I work for an outfit who sell auto accessories to the camping, caravaning, overlanding market. It never stops amazing me the amount of running vehicles and gear to the absolute limit, followed by complete surprise that the gear has then failed. The analogy I like to use when explaining failures to customers is the redline of an engine. The engine is designed to run that high but not full time and if you do you are going to get the old valve tapdance under the bonnet.

My wife and I recently joined a group of friends to travel to some pretty remote parts of WA. I used to work out there and know how remote (and potentially dangerous) it can be. So, I spent a lot of time calculating what to bring, where to put it and making sure it was within the vehicle's GCM. We towed an older pop top 'offroad' caravan. I calculated everything (tow bar, the bull bar, the extra spares, extra diesel, spare parts, tools, safety gear, water, food, etc) and I reckon we were just on 1000 kgs under the GCM. A couple of times we stayed in caravan parks, which were overflowing with people and their rigs. I was astounded by the number of brand new 4x4s of all types (not name bashing any of them), and they were invariably towing really big caravans with all the fruit. I am betting that most were loaded well over their GCM. So bending and breaking stuff, I am not surprised. To be fair, I reckon most of the people who were overloaded were the 'unwitting' or benign dickheads you were referring to.

i have found that channel yesterday. now, i have watched 7 episodes in straight line great job mate! greetings from poland:-)

Brought a triton back in 2008 still going strong never broke down once

As always, a great and informative video. As a truck driver of over 30 years, I feel qualified to say that whatever the vehicle, you overload or miss load it often enough, you will break it!

Seeing as you mentioned ARB I feel I can as well. My father in law bought a dual cab when he retired and kept going into ARB and buying more things so he could tour the country at will, getting them to fit the items. Everything from bullbar and so many lights out front to fridge, freezer, battery, water tank, draws, canopy and second set of racks out back with everything else in the middle. I had commented to him a number of times that it looked overloaded but was ignored. He was pulled over for a road side vehicle inspection and was told that he was 5 kg over the gvm (let off), this was with no passengers (wife and 3 dogs) nothing in the fridge, empty water and extra fuel tanks, no tools and spares and no trailer attached. He went to the ARB store he had bought everything and they responded with, that is your vehicle and your responsibility but would you like to buy a gvm upgrade?

John. The bullbar discussion and detail needs its own video mate. Especially for the retiree Landcruiser and Hilux bogan tradies.

John, above all else you have a PhD in common sense. Thanks for continually sharing it with us, shame it’s not actually common. Love your work. Cheers, Phil

Interesting and informative. Also a "yes" for the beer garden chat.

It's always good to hear sensible, informed commentary such as yours...on all things motoring. Kudos for taking so much time to explain and answer a 'listeners' concern so comprehensively with logic and common sense. Have loved your channel for several years. Let's MALS :)

You're dead on when it comes to preparation some of us are wired to do it well. But always learning to do it better. Very informative episode.

Installing Airbags ---> Load up the tray ---> Bigassed Caravan ---> Gravel Roads ---> Bent Chassis

I am a long term Triton owner, into my 4th at the moment, the pics you showed are all MN Tritons, the MQ Triton onwards was a complete redesign with beefed up chassis with additional reinforcing at the bend points, longer leaf springs to spread the load (and improve the ride), the only carryover is the door handles I even had to change out my Clearview mirrors. I have a 2600kg van (about 85% of the 3100 tow rating and have not had a problem). I hit a kangaroo without a bullbar, the plastic front end does absorb a lot of the impact and there is a protection bar behind the grill to protect the internals, just need to carry some gaffer tape to hold the front together so that you can continue the journey

Just watched this episode and can only say very good explanation of the whys and why nots. Thanks John for the info.

John Cadogan. Bringing science and reason to the internets since 2010.

Hi John. After watching many of your videos, I was persuaded to consider a Triton. Did my research and found some nice examples and sourced some prices. Lined up a list of camping gear and off roading equipment (recovery points, all terrains, inflatable pool and some rubber ducks). Went down to the local dealer to confirm my colour choice and test how they drive... and no way in hell could I drive it. I'm 6'6 with Shoes on and my head sits against the ceiling with the seat at lowest setting. The angle of the windscreen and front portion of the ceiling blocks vision for taller drivers, and putting the seat back isn't an option because the pillar digs in to your Arm. Us Poor big blokes have to rule out the Triton... now what 🤔

in the UK bull bars disappeared overnight once the insurance companies decided they invalidated your insurance policy.

