I do like the towing capacities of some of these vehicles..I would love to sit back and watch them actually tow 3 tonnes..could be interesting.
Does anyone make a tow bar rated for 3 tonnes on these vehicles?
New Mitsubishi Triton 2.5L Turbo Diesel
New Ford Ranger 3.0L Turbo Diesel
If you do some research on the ford/mazda - the manual gearbox isn't a strong point of theirs. Upgrade the clutch and you're just putting more stress through an already known weak point - get an auto for towing.
P.S. most mid sized one tonners are torsion bar front end so ride height is corrected very easily when bars etc are added. Having said that they are still a light weight vehicle so don't go too mad up that end.
I do like the towing capacities of some of these vehicles..I would love to sit back and watch them actually tow 3 tonnes..could be interesting.
Does anyone make a tow bar rated for 3 tonnes on these vehicles?
Hey Scott, IMO the Triton looks terrible! Mitsubishi have always been well built and super reliable but they have lost the plot with the current shape and the design inside and out. I have driven a mates Ranger and it was great, they are a good allround ute and would be my pick out of the two.
Suspension and clutches are two things to consider upgrading no matter which one you choose. I have a D22 Navara and carry a tonne plus most of the time and it didn't take long to ruin the factory clutch. I also put in new springs, shockies and airbags under the rear and it has made a world of difference.
Looking forward to seeing some pics of the new rig.
I disagree, I reckon it looks pretty damn sexy actually!
The plan is I am going to try and hire one of each for a weekend, and put them through their paces, hopefully they'll be fitted with a tow bar so I can test that out as well, go for a bit of a drive, reversing, going up and down a slippery ramp etc. I think it was someone here that gave me the idea actually, and I quite like it, 'test' drives from the dealers are just usually a lap around town, not much considering you have to base a 40 grand decision on it.
Pinhead, I have a mate that regularly tows his 680 Patriot around with the 3.0l navara and has no trouble at all, and loaded it comes just, and I mean just under the car's max tow rating, a bit slow off the line, but you would be to trying to pull nearly 3t behind you. Not that I'd be towing anything near that weight, but it would be good to know it can be done and the power is there to do it.
Pinhead, I regularly tow a 1.8t excavator with the colorado. Add a trailer and a few buckets and she's heading up towards 3 odd. The car knows it's there no doubt, but drags it around no worries. I've got h.d. springs in the back with adjustable over rides and larger shocks all round which I'm sure makes the job a whole lot easier.
I disagree, I reckon it looks pretty damn sexy actually!
Yeah - if you like the look of Serena Williams walking away from you........
out of the 2 i would go for the triton, have ridden in both and the triton wins hands down after a few hundred ks on the road. I am currently running a diesel hilux manual at work and it is on its second clutch at 50000K with my workmate has just blown his first clutch on his identicle hilux at 58000ks. my brother who bought a dual cab to tow his 20 ft caravan did 2 clutch's in 2 years (sold it and went big F150). The hilux has a problem with front end wind up too, can hardly drive it in reverse after a few Ks on the dirt. prety well pissed off with it , have to use it as it is a company vehicle.
Mate has a Ford Ranger dual cab manual and we just came back from a trip to 1770, about six hours each way. He towed his Cruisecraft 685 with twin motors,( ie very heavy) averaging about 95km per hour. He said it did it Ok. Personally I'd want a cruiser/patrol. You don't want the tail wagging the dog.
Is there really that much between them in terms of quality,there all basically coming out of Thailand ute factories.
DoNotFeedTheTrollsAandBelligerent
Hi Scott, I have a 2007 Triton with nearly 75000 kms on the clock now, I tow a 5.5 metre centre cab (just over a ton i suppose) which isnt as much as you want to tow but it does it well. I sold a 80 series landcruiser to buy this and We have had a lot of fun with the car, My wife and i head out west quite regular to hunt and with this car we can keep all the smells of deer and dogs in the back and not in the cab (like the cruiser) it has taken everything we have thrown at it so far, only getting bogged once in its life. we have custamized it a bit though, we have heavy duty suspesion lift from tjm, micky thompson 265, 75, 16, tyres, uhf radio, rock slider side rails, all round bar protection from tjm, rear canopy, tray liner, lightforce 240 hid spotties, ox winch, dual battery system, electronic rust protection, under body protection from tjm. My mate has a bog standard one and that has supprised me to where he takes it...
the fuel tank is a bit on the small side (75 ltr) as we have to carry jerry cans but this can be sorted at a later date.
the only problem we have had is the system restraint light came on but this was fixed on warrenty and didnt cost me anything.
there is a web site called newtriton.com.au have a look at the forums there.
we live in airlie beach which isnt that far from you, if your down this way pop in for a look or a drive.
hope this has been some help
regards Jason
G'day Scott,
I just picked up a new MN GLX-R on Friday and drove it back to Mackay. So far I'm lovin' it, obviously I haven't been off road with it. I'm not going to be towing anywhere near the weight you are (I've got a 4m Stessl) but mainly got it for family camping and fishing. I've already ordered an ARB canopy and set of Outback Roller drawers for in the tray and roof rack and awning. I will look at upgrading whatever I need to later, I'm not going hardcore 4wd (and I tend to drive like a grandad I reckon) so I expect I'll have some time up my sleeve with clutches and springs etc. Anyway that's my 2 cents worth, it's the first new car I ever owned so I'm well chuffed.
Cheers
Chris
Its obvious to me if towing a fair bit reguardless of which brand you choose get the auto. The cluches are much stronger and after having a modern auto i dont know how they sell any manuals.
Auto's lose towing capacity due to the higher ratios, plus on top of the extra cost of the auto, I'll also need to add transmission coolers etc so the box can cope with the load. I'd rather get a manual, and if need be (that is once warranty expires), dump an Exedy HD clutch in if I have to.
Also, driven correctly a manual will outperform an auto on every aspect of driving, fuel economy, getting off the mark quicker, etc, the only thing a manual lacks is convenience, and I'd rather forgo a bit of convenience for better all round performance.