Land Rover Series III went into production in 1971 and is the most common version of the series range (series I, II, and III), with 440,000 of this type built from 1971 to 1985.
The Land Rover was the first mass-produced civilian 4×4 with doors and a hard roof. Despite the wheelbase being a mere 88 in (2.24 m) the box-like aluminium (due to post-war steel shortage) body with roomy interior allows for a diverse range of loads to be carried.
For the Series models Land Rover had to design in a compromise for their leaf sprung suspension systems. Their design allowed for the double aims of the most comfortable on-road and most capable off-road ride characteristics or in other words optimal ride vs optimal axle articulation.
As stated by Land Rover the SWB Series III official off-road payload capacity for the 88 inch ‘regular’ is 3 persons plus 453.5 kgs (1,000 pounds) and for the 88 inch ‘station wagon’ is 6 persons plus 22.6 kgs (50 pounds). For the purposes of these figures Land Rover deems a single person as weighing 77.5 kgs (167 pounds)
According to Land Rover approximately 75% to 85% of additional weight added to a Series III is intended to be carried by the rear springs. As with all Land Rover and 4×4 vehicles the operator should strive to carry additional non-person weight as low as possible and to the rear, behind the forward facing seating area. This is also true when loading roof racks, the heaviest item(s), roof tents or fuel will need to be loaded towards the rear of the vehicle.
Land Rover fine-tuned their choice of leaf springs for the Series models by fitting springs in ‘handed’ pairs for RHD and LHD to compensate for the uneven weight distribution of the vehicle.
With the RHD Series models the driver’s side required stiffer leaf springs to compensate for the weight of the fuel tank and battery and to keep the vehicle level. Whereas LHD models had equal springs fitted as the weight of the driver seated on the left was offset by the fuel tank and battery located on the right side.
As a footnote, for a long time there was resistance from Land Rover senior management in moving from leaf springs to coil springs as it was felt that coils springs would encourage drivers to drive too quickly off road resulting in vehicle damage.
It is just amazing what you can load up a Series Land Rover with, from turf to brambles the list goes on. Share with us your own stories of mighty loads carried by your Series III.
Information sources:
Land Rover Series 3 Technical Details Booklet October 1971
http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/springs.htm
Haynes Publishing – ‘Land Rover Series II, IIa & III Petrol and Diesel’
Rover Jaguar Land Rover Ltd – ‘Land Rover Series III: Hand Book’