Well said John, love the new format.👍

One of the best episodes I have watched

Great video, it’s good to know my spreadsheet of “car and trailer weighs” is not overkill.

Hi John, I stumbled into this vid of yours, while searching something quite different. I have never commented or voted on a vid. I think this is incredibly important but very few people are remotely aware of how serious it is to go out in the unforgiving Australian, or dare I say any country's, lonely, remote, life threatening "outback". I have always been aware of the blissful unpreparedness of those who venture out there. [even in snow and ice, you either freeze to death or roast to death] Particularly interesting was the part of the top loaded 'go for bag and fire extinguisher'. MOST IMPORTANT>>>>>> MOST IMPORTANT. I would bet after all you said, people will venture out there not well prepared enough. I have some military background. We patrolled, on foot, from middle NT to middle north WA. I always felt safe as, if we faltered, there was the coms radio to call a chopper to save us (no ground vehicles). There was never a hint of water shortage or fuel; only boot leather. Sailing some years ago, we got into trouble. I'll say no more except you had not posted this video by then. I believe these twin cab monsters are poorly designed from the ground up..... even if I do have one. John, very informative, well researched, well prepared and of cause well presented. I WILL give you a well deserved vote & thumbs up. Tony 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Yes john would be interested in the physics of bananarization of the chassis . If there are Ming moles it will be an added bonus 😂 great video as always mate cheers 👍🍻

Yes for the beer garden chat. With that, also interested to hear how load leveling bars impact the chassis integrity and stress points therein.

Excellent video mate. Teaching people mechanical sympathy is a tall ask but I think your points are made exceptionally well. I've rattled around the back of Shitsville countless times now in rusted old Pootrols and Landstupids(I own the latter currently) and have encountered my fair share of drama with that but I can categorically say that driver training, slowing the hell down and shedding weight are the kings of surviving most issues the outback will throw at you. Ignorance is most assuredly not bliss with a Bananerised ute and a whole lotta bulldust between you and a very expensive tow truck!

Perhaps a helpful addition to the discussion: It's a good idea to find out where your local public weighbridge is, and be prepared to spend around $100 or so on some weigh-ins for your vehicle and van, with various configurations of load if you need to. On the subject of bullbars, AS 4876 Part 1 covers harm minimisation to non-occupant road users from VFPSs (bullbars to us ordinary folk), and it looks like further parts of this standard were planned that would include maintaining the integrity of occupant protection systems for the vehicle fitted with the bullbar. However, no progress was made on this front, perhaps due to pressure from the AAAA. Having said that, in recent years bullbars have been "lightweighted" significantly compared to the "pipe and girder" bars that appeared regularly on Landcruisers and Patrols in the 70s and 80s. Today's drawn tube and sheet-metal bars not only conform better to the shape of the vehicle but are lighter and will no doubt crumple at lower impact loads than the rigid early generation ones. So at least there has been some progress, albeit not through regulation. I think the thing that most bullbar owners who travel are trying to avoid is being stranded with a punctured radiator and/or no headlights when an errant 'roo comes out of nowhere at dusk. No amount of advanced driver training will allow you to steer around that.

Great information John. I weighed my car/camper in various configurations years ago but need to do an update. Buyers' remorse for new bullbar setting in . I much prefer the videos where you slide out of 'condescending mode' and just talk facts.

A very informative essay, regarding towing ,the land rover defender 90/88” and 110/109 are excellent examples of towing difference. Many say the lwb versions are the most stable but the towball is over a metre behind the axle, the swb models only have 60cms overhang which makes the pendulum effect much less when towing a 3500kg tri axle cow trailer with 3 Friesans on board, trust me. Keep up the good work.

I miss the satire but that was outstanding!

This is brilliant, objective and informative. Thank you John.

would love a vid on bending ute chassis. one of the things i see a fair bit, and is in your pics of broken utes, is people using extended decks (often a king cab deck on a double cab) and then using an extended hitch to get trailer clearance. really common to see them dragging their arse like its got a case of worms due to the overloading and extra leverage.

