tow vehicle

Hi all,

Been pondering about how im going to move my model once completed,I have been thinking about maybe a defender 90 and a box trailer .

Has anyone any experiences of the 90, the positives and negatives and would it be a good choice for the job?

Any info would be great ,what to look for when buying ,best engine to have etc.

Its all just ponderings at the moment so nothing cast in stone, always fancied a land rover though .

Thanks

Kev

Well.

What age.
What engine you looking at.

Ok some pointers from my experience.
1986 defender 2.5 straight 4 then upgraded to a 3.5V8 as long distance driving was more economical with the bigger engine. Not working so hard and hence gave better mpg.

200TDI can be problematic.
300TDI much stronger but check the return fuel rail as can be pefrorated and leaking. High MPG. Fairly bullet proof. My Disco done 170k with one propper service, just oil changes.

LT77 gearbox stronger than R380 but can have a worn idler shaft, design fault in the bearing oil ways. Symptom being a whine in 5th gear and self kicking out of gear.

Gearbox turret can be worn out as water sits on the allignment pin through the ball, rusts.Then abraids the ally casting. Making gear selection vague and sloppy. (Easy fix but a few pounds)

Front Axil swivel housings. Make sure not pitted or peeling. Causing the oil seals to chaff. Leading to oil loss in the CV joints. Will produce clicking sound at full lock while rotating and rotation could be notchy if CV's worn.

Stearing box. Lower oil seal. Make sure in good condition. Cycle the steering full arc. Should be no stutter and the bypass valve opens at the end of travel. £359ish for a recon boxbut easy fix.

Windscreen. Lamination can cloud up from around the edge. Make sure not in the wiper arc as MOT fail if so. Rubber seal tend to split at the top corners and leak.

Check bulkhead just below the top window joint where the curved section is. Common to rusting completely out. If within 4" of door hinge, MOT fail. Major work to replace.

Bottom of doors very common to rust out leaving just the ally skin. Winder mechanism also prone to rusting especially the glass support bracket and bottom rail. Glass guides will also rust out inside the door so the glass does not have support when raising and lowering.

Main chassis rails. Make sure straight and in line with each other. behind Gearbox crossmember can rusted out with loss of complete side of rail.

Be surprised if the rear crossmember is not rusted out. If it has been replaced. check the welds on the main rails as often the top stitch has not been done. Check rear cross member for level and correct hight. Rear body often has a droop.

Quite common for the tow hitch being incorrectly installed and distorting the cross memeber.

Check out riggers just in front of rear wheels.
Check all drain holes in the chassis. If blocked or missing. Rails could be holding water. Take rubber bungs out of end of rails, jacking points. park landy on steep hill and see what comes out.

Check the rear diff casing A frame ball joint for ware and that the mounting on the diff is not rusted.

Wheel bearings can take on ruff running a.k.a. 50p piece. Check for smoothness and loosness. Loosness may just need a tighten. Check hub nuts as very common for these to be tightened and loosened with a chissel so will appear very chewed up. Reducing their strength. Bearing are cheap and easy to change. 15 mins single handed in the field with hand tools.

Check fuel filter, fitted to chassis rail under the drivers right foot. Steel pot so could be rusty and leaky.

Battery box base can be very rusty especially if the drain holes are missing the rubber ducks. Same on the heater air intake. If blocked, water build up can flow in to the fan box, if missing excessive water during fording can do the same.
While you are here. Check the air filter can for water ingress, suggestive of too deep fording and ingestion.

Good older model (86 onwards) will give long service. Not difficult to self fettle and most parts are cheap. Electics are simple especially on the carb petrol version. Newer versions TOO much complications and ECU driven. Coil spring is better than leaf or air.

With the 90 having such a short over hang. Magic for towing. But make sure you do not plow the field with the hitch.
If you are always carrying quite a lot of weight and have a winch, upgrade the front springs to 110 rear heavy duty and the rear to 90 fronts. Will be hard when driving empty but makes better ride when weighted or towing. Also suggest the front brakes to 110 4 pot calipers.

