we need advise from seasoned travellers

Sorry, I can not help.
You have just blown my mind.
We have just gone from a 3m x 3m touring tent, carried on the roof rack of the pajero, to the pajero with a 7'x4' camper trailer, thinking it is big.
We have done various trips with our 2 boys in our small tent.
Alice, Cape York, Gulf, Flinders etc. A lot of outback Qld and NSW and a bit of NT & SA.
We used to carry 150l of fuel and 100l of water, enough for a good few days.
With the trailer for the two of us, we are looking at 200l fuel (safely 1500k) and 150l of water, enough for a week, including showers.
Last trip, we put 4 empty boxes in the trailer to stop things moving around :o).

A nissan truck, with spare car, AND a 31' van. WOW. Mind blowing.

If I could afford a 31 ft van with all the bells and whistles and a UD truck and have 15k left I would be going in the car and staying in Motels, why give yourself the hassles. 24ft of tray plus the cab and 31ft of van plus the drawbar, must be close to 60ft, length of an average semi trailer, you'll have some fun with that in towns and van parks, rather you than me.

bigideas

Been there and done that

We set off on the road for 5 years with a Landcruiser and a 27 footer and while it was fun the big van was a problem when faced with ever decreasing caravan park site sizes. In the end we forgot about caravan parks and bush camped for 90% of the time. Another problem was overloading the van but by the end of our 5 year stint we had whittled the weight down considerably.

I would stick with the Nissan UD. After all, you have purchased it and it is yours and most likely not encumbered. Sell the XR8 and buy a Suzuki or similar small 4x4 to fit on the back of the UD. You should then have lots of space left to carry tools and stuff you dont want in the van. When stopped you can go off for short camping trips in the 4x4.

I have seen some wonderful set ups. One elderly fella I spoke with at Coolgardie last year had a Mitsubishi Canter with a self built caravan on the tray towing a large trailer with a Suzuki at one end and a small Cabin Cruiser runabout at the front. They spend 8 months of the year on the road.

Half their and your luck. My missus doesn't want to move or go on the road, EVER again...:-(

Cheers

Please tell us you're having us on eh? ;-)

Thanks for the replies so far, I should have elaborated, we have actually owned the Nissan UD for 10 years and thought we could utilise it for a towing vehicle we didnt actually buy it to tow a caravan

I was reading your post and thinking why do they need another vehicle to tow the van etc and it wasn't registering until I seen ....31ft caravan.and straight away I know what would be the best tow vehicle . it would have to be a 24ft Nissan UD tray truck .

Doug

Go and watch the Lucille Ball movie the "Long Long Trailer" that should solve your dilemma.

Bigideas.
You don't say where you want to go, but a long truck towing a long van will be a disaster of the sealed roads, what happens is the back of the truck moves vertically at more than 1 G when you hit a bump, this causes the van to try to rotate on its axle at more than 1 G this means that items in the van are smashed to bits, or the draw bar flexes and fatigues through. Been there, done that. If I was in your position I would be getting a motor home, even an old model would be preferable to the set up you propose. A Sprinter is about the best for comfort and economy using less fuel than the xr8 there is no point in taking it. Eric

Does the UD have a 24ft tray? If so why not buy a 24ft van with all you want, dump it on the back of the UD (instant motorhome) then tow the xr8 on a car trailer. This should make the whole rig a lot smaller in length and possibly a little easier on fuel. But still give you all that you are after. Presumably the UD is dual cab and this could easily be converted into a sleeper cabin for one of the boys when stationary, giving you more room inside the van, again allowing a smaller van purchase???? don't know just ideas for you to throw around.

I would think it easier to work with what you already know and own.

Whatever you end up doing, have fun and enjoy life.
Regards, Trevor.

