Something to consider before hooking up 3500 kg

[GREGL]

For those out there with the belief that 3500 kg tow ratings are feasible have a look at the Practical Motoring website . An article by Robert Pepper that makes very interesting reading .
Sorry tried to link it but my heads not up to it tonite .

[Yellow_Festiva]

https://practicalmotoring.com.au/car...kg-tow-rating/

[naddis01]

That sounds like an exciting website.

[Itsme]

Fully agree with the article, do your homework carefully before you tow with a heavy trailer or van.

[cheap]

ARB and Lovells offer GVM upgrades to various vehicles specifically to address these types of issues. These upgrades are not cheap, but if you're in an accident and over your GVM your insurance is compromised.

[Brazen]

Yeah people often don't realise how small the payload becomes once max towing weight is hit.

Personally I think some of these light commercial vehicles are getting silly tow ratings. 3,5 tonne towing is a hell of a lot of weight behind the tow vehicle.

We need to start getting the full sized american pickups here.

[dirtyclevo]

another note to point out. is the quality of those rental trailers.

a few years ago i hired a 3 metre caged trailer to move house. it quite a light load and i was driving and it just unhooked itself. lucky the chain was taking the strain and it didnt do any damage to my car. but i went and complained about it as you do.

add, go the same cockbull story, they are not liable.. well yes you are if your trailers aren't maintained. shonky hitch and pin setup.

got it from mobil.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Does that site shift up and down 10 mil every few seconds for anyone else...

Driving me nuts...

[zilo]

I did it the other day with my Landcruiser Workmate.

1200kg trailer with electric brakes and 2500kg bobcat....3700kg total.

No problemmo...took it over 800 kilometres.

[Ruination]

Forever having brakes replaced on the work Navara 550.
All because the boss reckons the ute can tow 3000kg yet the tray is loaded with heaps of gear also.

Oh well, he pays for the brakes to be replaced!

[sprintman1]

Insurance right on to illegal towing now and so many are towing illegally.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Does that site shift up and down 10 mil every few seconds for anyone else...

Driving me nuts...

yes it does

[DoreSlamR]

Originally Posted by zilo

I did it the other day with my Landcruiser Workmate.

1200kg trailer with electric brakes and 2500kg bobcat....3700kg total.

No problemmo...took it over 800 kilometres.

What kind of hitch did you use? Pintle?

You may have had no problemmo this time, but you're flirting with danger.

[chevypower]

Often a wider, heavier trailer would be more helpful to prevent this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCGxoVxO86Q

A longer, wider, heavier tow vehicle to prevent this as much as possible (though you can see it wasn't a case of the trailer being too heavy, it was acting like too much of a sail).
https://youtu.be/kwOqARlw1EI?t=44s

[tex]

I tow 3.2t behind my 90 model f150 5 speed. Normally a 2-300km round trip on horrible Tassie roads. Excellent trailer set up, electric over hydraulic ss and bronze brakes, HD torsion suspension, HD hubs and truck wheels and tires. 150kg ball weight.

My mate and his flash new dual cab, rated at 3.5t towing, wanted to try it out.

His flash new dual cab won't be tasked with that purpose again anytime soon!

Ridiculous manufacturers ratings, and the vehicles are NOT fit for purpose. The stupid thing wouldn't even hill start without low range, the clutch slipped in high range..... Smoking its way to forward movement lol.

[sprintman1]

Originally Posted by tex

I tow 3.2t behind my 90 model f150 5 speed. Normally a 2-300km round trip on horrible Tassie roads. Excellent trailer set up, electric over hydraulic ss and bronze brakes, HD torsion suspension, HD hubs and truck wheels and tires. 150kg ball weight.

My mate and his flash new dual cab, rated at 3.5t towing, wanted to try it out.

His flash new dual cab won't be tasked with that purpose again anytime soon!

Ridiculous manufacturers ratings, and the vehicles are NOT fit for purpose. The stupid thing wouldn't even hill start without low range, the clutch slipped in high range..... Smoking its way to forward movement lol.

And that's why you don't tow with a manual!! Our shop loved people towing with manuals, made the boss a lot more $$$

[mechanic]

Originally Posted by tex

I tow 3.2t behind my 90 model f150 5 speed. Normally a 2-300km round trip on horrible Tassie roads. Excellent trailer set up, electric over hydraulic ss and bronze brakes, HD torsion suspension, HD hubs and truck wheels and tires. 150kg ball weight.

My mate and his flash new dual cab, rated at 3.5t towing, wanted to try it out.

His flash new dual cab won't be tasked with that purpose again anytime soon!

Ridiculous manufacturers ratings, and the vehicles are NOT fit for purpose. The stupid thing wouldn't even hill start without low range, the clutch slipped in high range..... Smoking its way to forward movement lol.

