One Tonner Trade Toughen Up List.

[One tonner]

The Holden One tonne Ute is far from Trade ready in its stock form in my personal opinion.
From experience I have put together a list of mods for any tradesman considering purchasing one of these Utes for work purposes.

Heavy-duty clutch (Textralia) a must for the manuals, $1900 fitted.
Fully synthetic gearbox fluid, reduce box noise and improve shift. $110
3.9 diff gears $1200 just to make the car usable. Spare diff required standard ones are crap.
Heavy duty sump guard $120
Bigger brakes, PBR or Harrop. Stock ones will not stop with load over 300kg $1800 for starters
Edit to improve fuel economy and utilise horsepower needed for the job. $1200 :burnout:
Zorst, what self-respecting trady buys a one tonner V8 to have it sound like a Vacuum. $2400 :D
For VY replace front struts with VZ item to remove link pin bushes (prone to noise and failure). $500
Rework rear springs, shackle bushes, and shockers $1200.

Total $10430

Now for the big one, one ton capacity you say Holden. :kapow:
My car on the rego label says 2800kg GVM
The car weighs 2100kg empty with me in it and steel tray.
Therefore load capacity is 700kg, one tonner my As$.

Feel free to add any thing else, fellow one tonner, or Ute owners.

[Nursing_Mother]

heavy duty sump guard sounds good,is this available through holden or custom fabbed?

[One tonner]

heavy duty sump guard sounds good,is this available through holden or custom fabbed?

Holden factory item, Police up grade Part Number GM-92078951 GUARD-OIL PAN, at least 5mm thick and steel.

[lxhatch]

Now for the big one, one ton capacity you say Holden. :kapow:
My car on the rego label says 2800kg GVM
The car weighs 2100kg empty with me in it and steel tray.
Therefore load capacity is 700kg, one tonner my As$.


ummm, dont you read this stuff b 4 buying?
http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/action/techdata?modelid=21001
then find out the weight of your tray and do the sums.
Even if you get it second hand, you still have to do the sums if you want a fairdinkum 1 tonne rating.

[Chris52]

The Holden One tonne Ute is far from Trade ready in its stock form in my personal opinion.
From experience I have put together a list of mods for any tradesman considering purchasing one of these Utes for work purposes.

Heavy-duty clutch (Textralia) a must for the manuals, $1900 fitted.
Fully synthetic gearbox fluid, reduce box noise and improve shift. $110
3.9 diff gears $1200 just to make the car usable. Spare diff required standard ones are crap.
Heavy duty sump guard $120
Bigger brakes, PBR or Harrop. Stock ones will not stop with load over 300kg $1800 for starters
Edit to improve fuel economy and utilise horsepower needed for the job. $1200 :burnout:
Zorst, what self-respecting trady buys a one tonner V8 to have it sound like a Vacuum. $2400 :D
For VY replace front struts with VZ item to remove link pin bushes (prone to noise and failure). $500
Rework rear springs, shackle bushes, and shockers $1200.

Total $10430

Now for the big one, one ton capacity you say Holden. :kapow:
My car on the rego label says 2800kg GVM
The car weighs 2100kg empty with me in it and steel tray.
Therefore load capacity is 700kg, one tonner my As$.

Feel free to add any thing else, fellow one tonner, or Ute owners.


Its the same deal with the Crewmans. I am slowly ticking off these items on my list. Sure adds up though does'nt it?

Cheers

Chris.

[One tonner]

ummm, dont you read this stuff b 4 buying?
http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/action/techdata?modelid=21001
then find out the weight of your tray and do the sums.
Even if you get it second hand, you still have to do the sums if you want a fairdinkum 1 tonne rating.

Weight with no tray V8 manual 1581kg
My car with a steel tray as stated is 2100kg
With an alloy tray is 2000kg I know because I called MMM Holden tray makers.
Therefore 800kg capacity alloy tray.
You tell me where I can buy a tray light enough to make up the difference.

[lxhatch]

Dunno Tonner - Maybe you have to get a shorter tray - seems strange that an alloy tray weighs 420kg (1580 to 2000kg) - seems high, but if that's what it is, so be it.

Good discussion though, for anyone looking at these.
It's the GCM figure we look at for towing.
You have to add on 70 or 80kg per person too, which is important for the crewman.

[One tonner]

Dunno Tonner - Maybe you have to get a shorter tray - seems strange that an alloy tray weighs 420kg (1580 to 2000kg) - seems high, but if that's what it is, so be it.

Good discussion though, for anyone looking at these.
It's the GCM figure we look at for towing.
You have to add on 70 or 80kg per person too, which is important for the crewman.

You are right 520kg (steel tray) seems high. I thought the same when I weighed the Ute at the weighbridge.
The guy told me the scales were accurate within 20kg, but he could be wrong.

[VFast]

...Fully synthetic gearbox fluid, reduce box noise and improve shift. $110

What fluid did you use ?

What improvements have you seen when using it?

[BLK 1T]

ummm, dont you read this stuff b 4 buying?
http://www.holden.com.au/www-holden/action/techdata?modelid=21001
then find out the weight of your tray and do the sums.
Even if you get it second hand, you still have to do the sums if you want a fairdinkum 1 tonne rating.

Thats OK in theory lxhatch. But the drongos who build the trays couldnt provide me with a basic drawing of what I was paying for let alone a mass figure (steel tray + under tray drawer). Did let me look at one at their workshop.

