in the market for a new tow car...need advise

[Mousie]

Hi all,
im in the market to buy a new tow car i have a stock trailer i cart my livestock and horses around with.
i dont want a patroll or cruzer i want somthing in the hilux/navara catagory.
so based on peoples actull experence and not what is ritting in a borcher how to they actully go???
i will need to tow around 3T minimum on a regular basis...
any feedback would be great
cheers!

[mkpatrol]

Get a Landcriuser if you are regularly towing 3 tonnes.

While the smaller utes can tow three & 1/2 tonnes, they are lighter duty & there are lots of conditions that the manufacturer puts on the vehicle when getting close to the max limit. My Pathfinder for example cant have any rear seat passengers or any load once I hit max towing capacity.

[parr]

new duel cab cruiser ute

[bru21]

The cruiser has low gearing and is built for what you want to do.

[Mousie]

i have a 75 with a 12ht in it now, and its nice ( new motor and turbo )
but i want aircon and more leg room and comfort!
and i carnt justify the 80K new a new dual cab cruzer ....

[bru21]

They are no where near 80k. Mine was 66k on road for a gxl wagon with air, diff locks front and rear, metallic paint and headlight covers. Think after hearing a few other stories 65 would have been a better price. Now days I would go the 200 series. They can be had for 71k on road for the go with metallic paint. If you are towing get a wagon. It's like a ute that you
You can pack higher, can lock and stuff stays dry. After owing several utes I Will NEVER go back! The 76 wagon is a commercial vehicle on the ato register so it's the same as a dual cab for tax purposes. Rear leaves are different in the wagon so your back is better off too

[bru21]

Sorry forgot to mention I'm 5'11" and I moved the seat up 25mm and back 35mm and it's spot on! Standard they will hurt your n
Knees!

[coilylux]

new BT50 or Ranger....
i tow a 10m enclosed race trailer tows it easy and can get 17ltr per hundred

[joshy]

They are no where near 80k. Mine was 66k on road for a gxl wagon with air, diff locks front and rear, metallic paint and headlight covers. Think after hearing a few other stories 65 would have been a better price. Now days I would go the 200 series. They can be had for 71k on road for the go with metallic paint. If you are towing get a wagon. It's like a ute that you
You can pack higher, can lock and stuff stays dry. After owing several utes I Will NEVER go back! The 76 wagon is a commercial vehicle on the ato register so it's the same as a dual cab for tax purposes. Rear leaves are different in the wagon so your back is better off too

x2 on the 76 got mine for 67 with the above mentioned extras plus window tint and floor mats. i bought it to tow 3.5t and it does it with ease on 35's.

[niss50]

New BT50 i towed my patrol with it with ease and get 13.2ltrs/100ks

[GUtripper]

Bt 50, had it a few weeks, tows a box trailer like it's not even there and a large extended horse float two up easily.
Around town it's sitting on 8.9l per km after less than 1800kms so far. Dunno what it gets towing but would be less than a cruiser or Pootrol I'd reckon.

3350kgs braked towing capacity, larger and longer wheelbase than a Nav, Lux or Triton.

[stinger]

I am sorry but if you want to tow 3t reguarily, I would be getting something that approaches the same weight to tow with, just safer all round, 3t pushing around on the back of something weighing 2t is just looking for trouble no matter what tyres, brakes or motor it has...

The smaller the motor the harder it has to to work to pull that weight, while it will do it (our 2.5 TD disco tows a full cruiser on a trailer well, but it works for it and you can feel the trailer controlling the car , behind a cruiser not so quick but heavy vehicle feels better.

So I would look at 4.2 turbo diesel if you do not want new otherwise I think your left with a new cruiser at the moment.

Just my 2 cents...

[stool]

2nd hand light truck like a hino or toyota dyna

will do what you want all day long .

[def90]

bang for buck hard to go past either (3.2) bt or ranger, i have the ranger in the auto and tows like a dream, my trailer can be anything from 1.5 to 4t and tows it amazingly well. more torque then a v8 cruiser ute, and a little remap and zorst and get a 30% plus more! auto's piss on manuals for towing too, for the price of a cruiser ute (they are a great rig) u could have a very very well sorted ranger or ugly bt!

[evanstaniland]

Biggest thing to look is if you plan on taking camping gear, tools etc you'll be reducing your tow limit and if you exced it, it'll be illegal. It was the first thing they checked wen i was involde in an accident a few years ago.
You think a 3.2T rating:
Toolbox = 150kg
Camping gear 100kg
Spares 100kg
Trailer 500-900kg
So you have a rating of 1950-2350kg or there abouts

I wouldn't be putting my comp truck on that!

[Z()LTAN]

Got a new 79s GXL v8 for exactly that.