I have been up close with privateer Dakar race vehicles on a ferry from Spain to Morocco, where they were headed for tests. What caught my eye was the extensive reinforcements they had done to their chassis, and many of these reinforcing plates welded to the frame were painted in garish colours, all the better to keep track of which work and which don't (i.e, need longer.wider and thicker plates before the next test).

As a fellow Triton owner and one with a crazy notion of designing my own slide-on camper in the years to come, this was a very useful perspective. I’m also looking forward to the beer garden physics chat. Looking at the photos, I’m already thinking about how to address this matter in the design. What to do? Strengthen the chassis? Lengthen the chassis and convert to a 6 wheel drive?, pull out all stops on the weight reduction department? I’m also keen to understand the dynamic loading scenario. I’m imagining a charge over the crest of a low dune or out of a creek bed, where the whole truck pitches up, then down at that perfect rate of change to maximise banana momentum. Love to hear your thoughts.

Hi John, I watch all your shows and admire your knowledge and scientific approach towards the issues you discuss . I find your arrogant ,smart ass attitude entertaining!! However your show on the bent Triton trucks the best . You actually showed some degree of understanding and ,dare I say , empathy ? For people who choose to live a lifestyle not of your approval. Keep up your personal development John !!! And one day you may not only be a source of wisdom but also a " good bloke" oh hell,nothing to get off with doing that. Regards Grant Mathews

100% put me off doing this ever in my life, thanks John!

I am so glad that you mention the reduction of safety caused by an unyielding bullbar. There is more to it than that because there is also the effects on pedestrians etc. They are killing devices in urban conditions. The progressive crumple of the vehicle is calculated to save your own life. My father in law was killed in the era when cars were "strong". The vehicle survived the collision. Unfortunately he didn't quite die on the spot. No he lived with permanent brain damage for another five years before finally succumbing to his injuries. Road safety and bullbars are contradictory. I must go further. If you hit another vehicle and YOUR vehicle doesn't crumple then you are relying on the other vehicle crumpling twice as much to save you. It isn't going to do this. If it did you have killed those occupants anyway.

John, thanks for probably one of the best videos that I have ever seen from you. Very balanced (pun intended) report. (from one engineer to another)

Bogan reply. "Mate, it says 3.1 tonne, I'm towing 3.1 tonne. It's not rocket surgery!" 😂

My completely unrelated question is why do Mad Max style preppers always choose vehicles that get fuel economy so poor they cannot get to their bunker without refilling?

Nice to see the studio getting some use. Beer 👍Garden 👍Physics 👍 Sign me up John

Adding my 2 cents worth about the idea of bull bars. I'm one of these old farts, who in my younger years worked in a industry which had me driving a lot in central Australia, 800,000 kms in 10 years. None of the vehicles I drove had bull bars of any kind. The vehicle was never disabled by a animal strike. I think a lot of it is also the way drivers drive. Modern vehicles are capable of high speed on dirt roads and people drive these road as if they were going to the beach for the day along a well maintained highway. When shit happens on dirt roads at speed nothing will save you except good luck and as you said the safety features built into the vehicle. You see it all the time, people over loading and driving at high speed on outback roads.

Loved this. Reminded me of years ago seeing a lot of early Commodore wagons with the same issue. For a while I thought they didn't hold up in a rear end smack. Then I started to notice there was no damage on these wagons I was seeing. Now I hear what your saying it must have been the same issues. Mum, dad in front and mother in law in the back. Yep that'll do it.

AT LAST!!! I HAVE FOUND THE ANSWER TO OVERLOADING MY UTE.... TIFFANY!!! 25KG LIGHTER.

Good overview. I've been a boy scout and in the Army. So my wife sometimes wonders about my brain I think. But some of us like to be prepared more than others I guess. I like my lists, and thinking about problems that could happen on a trip. So I'm not the guy stuck and hopeful that someone nice comes along to save me. I'm also handicap now. So I have limitations in ability that younger me could just muscle through. So I plan more and bring more to overcome any potential problems. There is not a perfect load out so I'm always learning from those with more experience. And try to always learn from my mistakes. Because mistakes, hours from civilization in a vehicle, can be catastrophic.

