Towing with 3.0L petrol Patrol

G'day Nige, the 3.0L petrol is not a world beater by any means when it comes to towing, but the weight should not be too much for it. A suspension upgrade maybe the answer for the ball weight.

If the cost of upgrade is not beyond your means then go for a 4.2 in petrol or turbo desiel. the turbo will give you a lot better economy regards to fuel.

They were a really great car Nigel , mine also went well after I converted it to fuel injection.

While there is no doubt that say, a 3lt late model Gu would do your job better it is a big hit as you say. If I had to specify something from the ground up I'd probably take advantage of the cheap prices on big petrol wagons and get a 2002 4800 GU on gas, as lowest life cycle cost. (Presuming you want top level 4wd still).

If staying with what you have then 250kg ball weight is to much and needs to be reduced. Pretty sure that model also had no front anti-sway bar and this needs to be addressed.

The extractors (Gennie ?) do make a difference up top but thats not usually where your towing. They generally reduce low down torque. I'd keep the headers but ditch the tail pipe section.

Robin Miller

Do your wife a favour, your going touring for a few years so she doesn't want to be stuck out the back of bourke while your trucks getting repaired. Before you lose anymore money on this old vehicle, go to the bank and check out some lending options and go buy a new truck. Ps they come with a new car warranty - usually 3 years 100 kl. Less worry, better holiday, and more restful. On the other hand, if your a mechanic or engine engineer, you could persevere, but its damn annoying for your wife.

Hi Nige,

I'll leave comments on your petrol Patrol to other more familiar with them, except to say we see plenty of GQs towing vans of various sizes, all 'round the country.

But about your van and towing set-up: I presume the 1550 + 250 = 1800 kg was with the van empty or near empty? 250 kg is pretty high percentage (13.8%) of the 1800 kg but I'd suspect when loaded for travel, a higher percentage of the total will be on the axles, especially if it's a rear bed layout with a large storage area under the bed (which you WILL fill for long-term travel!). The consensus of Australian authorities is that about 10% of the total loaded weight should be on the ball, but up to 15% is acceptable with suitable towing equipment.

But that said, the ball weight is not likely to get much below 250 kg, even with a lot of your travelling load towards the rear, so it's almost certain your straight tongue tow bar will not be rated anywhere near high enough for this van. (All tow bars/hitches manufactured after 1988 must have a spec. plate giving maximum towing capacity and ball weight limit.)

I'd very strongly recommend you get a proper hitch receiver and at least a 250 kg weight distribution hitch (Hayman-Reese, Trailboss or similar). Heavy rear springs and/or PolyAirs do NOT do the same thing. Only a properly set-up weight distribution hitch will return the original weight back onto your front axle. $500-odd for proper towing equipment is cheap insurance compared to what you've already spent on your vehicle and the van.

Also, what's the tare weight, the GTM and ATM of the van, according to the caravan manufacturers spec. plate? (Usually on the draw bar, or on the inner wall of the front boot, if it has one.) It's possible the original 1990 tare may be only around 1600 kg and the ATM 2000 kg. If the van actually now has a tare (empty) weight of around 1800 k (with air-con and other additions over the years, you can legally carry only about 200 kg of belongings (and water and gas) - not much at all. If this is the case, you may be able to exert some pressure on the dealer to have the van re-certified with an accurate tare and revised ATM.

If the van has an ATM (Aggregate Trailer Mass = total loaded weight on wheels and ball) greater than 2000 kg, it must be fitted with a break-away system to apply the brakes should it become detached from the tow vehicle. But hopefully the dealer would have ensured this was in order...

Hope this helps,
Ian