After too many years working in workshops and listening to stories of how much weight and how fast and far people have towed their vans, trailers etc. I'd go along with tex and his post on the F150's.
Although I have only had experience with the older models they always seemed like a good solid workhorse for towing.

[Mr Hardware]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Does that site shift up and down 10 mil every few seconds for anyone else...

Driving me nuts...

Press one of the arrows at the side of the scrolling top banner and it will make the banner stop scrolling, which makes the page stop jumping

[Boza]

What about putting the tow ball in the tray between the chassis rails like they do on the bigger trailer's in the state's I was watching a show about towing in the states once and they had like 4 different tow balls on the one hitch and all sorts of stuff to help tow and they said if you want to tow a fair bit of weight to go for a f250 or dually for the real big stuff.

[sprintman1]

GTM, GVM, ATM, GCM, Tare, ball weight. Anybody towing needs to know these and their tow vehicles specs.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by sprintman1

And that's why you don't tow with a manual!! Our shop loved people towing with manuals, made the boss a lot more $$$

But tex's F150 is also a manual from what I can gather...

[poppa smurf]

I'd go one step further and ask that a special "licence" or at least a decent training regime be instigated for those about to tow a van "around Aust." or anywhere for that matter.

at the moment a person can retire, walk out from his day job, with absolutely no previous experience, jump behind the wheel of a a 2 tonne vehicle, hook up to a 3 tonne van and be off on our highways ,"just like that!......no experience required.

seen it many times, no idea of what the undertaking requires.

However having said that, if all the weight requirements and safety measures are adhered to, along with a little common sense I see no problem dragging 3.5 tonne around.

I was chatted about my non rated "D" shackle, however the rated shackle will not pass through my genuine ford tow hitch.

bit of interesting reading here......... http://www.towingguide.com.au/content/couplings.html

[Kingsley]

Originally Posted by sprintman1

Insurance right on to illegal towing now and so many are towing illegally.

Last year local radio here were following a story about a stranded couple who were travelling with their van which was involved in an accident where their caravan got the wobbles and took out both car and van. Insurance company refused the claim on the basis his level of licence did not allow him to legally drive with the combined weight of van and vehicle. The last I heard the insurance company still wasn't paying.

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by sprintman1

And that's why you don't tow with a manual!! Our shop loved people towing with manuals, made the boss a lot more $$$

Unless it's a Cummins! Did it last week pulling a car plus an extra engine on a trailer. Pulled away in 2nd with ease. 120km/h all the way, getting 14 mpg (17L/100). 2006 dodge ram 5.9 Cummins turbo diesel with 6 speed manual. Stayed in 6th the whole time on the freeway and never labored even up hills. Granted it was a pretty easy load for that thing. But yeah I definitely prefer autos for towing, off-roading, and pretty much everything.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

What kind of hitch did you use? Pintle?

You may have had no problemmo this time, but you're flirting with danger.

Dunno what you mean....
it's a 90mm towball and towbar as supplied by Hayman Reese.

You saying it's a problem? (I'm all ears)

[2011G6E]

But but but I saw where those big Yank trucks can tow eleventy-million tons!!!

Lot of caveats in those outrageously large towing figures they quote over there...on a flat smooth surface, at low speeds, etc, etc...
Hell, I could tie my '82 Celica to a semi and if the tyres on the truck were all pumped up to rock hardness and it was on a flat level surface, no doubt I could eventually get it moving once you overcome inertia.

Doesn't mean I could tow it all day long at highway speeds...

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

But but but I saw where those big Yank trucks can tow eleventy-million tons!!!

Lot of caveats in those outrageously large towing figures they quote over there...on a flat smooth surface, at low speeds, etc, etc...
Hell, I could tie my '82 Celica to a semi and if the tyres on the truck were all pumped up to rock hardness and it was on a flat level surface, no doubt I could eventually get it moving once you overcome inertia.

Doesn't mean I could tow it all day long at highway speeds...

Eh? Where do you see the fine print that it has to be on a smooth flat surface? Look up the Ike Gauntlet towing tests by The Fast Lane Truck. 20,000 lb trailers up a 7% grade at 11,000 feet above sea level while trying to maintain 60mph. Not exactly the conditions you're describing. Then there's the Davis Dam towing tests...

[blackf6]

Buy a truck. Not a ute.

[Matty4]

Originally Posted by zilo

I did it the other day with my Landcruiser Workmate.

1200kg trailer with electric brakes and 2500kg bobcat....3700kg total.

No problemmo...took it over 800 kilometres.

Why would you publicly admit to towing something (anything) knowing full well that it's over the published maximum towing weight of the vehicle?

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Matty4

Why would you publicly admit to towing something (anything) knowing full well that it's over the published maximum towing weight of the vehicle?

Just another jealous troll.