Sold my 90 back in 2005 as was not using it enough but now wish I kept it. Used for motorsports rescue and recovery. Was a licensed MSA unit.

Hope this helps

Thanks very much for that lot Lynn,that helps a lot

looks like the 300 TDI is the one to go for then

i wouldnt mind spending between 6- 10K on one, do you think that should get me a decent one?

It seems they do seem to suffer a lot of rust on the chassis, I guess its all that mud they play about in .

A galvanised chassis would seem like a really good thing too.

thanks

Kev

Hi Kev,
Just thought you might be interested in my "set up"................ I just nipped outside & took some pics:-









It's a 1994 300TDI 90, with Ifor Williams 10ft box trailer which is kitted out with rear doors/ramp.
I completely rebuilt the defender with new galv chassis 5 years ago & on balance it's the best vehicle I've ever owned.......... It may be crude but is bullet proof reliable & spares are sooooooo cheap now!! The whole vehicle can be taken to bits with a basic tool kit!!
30 miles per gallon is just about acceptable given the type of vehicle. It's also great fun to drive off road or if you live where I do!!
The trailer is my mobile workshop come traction engine carrier!! ................ Works for me!!
Regards,
Tony

Hi

Yes 6 to 10k will get alot of landrover. Check the prices in Landrover Owner mag to get a feel on the real price.

Also remember you do not buy a landy you adopt them.

Hi Tony,
Thanks for the pics
Thats exactly the setup I am thinking of!
Been looking at those ifor williams box trailers too, I had thought about the 8ft model, maybe I ought to go for the 10ft version instead.
Do you think the 8ft would be too small ? although it will be cheaper and a bit less weight to tug around.

I will do a lot more research before I get one, always wanted one now this could be just the excuse to get one.

Thanks

Kev

Hi Lynn,

I do wish people could be a little more comprehensive with their advice.... The vaugeries of your resume of a landrover make it quite difficult to make an informed decision.

( said in a slightly sarcastic tone of voice )

Nearly there for a catwalk presentation, spotted a mistake/oversight on the cleading lining today so have had to go back to the paint and lining tape. Wife said it looked OK but once I knew it was wrong I couldnt live with it. Been eating away at me for a fornight before I caved in.

Kev.

lol

We have all done it, and I'm sure will do so again.

By the way what's the view on lining so close to the brass bands on the cleading? Has anyone had a problem wearing it off when polishing the brass ?

Always have black next to the brass and then re-paint when it wears a bit: most of the liveries have this colourway. Also varnish the lining so that this wears before the paint.

Tim

Has some one been snitching on me???? I painted the imitation gold right up to the brass, (didnt look at the model or photos ) I put it on and we studied it and although the lay people (wife) would not have noticed it the purists (rivet counters ) amongst us would have said, at its first public outing, "you know there should be black next to the bands" and so it has been corrected

Hi Kev,
The 10 footer feels alot bigger, untill you start putting "stuff" in it!! Yes it's heavier, but for me, with a showmans plus water cart plus trailer plus tools & all that other stuff for steaming ......... it'll still be a tight squeeze & it'll be bloody heavy, ie near the weight limit for the trailer & defender!!
Deffinately don't know of a better trailer manufacturer than Ifor Williams, costly, but very well built & strong & secure! And when you think of the value of what your putting in it......... well it kind of makes sence I think. Re-sale values are good too!! (If you can get one!!)
Regards,
Tony

Hi Tony,
I was thinking about the weight of it all too and was thinking if I can squeeze everything into an eight footer it will give me that bit of extra weight saving to play with over the
larger 10ft trailer, although I can see the extra carrying space would be desirable.

There is no doubt the Ifor Williams trailers are very well made and as you say the best you can get.

Thanks for the info

Kev