Another excellent and informative video (I've just watched about 7 of your videos this afternoon, and subscribed). Interesting section on bull bars. I've never understood why they are not crash tested under ADR.

I've been watching you for years now,interesting article.Can't wait for the (ALL NEW) model in 2022!

Thank you John, this is one of the best videos I have watched! I'm interested on the physics of bananaseration of the chassis, will be looking out for that video. Thank you.

I have always said the majority of the bent chassis are on dual cabs with aftermarket tray swaps None of the current dual cabs come in an extended cab chassis option and when you add an aftermarket tray they are usually longer than the original tub, thus allowing load to be placed much further behind the axle Added to this then extended towbar tongues are added to clear the tray offering more counter leavening, mix that with uneaven roads and bendy bendy

Didn't have to watch the whole video because I've spent a billion hours researching this already. My experience with my 2016 MQ; Mitsubishi claim the MQ has a stronger chassis than previous models. However from new, I could always feel the chassis flutter over certain surfaces. Including some bitumen roads. Not sure if I was imagining it, but it sure felt real. So when I planned to do the Canning Stock Route, towing a small trailer (700 kg loaded weight, 80 kg ball weight. And around 250 kgs in the canopy) I was a tad worried. As part of the research, I came across the bent chassis repair plate kits. So I decided "Why wait until it bends, why not fit it before the trip?" So I did. I'm convinced that even with only 80 on the ball, some parts of that track where you had no choice but to throw yourself at the bigger dunes the ute was at real risk of going, literally, pear shaped. But, it did the trip no problem. Having said that, there's no way I'd tow more than about 2.1 tonnes, and no way in the world would I have a ball weight greater than 150 kg. I might be wrong but I reckon if I stick to those rules, the Triton will never bend. And, when all is said and done, the Triton is by far the most reliable vehicle I've had over 46 years and more than 40 vehicles. Not the nicest by a long shot, but definitely the best overall. So there.

The SMM steel canopy on my D-Max dual cab is listed as 90kg.

I'd enjoy seeing a physics Tute. Been a while since I did Statics.

Another great video John! I had an MSA fridge drop slide in the back of my 79 series cruiser and it was ridiculously heavy (50kgs with the wooden frame i made to raise it to clear the lip of the canopy) to the point where i noticed the vehicle behaved differently, especially the slide being more to one side of the canopy. I ripped it out and now the car drives great again. I think a lot of people don't realise how just 50kgs can have such a great effect on vehicle handling if placed in the wrong spot. I have a bull bar but no winch as i spend a lot of time in the bush and prone to animal strikes (i've had a couple). Like you said advanced driving skill goes a long way so avoiding collisions with other vehicles or trees works just as well as avoiding animals. So the bull bar gets the tick for me. I know blokes that would be replacing their vehicle every month if they didn't have a bull bar fitted from so many animal strikes. I believe bull bars have their place in the right environment and in some environments (like cities) they don't. By the way, where are the Ming moles champ?

Physics actually says the triton is physically disadvantaged by having the shortest wheelbase. Its 200mm less than the competition. 200mm from the fulcrum point adds a significant increase in moment arm. The axle axis is near the front of the tray in the triton so every kilo added to the tray is aft of the fulcrum. The stress of that 200mm is the equivalent to an additional 19kg per 100kg of load at the fulcrum point, ie the back of the cab.

A resounding "YES" from me for the beer garden physics talk.

Why do people overthink touring Australia so much? Honestly, tourists have been doing it for decades in decrepit pieces of crap you wouldnt even drive to coles.

I own a dualcab 4wd and tow a modest van, I weigh in before and after each trip-I have oodles of payload to spare. Each time we go away we look at others setups and can't believe many of them appear to be grossly overloaded. Safety, excessive fuel consumption and excessive wear don't seem to bother most travelers we see. A scary thought when there is so many on the road. I use a snorkel, a term I hate. I prefer to think of them as a raised air intake as we travel a lot of dirt roads, which is where I think the 'snorkel' is an advantage. I wish more travelers would consider the information such as that which you have provided in this upload. I struck a cow last year in my Pajero with a 'bullbar' also a terrible name, causing a major TA including rollover, guess what-no airbag deployment. Thanks John, I enjoy the factual nature of your videos. Ps. I'm missing the nuts, maybe I'm one of them.

