I drove one of those FJ troop carriers in the Libyan Desert (I thought it was 36 plastic jerries dripping down the side on kine?) and although I would not have believed it had I not experienced it, the 75 was amazingly stable, as long as you remember to back off on the hairpins.

The car didnt even sink much although a couple of times in the Sand Sea it got close to the edge.... Of course these 75s were leaf sprung which reduces roll alot. With coils what you gain in articulation (not that essential in the Sahara in my experience) you lose in sideslope stability - which IS desirable in the dz.

CS

If you need to carry so much fuel and water, and you’re keeping the vehicle for a while, consider custom aluminum and steel tanks underneath and inside the vehicle.

Underneath the Vehicle: Take a look down there you’ll find a lot of space to hold extra tanks. There are a number available from after market companies or you can contract a master fabricator to make them for you. I hire a fabricator since I like them made out of aluminum with a steel skid plate to save weight. A friends’ LC75 has more than 200 liters underneath using custom steel tanks and no loss of clearance anywhere.

In- cab: Custom tanks can make valuable use of dead space inside the vehicle without affecting cargo space much. For example, a custom tank 20 cm high in the shape of the whole of the cargo area can hold up to 200 liters depending on the vehicle and won’t rob you the valuable internal cargo space as you can stack your stuff on top as usual if it’s made of steel with proper baffles (see below).

In my Jeep Wrangler for example, where space is premium, I’m working on 2 bizarre shaped aluminum tanks. Each will be 25 cm wide to sit on the read wheel well take shape of the rear stock roll bar arch. This area usually useless but now I can tuck almost 200 liters there and still have most of my useable cargo space.

Needless to say the fabricator has to be really good. All the tanks have to be vented outside the vehicle. Install a rollover valve on all vents (get it from racing shops). The tanks have to have baffles inside them. These are plates across the inside the tank to stop fuel sloshing back and forth. They also increase the structural integrity of the tanks in case you need to stack cargo on top of them.

Use the roof rack for light bulky stuff: sleeping bags, tents, clothes, plastic chairs, etc….

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A.B.
www.ShortWheelbase.com

Hello Chris, 30 it was (5 rows, 6 abreast)


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Happy Travels,
Andras

FJ Expeditions

[This message has been edited by andrasz (edited 24 July 2002).]

I am very impressed Andras, and have to confess that my experience of weight on the roof in the desert is limited to Landrovers. And 600kgs on a landy roof would have destroyed the body very quickly, even assuming it didn't fall over! I have always had a soft spot for those Landcruisers and you have certainly reinforced my opinions of their strength.

Their strength is incredible indeed. The only load related mishap we had on all the trips was a broken spring leaf (the top main) on a rear wheel. Having no spare, we improvised a fix from tie-down straps and a block of firewood - it held without any further problems for the remaining 2500 kms!

Then again, this load is probably about 400-500 kgs above all recommended maximums, however it is necessary to make it to Uweinat and back. For the first 300 kilometres on asphalt we have to crawl at 50-60 kph with tires pumped up to 55-60 PSI. You go any faster, and the tires start bursting one by one (which at this weight means you've lost a tire completely, the rim cuts through immediately). Once off road though, on the hard flat sand plains, with tires down to 25-30, we can continue with 70-80 without any difficulty.