What do you thing of the Holden Rodeo for a tow vehicle?????????????
Submitted: Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 04:38
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nighttrain
Will only be driving on main roads towing a 20ft caravan with tare weight of about 2000kg (plus gear, water etc), only want to spend around $30,000. What I am looking at is a 2007 Holden Rodeo Diesel 3.0L 4X4. Will aslo install WDH and electric brakes. Is this a good idea for a tow vehicle???
Reply By: dustmike12 - Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 09:07
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 09:07
hi
even that the car is rated to 3 tonnes its still a ute. by that i mean
you should use a landcruiser or patrol. you will have at least 230kg ball weight
and if the axles a set back even more. i think that they technically over rate cars these days and don't look at the way we use them in Australia.
if you decide to purchase this vehicle . you should use a dual cam sway control unit. hayman reese are redeveloping this unit now. this unit will stop the van from getting blown around.
regards mike ( southern towbars )
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Reply By: D200Dug- Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 09:53
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 09:53
We have a 2008 3lt TD Rodeo
We have not taken delivery of our van yet but after somewhat exhaustive enquiry we have no real issues about towing with the rig.
You will need to upgrade the
suspension and I have fitted air bags ( poly air ) and also a DP chip.
A good towbar and good tyres and drive to the conditions you should be fine.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 11:01
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 11:01
Why will he need a rear
suspension upgrade? He is going to use WDH. The WDH will spread the ball load across both axles and maintain the trim of the vehicle. The only reason he will need to beef up his
suspension is if he is going to overload his vehicle.
I see you have modified the rear
suspension of your vehicle and altered the roll response of it. Have you you modified the front to stiffen it to maintain the vehicle with a similar understeer characteristic? If you don't understand what I am saying then read the article on rig dynamics in the June issue of Caravan World. When you are reading it, remember it was written by an engineer who worked on
suspension systems for GM in Britain way back.
PeterD
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Follow Up By: D200Dug- Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 11:10
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 11:10
I have changed the
suspension in the front and back of my rodeo as part of the upgrade for towing.
The rear
suspension was very soft and spongy with a lot of body roll.
Not something I would like to have a heavy trailer pushing around.
Of course consult an expert ( or several ) before doing any work on the
suspension of any vehicle but the rear
suspension of the new rodeo was particularly soft and in my opinion unsuitable for heavy towing.
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Follow Up By: dustmike12 - Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 12:11
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 12:11
hi
nomadic navara is right
you still need wdh to shift the ballwieght of the rear regardless what you
do to the
suspension. this keeps the front down , puts the vehicle back into normal driving conditions. be also aware some car manufactures allow you to go to maximum ball weight only with weight distribution hitch. there is a legal side to this as
well.
mike
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688888
Reply By: Member - David C2 (VIC) - Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 11:29
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 11:29
Hi nighttrain, I currently own and drive everyday a 2007 LX 4x4 diesel rodeo. I am very happy with this unit and although I don't tow any thing greater than 500kg being my teardrop camper at this time, I would be confident that it would suit the application you are looking for. I have made certain modifications to
mine only to suit my type of touring and off road travel. The inter cooled turbo diesel is very responsive and fuel efficient and a comfortable truck to travel in. As for using a ute as a tow vehicle, local tradies tow all manner of equipment around behind there trucks everyday so I think that the claim you need an expensive 4x4 wagon to tow a van is a little over the top.
Happy travels
Dave
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418753