Aus military testing G Wagen

[otiswesty]

I would like to point out how the 461's have the spare wheel mounted on a bumper carrier instead of the rear door. Those doors are not meant to carry all that weight for hundreds of miles of offroading without wearing out or needing to be adjusted all the time. I plan on making a swing out wheel carrier for mine and a lightweight ladder that mounts on the bolts on the door and hinges like that license plate holder on the pic above.

These spare tires are body mounted not bumper mounted. The bumperettes on the Canadian version 461 would not stand up to any kind of prolonged stress from mounted accessories. hey are light and very cool though. The Aussie bumpers, front and rear, are much more robust.
Frankly, I would rather have my spare on the door than bolted to the body sheet metal. Of course it is great for a double rear door G-class, but on a large single rear door, the door mount is a no-brainer.

 

[thebigblue]

FWIW. The rear-door mont on a 463 is solid like hell, I did a full days drive in a dried-out river-bed in Morocco with no track at all, - and hence loads of vibrations, the 3 mm. triangular metal plate that holds the spare cracked - but no damage to the door or the fixtures in it at all.

 

[justcuz]

Just returned from an outback trip and spotted a convoy of G-Wagens returning to their NorForce base in Alice Springs. Both 4x4 and 6x6 versions. Interesting to note that most of Australia's ag, mining and recreational sectors runs on LandCruisers but the military refuses to touch them.

My guess would be the chassis is/was a factor in the decision, Gwagon frames are quite robust.