Towing with the new Mitsubishi Pajero 3 door 3.2Ltr Diesel

Gerard

My thoughts:

1. You will be inundated with experts if you post this question on groups.msn.com/Caravanersforum/ and among them you will get the full range of backgrounds and experiences that caravaners have.

2. I assume you are talking about towing caravans - any idea how big? 2.5 tonnes maximum towing capacity can get you a pretty big van, even when you allow for payload, etc. You will need a proper weight distribution hitch for stable towing, and the shorty may make that more important.

3. I personally reckon you need a big margin of car weight over van weight - I tow a van with total mass about 1.6 tonnes behind a vehicle with the 2.5 tonne towing capacity and 250 kg ball load capacity. Legally you can of course go up to the 2.5 tonnes, which will get you a 20 foot or more van.

4. The issue with shorties vs longies is usually ride comfort - pitching. However that's usually in off road situations. Never heard anything about towing comfort but I'd be worried about it. Could be partly offset by weight distribution hitch.

5. Can't imagine that the rear door clearance would be any different from the lwb Pajero - there are hitches galore for all set ups, and there are wdh's with adjustable heights.

Links that may help:

- The articles under Caravaning under "Search by Topic" at left
- www.haymanreese.com.au/

Hope that gives you a start

Max

I wouldn't tow a van with a short wheelbase vehicle.

The shorter the wheelbase, the less directional stability you have at any speed.

The shorty pajero may have the necessary towing capacity but it will ptch something awful and will be equally awful in crosswinds. Not to mention the horrendous possibilities on a wet road, and the terrifying thought of having to do a crash stop with a van nearly the same weight as the tow vehicle with no directional stability.

No amount of stabiliser bars will overcome the inherent problem of the short wheel base.

With the normal wheelbase vehicle you wouldn't need stabilisers at all for a 16 ft van, and you have the benefit of being able to fit the groceries in when shopping :)

Hi Gerard,

Why don't you go and speak to the dealers and ask if you can do a tow test with one of them? From all reports the LWB is an excellent tow vehicle performance wise and the shorty has the same engine. The fully independent suspension may be enough to overcome the shortcomings of a short wheel base. Best way to find out would be to try one out.

I used to own a 97 model LR Discovery which has a shorter than average wheel base and I towed a race car on a trailer as far away as Sydney. You could definitely feel the trailer there but it was a much better tow vehicle than either the Ford or Holden wagons that I had before it and they have a much longer wheelbase. I would put that down to the weight of the vehicle and the better suspension set up. The Disco was rated to 3500kg but I am not sure how safe that would have been given that it is way over the weight of the tow vehicle and that always gets interesting.

Tim.

Personally I'd opt for the LWB for towing. With a longish load the LWB will be more directionally stable.

Mechanically the SWB should bleep it in. Plenty of power, same towing spec as the LWB.

Same rear door as the LWB. Use an Orac hitch or a Hyland. Most problems come with the spare/gas bottles being too close to the car to allow the door to swing.