Which 4by to tow 3.4T?

[fish2relax]

Hi all,
Im currently the owner of a '91 troopy which is rated to tow 2.5t however i am about to purchace a new boat and they weigh between 3.3-3.5t each option of boat i have looked at loaded.

my father is going in 35% with the boat however his company car is up in June where he will most likley get a 200 series to tow with. So my selection only has to last 7 months at most.
Im limited to 25K so the way i see it my options are as follows.

1. buy a 100 series 6cyl petrol (cant stretch $ to TD maybe a V8)
2. could buy a Patrol GU2 or 3 however only in 3LTD
3. Range rover HSE
4. maybe a discovery (although the are a shorter wheel base)
5.??

the car is not a daily driver as my missus only does about 40km a week however regularly does min 100 round trip towing on the weekend and upto 600km.

so what do you all think? anything i may have missed?
ps i know all about the probs with the RR and patrol so will be staying away from those models.

cheers
F2R

[Timmy94]

Go a rangey if u can that will be the only car out of them that will tow 3.4t comfortably, Have u thought of a light truck?

[ozbee]

another option is a cheap 4wdrive tray back and get a goose neck fitted to trailer and ute they are by far most stable lot cheaper in rego and room as well as having a vehicle for every day use.

[KAGEY1]

What About A 4.2 Turbo Diesel Gu Patrol. Tough As Nails Rated At 3500kgs
Geoff

[fish2relax]

tanks for all your inputs thus far.
Ozbee: i will only have the car for 6 months so going to the troule of getting a goose neck fitted and also the alterations is just to much work and $ as i'd have to convert it back again.

Kagey1: i've had a pretty good look and all the 4.2 gu's are out of the budget. Although only just i just have to be in the right place at the right time.

i really would prefer a diesel as im more affraid of flooging a v8 petrol under load as opposed to a diesel in terms of reliability. And after all the cars are all nearly 6-8 yeas old.

i actualy wouldn't mind another troopy although a TD. but the problem is that most of em are ex mines or don't know the history so sway me away abit. I bought mine as my grandfather owned it from new so i knew it was fine.

anyway. any other ideas?

I am and have always been swaying more toward the RR.

cheers

[Shanoss]

My Discovery tows my 2.5 tonne boat no probs at all. has a rated towing capacity of 4 tonne. the shorter wheel base is fine as long as your trailer is set up right.

[Lovey80]

Landrover Defender Turbo Diesel 130 Crew Cab. 1.4t payload with 4t trailer pulling capacity. Not the prettiest 4x4 but if its there to do a job this will get the job done for sure.

Cheers Chris

[Lovey80]

Heres one well under your price range

Cheers Chris

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/private/LAND_ROVER/DEFENDER/details.aspx?__Ntk=CarAll&__D=130&__Dx=mode+matchany&State=Queensland&Cr=0&state_id=79&keywords=130&R=1014250&__N=4294965541+79+834+285+257&distance=25&__Ns=pCar_PrivateSpecialFlag_Int32|1||pCar_ImageCo unt_Int32|1||pCar_LastModifiedDate_DateTime|1&__Ntt=130&trecs=2&__Nne=20&__Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&silo=1003&__sid=116214A7BF20&seot=0&Make=LAND%20ROVER

[fish2relax]

lovely80,
i did actualy have a quick glance over of the 130.
2 points though.
1. its only a 2.5TD. i would think that its a fairly big ask out of a small motor. (thoughts?)
2. i've heard a couple of times reported claims of a 4T towing capacity yet all the litriture that i have read reports it to being 3500kg.

cheers

[Shanoss]

3.5T with ABS, 4T without. Though i'm sure there is a way around the ABS limit. Check with the guys at AULRO.com. I hope you realise that once you drive a landy, you wont go back.

Shane

[KAGEY1]

F2r, The 130 ,etc Will Pull It, Just Don't Be In A Hurry To Get Anywhere!lol

[aussie_true_blue]

what you will have to consider is the boat 3.3-3.5 dry weight ? If you have to add fuel, ice, esk, water ect, then you have to consider when you return from the trip with the added weight of any fish then maybe the towing weight of the rig would be a lot more than you think for the trip home. (just a thought) I read in the redbook site the new Landcruisers can only legally tow 3500kg braked.

cheers Bob

[reidy]

Landrover Defender Turbo Diesel 130 Crew Cab. 1.4t payload with 4t trailer pulling capacity. Not the prettiest 4x4 but if its there to do a job this will get the job done for sure.

Cheers Chris
yo the 130 fender club is always looking to convert the miss guided::)
LOVEY MATE 130S ARE BEAUTIFUL IN ALL WAYS ;)
Cheers
Reidy
Look out a fenders coming through

[rhycebullimore]

just another thought, on your fathers car...from all accounts those 200 series are having huge problems with weigth, as in people loaded with family and a little gear in back for a decent trip the suspension lights is coming on because it is over the limit. i beleive the car itself has a lot of the weight so it don;t take much more to tip it over the limit, definitly a 3t boat... just something to look at any way hope it helps...imo patrol coilcab gu 4.2td second hand cause unfortunaly they don;t make them new anymore.

[Tassie JR]

Hey mate troopies around the 96 model can tow 3.5 tonne i think and they aint that exspensive, we used to tow our old boat with one the boat weighd around the 3 tonne mark and it towed it with ease.

cheers tassie JR

[rowanda]

Hi
Mate had the same trouble with his (I think about 4T) 28ft Bayliner. He had a 80 series T/D that really struggled. He ended up with a 2500 series Suburban. 6.5L V8 T/D. The thing hardly knows its on the back. Picked it up for $25k, i think it's a 2000 model with about 50,000kms. Awesome truck and does the job with ease

[blaze]

why spend $25000 when you could by a Range Rover Classic, up to a 93 model for less than $10000, towing capity of 4000kg's, disc all round and bloody comfortable to ride in. Get the same dollar for it when you sell it when you no longer need it. Fuel ecomony towing wont be good but you can buy a lot of fuel for the $15000 you save on purchase price
cheers
blaze

[.:::stotty:::.]

