Roadstar Trackvan

What weight is it? Check your specifications of your Paj. Our Bushtracker is 2.2 t tare weight, add water plus luggage, equipment and supplies and the weight soon builds up. I think a 19½ foot Roadstar would be getting up to that sort of weight, but i don't know what the Paj. species for towing are. We purchased the vehicle first, then the caravan, and as our Patrol is auto, it is only supposed to pull 2.5 t, which we didn't know until after we bought the caravan, otherwise we would have chosen a different tow vehicle. Has not bee a problem to date, and we are about to take the rig to Tasmania.

Yes, check the van weight. 2.2t is a lot to drag around everywhere even on sealed roads and especially with a Pajero. A bloke in my street has a 1.5t boat on a trailer and has just had the motor in his Pajero replaced at 65000 kms. Seems the load at the back was a little too much. Either get a bigger car or much smaller van. You should take any van you are looking at buying for a serious tow before parting with the cash. It might just save a very red face later. I am sure there are plenty of off roadish vans that wont destroy the Pajero. Good luck.

Motherhen, The specs on the internet state that the vans tare weight is 1950kgs with a ball weight of 190kgs which is within the specs of the Pajero which has a 2.5t gross and a ball weight of 250kg. Have a great time in Tassie, we will be there next March, it's a great place to visit, keep away from the chocolate factory, to many freebies plus cheap chocolates. Bill

Bill13

As a long time Pajero tower (2.3 tonnes) let me put your mind to rest about reliability - they make a good and reliable tow vehicle and are very nice to drive at other times as well. Your diesel would be even more suitable than my V6.

But I'd think hard about buying that particular van to tow with the Pajero - 1950 tare is pretty high; what is the van's ATM (ie maximum loaded mass, which is what has to be accommodated within the Pajero's limit of 2500kg)? Even if Roadstar have used the normal 400kg load allowance, the ATM will be at least 2350kg, and in reality it is hard to keep within the 400kg load for a protracted trip. A couple of tanks of water will use up probably 150kg or so, then things like your TV, food, clothing, books, grog, utensils, linen, gas in the bottles, camp gear etc etc. Sometimes with the offroad vans, the manufacturer rates them with more than the 400kg load, recognising the potential for carrying a lot of stuff on long trips away from civilisation, plus the fact that a strong chassis and suspension give more leeway for a higher ATM.

Another trap with a second hand van is that often items have been added to them after purchase (eg a rollout awning is often added by the dealer and is not included in the tare weight) - so if you're really keen about this van I'd suggest getting it over a weighbridge in its empty state, to make sure that the 1950 is a genuine tare.

Hope this helps

Gaz4

Hi Bill

My van's a Compass, which is basically Roadstar selling through a different chain of outlets. Been extra happy with it, and I think you'll find that is the case with most Roadstar/Compass owners.

I'm sure the DiD would tow the van you are looking at and do it well - my main reason for raising some of the points is that it's easy to get a van loaded above the tow vehicle's limit, and then all sort of problems can arise with the law, insurance cover etc.

It's interesting to note that in New Zealand, Mitsubishi rate the Pajero (which I think is structurally and mechanically identical to the Aussie version) to tow 3000kg! I saw this discussed on another forum about six months back, can't recall which one it was, but apparently the reason for the difference in rating is due to Australia's hotter climate and the potential for overheating the engine or transmission in extreme conditions.

On that subject, I've fitted a larger cooler for my auto tranny and a temp gauge to keep an eye on it, plus I'm using synthetic fluid which handles the heat better. No actual problems, just me being cautious.

Cheers

Gaz