New Tow Tug ,What to Buy?

[351LTD]

Currently have a D max and 2800kg Caravan but looking to get Bigger Van(3200 to 3500kgs)in near future ,Living in Caravan full time with House Rented Out So Looking at Replacing the D Max.A few side issues,Still work full time, Only want one vehicle if possible,Also have 80 Ltd 393 which will also be sold to fund Tow Tug,Needs to have something special factor(so no 200s) and 8 cylinders would be bonus.Have looked at most things but its hard to tick all my boxes.Any ideas???

[kcodezd]

Sounds like you want a 70 series troop carrier
https://www.toyota.com.au/landcruiser-70/range
And then send it to this mob or the likes of.
https://www.bawauto.com.au/

[FlipXW]

New Patrol or a Ram. I’d go the Patrol though, that petrol V8 is a great powerful engine and while towing can be as economical as a 200. Just don’t expect good fuel economy around town. The recent update has also improved its looks especially from the rear imo.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by FlipXW

New Patrol or a Ram. I’d go the Patrol though, that petrol V8 is a great powerful engine and while towing can be as economical as a 200. Just don’t expect good fuel economy around town. The recent update has also improved its looks especially from the rear imo.

There are a couple of V8 Patrol's in my area with exhaust upgrades, they sound pretty good!

[351LTD]

The Patrol is on the short list(exhaust would be a must)Not sure on the Rams reliability ,may have to get a little car for commuting to work!

[Franco Cozzo]

Patrol has an issue with payload at the 3500kg towing capacity, leaves barely anything for driver and stuff in the car.

RAM 1500 should be on the list.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

RAM 1500 should be on the list.

Prydey will be along shortly.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Prydey will be along shortly.

Originally Posted by 351LTD

I think the Ram even has a rear axle loading problem

ahh, sorry to disappoint roKWiz. looks like some people actually do their own research.

I've never said its a poor tow vehicle. Just pointed out some of the issues regarding the legalities. This was back a year or so though, and i admit that i haven't looked recently and it may well have been rectified. If so, its probably a good option.

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Patrol has an issue with payload at the 3500kg towing capacity, leaves barely anything for driver and stuff in the car.

RAM 1500 should be on the list.

I heard they fixed this issue in the latest update.

But either way certainly worth a look and researching.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by fiestaz

I heard they fixed this issue in the latest update.

But either way certainly worth a look and researching.

Agree it's worth looking at but investigate payload issues further:

https://autoexpert.com.au/posts/niss...l-towing-facts

If you have 3500kg behind it, add in a full tank of fuel and if you put me and Cav in it you're overloaded before we even stock up on cakes

Works out to be less than 200kg of payload capacity when you have 350kg on the towball and a full tank of fuel. Add in a driver and if you're a fat bastard like me you can carry wog lunch and that's about it.

Patrol > Land Cruiser btw

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Prydey will be along shortly.

Rear axle weight dramas

I reckon RAM 1500 with the 3.92 final drive option ticked would be worth a look, you'd have real snappy performance around town and it's help pull heavy stuff a bit easier over the 3.21 final drive variation with a small cost of fuel economy unloaded on the freeway.

https://www.caradvice.com.au/743414/...o-us-pick-ups/

Express comes with 3.92 final drive as factory, option on more expensive Laramie.

Even then real world testing it did 10.5L/100km on the freeway, that's pretty good.

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by 351LTD

The Patrol is on the short list(exhaust would be a must)Not sure on the Rams reliability ,may have to get a little car for commuting to work!

Toyota Dyna or similiar would be a much better tow vehicle than either Ram or Patrol and you can put a box on the back to carry all the stuff that won’t fit in the van.Dyna or Isuzu about half the cost too

[Cav]

What to buy?







And if you get tired of hooking up and unhooking ya rig, you can always get an allinone.

[GTMOND]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

Toyota Dyna or similiar would be a much better tow vehicle than either Ram or Patrol and you can put a box on the back to carry all the stuff that won’t fit in the van.Dyna or Isuzu about half the cost too

I have to disagree with you, the Dyna ect are extremely rough and too truck like, for everyday living, and to top it off bloody pretty slow. My old man has a 4x4 Mitsi Canter, and it's just terrible around town and still pretty gutless up hills. I like the Iveco Daily, but same sort of issues.
I my self would look at the Ram or the Patrol, but as said, the Patrol would be getting close to it's weight.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by GTMOND

I have to disagree with you, the Dyna ect are extremely rough and too truck like, for everyday living, and to top it off bloody pretty slow. My old man has a 4x4 Mitsi Canter, and it's just terrible around town and still pretty gutless up hills. I like the Iveco Daily, but same sort of issues.
I my self would look at the Ram or the Patrol, but as said, the Patrol would be getting close to it's weight.