One Tonner + tray + toolbox and small amount of gear = 2100kg at the tip weighbridge. Any wonder its a slug when stock
Phil

[One tonner]

What fluid did you use ?

What improvements have you seen when using it?

Bit off topic but.
I used 4.5 Lts of Tranzmax Z Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF). I filled it through the reverse switch takes ages because if you pump it in to quick it will overflow. This way you can get in the extra 500ml.
The gearbox is noticeably smoother in the shifts both up and down.
Gearbox noise. “You know the one when idling in neutral with the clutch out”, did not stop but reduced the rattle to an acceptable level.
Better on cold mornings not as notchie. :D
I have heard the Mobil sully synthetic ATF is very good also.
For best results add a rip shifter.
I got all this info from our beloved forum via the search function.

[Ken]

.... 3.9 diff gears $1200 just to make the car usable. Spare diff required standard ones are crap ...

We have had a few customers fit the Enduro Diff Cover (http://www.harrop.com.au/root_folder/driveline_components/99-acvr6941-00.html) to improve the diff life/durability with pretty good results.
:D

[Martin_D]

Dont think the Enduro diff cover fits the One Tonner live rear axle Ken. But I may well be wrong!

[Ken]

Dont think the Enduro diff cover fits the One Tonner live rear axle Ken. But I may well be wrong!

Not in it's standard form, but we tweak it to suit.
Complete kit is about $330.00 inc GST for the cover and proportioning valve bracket.
;)

[Martin_D]

You do? Want to sell us one for our drag Tonner....10s on the stock (and I mean STOCK) 2 pinion diff.... :eek:

[DJC-346]

heh, mite throw in a quick one.

i drive an au3 one tonner for work.

it is gas, has 250 000 kms, and empty weighs in at 2.9 tonne
(when i say empty, i meen it has a permenently mounted 6kva generator, a 1300x1000x750 roll door toolbox, variouse tools that are scattered in every nook and cranny under the tray, a 150l water tank, a b size arrowboard that is mounted to the chassis but extends over the roof, easy 100kgs of gadgets and crap in the interior) i have a weigh bridge ticket in the office that weighs it loaded at 4.65T, and this didnt include the c size arrowboard trailor (around 900kg tow) i was about to go pick up ;)

only mods to the ute are slotted rotors, suspension has been sorted. everything else is standard. has only just started to come into some dramas in the last month or so (gas related mainly)

oh, and i should also point out that its had its first gearbox service ever 2 months ago (apparently the oil was a funny sight ;) and the only service it has had for 250 000kms were oil and filter every 20K kms or so. was still running the original fitted plugs and leads until last week.

this ute jumps up gutters at 60kmh (never had a wheel alignment...period), gets bashed off gutters, driven into stuff (to straighten them), carrys massive weight, used abused, thrashed, has been flooded, driven thru fire (bush fire, firys needed a water tank towed) u name it its done it....

only things that have been replaced was an ignition module, battery and an alternater (3 hella worklights, 2 revolving hella lamps, 4 led flashers, tv screen, arrowboard, gps, accucounter, draws alot of amps)

i can thoughrely recommend any trady, falcon one tonners are pure peaches. maybe we just got a good one, but ide never buy anything else for real work.

im not a bastard operator, my boss is a little slack with the upkeep (i actually think he has a sick desire to see how far it can be pushed) and the only reason ive managed to get some stuff done to it latly is he is sick of me whinging about it

that said, its gutless, and i love jumping back into my ss ute on the weekend.


just my go at stirring the pot ;)


ps: also run 2 ford transit cab chassis that frequently see around 5t on them

[lxhatch]

i have a weigh bridge ticket in the office that weighs it loaded at 4.65T, and this didnt include the c size arrowboard trailor (around 900kg tow) i was about to go pick up ;)




crikey...I might just throw one in too then....dont get involved in an injury accident, cos you might spend a lot of time in jail :eek:

[bobg]

i have a weigh bridge ticket in the office that weighs it loaded at 4.65T, and this didnt include the c size arrowboard trailor (around 900kg tow) i was about to go pick up
As lxhatch has implied, get involved in any sort of legal problem and you are history. At 4.65T loaded you are way over any load limit for that vehicle and are courting disaster - and your employer is also. :bash: :bash: There is now "chain of responsibility" legislation in some form or other in all jurisdictions and if it can be shown that you or your boss were aware of the transgression you will both be "for the high jump" - deservatively so, too!!!!! :box: :box: Driving a vehicle knowingly in such an overloaded state is idiotic and it is just as idiotic to allow someone else to do so. :eek: :eek:

I have had my rant. :mad: :mad:

Regards

Bob G

[THE308]

No use buying any Lotto tickets dude, you've used up all your luck already.

Yes it's very interesting how such abuse has not killed the ute and yourself earlier. But why on earth do you place such little value on your own life and of other roadusers?

Let me assure you the reality of surviving a fatal accident will haunt you forever.

Here's another sobering thought for you. Even if an accident involving you and your deathtrap on wheels isn't technically your fault, you will be deemed responsible on the basis that the vehicle was unroadworthy and was not entitled to be on the road.

My father prosecuted a driver of a vehicle HIT in a rearend collision. Why? the driver who was HIT, was just over .05, even though the accident wasn't his fault, he wore the lot because he wasn't entitled to be on the road being over .05.

The basis of the ruling, is if you are not entitled to be on the road you will be held responsible for the accident regardless of wether you caused it!

So this ruling applies specifically to you!

Why risk going to jail every time you go to work? That's the reality EVERY SINGLE TIME you drive that ute.