Has anyone had a good or otherwise experience with the GVM and 3100kg BTC upgrade by Lovells?
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Lovells GVM and 3100kg BTC upgrade - MY16 Prado 150
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I have recently had the Lovells GVM Upgrade plus compliance plate (to 3500Kg) to my new 2018 Prado GXL.I got a decent lift and it rides smoothly over corrugations.
Drove the Googs Track a few weeks ago. A couple of hundred Kms over 300 sand dunes.
The stock Pajero driving with me had a hell of a rough time over the corrugations, I hardly noticed them in my Prado.
However the front sway bar was touching the front struts and donged into the RHS spring on the deeper moguls.
There is a swaybar spacer that Lovells have that corrects the problem and it doesn't cost much.
I wound up getting it installed for free due to their remiss of what is a known issue.
The right is quite smooth over medium level corrugations. I haven't done the Gibb yet tho'.
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I recently had both the GVM and the BTC upgrade to my MY14 GXL, the GVM last December and the BTC in July.
The GVM upgrade with a 2" lift has been great,
The BTC problematic
The main problem was I was getting for a boat trailer which, in hindsight, I discovered can be a problem.
Two main potential issues for boat trailers I found:
1 The Stage 2 kit (for tow ball weights 250kg to 270kg) with weight distribution system appears designed for a caravan trailers with 'A' frames, If you have a single draw bar for a boat the kit won't fit. Lovell's advised to get a Hayman Reecse boat adaptor http://www.haymanreese.com.au/products/boat-trailer-adaptors but make sure your draw bar is suitable for this!
2 For the BTC upgrade to be compliant, the supplied "5T All-terrain" hitch must also be fitted to the trailer, or the BTC reverts to 2.5T. The All-terrain hitch is wider than a normal trailer boat hitch and may not fit all trailer draw bars. It won't fit my trailer...
So if you are getting the BTC for boats, I'd advise triple checking the hitch system is compatible with your trailer before going to the expense of the BTC upgrade.
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Originally posted by RPP View PostI have recently had the Lovells GVM Upgrade plus compliance plate (to 3500Kg) to my new 2018 Prado GXL.I got a decent lift and it rides smoothly over corrugations.
Drove the Googs Track a few weeks ago. A couple of hundred Kms over 300 sand dunes.
The stock Pajero driving with me had a hell of a rough time over the corrugations, I hardly noticed them in my Prado.
However the front sway bar was touching the front struts and donged into the RHS spring on the deeper moguls.
There is a swaybar spacer that Lovells have that corrects the problem and it doesn't cost much.
I wound up getting it installed for free due to their remiss of what is a known issue.
The right is quite smooth over medium level corrugations. I haven't done the Gibb yet tho'.
That Lovells kit gives a whopping 500 Kg GVM increase. That leads me to think that the unladen ride must be pretty harsh? And I wonder if this kit is mainly for people towing the majority of the time?
I don't have any plans to tow anything (that's if I continue to have my way :-) -- I like to keep things simple), so I'm not sure if this kit would suit me. If it was say a 200 Kg upgrade, it wouldn't seem so extreme. Do you tow often?
Thanks a lot for your input; really appreciated.
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Ahoy Grinbot,
your assumption is incorrect.
I've driven a 100s of Kms on corrugated tracks, no towing, and my vehicle (2018 Prado GXL + factory towbar, + GVM Upgrade + some camping kit) more or less unladen, the drive was relatively serene.
A fellow driver in a Pajero was shaking his teeth out. We swapped cars, for 10 minutes, I wanted mine back.
I have also driven around the Kimberley in a stock Pajero. You can see the corrugations on the Gibb River Road from the moon. The ride in the Paj was manic to say the least.
I'm not sure how much Toyota's cabin vibration isolation system contributed, but I give the Lovell's kit 9 out of 10 (only cause they overlooked the sway bar spacer kit the first time around). Also I believe the Lovells kit is the only available legally compliant GVM Upgrade for the Prado 150.
I now have a Bull Bar, Drawer System, 50Ltr water tank and shortly a twin wheel carrier. Heading off to the Flinders Ranges next week to test it all out again.
Standby.
Last edited by RPP; 09-11-2018, 08:18 PM.
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