel can't tackle.

 

[bluey]

Wheres the pitures ,giz......
love checkin out them big ass gass guzzling , yank tanks, oldmate

 

[gizmo]

I'll get some for you tomorrow bluey, it's 130 am here at the moment. It be a little dark for them right now. It's dirty as we've had a bunch of rain so it won't be as pretty as it would if it were clean.

 

[gizmo]

I should be asleep right now but I came down to the ranch today to do some work. The storm last week tripped the breaker on the ac unit and at 5 o'clock when I got here it was about 100 degrees f outside and 90 degrees in the lodge. It's still about 85 outside and the house has cooled off to a woping 81 sooo I'm sweating my nuts off and can't sleep.

 

[bluey]

bloody time difference , hey just gone 1700 hrs ,here and the storm im in is kicking the bejeeezus out of me , im tossing a coin right now whether we hang arpund till daylight see if we can work or just ,call it a trip , no its tails im going in to unload .........
sleep well mate ...
don't wash the dodge , bit of mud adds character

 

[gizmo]

Thanks buddy, good luck and be safe.

 

[JWB300]

Question for the South Africans - why do you all get well back utes rather than tray backs? Well backs are almost unheard of here.

Cheers,
JWB300

 

[TokkieM]

Question for the South Africans - why do you all get well back utes rather than tray backs? Well backs are almost unheard of here.

Cheers,
JWB300

SA market does not have any tray backs,closest would be the Cruiser and Patrol,not that common in Europe either,must be a Aus thing

 

[Boela]

Good day JWB300.
May I kindly ask what you mean with "well back" and "tray back"? I am unfamiliar with these terms.

 

[JWB300]

Good day JWB300.
May I kindly ask what you mean with "well back" and "tray back"? I am unfamiliar with these terms.

Gday Boela,

Well back:

http://www.4wdaction.com.au/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_node/cp5312753469651917166.jpg

Tray Back:

http://www.dubbocitywelding.com/images/Toyota/Landcruiser/Steel ute tray dual cab LC (2).JPG

Cheers,
JWB300

 

[TokkieM]

Sorry guys,not a Cruiser but one day (soon) I am going to get myself one of these classics

 

[JWB300]

SA market does not have any tray backs,closest would be the Cruiser and Patrol,not that common in Europe either,must be a Aus thing

Would have thought a tray back would have been much more versatile for most people. Pretty sure you can just unbolt the well back and throw a tray on in its place.

Just had a look through the first 100 of 300 odd L/C utes for sale on carsales.com.au and I didn't see any well backs

http://www.carsales.com.au/cars/res...&Service=[Carsales])&BodyStyle=[Cab Chassis])

 

[Boela]

Thank you for the links JWB300.
I am with Hunthardsafaris on this one – must be an Aussie thing… I have only seen one vehicle equipped with a “tray back” here in Richards Bay and unfortunately I have not spoken to the owner yet.
I personally think that we as South Africans will need to get used to it first, and with all due respect - it looks ugly! But I agree with you – from a versatile point of view it should have a lot of advantages.
What I think we need to remember, is that 90% of PH’s and Outfitters are landowners, and they use their “hunting” vehicle for general farm work too. 99% of all hunting vehicles are equipped with hunting railings (Cattle or labor railings as they are also referred to) with all the benches and platforms removable, and / or modified to the taste of the owner. These railings remain on the vehicle throughout the year. Most South African farmers do employ a fair number of employees and generally need to move them around the farm – hence the railings remaining on the vehicle and a lower to the ground load bed will ease getting on and off the vehicle. I have never taken my railings off for the lifespan of the vehicle once fitted.
My concern will be that the drop side advantages will be lost since it seems that the depth of the well is less with the Tray Back. The possibility of additional rattling over time as the hinges wear, might put some vehicle owners off from fitting this to their vehicles. It also appears that the bed of the Tray Back is higher that the Well Back.
South African farmers unfortunately rely heavily on people to load / unload vehicles. It would be of concern having to load heavy loads by hand onto the vehicle due to the additional height.
Should a vehicle be used solely to load produce / equipment where a forklift is available to load / off load pallets and not for practical farming, I would probably put one on my vehicle within a heartbeat. But having to move people, animals and agricultural supplies, I would not be able to go without the railings on my vehicle. Agreed, railings can be modified to suit the advantages of the Tray Back.
In short – I would think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but it would require a fair price, time and a mind change for South African’s to catch on to this.