Little Jap trucks make great towpigs. They have certainly improved small Jap truck performance since, big 4 turbo intercooled diesels and better gearboxes also help, along with dic brakes and a few with independent front suspension.

As for ride, they ride better half loaded which it would be towing a gooseneck or 5th wheeler. There is a company in QLD doing reset parabolic type front and rear springs making the ride even smoother. https://ssa.com.au/
The cabover design makes it easier to work on, service and allows the tray to take a proper payload with dual rear wheels for highway stability.
I've used one of mine for such purposes but was towing a smaller gooseneck dropdeck I used to borrow, it was more than capable of pulling a 5th wheeler.

[GTMOND]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Little Jap trucks make great towpigs. They have certainly improved small Jap truck performance since, big 4 turbo intercooled diesels and better gearboxes also help, along with dic brakes and a few with independent front suspension.

As for ride, they ride better half loaded which it would be towing a gooseneck or 5th wheeler. There is a company in QLD doing reset parabolic type front and rear springs making the ride even smoother. https://ssa.com.au/
The cabover design makes it easier to work on, service and allows the tray to take a proper payload with dual rear wheels for highway stability.
I've used one of mine for such purposes but was towing a smaller gooseneck dropdeck I used to borrow, it was more than capable of pulling a 5th wheeler.

image

That's pretty cool. Yeah my Dad has done the front springs on his canter, he was going to do an airbag suspension, which would be good, but expense and time was out of the question, He has bloody that many projects going, I think reality bit
. I guess from my point of view, if it was our only vehicle, I could see my wife finding the Ram more user friendly for her than a little truck.

[351LTD]

I think the Ram even has a rear axle loading problem as well but it's on the list,looked at Isuzu etc small trucks which do tick a lot of boxes but the ride lets them down especially if it's a 4x4option and the cost to get them right gets up there very quickly and if it's going to be our only transportation I am going to sick of the lack of go forward very quickly,maybe a Isuzu for towing and a mustang for fun but then I have double the expense,I think I like the expensive towing wagon with fun factor and a cheap little car to commute idea better and the v8 Ram fits the bill there!

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by 351LTD

I think the Ram even has a rear axle loading problem as well but it's on the list,looked at Isuzu etc small trucks which do tick a lot of boxes but the ride lets them down especially if it's a 4x4option and the cost to get them right gets up there very quickly and if it's going to be our only transportation I am going to sick of the lack of go forward very quickly,maybe a Isuzu for towing and a mustang for fun but then I have double the expense,I think I like the expensive towing wagon with fun factor and a cheap little car to commute idea better and the v8 Ram fits the bill there!

Yeah.Neck breaking take offs wouldn’t happen with the small trucks.If I was going to that weight in a caravan I would very seriously be looking at a 5 th wheeler with a turntable rather than having that weight swing around on a piece of box section on the back of a car

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by 351LTD

I think the Ram even has a rear axle loading problem as well but it's on the list,looked at Isuzu etc small trucks which do tick a lot of boxes but the ride lets them down especially if it's a 4x4option and the cost to get them right gets up there very quickly and if it's going to be our only transportation I am going to sick of the lack of go forward very quickly,maybe a Isuzu for towing and a mustang for fun but then I have double the expense,I think I like the expensive towing wagon with fun factor and a cheap little car to commute idea better and the v8 Ram fits the bill there!

One of the new small Isuzu trucks has independent front suspension now, this takes out a lot of its bouncy tendencies.

https://isuzu.com.au/truck-range/n-series/

Something to keep in mind the truck will be 24V and your caravan 12V so you'll need to take into account DC to DC conversion equipment too which is an extra expense you don't have with light vehicles, you'll want more than 30A worth of juice at 12V down the back and also add on electric brakes on the van which are also hungry on power.

Go drive everything on the list, it'll be a fun afternoon I reckon

[prktkljokr]

I have a 2010 Fuso Warrior crew cab 4.9 ltr ( 4x4 Canter with 19.5 super singles ) its only 12V, It keeps up with the cars no problem, hey it weighs over 3 ton but it has a GCM of 10, with the tyre pressures lowered it will go where most 4x4's wont and drag your house with it , At the time it was pretty much the same price as a loaded Patrol, and second hand ones go for about $30-45,000

[GTMOND]

I'm not denying the ability of the little jap trucks, just not for me as an everyday vehicle.
It might be just me, but I drive tucks for a living so hopping into a little plank of wood as a daily isn't high on my list.
Once you unhook the van and start looking around is where I think the ram would have the advantage.

