What vehicle do I need

Get a Turbo Diesel Troopy. So much room and very strong.

Getting close to 5 tonnes as a unit when mobile - some potential energy there eh ?
I'd be going TD 6 cylinder in either of the big two - reckon you will need every one of those kilowatts at times.....but I'm sure others more experienced will highlight the strength of the vehicle and the drivetrain specs - the 3.0 Nissan may have some kilowatts, but the drivetrain will be under quite some stress at times - I think the 6 cylinder version is specced up.....and my guess is that 5th gear will be getting a real holiday on your travels. ..will follow the replies with interest.....3 years........well done ! I'd settle for 3 months.

If you wish to tow with these vehicles may I suggest a downsize with the Caravan , they really are small vehicles not suited for this task but if you really insist you need a real truck like the Ford F-350, it's awesome.

Without getting into the pros & cons of Cruiser/Patrol I would personally go for the 6 cyl turbo in either. I can't agree that these vehicles are inadequate for the job at hand. Our HJ61 4.0l manual factory turbo handles our 24' Quest van with ease.
I should probably preempt the flood of warnings about ball weights. I know!
Mick

Hi Tomm.
Stick with the 4.2 turbos much more useable torque for towing, plus they are rated for 3 tonne pull with trailer brakes
Ray

Tomm,
having spoken to mates entering the 4WD world have realised you don't get much unless you sepnd big bucks even on 2nd hand. One was lucky to find a 3.0 TD Patrol for under $40K. If you want 6 cyl TD even second hand with reasonable age and kms I would be uping the budget or get a smaller van.

The suggestion of a 78 series Troopie TD is a good idea. Another is to get a naturally aspirated diesel and put a good after market turbo. Know of a 4.2 litre Patrol with a Safari trubo that goes like the clappers with a van weighing upwards of 2800 kg.

When you say the Patrol 3.0 TD has better specs than the 4.2 what do you mean? I have a Prado TD that I certainly wouldn't swap for the Patrol 3.0 TD (after driving it of course). Specs on paper mean very little until you drive with a van on. How well does it take off from staning start? How low does the max torque start? How well will it maintain highway speed? Don't just go off specs on web sites an sales broshures.

The acid test is how does it go with the weight on the back, not a drive around the suburbs. Before I bought my Prado a mate loaned me his Prado TD and I towed my van with it. That's what sold me. May seem a little extreme but when you spend 50K plus on a 4wd and tow it for thousands of kms you need to be assured you made an informed decision.

You may also wish to consider a Trayback Patrol TD or Landcruiser TD with a canopy as a cheaper option as most of the cost in wagons is for the stuff behind the front seats.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

Wizard
Darwin NT
Prado TD
Jayco Freedom 16 ft

Hi Tomm

I have a GU 3.0TD and regularly tow a 1.6T offroad van. I used to own a 1HZ 80 series cruiser and towed the same van with that. As for your questions

1. I find the 3.0TD patrol has noteably more towing power than the 4.2TD Patrol, but I have a Dtronic fitted (torque now 420Nm compared to standard 354Nm). But, the 3.0TD lacks punch just off idle (but still has 350Nm at ~1200rpm). If you plan an auto, you will not notice at all, but if manual, you will have to watch revs on takoff when towing 2.6T. As for fuel economy etc... the high tech 3.0TD will get at least ~10% better than the 4.2TD while having more power.

You will find a lot of people knock the 3.0TD and the first ones (series 2) did have problems. But the series 3 is well sorted and a reliable powerful motor. Some people just cannot fathom that a 4 cylinder 3 litre motor can perform that well.

2. After having the 1HZ (non-turbo) I would now not tow without a turbo. You plan to add another tonne on what I had, a turbo on a diesel is mandatory IMHO, unless you want to spend your 3 years just driving!!!. While a non-turbo would be able to do the job, its just not fun sitting at 60 km/hr in 3rd up a relatively small hill, or being stuck behind a van doing 85 and not being able to overtake.

3. I used to own a cruiser and recently bought a new Nissan. IMHO the cruiser has better fit and finish, but the Nissan has a stronger drivetrain. My deciding factor came down to the IFS on the turbodiesel 100 series, just not good enough offroad for what I wanted. But IFS does suit many peoples needs. I believe the Nissan is far better value for money, Toyota charge a premium simply because people will pay it! A manufacturer will simply charge what the market will bear.

The Toyota vs Nissan arguement is as old as the hills and will never end!!! I have had both, both were good vehicles and I would choose either again at the time period I chose them. Both have good and bad points, but at the end of the day IMHO the Toyota has sacraficed some off-road ability for on-road comfort, and who can argue, the majority of the market is going that way.

Don't know if any of this helps, but thems my thoughts.

Cheers

Captain

Tomm,

To add to what has already been said. In manual form, the driveline downstream of the clutch of the manual 3.0Di Patrol and the 4.2TD are the same, including 5th gear. The 4.2TD does not offer Auto. Max towing weights are 3.5t for the 4.2TD and 3.2t and 2.5t for the 3.0Di Manual and Auto respectively. The 3.0Di Auto appears under rated for your task.

Regds

Bill

I'd go for the Ford F series, even an older F-100 4wd would do - you can always sell it when back home and it won't be anywhere near the $40,000.

Heaps of grunt to tow the van.

Tomm

I was curious too, so did a Google search. Check out this link

answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=340992

Regards

Magnus

Agree with most of the posts and go with a 6cyl deisel, and I think that the troopie would be excellent because of the large area to store things locked up.
You can buy a 6cyl deisel and fit an aftermarket turbo to either brand and this will give you a better choice of vehicle to buy. About $3-$4 000 to have turbo fitted and tuned. Happy shopping
Please STOP telling us you are going on the road for 3 years as we are ALL
envious. LOL

Reading this thread makes me smile...........

Back in the early 90's I bought an old FJ55 Tojo 4.3lt Petrol. We were living in a 27ft van and the occassion presented itself for some work in Alice Springs. By the time we got on the road with the van, motorbike and gear the van was 3500 kgs....waaaay over limit. But we got to where we were going. Then in 95 we went on the road full time. Over the next four and a half years we did 250,000plus kms with that van and gradually reduced the weight of the van and in the end we were towing 2300kg. The old cruiser had plenty of grunt but I hated the light power steering. In 98 the '55 passed away with 550,000km on the clock and I went from a 79 Toyota to a 78 Nissan Patrol. Times were tough and we were battling to make living. The 4 litre Nissan handled the van much better not having power steering and I felt happier towing. In the end however I got sick and tired of being on the road with such a big van and ended up settling down again at the end of 99 and gave the van to the neighbours to accommodate some of their large family.

Both of my old trucks handled the van OK but I seldom saw 100kmh. We could sit on 80 quite comfortably but up hill and down dale was scary at times. Todays modern vehicles are better equipped to tow large vans but I would not think of towing such a van with anything but a vehicle with a 4.2 or more litre engine. Towing is nothing however, but being able to stop in time is very important!!!

Have fun

you will get a bit for your 40k at the government auctions.
www.auctions.sa.gov.au/
Check them out, you can get the last 8 weeks sales history too.

Cheers Rowler (dave)

40 large will pick you up a good 4.5 petrol GU Patrol with LPG or maybe even a 4.8 if you look around. An LPG fuelled petrol will give you more power, more torque and will be cheaper to run than a diesel.

The fascination with these slugs still eludes me.

Jim.