Amarock as a tow vehicle

Hi Phill
I've had a number of Landcruisers, a Triton and a Ford Ranger.
I think all the dual cab Utes are fairly equal in there abilities now days BUT you say your ball weight is 320 so I would assume the loaded weight of the van would be over 3 tonne. I don't think any dual cab should be towing that weight!!
Ford state that my Ranger can tow 3.5 t but that would be under ideal conditions and it's when the conditions become less than ideal that we could have a very serious accident.
I am comfortable towing 2.5 t and I guess I could go as high as 2.7 but wouldn't go higher than that with mine or any dual cab.
Your Landcruiser is a bit heavier than my Ford so in my opinion it could safely tow up to 3 t.
People towing heavier vans than 3t should be looking at something like a Dodge Ram.
When I started towing the law was the loaded weight of the caravan must not exceed the unladen weight of the tow vehicle, still a very good rule of thumb to my way of thinking.
I know lots of blokes will say that they do this and that (all very Macho) but let's be realistic if you are concerned about your safety and the safety of others

The specs I found on line say the max towball load for an Amarok is 300kg and max trailer mass 3000kg.

If the rule of thumb is any indication, then 320kg on the ball could represent a van ATM of 3200kg. Both those weights would appear to rule an Amarok out.

Phil

It is the engine that does the towing but it is the physical dimensions and weight of the car that does the controlling. I would not be putting a van of that size behind any of the utes in that range.

VW might say it can tow 3000, 3500 kg or whatever and it can but there are a lot of things that can weigh that much that are not as big, bulky and long as a caravan. It only has to tow one of them safely and reliably in some conditions to meet VW's claims.

Agree with Roachie, any van 3500 t or above should be towed with a vehicle that has the capacity to do the job with weight to spare. The heavier the van the heavier and more grunt should be the tow vehicle. Safety in spades.

Thanks guys. I am only assuming the weight could go as high as that loaded. Manufacturers gvm is listed at 2640. They also advise it could be towed by a prado which I beleive would be foolish. We had discovered the amarock tow ball weight after writing this post, and have didmissed it. Will be taking the van unladen and fully laden to a public weigh bridge to get the correct weight. At this stage we are more than happy with the towing ability of the 200 series. Just reserching for an additional vehicle at present.

Also one model of the Amarok has a dual mass flywheel and I have read of people having problems with that when towing.

I believe VW are bringing out a larger engine in the near future so may be worth while keeping an eye on them.
Personally I would stick with a 200.

The below article has a good comparison of all the major players including payload adjustments due to the towing weight.

https://practicalmotoring.com.au/car-advice/why-a-3500kg-tow-rating-may-not-really-be-a-3500kg-tow-rating/