Best 4WD for towing.

We have two trucks for towing. One is a US GMC V8 Diesel and is most likely out of your range. The other is a Nissan Patrol 4800 Petrol V6 on LPG. We tow a dual horsefloat regularly with the Nissan and it works ok. No comparison to the GMC but it works ok.
I also occasionally tow my boat (2t) with my 1986 Mercedes 280 SE and this also works when you don't have many hills. It has leveling hydraulics though and automatically keeps the butt up.
If you start out and don't need much off road capability an old Merc will do well. You get them for $5000 and less and they go forever if treated properly. We have several Mercs at the moment (300Td, 200C, 280SE). With the current price development I would stick with a gas converted vehicle. We got the Nisssan for 25k in good nick until it became our dog and horse car :)) .. lol. I personally would not even go close to a Toyota. Until recently we had a Camry station and it was the dearest car in parts.
good luck
gmd

Either the 80 series or GQ Nissan's would be suitable for your needs. They all run straight 6 cylinder engines in both petrol & diesel. In these older 4 wheel drives I would lean towards the manual gearbox for towing.
Ideally the turbo diesel models would be my choice with their excellent low down torque but the power of the petrol's will do the job well & if on gas give reasonable running costs. You may find both the standard diesels wanting particually with 2 horses on board.
Cheers Craig.........

HI milliemack,I own a Nisson 4.2 ltr turbo.It would be powerful enough to tow afloat with a couple of hores.Idont know the towing rates for tojo or nisson.Though the nisson is a cheaper vehical and as good.Have owed and carted horses around for years.

Hi. Have a look at some turbo charged 4cyl cars as an option. I've had a large range of the larger 4wds including an 80 series without a turbo. Although it could tow the load with ease they are heavy on fuel when pushed or you are towing. I now have the new Holden Rodeo ute with the 4cyl 3ltr Common Rail turbo diesel (120kw). This car boasts a 3ton bracked towing capacity and it tows my large boat with ease. Fuel consumption is around 12 - 14 ltr per 100k when towing either on the flat or up the ranges and 9-10 ltr per 100k when not towing. Regards Tony

Australia has some odd ideas about the size/power of vehicle you need to tow.

I towed a twin axle, 24 foot caravan, loaded with all the stuff a family of four takes, all over Europe including over the Swiss/Italian Alps (up to 8000 feet) in a Rover 2.6l in-line six cylinder auto vehicle which produced about 130bhp iirc. It struggled at bit at 8000' but that was because internal combustion engines loose about 30% of power at that altitude. Can't remember what the rig weighed but it would have been at least as much as your 2t.

I am unconvinced you need to spend the extra cash it takes to both purchase and maintain a large 4WD.

Mike Harding

What size (capacity) you will require depends very much on the type of conditions that you will be towing in. If they consist of mountain/very hilly, unmade/dirt/gravel roads, paddock/slippery then you might need the larger capacity tow vehicle. By the way are there any weight limit restrictions when driving on P's? Two horses and a float will weigh in at about 2 tonnes and your tow vehicle may also exceed 2 tonne in all 4 tonnes + You might need to check with the authorities. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

Millie what is your budget?
Cheers Pete

Beware the 4cyl turbo ute types with claimed 3 tonne towing.WE tow with a BT50 and d4d HiLUx and you need your witts about you with two horses behind. Go the heavier vehicles 80 series GQ.

Regards