Hi and dumb newbie question :-)
Submitted: Friday, Jun 06, 2008 at 20:34
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D200Dug
Hi I am new here and this is my first post so go easy on me OK :-)
We are looking at downsizing our
home and hitting the road for a few years. I like the look of the Toyota hilux 4x4 3lt turbo diesel.
It has a towing weight or 2250kg and one of the vans we are looking at is a Jayco base station with a tare or 2160kg
Is this going to be to heavy ?
Should we look for a bigger tow vehicle or smaller lighter van ?
My wife loves the look of the new V8 desiel landcruiser but that does not come in a twin cab or extra cab :-(
I am a photographer so want somewhere to store cameras while traveling.
Some of what I laughingly call work is at www.silverimagephotos.com.au
cheers doug
Reply By: donk - Friday, Jun 06, 2008 at 20:54
Friday, Jun 06, 2008 at 20:54
You need to reconsider the vehicle or the van as the van is to heavy for the vehicle
The rule of thumb is a single axle van has a carrying capacity of approx 300kg & a tandem approx 400kg
The tare weight of a van is the unladen weight so the van loaded will exceed the towing capacity of the hilux
Also most vans are overweight when loaded to travel & the bigger the van the more room there is to overload it
The best towing package is a big,powerful tow vehicle with a small van so if youm have still have to purchase both i would find a suitable van & than purchase a tow vehicle to suit
If you alreadyhave the vehicle you have to find the van to suit
I assume you realise that jayco vans are suitable for mostly sealed roads with the occasional bit of good dirt
Good luck
Regards Don
AnswerID:
308214
Reply By: donk - Friday, Jun 06, 2008 at 21:08
Friday, Jun 06, 2008 at 21:08
I just had a look on the jayco website at the specs & i assume you are looking at a 20 footer
It has a carrying capacity of 600 kg & a approx ball weight of 275kg so if you use all of the available capacity you are going to have a fairly heavy van & you should be looking at a tow vehicloe with a towing capacity of approx 3000 kg & a allowable ball weight of 300 kg
Be careful as some vehicles need to have the allowable ball weight reduced as weight is added to the rear of the vehicle to stay within manufacturers specs
Out of all the jap duel cabs the nissan navara in theory may have the towing capacity (though watch the allowable ball weight) to tow it but it is getting close to the upper limits
Regards Don
AnswerID:
308222
Reply By: Member - sdr00y (Beecroft) - Friday, Jun 06, 2008 at 21:28
Friday, Jun 06, 2008 at 21:28
D200Dug,
The new v8 does come in an extra cab / twin cab, it's called a troopie. It comes in various configurations, 3
seat with loads of space in the back, 6
seat with a fold able forwards facing rear
seat when folded up (if you don't need the seating capacity all the time) still has heaps of space in the rear, or an 11
seat. This vehicle will do more than what you want and tow the van.
sdr00y
AnswerID:
308227
Reply By: motor_head - Friday, Jun 06, 2008 at 21:55
Friday, Jun 06, 2008 at 21:55
Hi Doug, sounds like good advice from the other guy's, dont take my comments as advice but as an opinion, a 3lt hilux just doesnt cut it for long term towing of that sort of wieght, to me the landcruiser would make minimum weight for the tow vehicle, considering you plan to spend a few years living in the van i presume you want it to be reasonably comfortable so maybe a heavier tow vehicle will suit you better, another question to ask yourself is will you be happy towing such a heavy van and what sort of roads to you plan to tow it, i drive a petrol prado and tow a 880kg coromal offroad camper (bought it for the convienience and compfort) and to be honest i dont enjoy towing it, am thinking about going back to a tent trailer type, much easier to tow.
AnswerID:
308236
Reply By: kiwicol - Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 00:59
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 00:59
Hi Dug, with the van you are talking about you really need something bigger than a 4 cyninder, just look at all the posts of people trying to get more from their 4bangers by fitting chips to the computers, and the people asking is it normal to slip the cltch to get moving while towing a van, the 75 cruser with the v8 could be good for you, but it doesnt have dual fuel tanks and no air bags, lot of money just for the new v8, another option could be a 80 series converted into a dualcab with a tray on the back, patrols converted with the 4.2 are just as good but both would be second hand. Some people will disagree but towing a big van for long distance for long time you need a big 6 diesel. try hireing different tow vehicles, and dont listen to what the vehicle salesman is telling you, he probibly has never done what you are about to do. I have a 92 GQ 4.2 Diesal with a super charger on top, i tow a track
shack camper trailer, and do trips from 6 mths to a year. I get fuel figures the same as the latest computor controlled 4x4s valued at 50 to 60plus thousand $ and i have all the same creature comforts, and its my opion that you need a big 6 diesal for what you want to do. Col
AnswerID:
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Reply By: _gmd_pps - Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 20:03
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 20:03
finally someone with sense for quality and some talent unlike most (all) of the other so called pro photographers here.
