The Wagon Way

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-

Transfer Case Compatability

There were several variations of split t-cases available in our wagons over the ten years they were made.  Some of these differences were important, others not so much.  The most important one is determining whether a particular case will fit in your rig.  And this in turn is determined by what tranny is in your rig.  Because Toyota not only used more than one t-case variation they also used different configurations of the same tranny.  Also worth mentioning is that there is no difference between the t-case for a diesel and the one for a gas rig.  Same splitcase used for both.

Modified Trailer Jacks

By Eric

I haven’t been too fond of the trailer jack I am using. It served its purpose for the initial stages, but needs to be replaced for what i need.

The problems I have with my current one is mainly the mounting. It requires a bigger surface area to mount to than just the tongue. Sure I can make a plate on the side of the tongue and then have the appropriate mounting surface, but I don’t care to do that. The other problem is it’s not easy to remove when off-roading.

Backing Plates, or Not

By Tony K

I have seen this topic bantered about in several places so I figured to throw my two cents on the fire.

Realistically backing plates on a 60 serve a dubious purpose.  They may keep dirt out but they also have the possibility of trapping mud and rocks against the rotor.  Maybe even causing some heavy damage to the rotor.  And the bad part about this is that there is no easy way to get a rock out from between the backing plate and rotor without removing the hub and lots of other parts.

Air Systems

By Tony K & Eric B

My original air supply was nothing more than a cheesy little compressor that plugged in to the cig lighter.  While it did work it had severe limitations.  I decided to install an upgraded air system and it is more than adequate for how I use it.  It runs my lockers, airs up my tires, blows dirt out of places it shouldn’t be and will run some tools on a very limited basis.

Quick Fixes

By Tony K and Eric B

Sometimes you just have to get your rig rolling again without making the complete or even proper repair.  Sometimes it’s just to get off the trail and out of the way and other times it is done so you can get home.  These are a few of the ones we have had to make and others that we have seen done or been part of.

  • Write Ups:

    Contains all of Wagon Way's articles organized by categories. We have over 160 articles with more being written all the time and almost 700 photo's scattered throughout the site. Just click on the subject below to open up the index


  • As seen in Toyota Trails!


    Various articles written here have been published in TLCA's Toyota Trails magazine and on their website. After roaming around our site, click on the magazines to visit TLCA.


  • Shop Corner:

    What's going on in our Wagon Caves?

    • Ben’s FJ60 Build
    • Tony’s Cave

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    Articles that have recently had additional info or images added to existing "Write Ups".