Weight in back of Disco 1

Am I safe to load approx 700kg in the back of a Disco 1 and tow about the same again, I know the tow is no probs but unsure of load capacity in the back of the car.
Cheers
Danny

700 kg of what lead dont it say on the logbook or or chassis plate the safe max gross weight on the rear axle

No, Wood actually and I don't know, that's why I'm asking here
Cheers

johnny curt 1 said:

700 kg of what lead dont it say on the logbook or or chassis plate the safe max gross weight on the rear axle

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700kg of lead weighs the same as 700kg of wood.....

You don't say which model of Disco 1 but for the 300TDI:

max front axle weight: 1200kg
max rear axle weight: 1650kg
gross vehicle weight: 2720kg

Kerb weights very a little according to spec, so no point posting them unless you tell us the info on your car.

Do you mean split fire wood? I get 1.5Cu3 of split dry wood in the back of my D1. I fold the seats down and fill her to the roof! Stronger springs and decent dampers are crucial to keep it all under control. I use standard springs and top notch dampers and have had no problems and its still comfy unladen. 1.5cu3 is about 700kg.
I take wood out of woodlands on a regular basis and thwe disco copes very well indeed.
ps watch your floor does not give way if rusty!!!!

Good point Paul, it's a 1998 300tdi 3 door, I don't really understand axle weights etc, just to see if anyone knew if I can load that amount in the back and not break something. Thank you for info though
Danny

Spot on Pindie, that's the info I needed and what I'll be carrying. Thanks
Danny

I had 20 x 24 bottle packs of French beer in the boot once and the steering and handling was very iffy and that was no-way near 700kg ... Glad I don't do 'booze cruise' any more.

Woodwasp said:

Good point Paul, it's a 1998 300tdi 3 door, I don't really understand axle weights etc, just to see if anyone knew if I can load that amount in the back and not break something. Thank you for info though
Danny

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From the manual, EEC kerb weigh is 1040kg on the front axle and 1015kg on the rear axle. EEC kerb weight = unladen weight + full fuel tank + 75kg driver.

So, that means the rear axle is good for 635kg and the front 160kg; but total load capacity is 665kg. Of course, you could half fill with fuel and get about another 35kg or so of capacity, etc.

Also, remember anything beyond the rear overhang loads the rear axle slightly more than its own weight, and unloads the front axle by the same difference. Including the trailer nose weight.

I'd be more worried about 700kgs of wood disappearing through the boot floor on one of these old rotboxes!

Dids said:

I'd be more worried about 700kgs of wood disappearing through the boot floor on one of these old rotboxes!

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I'm with you on this Dids, the actual load capacity WHEN NEW was about 650kgs in the back.

So with at least 12 years of use and the way the TDi 300 can rot and the way springs/dampers age, don't be surprised if your wood ends up on the road.

To be honest it sounds to me like it would be dangerously overloaded particularly when you take into account the weight of your loaded trailer as well.

Just because it says it can be done in the handbook (printed at least 12yrs ago) doesn't mean it should be done.

Please be careful.

Dont forget the 50+kg of noseweight from the tow hitch, probably adds another 100kg by the time you allow for overhang.

Maybe do two trips??

I've got a bad feeling about this!

Get a bigger trailer and dont put any in the disco. just my 2p worth

P4UL5, That's the best bit of advice on this thread !

discool said:

I had 20 x 24 bottle packs of French beer in the boot once and the steering and handling was very iffy and that was no-way near 700kg ... Glad I don't do 'booze cruise' any more.

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A very old thread but...
We took the back seats out of a Seat Ibiza and got 52 cases of French lager in the back!
Steering was very iffy, brakes needed a bit of fore-thought, the wheel arches were rubbing and we lit up the clouds with the headlights whilst struggling up the hill out of Dover. Oh, happy days.