Seeking Lightweight Options for Overland Build

This forum seems amazing and since my local shop doesn’t carry Dobinsons, I am very looking forward to giving @Crikeymike some business via Exit Offroad. Anywho, let me introduce myself and my build plans.

Intro

My wife and I greatly enjoy our 4WD RV build. Buying used and converting was so much cheaper than buying new and such a better end result. (pic posted as my avatar for now). This rig is appropriately named Heavy Eddy as she weighs 13K lbs fully loaded. The Eddy part of the name is a play on the eddy water feature which is a calm spot in turbulent waters. I am never more at peace than on the road. Speaking of which, we have taken Heavy Eddy offroad successful quite a bit, but have encountered definite limitations due to size and weight. For instance, I got to use my winch twice on a recent trip because she bogs down so easily. We currently live in midwest Georgia but will be moving out west in a couple of years.

New Rig

Our enjoyment of Heavy Eddy lit the fire to dive into overlanding which has landed me here. I recently acquired a stock '21 Silver Offroad Premium edition. It has 62K miles so I got it for what I thought was a great deal. Following the calm in troubled waters theme, her name is Bantam Eddy with bantam being a play on the lightweight boxing class.

Bantam Eddy's Build Guidelines

My build intent is to be as light and minimal as possible while still meeting my overlanding needs. As a backpacker, I embrace the every ounce counts mantra while still being mindful of not being silly about it. I want to be able to travel far and wide offroad without getting too technical. And I do recognize that will present its own set of limitations. This will also be my daily driver. My wife is 5'2" and, unfortunately, is prone to car sickness.

Bantam Eddy's Intended Build (non suspension)

• Sherpa Mustang Synthetic Rope Winch - 42 lbs - ordered
• Greenlane Offroad Stump Bumper, no bar - 45 lbs - ordered
• Greenlane Rear Ladder - 8 lbs - ordered
• Wildpeak AT4Ws - 275/70R17 , C Load - 58 lbs each - will be ordered with suspension - spare to be mounted in stock spot
• Method Beadgrip 701s - 17x8.5 with zero offset - will be ordered with suspension
• Westcott Designs zero degree rock sliders with top plates (see wife's height) - 50 lbs each - still researching
• no new roof rack yet - will use existing plus added storage which is tbd - the budget line has to be drawn somewhere - lol
• Inno 320 Rooftop Cargo Box - 37 lbs - still researching
• diy sleeping and storage platform - see budget - 3/4 inch plywood - totes underneath for now

Suspension

The topic that brought me here! My wife's car sickness challenges landed me squarely on the Dobinsons 1″ to 3.5″ MRR 3-Way Adjustable Lift Kit. I am aiming for a moderate lift. The list below is what my local shop thought I needed but the conversation left me compelled to validate:

• Front Springs : C59-314 : 80-150 lbs constant load, 2.5" lift
• Front Shocks : MRA59-A574 : 2.5 - 3.5" lift
• Rear Springs : C59-327 : 220-440 lbs constant load, 2 - 3" lift
• Rear Shocks : MRA59-A575 : 2 - 3" lift

They advised that I wait on other components to make sure I need them after some use. The shop is well regarded for honesty and quality, but their unfamiliarity with Dobinsons gave me pause. I am also a little concerned that they may lean more toward show than performance. I will be ordering my kit to be shipped to them for install.

Conclusion

Sorry about the saga but this sums it all up. If I should post different topics on different threads, please advise. I am retired and have plenty of time - lol. If you think I am making any mistakes, definitely let me know! I sincerely value the experience and input of others. : )

 

Good read, I’d say you’re pretty much dialed in. Enjoy your new acquisition. Welcome from San Diego!

 

Welcome!
Since you have committed to Greenlane for your bumper, have you thought about them for sliders? I have them and could not be happier, plus they weigh in at 50# total. I don't plan on any serious rock crawling so the aluminum build is perfect for me. Just a thought.

 

Yes, me too. More and more I’m leaning towards Greenlane sliders, I like the weight savings, plus not a lot of rocks where I off-road.

 

Welcome

 

Interesting - thanks for the feedback. I had been thinking about the Greenlane sliders very seriously, but had seen a lot of strong opinions about steel being the best option for those unintended bumps along the way. I do have a tendency to get myself in trouble from time to time, hence the bumper being one of my first purchases - lol. More thinking on that one to do...

 

Welcome

 

Yes, there are lots of reasons to choose one or the other but weight and corrosion resistance made up my mind. For the record, I had my rig out on Moon Valley road in Eastern Oregon this past year and on the rock garden section I took a lot of hits on the sliders. I was going slow and careful but made it through with no major damage, ymmv but I was very impressed with their performance.

 

Thanks @Geojanitor , I was going to ask if anyone had real world experience with the robustness of the Greenlane sliders. Much appreciated!

 

Welcome to the forum!!

The front and rear coils and front struts are correct. You can't use those long travel rear shocks with those coils though, so you need to change to MRA59-A701 instead.

Does your new 4Runner have KDSS? If so, you'll need the KDSS spacers. If not, you'll need extended rear sway bar links.
You'll also need new UCA's to get the correct alignment up front and for proper coil clearance with those extended travel struts. And a diff drop kit is highly recommended with those as there can be CV binding at full droop with those struts.

 

Awesome feedback, @Crikeymike . I just got off the phone with Dobinsons and they recommended C59-599s for the rear. Do you have an opinion on that recommendation? My rig does not have KDSS. I am definitely a get it right the first time type of person, so totally agree on diff drop and UCAs. Do you have a recommendation on the UCAs? Thanks so much for the advice!

 

Welcome from Arizona!

 

It just depends what height you want the rear to be at. Keeping rake is a good idea if you'll load up with a bunch of gear and are unsure about that weight. If you go with 2.5" up front and 1.5" in the rear (599's), you'll remove 1" of rake compared to factory, making it sit more level. The 327's will be more like 2.5" with your weight.

I recommend Dobinsons UCA's all day long. They're super long lasting, maintenance free, and do everything you'll need.

 

Got it. I like the idea of losing some but not all of the rake. Order incoming to Exit Offroad this evening.

Much appreciated!

 

Hey @Crikeymike , I am a retired software developer so by nature analyze the stew out of everything - sometimes to a fault - lol. I’m thinking C59-302s on the front would pair better with the C59-599s in the rear to better prevent reverse rake possibility under load. I am assuming the uca and diff drop recommendations would still stand.

Your thoughts, please?

 

Also curious if you know how long the wait on the tube uca's and long travel rear shocks are?

 

You can run the 302's if you'd like, you just won't get the same lift height as the 314's. It will be more like 2" of lift with the front added weight.

UCA's are due mid/late March. You can't run the LT rear shocks with the coils we're discussing, they'll fall out at full droop.

 

Got it - standard shocks with this lift. I think a lower lift will look better with my 275/70r17s and line up with lean and light objective. I'll probably order the kit separate from the uca's so the full bundle won't be held up.

Thanks again for your experienced input - not taken for granted at all.

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction for a light overland build? I have a ‘22 OR with KDSS. I’m looking for a budget friendly rooftop platform and tent. Not looking to do any suspension upgrades unless I absolutely have to. I’m only planning on hauling the tent on top. It would be my wife and 2 small kids. I’d prefer a tent with a foldout platform with two legs. I’m sorry, I am very new to the idea of overlanding so my descriptions are really amateur I know. TIA.