Tows everything perfect, nothing like towing your 3.5t car and trailer and being able to overtake people at 130...Uphill

[hulsty]

i have a 75 with a 12ht in it now, and its nice ( new motor and turbo )
but i want aircon and more leg room and comfort!
and i carnt justify the 80K new a new dual cab cruzer ....

v8 turbo Cruiser, or a 1HDFTE cruiser ute, or put a 79 cab on yours, with aircon and boost it up.

[GUtripper]

I am sorry but if you want to tow 3t reguarily, I would be getting something that approaches the same weight to tow with, just safer all round, 3t pushing around on the back of something weighing 2t is just looking for trouble no matter what tyres, brakes or motor it has...

The smaller the motor the harder it has to to work to pull that weight, while it will do it (our 2.5 TD disco tows a full cruiser on a trailer well, but it works for it and you can feel the trailer controlling the car , behind a cruiser not so quick but heavy vehicle feels better.

So I would look at 4.2 turbo diesel if you do not want new otherwise I think your left with a new cruiser at the moment.

Just my 2 cents...

I get where youre coming from, however....

Having just sold the GU 4.2 for a BT, id take to BT for towing every time.
I did literally thousands of kms over 7 years with the GU towing all range of trailers and weights, over a lot of different terrain.
In the first few weeks the BT has towed a light 7x4 trailer and a heavily loaded extended horse float.... about 2.6 ton all up.
The BT wins every time.


Maybe one exception.... I'd take a GU to the cape etc (again) if heading onto the more remote/tougher tracks.

The BT has way better ABS. Most GU's dont even have this- mine was the ST-S with ABS etc and it felt shite in operation.
The BT has a longer wheelbase = better for towing.
The BT has electronic anti sway control for the trailer, as well as EBC/ stability control. Rear diff lock as standard.
It feels substantially better towing the horsefloat than the GU ever did.
It goes better, pulls the load easier, and uses less fuel in the process. And for towing, the 6 speed auto is far better than the GU 5 speed.

[84sloth]

2001 f250 4x4 can be had for low 20's 4.2 6cyl motor intercooled turbo diesel, will get you 14-15l per 100km towing.. 12l empty, shitloads of power, comfy roomy. and unlike all those v8td cruisers doesnt use oil

[sprungupcruiser]

How do you go finding parts for them sloth?

[evanstaniland]

my v8td cruiser doesnt use oil

[RO8M]

2001 f250 4x4 can be had for low 20's 4.2 6cyl motor intercooled turbo diesel, will get you 14-15l per 100km towing.. 12l empty, shitloads of power, comfy roomy. and unlike all those v8td cruisers doesnt use oil

Really?

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/res ... ort=~Price" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Only 4 in the 20s, and if you want a 4 door, your're SOL (only 3 for sale in aus)

Or am I doing something wrong?

[sprungupcruiser]

They're not all 4wd either are they?

[-Scott-]

2001 f250 4x4 can be had for low 20's 4.2 6cyl motor intercooled turbo diesel, will get you 14-15l per 100km towing.. 12l empty, shitloads of power, comfy roomy. and unlike all those v8td cruisers doesnt use oil

Really?

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/res ... ort=~Price" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Only 4 in the 20s, and if you want a 4 door, your're SOL (only 3 for sale in aus)

Or am I doing something wrong?

"Can be had" i.e. "the purchaser can be had if buying for low 20s".

Or "they can be bought for low 20s, but that doesn't mean you'd want it."

Maybe?

[80's_delirious]

2001 f250 4x4 can be had for low 20's 4.2 6cyl motor intercooled turbo diesel, will get you 14-15l per 100km towing.. 12l empty, shitloads of power, comfy roomy. and unlike all those v8td cruisers doesnt use oil

And some of them are absolute lemons. A mate sold one (purchased new) in disgust after a string of problems that the dealer struggled to get a grip on.

[Z()LTAN]

My v8 would use about 500ml in the 10000kms. Who cares lol

[RO8M]

2001 f250 4x4 can be had for low 20's 4.2 6cyl motor intercooled turbo diesel, will get you 14-15l per 100km towing.. 12l empty, shitloads of power, comfy roomy. and unlike all those v8td cruisers doesnt use oil

Really?

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/res ... ort=~Price" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Only 4 in the 20s, and if you want a 4 door, your're SOL (only 3 for sale in aus)

Or am I doing something wrong?

"Can be had" i.e. "the purchaser can be had if buying for low 20s".

Or "they can be bought for low 20s, but that doesn't mean you'd want it."

Maybe?

I like the way you think.

But of course not everything for sale is on that site. And of course you would get people giving away a bargain, but my feeling is that that site gives a pretty good indication of the market, due sole to it's size and usage.

[V.W.Dave]

The PK ranger would be my pick if you reallllllly want to stay with a smaller ute. But as already said if your always pulling that load you need a bigger ute.

[brooksy]

Ranger, nuff said ....



brooksy

[MARKx4]

How come no one says the Nissan D40 V6 diesel? they are a great Ute to tow with and leave the ranger/bt50 for dead in power and torque... I know it is a out of date design now but awesome car to drive.

Mark.