A very good description of load and requirements.

Great video John. You should google BT50 bent chassis and you will get a bit of info. Anecdotally, there is a relationship of bent chassis and the fitting of rear airbags. People want to level their leaf sprung ride after overloading the vehicle and fit airbags which places a point load on the chassis arch at the axle location. After market suspension accessories need to be carefully considered on vehicle loading in my opinion.

Great video John, thank you. I’d too be interested in the engineering chat.

Always an informative and entertaining video John. Would definitely be interested in the Beer Garden chat.

Thanks, John, for your cogent commentary on safety issues in medium duty vehicles on bush road conditions. Be Prepared!

I like the fact that your face is further from my screen.

Yes, definitely want to watch "The beer garden physics of ute chassis bananarization" vid!

Excellent journalism once again John, thank you. Suggestion, load the old vehicle up and take it down to the local weighbridge for a four corner/total weighing session. The results print out can be truly eye opening.

Great reality check. I have a 96 GQ wagon. I've spoken to a few peeps that had the cut down dual cab version and whilst they didn't bend they did develop stress fractures at that weak point. They were heavily used (abused) vehicles. For those who haven't done it yet compare a GQ/GU chassis to the current crop of Ute's, big difference.

Great , informative stuff John , I agree with you that if trading “ wife “ for secretary Tiffany and you only save 25kg probably not worth the hassle but if you gain a saving of 35. - 50 kgs I think it’s a no brainer ........Get in Tiffany !! Keep up the good work mate 👍

A few years ago I watched an interview on TV with the guy who ran the pub at Birdsville at that time. He said that he’d had to tow a number of double cab utes that had bent their chassis. Seems it was only the double cabs with the problem. He said, in his opinion, that all were overloaded particularly from the wheel arch back.

Yes, Dynamic Bannarisnation please (fingers crossed for added MMs'). Excellent topic on the fitment of bull bars, it's my understanding that heavy goods vehicles are not crash tested. Great vlog John, thanks for sharing.

Why do our safety authorities not analyse the safety of bullbars? It's an excellent point you make John. Surely it's time such analysis were done.

Brilliant stuff, for the first time in my life someone has made me stop and think about loading in such a dynamic way, I personally drive a series 2 discovery so I'm not in the chassis bending team but I do tow camper trailers/caravans and just about anything else. Excellent show and look forward to a more in-depth discussion on this subject

In my observations, the prize missus usually weighs about 100kg and old mate weighs about 80kg 😆 Thanks mate well explained. If your gonna do the big lap, you won't make it unless you have all the shit. 🤔 👍

Hi John, A number of years ago, we got a Lowlux (hilux) dual cab with a fibre glass canopy on the back and long range tank. Two weeks after it arrive the Saftey Section circulated a memo advising that the vehicle was only able to carry 1 occupant with full fuel. No tools, no 100kg person, no water. The memo supplied a list of the amounts of passengers to fuel ratios. The bottom line was 5 people and luggage required a fuel umbilicus or a fuel station every second block. Hence my support for you in the realm of Toymota being hi fat and happy as number one car maker and giving their blind devotes no value for money and latent reluctant introduction of now standard features because profit for them and their dealers is their paramount corporate focus. (I won't bother recounting my experiences of the orignal Torago oil filter access but to say we called them Bic lighters). Regards D

Well, that's the first video I've watched with a clickbaity title where the content was FAR BETTER than the title promised. Came to laugh at the bent utes, went away a lot more informed and knowledgeable. Right, off to pack the go-bag for the car.

Yes for the beer garden physics lesson regarding banana-isation. Love your work John! The only medium duty dual cab ute I could say would be very robust regarding the banana-isation issue, would be the recently superseded Land-Rover Defender 110/130, but you’d better be handy with a spanner and make sure you keep them with you😉 I used to be a Land-Rover nut, and then I went to the doctor who gave me some medication to fix that horrible affliction.

I just towed a jayco flamingo camper from Perth to shark bay. I couldn’t even imagine how un-fun it would be to tow these massive vans around Australia.

