Tow vehicle for doing a lap.

You have a cart and horse situation. You need to either buy the van that you like first and then make sure the tow vehicle is suitable or buy the vehicle you like and then make sure the van is appropriate.

Personally I would choose the van first but try and keep the size down to the smallest you feel comfortable with. This will help with fuel costs, towing stress, access and manoeverability.

All of the vehicles you mention if in good condition and setup well will tow a substantial van. Now that the 200 series LC has been accepted in the market there are many good LC100 on the market. I have a 2004 auto TD LC100 and it is without doubt the best tow and touring vehicle I have ever had. I have had most of the brands but my bias would be towards the heavier LC TD because of its stability and good towing capability.

The LC100V8 is tempting because of its lower price and great performance but beware the fuel consumption. I know a tadesman who tows his heavy work trailer, loves the way it goes, but rarely gets less than 20 - 25 L/100k. True if you look at the total cost it averages out, but for touring you will be forever watching the guage and seeking a fuel stop.

Landrover Discovery also have a good tow capability and are very comfortable but still seemed plagued with a reputation for problems. I do not know if it is valid - may be worth a look.

I had a Pajero some time ago and it was a great vehicle for us but we were then not towing heavy things. We swapped to the LC TD for the extra grunt and GVM. The Pajero diesel has got a good reputation for reliability and performance. We have friends with a recent model who use it to tow their first ever caravan and have been very happy in all regards.

sorry to ramble - just my thoguhts.

Have a great trip and take you time choosing.

cheers

Mate Im a Toyota fan through and through and if I had the $$$ required to tow the van your talking about it would be a 200 series without fail BUT not having that sort of money my next vehicle would be a 3.2L turbo diesel pajero. Great to drive, comfortable, heaps of grunt for touring/towing and how serious will the off roading be ???

I have seen the current model pajero's in action and while the pajero isnt going to flex like a cruiser or patrol the traction control certainly makes up for it. The only issue that i can see with the pajero is the IRS, you will possibly need some airbags in the rear and taller springs to take the down load to stop the rear tyres scrubbing out due to the IRS (independent rear suspension).

Ask Robin on here and he will say nothing but a petrol 4.8 patrol LOL but Im the same in regards to the pajero and this is coming from some one who swears by the prado's (had 2 older ones and still have an 05 mod) > Petrol diesel ?? Mate towing that load for a lap around you will recoup the fuel savings very quickly in my opinion.

I dont think there would be a petrol motor thats going to give you less then 20L per 100 when towing that weight ?? may be wrong and Im sure Robin patrol possibly does he would be able to tell you I would imagine. My uncle had two petrol vehicles for doing touring he had a disco and a 80 series 4.5 cruiser and never saw anything less then 22 in either, the cruiser was always around mid 20's and his van is roughly 23 foot not sure on weight but has all the usual modcons of home.

Even my prado which is the 4L petrol and goes extremley well are known for using around 20L per 100 approx, then you come across head winds, mountains etc this is where the diesel in my opinion will blitz the petrol (just m opinion).

My neighbour has the 3.2 and is an absolute ripper for towing, it his second pajero and loves them. Might pay for you and your wife to go and visit a few dealers and take a few different vehicles for a drive and see what is comfortable and whats not and how they go generally the best way. Good luck with it...............

Seeing you have done some research on what is available; my only advice would be take each for a good drive and see what one you like.... no use taking someone's advice and then not liking it for something like "my left knee hit the console or seats are to soft".

There is plus or minuses for all the ones you have mentioned.

You will know what one is the right one.

We leave on the 16 September

Alistair D
Is correct: Get the van 1st then see what will tow it.
If you get the vehicle 1st it could not be able to tow the van you then select.

PeterH

I would be careful of the Petrols, Have a mate who did a WA trip a couple of years ago with a Petrol V6 Pajero towing a 22 foot Jayco and his consumption was between 30 - 35 litres per 100kms and up to 40 l per 100km with head winds. Good strong diesels are ideal for large vans as they have the torque to cope with the dragging wieight.
Might seem to be much cheaper to buy the Petrol up front but your holiday wont be as enjoyable, watching the fuel guage and stressing out about the cost of fuel all the time.

Just something to think about

g'day Millsy
toyota 100s 1HDFTE, in good nick, i reckon that's the go.
cheers
Blue

I would cross the Pajero off the list. Pre 12/2008 they are rated 2,500 kg max. The later ones, although they are rated to tow 3,000 kg their ball weight is only 250 kg for vans up to 2,500 kg loaded weight and 180 kg for heavier vans. A van of your intended size will have a ball weight of well over 250 kg (or a low critical speed.)

Given your very low budget for your tug, I think the most suitable tug for you would be a twin cab ute. Load the van lightly and put all the extra load in the ute. That will assist in keeping the van to tug weight ratio down. Utes have a much larger disposable loading than the wagons. Some of the wagons have such a poor load allowance that if you are towing a fairly large van and have a tinny up top you have to decide whether you take the outboard or the cook (the Toyota 200 is in that class.)

Agree with commets above a well set up LC 100 with the 1hd-fte would be in your budget and perfect for the scenario you have described.

I have access to one at the moment, a 2003 TD 1hd-fte auto, bar, winch, front and rear lockers, draws, lights, airbags, 230km for $35k, imaculate. So they are out there.

Regards

Jas

Have a close look at a L/R D3 diesel. 140Kw 440m. $35000.00 or so will by one under 135000KM. Won`t get a Toyota for for this price and low km. Reliability is good as other makes. Regards G.T.

Thanks for your input guys.

From what has been mentioned I guess we will have a closer look into our van decision, and firm that up before we concentrate on the vehicle. Then from there we can go and test drive a few things, and I can do a bit more research on various forums.

Thanks again.