Curiosity or friends got you here so just what are we about. The Wagon Way site is two guys sharing and giving back to the wheeling community. We have been there, done that and are willing to tell you about it. We both owned FJ40’s at one time but these days we just happen to enjoy wheeling in wagons, wagons that are also daily drivers. Our wagon of choice is the 60 series Land Cruiser. Reliable, durable, easy to modify and built like a tank.
The site is about rock solid advice on what you can do with and in a wagon. It's a source for information, answers or a link to what you need. Technical know how that can be trusted without question. Inspiration for your own adventures, as you won’t believe the places you can put a wagon.
This is not a forum. While forums are full of good advice, they are also a risk for bad advice. The anonymity allows someone to spew out garbage all day and no one knows who they are and just what they really know. Here it is only real people with real names and years of practical experience. Everything on the site has been done to one or both of our rigs. And even though we both drive 60's you will find they are very different.
No one pays their way to get on here. We make mention of companies and individuals that we have dealt with and received good to great service from. And if we have been shafted by someone we will tell you that too. But probably with kind words so they don’t sue us. We will even give them a shot at redeeming themselves.
What’s in a wagon? Family, friends and my dog (who happens to be both). Wagons have plenty of room for others, they are inclusive, rather than exclusive. And to be honest you don’t even have to drive a wagon to find something of interest here on the site. Be sure to check back often for updates, edits and additional articles.
The Wagon Way is a mindset, a way to wheel and act, a philosophy if you will. But not one that is in your face.
There is a right way, a wrong way and The Wagon Way.
Eric Burch and Tony Konovaloff
-New Articles-
Posted on September 2nd, 2011
By Tony K
Having a voltmeter in the dash was always a nice feature, much better than the proverbial idiot light that only reveals itself when it is pretty much too late to do anything about it. But the factory gauge in the dash does have some drawbacks. Having to turn the key on for a reading is a bit of a pain and just how accurate is the gauge. And adding a second battery added even more complications. But my biggest concern with the added battery was knowing just what condition each of the batteries were in. All the factory gauge does is tell me the voltage while they are both hooked up in parrellel. Read more...
Posted on September 2nd, 2011
By Tony K
One of the great things about Land Cruiser engines is the amount of oil they hold, even my little 3B holds almost 2 gallons. I really believe this plays a major part in the longevity of their engines. But I have never been thrilled with how black the oil seems to be when its time to change the oil. Not that this is always bad, all that gunk could be hanging out inside your engine and just piling up until it clogs something. But rather than just sit on my duff I decided to do something about it. Read more...
Posted on August 28th, 2011
By Tony K
If you wheel anything like I do, knocking off wheel weights in the rocks seems to be a common occurrence. Or maybe I am just unlucky that way. By the time I replaced my last set of tires I don’t think I had a single weight left on any of the rims. Read more...
Posted on August 28th, 2011
By Tony K
Anybody who has driven a 60 knows the brakes are not very good. But part of the problem is actually self induced. It has to do with one of the components in the brake system on our wagons. At some point in your messing around with wagons you will come across the following, LSP&BV. This is short for Load sensing, proportioning and bypass valve. What this thing does is tell the brakes what to do when you slam on them and lets them know how loaded your rig is. In the most basic sense it is a mechanical anti-lock braking system. Pretty smart on Toyota’s part if you think about it. Read more...
Posted on August 27th, 2011
By Tony K
Some really low readings on the stock gauge in my BJ got me worried and made me wonder about the accuracy of the factory gauge. I had heard about the questionable nature of the stock gauge and this was reinforced by several mechanics that I work with. They all said you can’t trust the electronic oil gauge. My feeling is that most factory gauges are just idiot lights with arms… The only way to be sure about the pressure is to check it with a mechanical gauge. And what I found somewhat funny is that in the Factory Service Manual even Toyota says to hook up a mechanical gauge to find out what the pressure is. Read more...