We have asked a lot of caravaners who suggested they have problems with extra water supply when bush camping and we thought having the truck available would remedy that. Does anyone know the legalities of the having a 24ft truck towing 31ft caravan, is that too long???
Also if we decided to sell the UD and get a 4 wheel drive to tow a caravan, does anyone know of a website that tells of towing capacities of different vehicles??
That would be most helpful.
We only planned to go on road.
Thankyou everyone

you are kidding ? right ? 31 foot and a toyo or nissan ... roflmao ..
we have been contemplating a caravan about a year ago when we
looked at putting our retirement package together ... looked ad three axle
trailers etc etc .. I found the Supreme Territory 24' with separate "office" or
bunks and all the bells and whistles quite sufficient and it would do also
for two kids .. 31' is overkill here in Australia .. and that on a miesly Toyo or
Nissan is totally laughable ... I am really wetting my pants here ...
When we were looking at such a van we already had decided on our tow vehicle at the time and the final consideration was that we did not want to leave the boat behind .. so we decided to get the vehicle as planned and get a slide-on camper on top of the truck ... a bit smaller than 24' .. (still total length of 18' - would sleep 4) and have capacity for the boat.. we also ended up buying a new boat (wasn't the plan all along) .. sorry when this sounds a bit negative but I just can't help it .. for me the priority was on the vehicle and still is .. the vehicle is the main part of being mobile and does the bulk of the work .. if you only have 15K left then how do you want to pay for the 40l/100km or a replacement engine every 50K with that sort of stress on the vehicle ... do you really know what you are asking here ?
good luck
gmd

Willem ...
the op said "large chuck of budget on van" then 15K left ... I just have different priorities and perspecitive ..

If one says: We have only a small budget and want to maximise the caravan size
with a decent towing vehicle ... thats what makes sense to me ... well it is just my opinion .. take it with a grain of salt .. but the op just sounded like being in the euphoria of escalating ideas and needs .. not looking at the whole picture ....

but each to his own ...

have fun
gmd

Bigideas

What brand of van are you bying, We needed a van that would do on and off road house 4 almost adults.

We went to many differant manufactures and came up with a disine that utilises the dinet and lounge that have been made larger sothe can be used as beds for the Kids and a external toilet shower.

It was all done in 20ft it is a dream to tow we have travelled around 10 000klm over the last twelve months some times with 2adult and 14, 16, 16 year old Kids a total of five adults almost.

We are very happy with our van It is a Traveller and was bought through Nomad Caravans at (Burpangarry QLD) at the end of its waranty I will do a full review of it.

There are Photos of the Traveller in my members rig and profile.

Hi - your question is the very reason this forum exists. To share knowledge and information. We all started at this very point that you are at.
Some thoughts :
1. ensuite and shower. These add to cost and take up room. If staying in van parks, they have roomy facilities. If bush camping, we use a pop-up style change shelter, with a 12V shower ($15) - recently upgraded to a coleman unit, but exactly the same principle. A chemical flushing porta-potty style - again for bush camping only - is clean and hygenic.
2. Weight. All vehicles have 2 ratings for towing.
One is the maximum down weight on the ball (carried by the vehicle suspension and chassis via the towbar.)
The second is the maximum weight of the van/trailer it can tow - or more precisely the GTM of the van = total weight less the down weight on the ball.

These 2 figures will be in the vehicle specs, and many buyers have been caught unaware - only to find out AFTER buying their van.

3. Size. The larger the van, the less places you can go. One of the joys of camping is the open spaces (unless you intend to stay in van parks). The roads and terrain of many nice places precludes access by large units. One option may be a smaller unit, with the older children in their 'own' tent, beside the van.
Kids need/enjoy space of their own, and makes camping special. Fuel costs are also an issue.

Having towed various style campers and now a poptop over 20+ years, and raised 2 children, IMO (in my opinion) the bigger vans have more disadvantages than smaller units.
Good luck with your research, and keep asking the questions..........Keith

bigidea's........you didn't mention where you wanted to travel with this huge van of yours. If it's for a trip around Oz, then a truck towing a 31 ft van would seriously limit your options to where you could get to as most roads simply wouldn't be suitable. Give us an idea on where & what you hope to do on your trip.
Cheers Craig...........