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View Full Version : What do you tow your boat with?



Rapson
01-10-2010, 08:40 AM
I am looking to upgrade my vehicle in the not to distant future and am interested in what you guys tow with now and what you would recomend or steer away from. I have to tow a 6m fibreglass on a dual axel trailer so there is a fair amount of weight.

Looking to spend around the $15 mark.

Steeler
01-10-2010, 09:36 AM
Can't really make a suggestion on what to buy but once you have settled on a particular vehicle browse the likes of Pickles Auctions website for there fixed price vehicles.Sunshine ( Vic ) Belmore ( NSW ) and Geebung ( Qld ).

I will be purchasing also shortly once some property sells and budget about the same and Pickles will be first port of call.

Steeler

NTMID8
01-10-2010, 09:43 AM
All depends on the total weight of your boat, how far you are looking to tow it and what else the vehicle needs to do.

I have a 4.7m f/glass boat (total weight fully loaded say a tonne) i tow it with a 2000 VX SS commodore, i dont tow my boat far (my holiday house is 600m to the ramp) but the vehicle doubles up as my everyday driver.

For a boat of your size i would be thinking small 4wd as i would imagine the weight to be around double if not more than my boat. Only you know what you really need from it.

wags on the water
01-10-2010, 09:45 AM
I tow a 625 Cruisey with a Prado. Not sure what your 6m fibreglass boat and gear weighs, but I'd be looking for a Patrol, or Cruiser or anything with a 2.5T towing capacity.

PADDLES
01-10-2010, 09:48 AM
stick with either of the big 4wd wagons (cruiser or patrol) and you'll have a 3500kg braked towing capacity that should cover you for just about anything that is legally trailerable (in case you buy a bigger/heavier boat in the future) and they're as common as dirt with dealerships and parts plentiful so parts and servicing will be cheaper/easier. the most difficult choice will be between diesel or petrol.

Noelm
01-10-2010, 10:09 AM
for that sort of money, I would be looking for a really clean 80 series turbo diesel, you will get one fi you have the time, or you could go for something else, but that would be my pick for sure, I have a high K's 80 series now and looked at 100 series, 200 series and none of them really grabbed me, so I will keep the old diesel and wait for it to die some day.

Micadogs
01-10-2010, 10:27 AM
Hi Rapson, I just sold my 80 series petrol. It was in perfect condition, new suspension, brakes, battery, springs. Low Klms for a 94 vehcile at 234K. I sold this for $9500. It had no problems towing my 5.8 metre boat at all. I have just bought a new Prado, and it is a nicer vehcile but also $50K more expensive.

For the $15K bduget you have, I would be looking at a very late model 80 series aorund the 97 - 98 year. You will also get a prado or hilux starting with the year 2000 and newer. You may even get 100 series landcruiser with that (dont forget the Nissan equivalents).

As mentioned above, try the auctions. Pickles is good, if you live in Brisbane also try Hassles auctions. They do all the disposals for my company ( 2nd largest mining company in the world). Dont be too put off by mining vehicles, the roads on the mines are better than a lot of main roads, they get serviced very well etc. If you do buy one, just make sure you clean the chasis rails as good as you do if you go on the beach. Coal dust can get corrosive and that causes the rust. Other than that they are pretty good vehicles.

I would also look at diesel, my diesel prado is better than petrol 80 series landcruiser for towing. You will get a reasonable tow tractor for $15K.

CRAFTY24
01-10-2010, 10:27 AM
Mate I tow my 5.3m with a 99 GU Patrol on LPG. I highly recommend the Patrol for towing. Plenty of power and they also double as an excellent 4wd with plenty of room.

I also have air bag suspension so I can inflate the rear of the car to lift the height (ARB, TJM sell and install them). This is very handy when I tow my brother in-law’s 6m Cruise craft which is very heavy. On the high way I stick with LPG (economical)but if I need to go up some steep climbs I just flick it back to petrol for a little extra grunt.

I have seen a few for sale lately around the $15 mark although not sure eon Km's for that price.

Alchemy
01-10-2010, 12:37 PM
Contact NickStock (member here). He is selling a 100 series diesel cruiser wagon with a heap of extras for $15k.

Rapson
01-10-2010, 02:52 PM
Contact NickStock (member here). He is selling a 100 series diesel cruiser wagon with a heap of extras for $15k.

Thanks for the tip, PM sent.

tunaticer
01-10-2010, 03:15 PM
anything that pulls it along.....hopefully it wont be another boat!!

johndeere
01-10-2010, 04:19 PM
Nissan Navara Dual Cabs have a high tow rating for their class.

