2018 Prado Weigh-in

[borak Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close borak]

Today out of curiosity i got my Prado weighed at a weighbridge near work just so i can see how many and what accessories i can really add to it in the future.
This is a 2018 GXL with leather option and my current accessories are ARB Sahara bar, Tow bar, snorkel, driving lights. Also permanently in the car are 2 baby seats and floor mats etc and i had a tank full of fuel 150L. By my calculations i was expecting to see a weight of somewhere around 2470kg
- GXL Kerb weight - 2325kg (Includes full tank of fuel)
- Leather, power and heated seats - 25kg additional (guesstimate)
- Sahara Bar - 60kg Approximate
- Tow Bar - 30kg
- Snorkel - 5kg
- Driving Lights - 4kg
- Baby seats and floor mats - 20kg

However the car weighed in at 2560kg which was a lot more than expected. which really doesn't leave much for additional accessories in the future (Winch, Bash Plates, Dual Battery) if i want to bring the family along on the trips and food and water and we arent very heavy people. I would imagine others with more accesories and older kids would often be over the GVM of 2990kg.

[dazzaesky Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close dazzaesky]

Yes borak I just about did the same exercise on my 2016 VX to work out how much I can take camping while towing a camper. Plus how big of a camper I can put on. I am surprised at the lack of payload in the Prado. They are very poor and I can bet there are thousands out there that go over their GVM. Now I need to consider a GVM upgrade. But must keep in mind it doesn't change the GCM.
Also I found it difficult to actually find the weights on any plate on the vehicle. The only plate I see is inside the front passenger door but it has only got the GVM stamped. The books doens't have anything.

[RPP Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RPP]

Plus 30Kg++ fridge, 50-100Kg water, recovery gear, compressor, tools, spares, food, camping gear, toys.....

My 2018 GXL weighed in at 3,050Kg at the start of a long remote trek last year, with just me in it.
Next year, same trek, now with fridge, roof rack, roof top tent, bash plates I expect maybe 3,150 - 3,200Kg.
I paid the money and had my Dealer get a GVM Upgrade installed prior to registration.
For the Canning Stock route, with extra fuel, water, food etc, I'll need to leave stuff at home to stay under the upgraded GVM.

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

The trick with trips like the CSR and Simpson is to get your fuel at the last possible place eg. Wiluna. This way if you happen to unknowingly go overweight you are very soon remote and unlikely to be pinged and as you use up fuel you drop weight

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

1. Doing it this way keeps you legal for most of the trip. By the time you get out of the remote area you are legal again. On CSR 10 years ago I had 300 l of petrol and 40 l of water....plus all of the other touring crap and food for 4 weeks. Heavy! My 150 diesel uses a lot less fuel in the desert (about 30% less so less fuel and less weight.).

[404pug Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close 404pug]

Also, if you don't need the rear or middle seats, take them out. Saves close to 100 kg. Even just removing the middle row saves about 60 kg and gives you a nice flat floor to strap down fridge, jerry cans etc.

[Not Enough Time Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Not Enough Time]

I put our new GXL with premium Seat package, near full tank of fuel, tow bar (no roo bar) and two occupants over a weighbridge last month, 2490kg
Weighbridges are meant to be certified to +/-20kg and checked every few months by inspectors in NSW.
Only difference between your vehicle and mine was no driving lights, snorkel, baby seats and roo bar.
You didn't say how many occupants were in your vehicle when weighed it
Weight concern is one major reason why I had a Smart Bar installed over a Steel bar (installed after the trip to the weighbridge).
Ignorance was bliss when I did 7000km on a central Australian trip once fully loaded in a Pajero with 5 passengers and 220kg ball weight. I now realise if I had an accident I would have been in deep trouble with the authorities and my insurer.