I rekon the patrol would be the go. But not the 3lt, its no where need as stronger engine to the bigger ones. The range rover is good, but many say that they are not as 'trouble free' (sorry the rover fanactics - :-)) as the patrols and landcruisers.

cheers matt

[boatboy50]

Hey,

I used to tow 3.5T regularly with a 99 100 series 4.5L Petrol.

Chewed through the fuel like there's no tomorrow, even without the boat, but was more than capable at 90/100 down the highway in a cross wind.

Mine was a 23ft walkaround monohull with twin engines.

IMHO the type of boat will make a huge difference also, as if your looking at a cat it adds a heap more windage factor to what a mono does, and some of the smaller vehicles won't handle that at all well.

Regards

Darren

[GBC]

I've had a little experience with a few of the above :


4.2td patrol - won't tow 3.5t satisfactorily past 70 kmh unless modded or driving down a mineshaft holding your tongue right.
3 l patrol - tows 3.5t well as long as it doesn't blow up
td5 - tows 3.5t well as long as all the lr ancilliaries go as well
v8 cruiser - will tow 3.5t at 120kmh all day long (if you can afford to)
4500 cruiser - satisfactory to about 90kph 4th gearDunno about the rangie - nil experience


Hope this helped

C.J.

[finding_time]

:


4.2td patrol - won't tow 3.5t satisfactorily past 70 kmh unless modded or driving down a mineshaft holding your tongue right.


Hope this helped

C.J.



But if you do get one and do the exhaust and turbo it will do it easily! Cost $3000.00 and it will boast your power by at least 50% Mine went from a terrible 89kw at the rear wheels to 143kw at the rear wheels ( Dyno tested) goes real well now! torQue is now off the scale!!!;D

[GBC]

Thankyou for confirming "modded".

I doubt $22k will buy one worth spending the other $3k on though.

[goldfish]

I have the 88 rangie it tows our boat fine (3.6tonn loaded) tows it at 100klm well however she does slow a bit on the hills. burns a heap of fuel though but is nice to drive even with the boat behind. & for & 4k its a cheap option.

[snatch]

Approximate towing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towing) capacity for the F-350 Super Duty is 19,200 lb (8,700 kg) max. By direct American comparison Dodge Ram 3500 Heavy Duty is rated at 16,400 lb (7,400 kg) max and Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra 3500HD is at 16,500 lb (7,500 kg) max.

I lifted this from wilkipedia ;) The diesel is reasonably efficient.

[backlash08]

what about a late model 80 series cruiser, post 11/96 they were rated to 3.5T towing, you could grad a TD for the right money or a petrol for heaps less - they are a good vehicle as well - cheers - Craig

[Bashir]

Go the Range Rover Classic, they are cheap as chips! Don't believe the soft rear suspension stories, look at those pics, its hardly saggin at the rear with 3t on the back.

I tow my Signature 630f with an 85 model, its the old 3.5v8 twin carb, it struggles a bit on the hills and it could be a bit more powerful but I paid $1500 for it and there is nothing wrong with it! Get one of the later models with the 3.9 v8 and you will be sweet.

[Kevaclone]

Why is your troopy only rated to 2.5 tonnes
it should be the same as all other cruisers of that time at 3.5 tonnes
it this limit because of the towbar? or the compliance plate??

Kev

[Mr__Bean]

I had a look at the Redbook specs, it lists it as 2500kg tow capacity.

See here (http://www.redbook.com.au/used-cars/details.aspx?__Nne=15&__sid=11BAE48870CF&acv=qeUbGYQeO5U.&R=104523&__N=0%204294942755%204294966569%204294965382&__Ns=p_Make_String%7c0%7c%7cp_ClassificationType_S tring%7c0%7c%7cp_Family_String%7c0%7c%7cp_Year_Str ing%7c1%7c%7cp_SequenceNum_Int32%7c0&Cr=0).

- Darren

[White Pointer]

G'day

This is an interesting thread. The rated towing capacity of all 4x4 vehicles is a myth. The load imposed by the wind resistance of the trailer load is not factored in and very high loads can become unstable and will crucify fuel consumption.

The thought that a Range Rover is better than a Discovery is wrong. The older full chassis models all have a 100" wheelbase. The Discovery looks smaller because it has less rear overhang and the spare is on the back - a pain in the butt with a boat on the back. The Land Rover or Range Rover owner's manual will tell you the conditions for towing at maximum capacity. Basically, for every Kg you put in the car you lose 0.5kg in towing capacity so if you have 500kg in passengers, eskys and other crap that we take fishing you Rover is a 2-tonne tow vehicle.

All the others are the same but they don't tell you!

To haul your 3.3 to 3.5 tonne boat you need a Land Rover 130 as a minimum but should consider a Ford F250 as well or even an Isuzu NPR series truck.

If you go the Land Rover 130 don't be too concerned about the 2.5 litre TD5 engine's size. It produces around 300nm of torque and first gear - low range is around 44:1. It will move it!

White Pointer

[Lovey80]

Gents, while this discussion has been great reading and some very valid points raised, it should be noted that the thread creator started it many months ago and is probably not watching it anymore. Would be good to hear what he bought though and how it did towing his boat.

Cheers

Chris