Rapson
01-10-2010, 05:07 PM
Nissan Navara Dual Cabs have a high tow rating for their class.

I was thinking along the lines of a dual cab ute Hilux, Navara, Triton but thought they would be a bit light for towing a heavy load.

After the above comments I am now leaning towards a GU Patrol or a 80/100 Series Cruiser.

Anyone had any "lemons" :furious2: with these cars? Just looking for stuff to keep an eye out for.

FishHunter
01-10-2010, 05:32 PM
I tow my 5.5m Reef Ranger with a VY SS Commodore. Tow weight is around 1500kg and it hardly feels it.

White Pointer
01-10-2010, 07:29 PM
G'day,

With a 6M boat you are probably in the same situation as me. My 6m plate boat with 175HP 4-stroke motor and trailer weighs 1910Kg dry and empty. The galvanised steel trailer is 540Kg of this.

I don't imagine that yours will be too far away from 2 tonne, either.

That means I'm really marginal with the O/ride brakes and I'm looking to put an aluminium trailer under it and save around 175Kg.

I tow it with either a 2007 Holden Rodeo (3-tonne capacity) or a 2002 Land Rover Discovery (3.5-tonne capacity) - both diesel autos. The Rodeo eats it and the Discovery struggles. I think it is a good idea to tow below capacity - have about 25% to 30% of towing capacity spare for extra gear in people the car.

One thing I hate about 4x4 wagons is that many have the spare wheel on the back door and it fouls the winch post on the trailer. Those that don't (including some utes have a drop down tail gate that strikes the tow coupling - but at least with a ute you can climb in to get gear out.

I suggest you get the BMT weighed so you know what not to buy.

Regards,

White Pointer

Angla
01-10-2010, 07:49 PM
I tow a Cruisecraft 575 Outsider with a 07 Rodeo twin cab 3.0 Turbo diesel. Very happy. It is rated to 3000kg

Cheers
Chris

wrxhoon
01-10-2010, 09:35 PM
I would think your rig would be around the 2000kg mark . With the limited funds you have I would go for a large jap 4wd manual or auto, preferably turbo diesel if you tow far or if you are going to use the 4WD for long trips. The other option ( much cheaper) is petrol and if you cover long distances convert to gas, she will be very thirsty.
With $15 k you will find older trucks 10-15 yo .
I use to tow a 2250 H/Signature with a 80 series TD all up weight around the 2200 kg and she handle it fine , a little slower up steep hills , 3rd gear and 70-80 kmh .
I tow my 6.5 mt Trophy (2.5 t) with a 200 TTD , never have to slow down. All hills I have been I can maintain 110 kmh + and we have some very steep hills north and south of Sydney .

Spaniard_King
02-10-2010, 07:22 AM
David,

I would look for something like this

http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Automotive/Used-Cars/Small-Medium-Family-Prestige-Cars/AdNumber=D1329600598942?BackToResult=true&AdOnTop=

My Navara tows my boat just fine so any of those TD ute 4x4s will do thye job

scuttlebutt
02-10-2010, 09:08 AM
Don't forget the early 2000 model Hilux's only have an 1800kg towing capacity.

Angla
02-10-2010, 10:22 AM
Heres a good tow pack

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/vbclassified.php?do=ad&id=2980

Cheers
Chris

nigelr
02-10-2010, 11:08 AM
Yeah Angla, good value for the price, nice looking vehicle with low k's, are they an Isuzu diesel?
If you can find a well serviced 80 series turbo diesel 'Cruiser or the TD 4.2 ltr Patrol equivalent, they would be my pick.
Purely for a tow vehicle the 'Cruiser in petrol, fuel costs would cruel it for me though as a run-around/general purpose vehicle. Considerably cheaper than the TDs though.
Depends what else you want to use the vehicle apart from towing.......
Cheers.

Rapson
27-11-2010, 07:31 AM
Mate I tow my 5.3m with a 99 GU Patrol on LPG. I highly recommend the Patrol for towing. Plenty of power and they also double as an excellent 4wd with plenty of room.

I also have air bag suspension so I can inflate the rear of the car to lift the height (ARB, TJM sell and install them). This is very handy when I tow my brother in-law’s 6m Cruise craft which is very heavy. On the high way I stick with LPG (economical)but if I need to go up some steep climbs I just flick it back to petrol for a little extra grunt.

I have seen a few for sale lately around the $15 mark although not sure eon Km's for that price.

