Strong 4x4 for towing heavy trailers in a budget?
Discussion
I need a strong 4x4, something that is rated to tow 3500kg safely for towing heavuy trailers laden with machinery. It also needs to be no more expensive than 5k. I have it largely narrowed down to a 97 til 00 Nissan Patrol TD6 enigine (I hear the newer 3.0Di 4 cycliner enegines are weak). First of all, is there anything I need to look out for on these particular models?
Also, is there any other suggestions?
Also, is there any other suggestions?
I don't know the pros & cons of modern 4x4s on the market, so I'll just suggest Land Rover 110.
Anyway, a question I'd be looking into is what's required legally. I'm assuming this is for business so everything will want to be perfect on paper. My understanding is that anything with a MAM over 3500kgs is no longer classed as a "car" and becomes a "light goods vehicle" (I think), and for this reason a lot of 4x4s have an MAM at 3499kgs so that they can be sold to the common market at the car tax level etc.
For example my heavy duty land rover 109, is capable of towing well in excess of 4,500kgs, but it's MAM is reduced to 3,500kgs. With your 3,500kg trailer, plus the weight of the towing vehicle, you'll be over the MAM limit of the vehicle, and hence illegal.
Land Rover do sell various hi-capacity 110s and 130s, which are classed as commercial vehicles and are therefore allowed the larger MAM limits.
In short check the MAM limit of the vehicle you intend to buy and check it all sums up okay.
I could be a bit wrong on this so I'll wait for someone to correct me.
Anyway, a question I'd be looking into is what's required legally. I'm assuming this is for business so everything will want to be perfect on paper. My understanding is that anything with a MAM over 3500kgs is no longer classed as a "car" and becomes a "light goods vehicle" (I think), and for this reason a lot of 4x4s have an MAM at 3499kgs so that they can be sold to the common market at the car tax level etc.
For example my heavy duty land rover 109, is capable of towing well in excess of 4,500kgs, but it's MAM is reduced to 3,500kgs. With your 3,500kg trailer, plus the weight of the towing vehicle, you'll be over the MAM limit of the vehicle, and hence illegal.
Land Rover do sell various hi-capacity 110s and 130s, which are classed as commercial vehicles and are therefore allowed the larger MAM limits.
In short check the MAM limit of the vehicle you intend to buy and check it all sums up okay.
I could be a bit wrong on this so I'll wait for someone to correct me.
I suspect any decent 4x4 or pickup would do the trick.
In the UK loads use Land Rover's of every sort, so you are in good stead by following tradition. All Landy's are basically the same underneith, so Defender, RR or Disco will all do the job.
It might push the budget a little, but you should be able to pick up a decent American pickup truck for that kind of money, maybe even one running on LPG. It'll make light work of the towing and probably make a better job of it. Think Dodge Ram, Ford F150 or Chevy Silverado.
In the UK loads use Land Rover's of every sort, so you are in good stead by following tradition. All Landy's are basically the same underneith, so Defender, RR or Disco will all do the job.
It might push the budget a little, but you should be able to pick up a decent American pickup truck for that kind of money, maybe even one running on LPG. It'll make light work of the towing and probably make a better job of it. Think Dodge Ram, Ford F150 or Chevy Silverado.
Not all range rovers can tow 3500kgs (the new ones can but the old ones can't) but all defenders and disco's can. VW/Porsche Towrag can both pull 3500kgs as well. On auto trader it tells you for some cars how much they can tow but not always as not all the adverts have the data.
wombat172a you are confusing MAM and train weight. ie upto 3500kgs for the car and 3500kgs for the trailer totalling 7000kgs
EDIT: also make sure your license gives you the categories, if you took your test after 1997 or something you don't get all the entitlements
wombat172a you are confusing MAM and train weight. ie upto 3500kgs for the car and 3500kgs for the trailer totalling 7000kgs
EDIT: also make sure your license gives you the categories, if you took your test after 1997 or something you don't get all the entitlements
Edited by Speedy11 on Monday 6th April 18:42
Speedy11 said:
Not all range rovers can tow 3500kgs (the new ones can but the old ones can't) but all defenders and disco's can.
I'm sure most if not all RR's can. The classic RR is basically a Defender (or rather a Defender is basically an RR with a modified Series body). A Disco 1 is a rebodied RR. P38a is a classic RR LWB chassis with more grunt and newer body.
Nobody has mentioned the Nissan Terrano, I have owned one for years. It regularly tows two big horses in an Ifor Williams trailer, also tow agricultural implements and water bowsers etc. It tows really well any distance and doesn't overheat on stop start motorway jams or anything. Also owned Landrovers of all sorts over the years, good vehicles, cheapish replacement parts, niggly but basically reliable and always loads of Landylads around to sort out and put on the road. TBH I think when the time comes to replace my Terrano I'll try the Nissan Pathfinder a couple of years down the line so I don't meet the initial huge depreciation that you get with 4x4's with this in mind you should get a decent fourby for your money especially in this unstable Economic credit crunch climate.
300bhp/ton said:
I suspect any decent 4x4 or pickup would do the trick.
The jap pick-ups look pretty but they have significantly less towing ability than Land Rovers. The Navara can only tow 2600kg, the new Hilux a paltry 2250kg and the Mitsubishi L200 2700kg.As you said in your other post, classic Range Rovers can also tow 3500kg as they are all the same under the skin.
Land Rovers aren't perfect but for a £5k budget they are plentiful and cheap to fix.
I used to deliver trailers and found one of the best cars for the job was a manual 1992 isuzu trooper 3.1, was more powerful than our discovery, a lot more comfortable to drive and held the road a lot better. Also withit being a manual was a lot easier to use the engine for gradual braking. The best bit is you can get an absolute minter for around £1500 atm
Speedy11 said:
Not all range rovers can tow 3500kgs (the new ones can but the old ones can't) but all defenders and disco's can.
yes they can. every single one from the start to now.Edited by Speedy11 on Monday 6th April 18:42
As can all Discos except the 2 litre MPi they made a few of.
TVR Moneypit said:
Early Discos are reted to tow up to 3500kg with a braked trailer, as I should imagine are Defenders and Range Rovers.
In actual fact a Discovery 300TDi is rated to legally tow up to 4000 kilos if the trailer has "linked brakes".One snag is that the 50mm tow-balls are only legal for 3.5 tonne. In practice the only 50 mm tow ball that I've heard about that broke was very rusty and it was coupled to a rusty hitch without any grease. Allegedly the ball jammed and twisted-off. The job was taking a boat away from West Bay harbour in Dorset so I was told. For over 3.5 tonne there is the American 2-5/16" ball but these are not all the same as some are high tensile steel and some are not. This size is common on Airstream trailer-homes. Common 2-5/16" tow-balls have an 8000 pound rating but much stronger ones are available.
It is very important to have a NEW radiator if heavy towing is envisaged. The £82 aluminium ones that have a 10% uprate are very good value and they should outlast the copper radiators which soon loose their fins. Bad radiators with missing fins can result in a "China Syndrome" type of reaction and expensive time consuming repairs. They may however be OK for the school run if there are no hills in the area.
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