Ha the bigger better larger spiral is on ... :)) ...
I take a lot of photogear when I travel and have it in the vehicle (crew cab) because I can take it with me all the time. Would not leave it in a trailer. What do you use the base station for ? bikes ?
quads ? or a large format printer :)) ???
whatever you do leave some margin and think if you really need all the stuff you plan to pack.
Get a decent towvehicle which also allows you to travel with your required gear without the van. Becaise as a photographer you want to go remote
places and still take your gear. There are people who do three axle conversions and make the vehicle longer to fit some large storage boxes and a 5th wheel hitch.
I would go with a small 5th wheeler .. it's safer to tow and you get higher load rating.
I went for a slide-on (reasonably large) because I still tow a boat (of course not through the desert :)) lol). I can take the vehicle alone with a bed tent and still have lots of gear in the double cabin.
It boils down to the luxury (or lack of) you want on the road.
first decide on your lifestyle while on the road. then decide where you mostly will go (or some may say the other way around - not for me thanks - I define my minimum lifestyle first) the make a provisional packing list and calculate weight. then you are ready for the van decision. after you decided for the van or whatever then decide on the vehicle - not the other way around.
good luck
gmd
AnswerID:
308398
Follow Up By: D200Dug- Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 20:59
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 20:59
I am NOT going to compare myself to anyone here :-)
I take an average of 2 good photos per year. The plan for the jayco was to put a pull out annex roof over the fold down back door add some insect screens and make a really nice large living/ work area in the back of the van.
We have done a few outback desert trips in tents with our little Toyota 4x2 ute we stick to roads and tracks and I don't really want to do the full 4WD thing in isolated areas alone. We just want something a bit more comfortable than the tent for longer trips or a few months at a time on the road.
We are not after 5 star but we are finding the tent just a bit cramped and close to the ground these days :-)
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Follow Up By: D200Dug- Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 21:02
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 21:02
I am also wondering how solid the jayco would be on dirt roads ?
A camper trailer would be the best option for towing but we would like a bit more comfort if we can get it without losing to much.
Everything is a compromise I guess.
FollowupID:
574303
Follow Up By: _gmd_pps - Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 21:47
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 21:47
well it is a very personal decision .. and yes everything is a compromise. I wanted the flexibility and still some comfort
so I went the slide-on route, still being able to tow and when
required set the slide-on down and just take the truck wherever
pleases me. I could not rule out a specific situation and so far we have done all and enjoy that we can.
The Jayco should be fine on gravel but I think the Hilux will struggle
when you load up the van.
You may have to get away from a ute type vehicle when you want more inside space unless you buy a US truck (Ford, GM, Dodge they all are around)
good luck
gmd
FollowupID:
574338
Follow Up By: D200Dug- Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:00
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:00
Yep I am coming to that conclusion that the hilux will not do the job.
I need a large cabin to keep cameras handy and dust free.
We did not see a slide on that we really liked but may have to have another look at them.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: _gmd_pps - Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:13
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:13
I brought my slide-on in from the US; there wasn't anything here we liked. Really depends what you want and on your budget.
thats why I said to define your "luxury" first. You gotta set your minimum requirements firmly otherwise you run in circles. We did that exercise and my criteria was towing ability with some livingspace. The solution was pretty simple after we really defined what we wanted.
Originally my wife wanted a 5th wheeler but we both compromised
because we wanted to take the boat (we both are divers) and be independent. We are currently working on our next step (the live aboard catamaran) for 6-8 months and the rest we will travel on land with 4 weeks "holiday at home" :)) ...
When you have done the desert routes the Jayco and a LC or Patrol should be ok .. I personally would prefer a ML500 or such but thats just me .. your mileage may vary.
with a slide-on you qualify for a CMCA
membership and have easy access to a large network including cheaper insurance. same with a 5th wheeler .. not so with a caravan ..
good luck
gmd
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: D200Dug- Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:32
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:32
ML500?
Pardon my ignorance ?
We gave up diving abut 20 years ago, we have a small 10ft plastic boat I would put on a set of roof racks.
Can you email me a photo of your rig some time please ?
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Follow Up By: D200Dug- Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:32
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:32
ML500?
Pardon my ignorance ?
We gave up diving abut 20 years ago, we have a small 10ft plastic boat I would put on a set of roof racks.
Can you email me a photo of your rig some time please ?
FollowupID:
574349
Follow Up By: D200Dug- Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:33
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:33
ML500?
Pardon my ignorance ?
We gave up diving abut 20 years ago, we have a small 10ft plastic boat I would put on a set of roof racks.
Can you email me a photo of your rig some time please ?
FollowupID:
574350
Follow Up By: _gmd_pps - Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:47
Saturday, Jun 07, 2008 at 22:47
ML500 is a Mercedes Benz MlL500
here is a
pic before the combo got shipped 1.5 years ago from the US. I do not have a
pic of the whole thing after it got converted.
have fun
gmd
FollowupID:
574358