Crafty24 I am now looking at getting a GU Patrol with LPG. Can you offer any advice on problem areas to look out for?
Cheers,
Dave

Camhawk88
27-11-2010, 08:55 AM
I would steer away from anything petrol if you are doing any long distance towing. I towed my last boat (1.1T) with a 3.5l P Pajero. Handelled it easy but very thirsty on the highway (about 25l/100k). Now with a 2.5TD Triton and a bigger boat (1.9T) it uses about 15l/km on the highway and the diesel does things much easier on the hills.

ozscott
27-11-2010, 09:13 AM
You can get a very nice series II Discovery for that money. I tow the same rig basically as yours and it does it very nicely. I run mine on LPG and when not towing its getting Camry economy - not bad for 2.2 tonns of all wheel drive. That also leaves you with one of the better out of the box offroaders which is, with front and rear live axles, highly moddable and with heaps of aftermarket and spares places for them. I have high mileage on my Series 1 and Series II and couldnt be happier with them. Despite the same tow capacity as the 100 series (in fact my D1 is higher again by 500kg which is insane) if I were towing close to the limit I would choose a longer wheelbase vehicle - either Patrol, Cruiser 100 or a D3/4 (but the later Discos are way higher than your budget and will be for a long time unfortunately).

The Disco does not need a tow pack or special anything - it is built to tow heavy out of the box but the longer wheelbase and extra weight of the later Discos and the 100 and GU's make towing closer to the tow limit that bit more comfortable, but there isnt a lot in that in the end. The shorter wheelbase and lighter rig offroad is a nice package for sand and offroading work.

Cheers

johndeere
27-11-2010, 10:08 AM
Whilst the Nissan Navara has a high towing rate it unfortunantly has a very high first gear which means slipping the clutch a fair bit or having to use the fiddly transfer knob.

gr hilly
27-11-2010, 01:06 PM
for that sort of money, I would be looking for a really clean 80 series turbo diesel, you will get one fi you have the time, or you could go for something else, but that would be my pick for sure, I have a high K's 80 series now and looked at 100 series, 200 series and none of them really grabbed me, so I will keep the old diesel and wait for it to die some day.


i agree with a 80 series up front you can go anywhere i am still waiting for my old 60 series to die 27yrs now and the old girl knows her own way to the cape towing a 19C Hains Hunter never a worry.

cheers Hilly

boatboy50
27-11-2010, 01:45 PM
Hey,

For what it's worth, I tow various boats very regularly, up to 3 tonne with my 03 Nissan Navara STR Trayback dual cab. It's on gas/petrol, and i've never had any dramas pulling boats out or towing at highway speeds. I use low range 4by to get anything over about 2 tonne out of the water. I've never had to ride the clutch.

I havn't had any dramas with the car mechanically. Good workhorse.

I've had 100 series Cruisers, Pajero's and the like and would never go back.

Having a dual cab trayback is worth it's weight in gold. To be able to do all it needs towing, house the whole family safely and comfortably, and still be able to cart dirt and clean up the yard on a whim. Builders racks mean I can carry oversize stuff easily too.

Darren

marto78
27-11-2010, 02:04 PM
We once towed the 7m Formy with the old xf ute 10min down the road to the boat ramp and hooked up to an old hq ute with a snatch strap to get the boat in and out of the ramp. Yes I know STUPID! but we were pretty keen for a fish that day :)

deckie
28-11-2010, 06:51 AM
Still got a dream about doing up a P76 as a headturning tow car with big go faster stripes. At low tide on a slippery ramp just get half a dozen blokes and their kids to stand in the boot for grip.

ozscott
28-11-2010, 12:05 PM
Go Mopar!!!

Explorer570
28-11-2010, 12:49 PM
I use a 2000 model HZJ78 Troopy to tow my 2.0t Cruise Craft 570 tandem axle. Sure its no the fastest rig on the highway, but it perorms the task well.
Good points: Great low down torque, 3.5t towing capacity, 4 wheel discs, solid rear axle with HD leaf springs and I bought mine in your price range.
Bad points: 1HZ 4.2 diesel lacks top end power.
Fuel economy: Non-towing 12.5-13lts/100km; Towing boat 15-16lts/100 sitting on 90-100kms/hr or about 70km/hr on long hills (thats all the grunt she has;D ).
I use this vehicle as a weekend warrior car (public transport during the week) and its great for family activities. With 11 seat capacity, the kids can take a fried or two each on camping trips.
Probably not the best city car (2.3m high with roofrack), but it serves us well.

Cheers, Sam

wayno60
28-11-2010, 01:19 PM
dont matter if its my 3.6m tinnie or my 4.5 glass its the 2.8 duelcab hilux...