Fantastic video John. Absolutely correct, i was working in the industry when the federal government wanted to introduce the pedestrian safety rules for light vehicles. I was amazed of the outright lies coming from the aftermarket industry about it being a bull bar ban to protect their industry. But, I have seen testing on bull bars. APV Tech in Melbourne have done some testing on Chinese made bull bars which showed mounting systems to be inefficient. Having said that, they were not attached to a vehicle to do an ADR69, 72 or 73 test (not that most 4wds are required to anyway as they either exceed weight or seat height limits). Anyway, once again. Great video.

Wow, very good article. And Rodeo's were notorious for it a few years ago. Not a Triton issue at all. Loading limits/stuff applies to non-utes as well. Take out the ute stuff (mine is a 2017 Triton and I have been aware of a lot of this stuff for many years - yes i'm old and with 20+ years of 4WD experience in many types of 4WD from a Suzuki Sierra up to a Patrol) and there is an enormous amount of good advice here about loading and towing with most 4WDs. And maybe many other vehicles as well (AKA Commodore/Falcon with a 20' overloaded caravan behind them! OMG! Talk about the tail wagging the Dog!) Kudos!

Using a light duty vehicle instead of heavy duty is a recipe for disaster

From the looks of that Triton, there is too much weight at the back.

Love what you'er saying about bull bars. Brilliant

Very informative and clearly presented topic. I really enjoy this new video format that you John are doing. Seems to me like the latest videos are a significant change from earlier "ranty" videos (which still have their place here though); this is a GOOD thing because you presented these latest topics clear on facts and straight to the point (my OCD and logical, practical thinking likes that Very much!). Many good wishes to you from Sweden.

It’s not just tritons it’s all these type of duel cabs To much weight over the back axle I had my chassis lengthened 800 to move the axle back and center the weight over the axle

Yes! More beer garden banana engineering shows!

@22:50 John . Schnorkelz are used for cold air and less dust ingestion , side effect less hydrolocking.

Your opinion in regards with the bull-bar is on point, also one of the reasons a lot of European cars have extensive use of plastic in the front end, even at the fenders, is for pedestrian safety in case of an accident, in that case the vehicle hitting the pedestrian will cause less harm than it would with having steel or aluminium parts...regardless adding unnecessary weight causes a lot of problems even for driving dynamics...

Hi John, I’ve heard the bent chassis’s are often due to overloaded vehicles that have rear airbags fitted to make them sit level. The airbags get pump up rock hard so as a result the rear suspension doesn’t actually work causing metal fatigue on the chassis rails. Is there any truth to this? Cheers

Yes to the beer garden chat. Hopefully produced and presented with some top quality Ming Molls.

One way of looking at bull bars or not is comparing it to falling onto a mattress from a second story window vs the ground - the mattress being the crumple zone in the front of a car as it deforms from the impact. Having jumped from heights as a silly teenager - yes you will survive but it hurts a lot more without a means to slow your deceleration down - even a few more centimeters...

Back in the early 80s the family did a lap of shitsville with a Ford F100 towing a 32 foot tri-axle van, also dad had a 2nd 200Lt fuel tank in the tray, a canopy and being a single cab 2 kids sat in the back! No seats next to 200 Lt of petrol. The only mechanical issue we had was a broken spring on the van, most of the trip was on sealed roads but this was almost 40 years ago so the roads were not as good as today. They sold the F100 years later still in one piece and not a banana!

Now, before You make more fool of yourself, I tell a story: A guy at work called Henri has a D-Max -12. If dynamic or static overloading by "dicks" is too much for Colorado, Gladiator or Triton, it is not too much for the D-max: My friend Henri is somewhat famous of overdoing everything, and once he had almost two tons of sand and tiles etc on the truck bed, and was towing a Suzuki Jimny from each other`s tow hitches with a lenghty stiff self-made coupling (increasing leverage even more) so that the Jimny had the rear wheels off the ground. He had 6x6(or like) wooden blocks between the axle and the frame to keep the D-Max level enough to not get too much attention from the cops (as if the towing arrangement was not illegal-looking enough...). He had to drive a long logging road to his storage area. No harm done. Another time he had a little bit too much speed on a gravel road curve, and went over a considerable ditch with a trailer in tow that had a tractor on it. No harm to anything exept to the trailer which had one wheel "a bit crooked" after that. So, yes, some latest trucks indeed have design faults in their frames, some earlier have not. Just wait what the frames do in countries like here in Finland where frames rust, as there is no margin for that if frames bend even when new... I know this is a show and thus the title "expert", but as some people may actually believe You, be careful, do not mislead people just to make funny shows.

