Suitable Tug

Hi Bill
I'd be hanging on to my 79 series, it's the best thing Toyota made since the shorty, I've got one & have had it for 7 years and keep getting told not to even think about the new V8's, besides how often are you going to do the Toowoomba range anyway.
Cheers
Rick P

I wouldn't think it would be worth contemplating changing for the same reason Rick said.
How many times will you be going down hills like the Toowoomba Range?
The exhaust brakes on most of the smaller type trucks isn't as good as the bigger engined trucks either. They work better at higher revs than the Jake brakes.

Compare the size and manoeuvrability of the small truck 4x4 to the general versatility of your 79, I know which one I would prefer.
And the ride quality would be better in the 79 in all circumstances.

I would be surprised if the 3 - 4 ton 4x4 would be very much quicker up the Range than the 79.

General running costs would also be in the 79's favour, as well as availability of parts.

Dave

G/day,Bill If the brakes on the Kedron are doing their job all you should be stopping is the 79,maybe you should look at this first.

Ditto to the brakes on the van but with the front hubs Unlocked you can use low 2nd and it will engine brake better, same going up hill.

Cheers
Dave

Have you thought about exhaust brakes for your 79? If I remember right they cost in the vicinity of $1100 but it has been a while since I done homework on them so I may be a little out of touch with the price.

Sounds like you have an enviable unit now and I would be looking to keep what you have and modify that to suit your exact needs.

Regards, Trevor.

Hi Bill,

May have a similar problem early next year when we get our Kedron. We have a 100series TD with chip & 3" exhaust, so hoping it will do the job. I have done a mod to the transmission by removing the auto centre diff lock wire from the transmission controller so that we can now use low range on the bitumen which hopefully should assist with the type of issues you are facing. I got all the details of how etc from the LCOOL website. Dont know if this is possible with your vehicle, but just thought I would mention it.

Regards

Chris

Bill,

As others have said I would keep the 79,

have a look here:

Toyota Exhaust Brake

EO Post on Exhaust Brakes

Matt

Hi Bill

Some VERY good advice above, and I agree with 90% of it.

We have 79 series turbo at 3.7t mass (have motor reg approval with ARB springs and shocks mod) and 3 t van.

This puts us at 6.7t on the road and care needed at steep and especially long steep descents. My experience is - best engine braking BELOW 1800 RPM as over this it tends to "run on" a bit with less retaration felt and this forces harder braking.

Look to brake balance ie van settings to assist effective control and even distribution of braking effort.

Suggest you consider also:
1 stop at top of long descents to allow all brakes to start descent cool
2 keep engine revs below 1800 to maximise engine braking (trade off here as this takes longer to get to the bottom but engine won't overheat and you could ahve significantly less actual braking)
3 use low range 4th with HUBS FREE if you want better engine braking (at times this seems to be the best as I use this on steep hills with truck only ie in Flinders Ranges - Skytrek track etc)

Personally I would not buy the truck as you would IMHO face the same issues. If you decide to look seriously at a truck hire one and go for a drive first is my advice.

Just my thoughts.

Cheers Baz

The answer is simple
If you want to keep the car, get a lighter van.
If you want to keep the van, get a bigger tow vehicle.
I have a more simplistic view of travel & can't quite get my head around what the big deal is with having the heaviest van in the park anyway.
I saw another post where a bloke wanted to know the maximum weight van he could tow behind a patrol.
I would tend to be looking for the lightest van that would suit my needs. I think that is far more practical.
I have owned a van & found I preferred the ease & freedom of camping & have reverted back to that.
KISS folks KISS

Great vehicle, keep her as others have said.
Good to see you are concerned about not having complete control with engine breaking.

As others have said, low range with your hubs unlocked or a exhaust brake will fix all.

Have a safe one

Hi Bill,

Tow vehicle is always a debate but less so on a Kedron. If you have a Kedron and want to use it in the outback, you are almost limited to a cruiser. The problem is backup in the middle of nowhere.

Try and find the F250, GMC and Iveco dealer in Cooper Pedy. I know that the point people raise about Kedrons are reaching the landcruisers tow capacity but 90% are towed by landcruisers. My Kedron is overweight for the landcruiser (200TD) but you have little choice at the end of the day.

What were you looking at Hino, Iveco etc?

Carl