L-series payload

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ryan87

ryan87

Member
Posts
17
Location
high wycombe uk
hello i have a 99 mk1 freelander 2L di. and i want to increase the amount of weight it can pull.
i have got the whole interior striped out apart from the two front seats and front inner door panels. and i will be looking for further ways to shed a few pounds else were. so i was wondering if any one has ever uprated the suspension on a mk 1.
 
I can see what your trying to do, legally get to the max train weight by reducing the weight of the towing
vehicle & increasing the trailer weight, I see a problem here if you have to do an emergency stop.
The increased towed weight will make the lighter an the vehicle prone to jack knifing as it will be pushing
you down the road. If you have an accident then your screwed you will be nailed to the wall.
 
Yeh, this does not sound sensible to me.

The L Series will tow a more than the legal limits - but whether the vehicle is up to that is another matter and if you reduce its weight, you're not helping it.

When we used to go camping (kids grown up now and wife now refuses to holiday under canvas) we'd put as much as possible in the boat - but the heavy stuff went in the boot. It probably didn't make to much difference at the weights we were towing/carrying, but every little helps make it a more comfortable and safe journey.

I should say, I'm no expert, and if I wanted to make those sorts of changes, I think I'd get them calculated and certified by someone that does know - especially as you'd need to tell your insurance company, and plod if anything happens, that you were going to be using the vehicle outside of its original spec.
 
You can't tow more by making the tow vehicle weigh less. The Freelander is designed to tow its maximum 'plated' load, and can't tow more, regardless of any other factors.

Removing weight from the vehicle won't increase its tow capacity, but will reduce its towing stability massively, as the proportional difference in mass between the trailer and vehicle will increase.

The 'plated' train mass can't be exceeded, but neither can the tow capacity.

Unfortunately you're stuck to going by whatever the plated towing capacities are, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Towing with an overweight trailer is illegal, and very severely dealt with by the courts, as it's incredibly dangerous, often resulting in an overturned vehicle, often including injuries and damage to other people's property.

If you need to tow more than the Freelander can manage, then buy a more suitable vehicle.

There was a video posted last year on the forum, which showed a FL1 towing an oversized trailer, were it started to snake, the flipped over very quickly, blocking a duel carriageway, destroying the Freelander, trailer and vehicle on the trailer too.

My suggestion is don't even bother, as it's a silly and dangerous plan.
If you want to tow more, buy a more suitable vehicle.
 
sorry I'm new i should of been more clear in my wording. its not for towing purposes. i genuinely want to be able to hold more weight in side the vehicle. not to dangerous limits but any increase in my ability to hold more would help me. I'm thinking uprated shocks, springs, Polly bushes, I want like to keep the ride height the same but if ether going up or down will make it more stronger i will do what ever.
 
Last edited:
You can't put in any more weight than the 'E' plate says, regardless of what suspension you fit.
The vehicle has been 'Type Approved' or homologated, which means it must only be used on the roads, if used in accordance to its type approval.

Look at the 'E' plate, and see what it says.

This is the plate for my old V6.
20210325_093056.jpg


The plate on the FL1 gives four different weights in Kg.

The top number is the maximum permissible vehicle weight, known as, (Maximum Authorised Mass) or MAM for short.

The second number down is the maximum permissible train mass, i.e. vehicle and trailer combined. The Freelander is pretty good, as it can tow a decent trailer, at its MAM

The third number (1-) is for maximum permissible load on the front axle.

The fourth number (2-) is the maximum permissible load on the rear axle.

However you can't have the front and rear axles loaded up to the maximum, at the same time, as this would exceed the maximum permissible mass of the vehicle.

Don't forget that MAM includes fuel, occupants, spare wheels, tools and anything else in the vehicle.
 
ryan87 said:
is there such a place that if i was to uprate things i can get it certified or approved
Click to expand...

Vehicle type approval costs millions of pounds, and involves destructive testing, which is kinda pointless on a one off vehicle. Not even rich companies like Aston Martin can get all cars they build type approved, so sell them for off road use only.

