Outer Limits 4x4 Board

hey people,

i want some answers on what would be a good 4x4 tow vechicle.
it will be towing a VY SS ute (had it weighed 1,300) but lets just say 1.5 for good measure..

i will be doing long distance trips. will also use her as a daily. i have done a little research and seen some good reports on the 80 serries 96 on wards as they are 3500kg braked towing.
are there any other cars i should look at?

Assuming 1 tonne for the trailer and 1.5 for the vehicle, most reasonably modern mid sized 4WD Hilux/Triton/Navara/Rodeo/D-Max will do it (most are able to tow >2.8 tonne), as will most/all large 4WD's and a few 2WD vehicles as well.

Diesel of anything and automatic with additional transmission cooler would be a start unless there are reasons for not wanting either. Does it NEED to be 4WD?

There is no "best" of anything, only what suits your needs and budget. Without a budget or more detail about other needs for the vehicle it is impossible to give any reasonable recommendation.

my sierra does a great job towing my 5 meter boat

Patrol and 80/100 will give you the most room for those long trips but will be the most thirsty of the common choices. TD5 disco's will surprise you how well they tow and they ride better but they are not as thirsty as the other full size choices. They can be a bit pricey to fix if they brake.

If you don't mind the fuel bill I would be looking for a 4.2l TD patrol

My 2000 gu td42t wagon with a few mods tows great, has a 3500kg tow cap. I tow my comp truck round with it and half the time you forget its even there just gota keep things cool. But if you wana drive at normal speeds you will notic the fuel gauge gets up and going pretty well.

Pajeros are a great tow car.
I used one(3.5lt petty) to tow a dual cab Lux from Toowoomba to Wyong, hardly noticed the weight on the back, except for the uphill sections.

Thirsty though.

Get a vehicle with as much engine torque as you can (within reason) and make sure that its not reving to high to achieve it otherwise you will be gearing down all the time
My 454 GQ is by far the best thing i have ever owned for towing, 4x4 driving and as a daily driver, there is nothing you cant tow easily and at the speed limit at all times regardless of the hills, 26-30l/100 of lpg is reasonably cheap to.

ANDREWGQ 351 wrote:Get a vehicle with as much engine torque as you can (within reason) and make sure that its not reving to high to achieve it otherwise you will be gearing down all the time
My 454 GQ is by far the best thing i have ever owned for towing, 4x4 driving and as a daily driver, there is nothing you cant tow easily and at the speed limit at all times regardless of the hills, 26-30l/100 of lpg is reasonably cheap to.

Except a duramax

What was said above is true. Look for torque first. If fuel economy is an issue, either LPG or stay away from petrols. If speed is number one, you will probably have to go with petty. Pros and Cons to each.

Cheers

PAUL

Tow something that light with anything really.
My ski boat weighed way more than that on trailer and I towed it without trailer brakes with a falcon wagon - most weekends for about 6 years. I didn't even have an oil cooler.

I would suggest running brakes though.

Falcon wagon if it doesn't have to be a fourby.

Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI, lol

thanks for the replies guys.

reason i want it to be a 4wd, is so i can use to to go bush and replace my POS hilux..
looks like i'll get a patrol or landcruise 4.2 TD ute.

and to those wondering what i will be towing...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEtUdwXiSCg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

its not much of a street car anymore... very thursty on fuel, just over 100kms around town on a tank!! it will be towed to powercruise and drags etc.

Kingston_99 wrote:
its not much of a street car anymore... very thursty on fuel, just over 100kms around town on a tank!! it will be towed to powercruise and drags etc.

you must have a heavy right foot around town

Matt_85Lux wrote:you must have a heavy right foot around town

well when you drive a stroked and blown ute that only comes out on wkends.. i dont muck around and just go for a sunday drive... it gets what i built it to do!

Kingston_99 wrote:

Matt_85Lux wrote:you must have a heavy right foot around town

well when you drive a stroked and blown ute that only comes out on wkends.. i dont muck around and just go for a sunday drive... it gets what i built it to do!

I cant recommend an 80s 1HD-FT enough as a tow vehicle. They are very comfy, exceptional power and economy and have loads of power left in them with a few mods.
The nissan is a bit less refined in my opinion but is a more rugged vehicle if your going to do some serious offroading.
Also the old td42 is a weapon of an engine with 80-100% gains in power and torque to be had with a decent turbo and cooler package.

Trust me when I say if you buy the nissan, you will be searching for power gains the second you jump out of it because standard, they are beyond gutless.

Coming down for powercruise in that beaut ute?

Northside 4x4 wrote:Coming down for powercruise in that beaut ute?

not this year, dont think i will have a tow vechicle by then
plus the standard box didnt hold up very long with the power putting through it

so now im just getting setup tow car, car trailer, keep building the ute. then next year i can enjoy it for the ammount of $$ i have spent on it.

Kingston_99 wrote:

Northside 4x4 wrote:Coming down for powercruise in that beaut ute?

not this year, dont think i will have a tow vechicle by then
plus the standard box didnt hold up very long with the power putting through it

so now im just getting setup tow car, car trailer, keep building the ute. then next year i can enjoy it for the ammount of $$ i have spent on it.

The guy that owns the shop across from us is in the same boat, 50K+ on his VE and the engine lasted half a lap at powerplay @ 720whp.
Fragile little engines are the 6.2's if they arent tuned right.

Keep us posted on which way you go anyhow.

Mate towed a heavy tandem trailer to NSW today to pick up my car that had broken down. Left Frankston at 0925 and arrived there at 1350. He then towed the car back to Vic and you wouldn;t even know it had a load on board. 20 litres per 100 kilometres with the load.

Land cruiser 200 series V8 diesel twin turbo. It is the ducks guts.

Kingston_99 wrote:thanks for the replies guys.

reason i want it to be a 4wd, is so i can use to to go bush and replace my POS hilux..
looks like i'll get a patrol or landcruise 4.2 TD ute.

and to those wondering what i will be towing...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEtUdwXiSCg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

its not much of a street car anymore... very thursty on fuel, just over 100kms around town on a tank!! it will be towed to powercruise and drags etc.

Yeah we are gonna need some videos of the smoke persuasian. I want a blower for my maloo so bad its amazing how quickly you get used to 300rwkw.