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Jagermann
Lv 6
Jagermann asked in Cars & TransportationCar MakesToyota · 10 years ago

Anyone own a 1979 or similar Toyota Dolphin?

I bought this 79 Toyota Dolphin yesterday at an affordable price, but considering its age and the controversy over axle weight rating I am wondering what other owners inspected and repaired/upgraded before hitting the highway with these things. I already drove it 200 miles on the freeway and over the mountain passes to get it back to my place with no serious problems, other than it was pretty slow going as steep as the mountains are around here. Does anyone know how much these weigh and how much I can load into it without breaking the axle and causing a serious safety hazard to myself and others on the road? I can't afford to upgrade the axle, but it has been driven for 134,000 miles without any problems so if I lighten my load I don't see why I couldn't continue getting around this way.

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  • Eric P
    Lv 6
    10 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    You might be able to get away with keeping the 5-lug, semi-floating axle on that one. The early ones typically had smaller, lighter camper bodies than the later, Toyota campers. Most of the problems with the 5-lug axles were with larger camper bodies (over 20 feet in total length) of the early-to-mid 80's campers, before the 6-lug full-floating axle was implemented.

    I agree that you want to watch weight closely. Try to pack lightly. If you're near a recycling or scrap metal operation, they might let you use their scale to check the weight. I'm guessing it probably weighs in at around 4500 lbs. Many of these are usually over the GVWR (gross vehicle weight) of the chassis, and it's usually fine--the ratings have some safety wiggle room built into them. You don't want to get carried away though. You can check the GVWR that's printed on the plate of the driver's door jam.

    Here's an informational site about Toyota motor homes. The forum has some helpful posts about the axle situation.

    http://www.toyotamotorhomes.com/

  • Anonymous
    6 years ago

    I Have Owned A 79 Dolphin For 3 Weeks Now. Made A 800 Mile Round trip Through The Smoky Mountains. Memories For Life! LOL

  • Anonymous
    4 years ago

    1979 Toyota

    Source(s): https://shrinks.im/a0oMZ
  • ?
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    Toyota Dolphin Rv

    Source(s): https://shrink.im/barJp
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  • The Spirit Of Cosmos
    Lv 7
    10 years ago

    Personally, no.

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