Your best bet is to sell the Freelander (the L series is quite sort after), and buy something more suitable for your needs.
 
ok let me ask this. just say I'm running my freelander at maximum authorised mas down to the last kg. dose any one know what can be done to improve the suspension to accommodate running at MAM on a continual basis.
 
You could fit the springs from the 2006 FL1, which was given a higher MAM, to comply with some regulation or other. This won't change the law regarding you particularly load, but will reduce the suspension sag when loaded.

Alternatively sell the L Series, and buy a 2006 TD4, with the strongest suspension, and higher MAM.;)
 
i do like and want to own a discovery one day for offroad. but the freelander is what im working with for my workhorse. the size of the Freelander and its engine is more ideal for its work environment. the disco is a hole lot of machine that is going to be surplus to requirements. i just wish they made the freelander more beefy not to much just a little. if a MAM increase is impossible the i will have to shave weight off both the car and my set up.
 
ryan87 said:
yeah i know what you mean. its just im just not a fan of modern diesels . will the 2006 shocks, spring bolt in mine then
Click to expand...

The L series isn't a bad diesel, although it's massively underpowered in the FL1.
The TD4 has miles better performance, although less is reliable, but still isn't that bad.

The 2006 FL1 has a MAM of 2550 Kg IIRC, which is considerably higher than the L series MAM.
 
i know what you mean about the power. and i have been looking in to getting some power gains. but now im thinking about it with the MAM it probably best i keep the power standard or though more efficient. im just thinking that the extra power will cause more stress between the engine and the road.
 
The L series gearbox isn't really capable of taking any more torque than the L series engine can produce.
The rest of the drive line will take much more, as long as the VCU is in good health, and the tyres are always kept identical.
 
ryan87 said:
is there such a place that if i was to uprate things i can get it certified or approved
Click to expand...
Over here you can get changes to spec certified quite easily. You have to take the vehicle to an authorised inspection center and it costs about $500 (£250) I think.

Any changes to spec need certification - eg swapping out air suspension for coils on a D2 or RR or boy racers lowering their cars. If your vehicle registration lapses by more then 2 years you also need to get the car certified to put it back on the road.

I love your commitment to the L Series :D I love mine, had it for over 10 years now and its still giving great reliable service. I've also abused it towing highly illegal loads and its got the job done - although I did bust the axle on a trailer I hire to shift a load of concrete slabs once - should have made multiple trips :oops: They are slow off the mark, but are strong.

A member who doesn't come on here these days @DastardlyDan put a thread up about mod for the L Series ...

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/l-series-mods.284526/

A member over here @htr put Dobinson Springs on his Freelander. I believe he describes them a a bit taller and firmer than standard, not sure if they would help in your desire to carry borderline weights frequently - firmer might be good, but higher COG would probably not be good. If you do a search for springs and member htr he has talked about them a bit.
 
thanks grumpygel
your reply was uplifting. my commitment is set in stone. I had in my head I wanted a 4x4 and life presented me with my l series. I didn't even pay any physical money for it. got it in exchange for my labour on a 2jz rebuild. i will check out these springs you speak of and will also look in to the uprated td4 suspension. need to find out weather the td4 components will just bold on. looking on e bay I had the the td4 and the l series shocks up side by side and they look the same. witch begs the question were dose the td4 get its higher weight tolerance? from the macpherson strut or somewhere else in the running gear.
what year is you l series?
 
The rear shocks are identical on all FL1s, only the strings changed a bit, depending on year and engine type.

The fronts are are a bit more complicated, as they changed slightly after at 2001 MY update, but I can't remember what changed. I think it could have been the angle of the bottom section, as the camber angle changed in 2001.
The damper rate also changed a bit, as did the springs, as different engines weigh different amounts.

The strongest factory springs are from the 2006 V6, so these would give you the best ride, however I'd just try the rear strings first, as the load you have in there, will mostly be over the rear wheels.

However if you're new to LR ownership, it's very sensible to check the AWD system, or it'll fail, which is costly to repair.

Look here. https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/tests-new-freelander-1-owners-should-do-on-their-car.312863/
 
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