Best mainstream 4x4 pickup for towing 3.5t

[roseyweb]

I will add ranger manual box is hard work and big event to change gear, wish I had auto

[fastrac]

the guys at westcoast off road centre are really into landcruisers and can source secondhand import landcruisers

[Matthew Storrs]

Is 3.5t towing and new essential? From what you are saying - just for work, dont do many miles - could you get away with spending £6k on a five year L200 single cab? Should give you 5 years decent service and use the extra cash towards a mog for example.

 

Just a random example - Mitsubishi L200 2.5 DI-D CR 4Work Single Cab 4WD 2dr (EU5)

 

3.5t towing is pretty much it's main activity so yes definitely essential, it's to tow my 3 tonner around. New isn't essential but my logic was I have an 1998 defender which is currently doing the job but possibly starting to get a bit long in the tooth, resale of defenders is pretty good at the mo so was thinking of using to my advantage and getting something new with warranty etc. However I live in the sticks so even a warranty is still going to be a hassle if the truck is having to go back to dealers on a regular basis. A lot of the threads like Beaus Dmax put me off but sooner or later I am going to have to replace Landy.

or just get one of those mini 7t low loaders for putting behind my tractor- tow digger,attachments and materials in one go and stop faffing about unloading digger on the road cos truck can't pull it across a wet field!

[Big J]

If you are going to be transporting 3 tonnes day in, day out, I'd possibly consider a large vehicle than a 3.5t class truck.

 

First off, you're always going to have a trailer heavier than the tow vehicle, which can eventually end in issues (my uncle in Germany, the best driver I know, was dragged backwards down a hill in Luxembourg towing a 3t digger with his 90. Total loss of traction and somehow managed to control it - he always tells me to move past 3.5t class to something bigger).

 

Secondly, I wouldn't like to test the long term performance of a modern pick up with that workload. I had a Navara for 5 years (and whilst it was a bad one, I do not think anything of them) and I did not work it as hard as you are proposing to work it. It pretty much broke down continuously and had I had to pay for the warranty work it had, I'd have been £10-15k out of pocket (best guess).

 

If it were me I'd either get a 7.5t class truck or a Landcruiser.

[richy_B]

Got you. An old L200 is out of it then. The single cab ranger or hilux is probably best bets. From what I've seen the single cab ranger is very basic and you can't spec it up as standard. The hilux looks a lot better in that respect - parking sensors, cruise control, etc. I like basic but found once I had a vehicle with cruise control I never wanted to go back. Both are going to be £18-19k depending on your haggling skills I guess.

 

That said I am not sure how any of them would cope with daily 3.5t towing. Not sure if anything (other than a US import or the LC79) is going to compare to the defender in this area.

[Big J]

I think I'd be happiest with something like that for transporting 3 tonne every day.

 

MAN 8-136 4X4 Ex Danish Army Truck | eBay

[Matthew Storrs]

You are spot on, I have been doing it for 3 years now with my defender, full 3.5t on trailer plus 300kg of buckets and attachments in the pickup bed, every journey is done with a grimace and the worst is on the Devon lanes, going up a steep single track lane praying your not going to meet someone and go through the wheel spinning and cloud of black smoke trying to get it going again! Going uphill is worse than downhill I find safety wise because overrun brakes on the trailer don't work when you have to stop going up a hill- you just have a dead 3.5t trying to pull you back down the hill again.

7.5t truck and the like are just non starters for my work, I am nearly always somewhat off road so need the ability to get next to the job site. With the pickup setup you can unload machine on hard standing and you still have the 4x4 ability to get around site.

[Matthew Storrs]

I think I'd be happiest with something like that for transporting 3 tonne every day.

 

MAN 8-136 4X4 Ex Danish Army Truck | eBay

 

Ooo- that's a beaut. Would do me nicely, nimble round the lanes too.

[Big J]

You are spot on, I have been doing it for 3 years now with my defender, full 3.5t on trailer plus 300kg of buckets and attachments in the pickup bed, every journey is done with a grimace and the worst is on the Devon lanes, going up a steep single track lane praying your not going to meet someone and go through the wheel spinning and cloud of black smoke trying to get it going again! Going uphill is worse than downhill I find safety wise because overrun brakes on the trailer don't work when you have to stop going up a hill- you just have a dead 3.5t trying to pull you back down the hill again.

7.5t truck and the like are just non starters for my work, I am nearly always somewhat off road so need the ability to get next to the job site. With the pickup setup you can unload machine on hard standing and you still have the 4x4 ability to get around site.

 

It was years ago, but when my uncle got dragged backwards (as you say, overrun brakes aren't much use) it was on a very steep road in Luxembourg. There are many - it's a surprisingly hilly country! Devon is not that dissimilar with it's inclines and I think it's only a matter of time before you end up in a sticky situation. Someone coming in the other direction, blind corners, black ice, diesel slick, could be anything.

 

My feeling is that whilst pickups, landrovers, landcruisers and other sub 3.5t 4x4s are designed to tow, they aren't designed to tow at full capacity all the time.

[richy_B]

My feeling is that whilst pickups, landrovers, landcruisers and other sub 3.5t 4x4s are designed to tow, they aren't designed to tow at full capacity all the time.

 

I'd say your right. My l200 ('05 k74) is great as a daily tow vehicle with a 1.5t trailer and cargo combo. Pulling 2.7t (ish) and you can feel how much harder it is working and stressing. As you have mentioned, once your trailer is heavier than your tow weight things get exciting. Ive had a heavy trailer (boat) pull me in a ranger back down a slippery track. Only 15 metres or so but enough to scare the sh*t out of me. I've also lost a ranger and ifor flatbed when it flipped after a snaking incident caused by a heavy trailer (and a colleague driving too quickly consider the trailer weight).

 

After that recap I am wondering if rangers and I aren't best suited to each other....