Something else to keep in mind here is that if you have an accident and the Insurance Assessor realises that your vehicle is overloaded (even through an innocent mistake like not allowing for a full water tank in your Caravan or full fuel tank in your big boat) your policy may not pay out on the claim leaving you many thousands of dollars out of pocket. I've heard of several cases of insurance claims being declined because the vehicle's Gross Combination Mass was exceeded by towing a heavy trailer (or Caravan) with a fully loaded vehicle. Tow ball down force is another one that catches people out, the 10% 'rule' is more of a guide and doesn't apply to every vehicle and it pays to check the specs. for your particular car.

You did the beer-garden-physics on towing so funny well to me as an naval engineer, it was comedy at its best to me. I really do look forward to the banana-plant-physics!

15.56 minutes, that's exactly how my mate bent his hilux.

It's called DUAL CABITIS. Once upon a time with utes dating right back to the FJ Holden and XK Falcon the payload use to be shared between the front and rear axles. Now there's a f*cking seat where the damn load is supposed to be!

Minimalism is not in the vocabulary of most people doing camping trips in caravans or camper trailers. Almost all are, if not illegal, right on the limits with no fudge room. My wife and I have spent about 20 months in the last 4 years travelling all over Australia in our 2010 AWD Toyota Kluger. We tow a very modest camper trailer which I designed drawing on 50 years of camping experience, had built by a local trailer manufacturer and then added the tent from a dealer in Queensland (the cost of freighting it to WA was well worth it). So far we have covered roughly 70,000 kms with our rig and the only problems we have had are our 7- pin wiring plug disconnected and the bolt holding the rear end of a spring to the chassis of the trailer sheared (but the bolt stayed in place ... Thankfully). We have just returned from our most recent trip through the north of WA - a distance covered of just over 10,000 kms. Our trailer weighs around 450 Kgm fully loaded with our water sports stuff, the gear needed to set up and pull down, enough water for at least 3 days and a few other bits and pieces. We carry a fridge, 120 amp hour AGM battery in the car with the weight forward of the rear axle, all our tools on or forward of the rear axle and our food - all in the vehicle. I make sure that the vast majority of weight in the trailer is carried in front of the axle. We don't always stay on the blacktop but survey our intended route thoroughly before starting out. When travelling, if it looks a bit dodgy, we turn around. On the issue of carrying spare fuel, we used to but now don't. We have yet to venture into areas where fuel stops are more than 400 kms apart. The car has a practical range of 550-600 kms so we usually have plenty in reserve when we re-fuel. As for 'roo bars or bull bars, we decided against them for all the reasons you outline. So we don't leave a campsite before 8:30am and are at our next stop before 3:30pm thus avoiding prime roo hitting time. We are constantly scanning for cattle, horses, feral goats and so on. On this trip a temporary neighbour commented that he has never seen a unit with such a low environmental footprint. He was towing a friend's 2.5 tonne camper trailer with his 4.5 litreV8 diesel Toyota work vehicle. When they first arrived, his wife commented that after the couple of weeks on this trip they would be looking for a caravan for themselves. After a couple of days where we had multiple discussions about the various pros and cons, they left thinking hard about the lighter is better philosophy - and it's a hell of a lot less expensive. As I said to them, the first years' depreciation on a caravan is less than I paid for my entire camper trailer. And I can go to places most people won't take a caravan. And I typically travel at the 100 kph speed limit. What sane person would drag a 3.5 tonne 'block of flats' at 100 kph? Particularly when they have loaded 800 Kgm of gear in their car!

Just love the way you explain things . Thankyou .

F250 anyone?

Overloading the Ute reminds me of George Carlin's the importance of "Stuff" in our lives - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j9NyhtR-26rZoZs.html

Going thru your payload list dont recall you counting the onboard fuel weight for a full tank as this is also payload. Great video John love your stuff.

Most people think all you need do is upgrade the rear suspension when custom boxes or heavy loads are carried or towed.

"Hyundai's not Audi," thank (insert your preferred deity), for that. Too many of those polished Volkswagen turds on the road as it is! 😁