76 Series Cruiser Towing 3.5t

This thread should put your mind to rest.

Link

Looks like the 76 V8 is up to the task in more ways than one. Pity that motor is not in a live axle wagon.

Peter and Tracey,

We purchased a second hand 2008 76 Series in March this year. The vehicle is excellent to tow with. We tow a Pioneer Camper trailer and aluminium dinghy which is not much for the vehicle around 1500kg, however longterm intend to upgrade to a caravan.
The fuel economy is better than our previous jackaroo diesel.
Some modifications we have done for your consideration are: Get rid of the front seats they are not comfortable, we replaced them with Ricaro's. Need to get a cruise control we went for an Autron cruise control Unit-excellent. I have replaces the shocks with Koni's and bellows airbags due to stiffness of the original shocks.
Road noise is a little loud at first until the Turbo kicks in and cruising speed is reached but then it is sweat as. GXL is quieter than the standard model due to carpet.
We have also noticed on long trips that the floor gets hot underfoot on the drivers side, but I have put some carpet between the mats and it is fine now.
Over all we love the vehicle and it is a long term purchase to get us out to the most isolated and beautiful areas AS has to offer.
There is no ABS or airbags on my 2008 76 series but the 2010 model will have these items. Great vehicle and motor reliability.

Regards
Will76

Have had my 76 Series for just over a year, one of the best vehicles I have owned. We tow a 3 Ton full van with tinnie on the roof and average 14.7 Litre/100km and on a recent trip on the CSR averaged 13.4 Litre/100km. I agree with the above Re air bags and the only negative is the 80 Litre fuel tank they come with. I had it replaced with a 170 Litre at a cost of $1500.00 but well worth the money. They tend to fishtail a little in the sand I think due to the front wheels being wider than the back and the rear wheels trying to follow in the grooves. Some people have had trouble with oil burn over a long period, but mine only used oil for about the first 15000 Klm and has now stopped altogether. I put this down to the fact that I towed the Van for most of this period and bedded the rings in properly. If you buy a 76 Series GXL you won't be disappointed.

We tow a Kedron Top Ender with a 79 Series. Fully loaded, we are VERY heavy 3.95m tinnie on top, 30 HP 4 stroke outboard on draw bar. Fold up boat trailer on rear, etc and lots of 'stuff'.

The vehicle handles the load very well, but we have added a DP Chip and 3 inch Mandrel Exhaust. Also upgraded the suspension with GVM increase to 3,700 KG and added air bags to rear. With WDH, it all sits very level and behaves very well under tow.

We travel @ about 85 KPH on the bitumen and get around 21 litres per 100 KM on average.

The most impressive thing about these vehicles is the torque. Amazing pulling power and bullet proof clutch give plenty of confidence when off the bitumen.

Norm C

Hi last year we towed a 21ft Coromal to WA and back it was about 2300kg did it no worries. Our new Van has an ATM of 3360kg we towed it to Sydney and back in June with our 76 Cruiser with no dramas. We will be heading to Perth on the 30 Nov just hope there is not a lot of head winds. That will knock the fuel around.

Good morning Pete,

Like Norm I tow a very heavy Kedron but with a 200 TD cruiser. As the saying goes "sometimes I forget it is there".

Ours a 22.5 ft ATV and weight is near 4 ton fully loaded. On the Pacific Hy you can easily sit on 100 on the flats and up slight hills.The bench mark hills out of Tamworth, Cunningham Gap in Queensland and Up to Toomwoomba are still ok without making the temp go up at all.

My understanding is that the front tyre track is wider than the back track. You might ask Norm about this and if he has had any trouble with tracking in sand. I only mention this as you want to take a Kedron and I assume it will be off road.

I never cease to be surprised at the debate on two vehicles. Not you but all other forums. Landcruiser is king of the outback in both it's performance and back up out there. Goodluck

Our fuel is 23 litres per 100 so Norm is doing well. I was interested to see his fuel numbers.
Carl

Peter & Tracey

My main feedback would be to question a 76 wagon ahead of a troopcarrier or even a trayback. Presuming you are travelling two up the troopcarrier or trayback may be a better choice. I went for a trayback so am probably a bit biased. It may have been a troopy except that I carry loads that need a tray.

As has been mentioned in other posts the 76 wagon misses out on the second tank that the others have and for the weight you plan to tow (meaning higher fuel consumption) the extra tank may be a must have (or a replacement larger tank). Also I understand that the 76 has shorter rear leaf springs than its troopcarrier and trayback siblings and suffers a little because of this.

I climb the long steep hills regularly and no overheating issues however I have not towed the load you plan to tow. I have towed 3 tons or so on the flat without problems but that counts for nothing much. Up the Moonbis probably only up to about the GVM of 3300 kg. Been up other steeper climbs but not heavily loaded. If climbing with the load you intend I would not use 5th gear at all climbing hills.

If the standard seats are the same as the trayback (as in bad) you will need to budget for new seats (or new backs). I went for a Stratos suspension seat, others have done the same or gone for Recaros.

Purchasing new - shop around. Prices vary by many thousands. I purchased in Sydney and saved a few thousand. The local dealers contacted did not return phone calls. So I bought elsewhere. Funny that some seem to think they will automatically get your business.Well there is competition out there. Another tip - load up the sale with any items you can that you might be planning to add later. It seems pricing on Toyota extras is a little flexible at purchase time. In my purchase was a second spare wheel and tyre and towbar. The prices were reasonable and almost certainly a lot less than getting them later. Another tip, only buy from a dealer who has one to sell. This may limit choice of colour but most likely you will get a better price than ordering for delivery in 3 months.

Second hand - well I would advise don't. The second hand landcruiser prices seem too close to new to be good value. Good if selling but not good if buying. Some of the traybacks get flogged by their drivers (employees) but I would doubt the wagons would suffer from that.

I have found my cruiser to be tough and reliable and factory seat aside it is a lot better than I expected.

Doubt that you will find anything better than one of the 70 series cruisers for what you intend to do.


Flynnie