Mr newbie

[Guest Close Guest]

Hi guys going to get ahead of myself here as i am yet to finalise finance on the 2002 prado but hey.
unfortunatly it will be the miss every day drive as I work 65 kms from work so i get the awesome holden apollo (toyota camry). Which is good on fuel. How ever the prado has a steel bull bar and factory tow hitch. I cant afford to spend the money i really would like to on it but. Two things are mandatory i think suspension upgrade and some at or i would prefer st tires. Just wondering what your guys thoughts are. I do plan on family camping trips and such properly no real hard core stuff but want a vehicle i can depend on to get me threw most places. Every day its not going to be carring lots of weight but when all of us are in it for a trip it will be as we have a 12 and 13 year old and a baby so will be carting abit. Also tossing up the idea of roof rack. All future plans depends on what the tax man gives me . first thing is suspension

[Chriso57 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chriso57]

Re: Mr newbie

Welcome wazza78.

Good thinking with the suspension upgrade as a priority. My 2002 GXL was transformed with a quality suspension upgrade. Several years on factory susp takes it's toll and a new set up is worth its weight in gold in terms of comfort and capabilities.

My suggestion to you is to search through this forum and find the great mods others have done. There are some fantastic mods that can be done with minimal outlay that will make your Prado all the more capable and user friendly. A couple that spring to mid are:

-Power window mod
-Rear door table
-Dual batteries

Have fun searching the forum and exploring our awesome country.

Chriso

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

Re: Mr newbie

hey wazza welcome to pradopoint, good luck with the purchase and could you put your location in your profile so we know where you r. cheers samo

[ozwapet2 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close ozwapet2]

Re: Mr newbie

Welcome
Good pick ! Good tyres and suspension are your priorities, plus take it to a good 4WD specialist and have it checked over thoroughly ( if you haven't already )
All this will provide more safety for the young family.
After that, the list of goodies and budget is endless.

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: Mr newbie

Thanks guys fro all the welcomes. Think the very first thing i am going to do is tint the windows specialy with our 3 month old in the back. Thinking I might change all the oils too. Any of you guys run synthetic oils in diff and trans. Maybe they are ment to yet to research this fact yet oh and does any one make a good repair manual for 2002 petrol prados ?

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

Re: Mr newbie

Try the washer upgrade: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=948&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: Mr newbie

thanks i like the washer idea but to be honest havent tried the washers on my soon to be prado

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: Mr newbie

hi I am also looking for a off road trailer. Doesnt have to have a tent

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

Re: Mr newbie

hi I am also looking for a off road trailer. Doesnt have to have a tent

Hi Wazza

Re the trailer, I managed a company that manufactured trailers and chassis for off road caravan companies.
Things to look for are,
1. Hot dipped galavanised chassis and body, your trailer will last forever,
2. Full chassis made out of 3mm wall thickness steel and look at the drawbar length as longer is way easier to reverse and trail. Don't be fooled by a large outer size steel in 1.6mm wall thickness steel, this will tear apart guaranteed.
3. Springs, get rebound shackle springs rather than slipper springs, much softer on your gear and a lot less expensive than an independant system (which is the best)
4. Hitch, the best we found is the Hyland coupling, fits a standard 50mm ball and will go anywhere, the others with pins are very hard to hook up in off road area where you are intending to go.
5. Overide brakes are well worth the money as again they are very low maintainance for a trailer only.
6. Axles make sure that it is a 45mm axle, and if you are putting a load on the trailer ask for parallel bearings as they are way stronger.

If you get all this the you will have trailer that will last you 15 years plus as long as you look after it and that will not let you down on your trips.

Regards, Richo.

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: Mr newbie

At last picked up my prado 2002 rv6 today very happy . Thanks for the info on the trailer sounds like i would have to pay it off for 15 years to haha. Thinking i might go for a roof cage for now. Oh can anyone tell me how to tell other then spinning the wheels if my prado has an lsd ?

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

Re: Mr newbie

At last picked up my prado 2002 rv6 today very happy . Thanks for the info on the trailer sounds like i would have to pay it off for 15 years to haha. Thinking i might go for a roof cage for now. Oh can anyone tell me how to tell other then spinning the wheels if my prado has an lsd ?

Hi Wazza

As far as I know LSD has been standard for all models. The problem is that the Toyota diff is not the best, so you will need to try it out on some dirt, good excuse for a day out playing.

Regards, Richo.

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: Mr newbie

yeah I want to badly haha go for a play but its got 90% worn highway terrain tyres on it must only just past a rwc . The funny thing is the put a new spare which is a hankook mud terrain tire go figure