Car towing capacity.

That is sound advice from Kazza.

Thats a pretty sad comment if your going to generalize that no vehicle can tow at max weight.

I would have no problem at all towing with a cruiser or patrol. ...jeep or pajero or any large vehicle at max GCM.

It is a slight worry with all the dual cabs offering high towing capacity though.

Honestly , in the end its the nutter behind the wheel
Or lack of brain matter behind the wheel.

Making a blanket statement no vehicle should ever tow at full tow capacity is just plain stupid.

Driver education is where the issue is at.

Also as well as how the vehicle suspension is setup to tow said load.
Let alone how the trailer suspension has been built.
Dual spring rocker suspension on any tandem should be mandated into law than a silly slipper dual leaf setup which encourages trailer sway and is most widely the cause of accidents.
And a correctly packed van also helps with towing but the rocker suspension helps alleviate the out of balance.
Its soo common on tandem trailers that you see let alone hire the dangerous setup of the leaf springs.


Its not just a simple issue.
No vehicle should tow at max weight will
fix the problem.

Mountainman...towing 3000kg with a Pajero is just plain stupid. Mine is a 2014 Pajero and I tow a 1600kg camper. 150kg ball weight.. I,ve towed trailers all over the country and in my opinion 2000kg is the limit for a comfortable drive. Sure you can sit on 85-90 towing 2500kg and go down to 60kph through the hills. Thats just plain rubbish. Even the Patrols I drove I wouldnt tow at full maximum...the 4 cylinders are less power than the Pajero Its all one upmanship from the advertising dept trying to sell more cars.

The problem the way I see it is that people buy a car that is rated to 3500kg and then buy a van that they think they can tow with than vehicle not taking into account how much payload they are going to carry in their car.

My van weighed in at 2500kg and my car was 3000kg - both were fully loaded for extended travel. This gave me 495kg breathing space with my load.

If I have a van that weighed in at 3500kg I would already be 500kg overweight.

You seem to forget years ago vehicles werent build to todays higher powered and better torque motors than now.
People just took their time on the road.

No different to now.
If you want to tow up a huge mamoth hill at full towing capacity well expect to drop some speed unless youve just got money to blow on a 6.6 duramax diesel conversion or a chev silverado.
Pretty simple dynamics really.

No 4cylinder td on earth is capable of towing 3500kg up a steep mountain at the speed limit.
Even a turbo diesel 6 might lose 10- 20km an hr possibly even more.

But i guess i just had to make that bleeding obvious to you

You want to tow at max weight.
At full speed limit.
Buy a duramax engine converted vehicle or factory built one.
Or do i need to name every big donk available in oz like the 6.7 or 7.3 td engine

You should expect with any small motor you purchase that at full weight towing it really isnt going to travel at speed limit all over Australia over a massive hill !!!

But i guess i had to make it bleeding obvious didnt i......

You want to tow a decent load
You need to scratch up a large amount of coin to do it.
To tow at the speed limit on any hill

Or do we want to go titt for tatt and really drag the topic off the road and through the bush
And just nit pick
Naaa

What your saying is just general common sense.
But i guess i just had to make it really obvious the expectations of towing with small motors you should also expect a lower performance towing wise.

But who really has the coin to stump up the funds on a big american v8 diesel vehicle thats going for over 100grand ,
Just soo you can tow whatever over a mountain at the rated speed limit.
To be comfortable. ............

Nissan has dropped the ball on the 4cylinder td.
No one on earth things they are a good tow vehicle.
Thats why you see 1hdfte patrols getting around or even 6.5 chev to 6.6 duramax.

If your that worried about keep the weight down and saving fuel.

Dont buy a van.
Just motel it as you go.
Means you dont need to upgrade vehicle.
Huge savings in not buying a van.
Or added maintenance of van let alone the added stress of weight on vehicle.

Or even , the more fatigue issue on the vehicle driver , compared to not towing.
Easier on doing quick stops as your not dragging a van to find a long enough park.
Always plenty of options to think about

That doesn't all make a lot of sense what's actually wrong with being smart and trying to save a few dollars when towing.

Ok
I can make it simple for you too.....
Put basically if you tow...
You are going to use more fuel.
Also going to put more strain on vehicle / soo more wear and tear.
Also you are limiting yourself to what you can see or go.
It is alot slower towing a van.
Highly likely people upgrade their vehicles to tow a large van
Soo think about the coin they drop on the van... and upgrading vehicle.
Then think about the costs of maintaining a van...
Its an ongoing issue.
And even damage via traveling.

Trust me i have alot of family that tow vans.
Gone all out and spent motza money on tow vehicle and van.
Only 6mnths later to go and sell it all up.
Soo... do you think its still cheaper to just van it ?

No..
They took a huge loss on the tow vehicle and sold the van quite cheap to just get rid of it.

Factor in the extra fuel , it just would have made more sense to just motel it.
Because they also had a cheap car to run around in

Also other family members do the same.
If they want a quick... cheap trip away, they just pack up and go and motel it.
Soo much quicker, costs are low as they drive a small car and you are actually in front in savings.

Nothing is ever simple....
Look at the total cost..
Than thinking buying a van is just going to save you money.

Owning a van is a lifestyle.
That is whats being sold.

Not a cost saving exercise.

Look at the whole picture...
That makes alot of sense

But i guess im talking to someone..
" but i want to save money... soo i buy a van " till their blue in the face.

Save a few dollars when towing.....
Well, dont tow

Or drive below the speed limit and save some fuel.
Or buy a smaller van.

Yay mountainman...that's great advise also. I think we are pretty much going to do a "combination" of the motel-tow game. After reading the feedback a few times, sounds like best to stay with what we have. My sister has a 33 foot van...Lordy, Lordy, Lordy..(.I call it the one bedroom flat). Its just not for me, I just don't feel confident with that game, besides...they always complaining that the gear box is overheating..wonder why? cheers

Common sense doesn't prevail sometimes stringybark.
Even making it bleeding obvious is a battle.
Forgot to mention the price of fuel in some locations can be 50% or more than regional areas , or even more.

I took it out on the road and tried violently to unsettle the rig by deliberately swerving Left to Right and repeat it over and over. It was extremely stable, so I bought the van.


Whatever you buy, find a quiet road and have someone behind you to monitor your antics and check how stable the rig is before you hit the road in earnest..

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There is only one thing wrong with that idea. If you try it above what is known as the van's " critical " speed, you most likely won't recover despite the best efforts of a Citroen or any other similar size car.

It can feel as stable as can be below that speed and that has lulled many drivers into a false sense of security.. That is the nature of the "pig" design for trailers. Others like the "dog" or "fifth wheeler" handle in a completely different way.

I just sold my Bailey 14' Tare 840 kgs GVM 1200 kgs, my tow KIA Sportage diesel AWD Max tow 1600 kgs

I hear what you're saying Ron. I WAS tempted to try a 16footer but thought the better of it. As mentioned earlier mines only a 12 footer and I've found that the Mitsi barely knows its pulling the van. Mind you, I stay much within the speed and braking limits. Experience from a previous life has taught me that. The guy I bought the van from, used to tow it with a 2L Mazda, he towed to Qld (from Vic) a few times. So I figure with the 2.7L, I am pretty "safe"....cheers

The 2.7 hilux motor is a rocket when you get lpg conversion on it.
They absolutely fly.