[Tassie f100]

I guess a little SWB truck with a tray only as long as the chassis to the rear spring hangers would be shorter than the twin cab utes,they also seem to turn in not much more than their own length

[BENT_8]

I dont have any siggestions other than whats already been mentioned but i overheard a conversation yesterday about tow rigs which got my interest.
Fella was saying that he's just bought a new van with a 320kg ball weight only to discover his Navara which he's just spent a fortune on only has a 300kg ball weight capacity. So he said he rang regency park about getting it uprated only to be told nope, cant be done, so he bought a PX3 Ranger dualcab with carryboy canopy as it can handle 350kg on the ball and im thinking ok, but what about the rear axle load with the 320kg+ extras on the ball, the canopy, fuel, passengers and all the crap in the canopy.
Im thinking old mate might find himself in a touch of bother should he encounter the RTA inspectors or heaven forbid, an accident.

[hayseed]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

I dont have any siggestions other than whats already been mentioned but i overheard a conversation yesterday about tow rigs which got my interest.
Fella was saying that he's just bought a new van with a 320kg ball weight only to discover his Navara which he's just spent a fortune on only has a 300kg ball weight capacity. So he said he rang regency park about getting it uprated only to be told nope, cant be done, so he bought a PX3 Ranger dualcab with carryboy canopy as it can handle 350kg on the ball and im thinking ok, but what about the rear axle load with the 320kg+ extras on the ball, the canopy, fuel, passengers and all the crap in the canopy.
Im thinking old mate might find himself in a touch of bother should he encounter the RTA inspectors or heaven forbid, an accident.

Why Not just make the Hitch a Bit Longer.?? & you wouldn't need Much (5-600mm) to lighten the Ball weight 30-50Kgs, i would think.

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by hayseed

Why Not just make the Hitch a Bit Longer.?? & you wouldn't need Much (5-600mm) to lighten the Ball weight 30-50Kgs, i would think.

Most of these twin cabs have too much rear overhang now without sticking the towbar even further out and increasing the leverage more

[hayseed]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

Most of these twin cabs have too much rear overhang now without sticking the towbar even further out and increasing the leverage more

Sorry, I mean make the caravan Drawbar longer. (It won't let Me edited to reflect this).

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

I guess a little SWB truck with a tray only as long as the chassis to the rear spring hangers would be shorter than the twin cab utes,they also seem to turn in not much more than their own length

Yeah, this one for example is slightly longer (300mm) than a Thai dual cab ute but this thing turns on a dime. It can actually carry 5 people, 2 in comfort watching TV in the back sleeper and still carry 1.5tons of stone on the back tray and regoed to pull a 5ton trailer. Gets about 35mpg @100kmh on the highway.

I built it so it could pull a gooseneck RV (3in ball is slightly behind the axle centre, was a better option than a 5thW. plate) drop it onsite and use the truck to pick stone from a local quarry.

A RAM would be nice but is very limited (for me) as to what it can do.
Like anything horse for courses.

I'm looking to set up the Louisville with the same intention. This one will be turned back to a tray truck shortly.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Yeah, this one for example is slightly longer (300mm) than a Thai dual cab ute but this thing turns on a dime. It can actually carry 5 people, 2 in comfort watching TV in the back sleeper and still carry 1.5tons of stone on the back tray and regoed to pull a 5ton trailer. Gets about 35mpg @100kmh on the highway.

I built it so it could pull a gooseneck RV (3in ball is slightly behind the axle centre, was a better option than a 5thW. plate) drop it onsite and use the truck to pick stone from a local quarry.

A RAM would be nice but is very limited (for me) as to what it can do.
Like anything horse for courses.

I'm looking to set up the Louisville with the same intention. This one will be turned back to a tray truck shortly.

35MPG - The Queen's imperial units or freedom gallons?

I'd like a small Jap truck as my next project car, I saw this sweet tip body small Dyna, I don't have any use for a tip body Toyota Dyna but I would enjoy hooning about in my little gardening truck

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Yeah, this one for example is slightly longer (300mm) than a Thai dual cab ute but this thing turns on a dime. It can actually carry 5 people, 2 in comfort watching TV in the back sleeper and still carry 1.5tons of stone on the back tray and regoed to pull a 5ton trailer. Gets about 35mpg @100kmh on the highway.

I built it so it could pull a gooseneck RV (3in ball is slightly behind the axle centre, was a better option than a 5thW. plate) drop it onsite and use the truck to pick stone from a local quarry.

A RAM would be nice but is very limited (for me) as to what it can do.
Like anything horse for courses.

I'm looking to set up the Louisville with the same intention. This one will be turned back to a tray truck shortly.

A fellow just up the road has a 3” ball coupling on his Landcruiser tray.He has some sort of setup whereas he can drop the ball down to floor level when not towing.

[351LTD]

F150 would be very nice but too expensive for me looked at older F250s but still alot of money and if anything breaks very expensive to sort! hence looking at the 1500 ram .

[hayseed]

Just get a RAM 2500 & be done with It..
Can Tow 7500kg with a Gooseneck & The Cummins will pull Christ off the Cross..