Our Six Wheelers Give You a GVM & Towing Increase*
So you can carry more & tow more on new & registered vehicles. (Comfortably, safely & legally)
If you have a standard ute & don't tow or carry heavy loads - you probably don’t need a 6 wheeler. But if you are like most people who load their ute, it is never quite big enough &. Add a 3,500Kg trailer to your combo and chances are you are exceeding rear axle loads, over your GVM and overweight, which can be dangerous, costly, illegal and potentially void your insurance.
A court case is unfolding (commenced in July 2019 & going to trial in 2022) where a NSW driver has been charged with 2 instances of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, including 2 additional counts: Towed vehicle weight exceeding the capacity of the towing attachment, & towed vehicle weight exceeding the maximum laden weight. This case will have massive repercussions in the RV industry if those charges lead to a conviction and jail time.
By converting your vehicle to a 6 wheeler, we increase your vehicles GVM & in most cases can increase the towing capacity so you can carry more safely & legally & tow extra loads, without the increased running costs or the hassles of driving a truck, & more importantly remaining compliant with insurance & other state rules & regulations - giving you peace of mind.
*nb due to continuing changes in both federal and state government approvals, some of our new federal SSM builds will "maintain" the OEM towing of 3,500Kg at the 4,495Kg GVM (MY21 Isuzu Dmax, MY21 Mazda BT50 & L200 series Landcruiser). On those vehicles, we can only achieve towing increases when we take the GVM above 4,500Kg (into the light truck category) so the vehicle operates within a higher GCM framework, typically anywhere from 8,000Kg up to 9,300Kg (vehicle dependent).
We are able to convert both brand new vehicles under new federal compliance and on previously registered vehicles in most states & territories.
Benefits of a Six Wheeler:
- Typical GVM increase up to 4,495Kg staying on a car licence ( we can go up to 5,800Kg on an LR licence on the Landcruiser 200 series)
- Increased tray lengths (typically 60-80cm) giving more usable load space
- An increase in payload by up to 2½ tonne (normally achieving 1.7tonnes usable payload)
- Fantastic towing ability up to 4,500Kg and improved ride & comfort!
- Extra braking capacity from the braked rear axle (drums on most builds with disc brakes on Amarok & Landcruisers)
- Our lazy axle set up achieves great articulation to limit the possibility of hangups that truck drivers face with 50:50 load sharing axles
- Great stability and handling on all road surfaces
- Reduced running costs compared to a heavily loaded standard vehicle or a 6X6 (Standard vehicles are cheap to run when they are empty but when heavily loaded, the back tyres bulge out of shape causing greatly increased wear and fuel consumption. Spreading the weight over 4 rear tyres reduces rolling resistance and tyre wear. A lazy axle setup has less moving parts than a 6x6, so less to go wrong & or maintain)
- Approximately 60/40 load share over rough ground. The lazy axle system works like a pivot, so that as one wheel goes up, the other comes down harder allowing the 6x4 to typically go anywhere your standard 4x4 would go both on and off road with that same load.
Most 6 Wheelers have an increased GVM of 4,200-4,495kg and, a legal payload of 1,500-2,000kg. Because of the better load distribution along the chassis, the vehicle will actually carry 2 tonne much easier than the original 1 tonne payload, with far less stress on the chassis. Gone are the days of nose up, rear down when loaded.
The better load sharing means the ride is greatly improved. Pitch, body roll and other handling problems of 1 tonne 4WD vehicles are largely eliminated. The 6x4 ride quality is greatly improved. You won’t recognise it as the same vehicle to drive.
The increased braking ability from the rear hydraulic brakes, combined with the extra rubber on the ground, makes it a safer vehicle to drive. Gone is the tendency to fishtail or broadside on a gravel road, and its traction and ability on a corrugated road is impressive.
Another major improvement is the vehicles towing ability. The enhanced stability of the Six Wheeler carries more ball weight and overcomes sway to make your trailer or van tow like a dream. Then the extra brakes do their job as well. With this, conventional trailers up to 4½ tonne and gooseneck or 5th wheel trailers and vans up to 5.5 tonne can be accommodated without feeling like the trailer is controlling the vehicle.
Landcruiser 70 GLX Dual Cab V8 Six Wheeler Ute
Six Wheeler conversions are particularly good for towing, and in the case of tray back versions, they lend themselves particularly well to carrying slide on campers. The slide ons can also be larger.
