truck to pull a 5er

[jbcampbell]

JC

It always surprises me in blogs of this type that the Hilux rarely gets a mention. I have had a soft spot for them ever since my pretty hopeless 3500 V8 Rover SDI was pulled out of a patch of mud by one in the mid 80's. That together with top gear's review when they tried and failed "to kill one" convinced me to go with the Hilux in preperation for getting my Kountrylite Twin Slide. I was advised by the folk at Calder Leisure to get the auto version and bought one about 8 months old with about 8,500 miles on the clock for around £20,000. It is the 3 litre diesel Invincible with a fairly good degree of refinement. We did add the official DPEK to take the bhp from around 175 to 200 (also increased torque). So far we have towed our trailer (which is one of the heaviest Euro spec'd models) about 5,000 miles to various parts of the UK since April this year, and (not wanting to tempt fate) can report that it hasn't skipped a beat so far. Admittedly I usually keep my speed to 55 - 60 on Motorways (any more means frequent lane changes) and about 50 on other roads (the legal limit).
I have yet to find any critical reports with regard to the Hilux reliability, on the other hand they seem common for the Nissan, admittedly the new V6 sounds potentially great but it will be some time before the reliability can be judged. Certainly the Hilux is probably worth more than a passing glance.

 

[chatter]

When i got rid of my nav the choice was between the Hylux and Isuzu 2.5 models,Isuzu won on the basic higher total train wieght and the wider rear seat. I havent had to have it chipped and it pulls my 5ver no problem and i am also happy to cruise at around the 55-60mph mark, it has more than enough torque to pull my unit and proved itself up that rather steep bridge at Le Harve catching the motorhome that was origionally some vehicles infront of us without pushing the engine

 

[MrJinks]

When i got rid of my nav the choice was between the Hylux and Isuzu 2.5 models,Isuzu won on the basic higher total train wieght and the wider rear seat. I havent had to have it chipped and it pulls my 5ver no problem and i am also happy to cruise at around the 55-60mph mark, it has more than enough torque to pull my unit and proved itself up that rather steep bridge at Le Harve catching the motorhome that was origionally some vehicles infront of us without pushing the engine

What is the base weight of your xtreme lite ?

 

[chatter]

What is the base weight of your xtreme lite ?

dry weight 2000k total permissable weight 3400k but we can only run it to a 3000k limit as truck not uprated and we are nowhere near that when loaded as have had whole outfit weighed ready to roll and it came in at 5570k and that included o.h. and myself

 

[Landy lover]

I would say the reason why you never hear of Toyota Hilux being used for pulling a 5'er is the permissible tow capacity of the basic vehicle is 2500 kg and the gross vehicle weight is 2710kg giving a train of 5210 and I believe that as the vehicle spec improves ie king cab /crew cab etc the train weight reduces to 2200kg making it impossible to be legal with it.

There are very few vehicles that achieve 3.5 tonne tow weight these days and due to the interference of the EU even Land Rovers produced now are being restricted to 3.2 tonnes although you can get a 'special vehicles' version that goes to 3.5 tonnes.

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[5wheeler]

hi landy lover both the 5th wheel co and calder leisure have had the navara and the hi lux rerated to 6.5 tonnes gross train weight

 

[jbcampbell]

hi landy lover both the 5th wheel co and calder leisure have had the navara and the hi lux rerated to 6.5 tonnes gross train weight

.

Hi 5wheeler. You are absolutely right about the 6.500kg gross train wt. at least for Calder and for the Hilux. Unfortunately it took a little time for the re-plateing plate to arrive with us and until it did I wasn't absolutely sure of the capacities. It is now with us and on our Hilux. The figures for maximum loads are Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) 3400kg, Gross Train Mass (GTM) 6500kg. Axle 1 (front on Pickup) 1305kg, and Axle 2 (rear on pickup). 2135kg.
I have weighed everything at our local weighbridge. The truck and trailer combination fully laden for us to travel complete with myself and my wife is 6100kg (GTM), the GVM with trailer attached is 3000kg, the load on axle 1 is 1280kg, and on axle 2 1720kg. This leaves a spare pay load of about 400kg to play with should we decide to take anything else.
As far as I can establish the kerb weights for the Hilux, Isuzu, and Mitsubishi L200 all come in at about 1800kg, while the Navara comes in at around 200kg more. With a finite GTM this limits the Payload of the Navara/trailer combination by the same amount but is probably only likely to be an issue with some of the heavier European spec'd 5th wheels.

Best wishes

John

 

[pappajohn]

I would say the reason why you never hear of Toyota Hilux being used for pulling a 5'er is the permissible tow capacity of the basic vehicle is 2500 kg and the gross vehicle weight is 2710kg giving a train of 5210 and I believe that as the vehicle spec improves ie king cab /crew cab etc the train weight reduces to 2200kg making it impossible to be legal with it.

There are very few vehicles that achieve 3.5 tonne tow weight these days and due to the interference of the EU even Land Rovers produced now are being restricted to 3.2 tonnes although you can get a 'special vehicles' version that goes to 3.5 tonnes.

and the 2.5 turbo diesel hilux has only 102bhp to play with.

could get a bit asthmatic pulling anything that heavy.

the 3ltr is more in line with the L200/Navara etc

 

[jbcampbell]

Hi, actually it is rated at 142bhp, at least the current model is. I would quite agree however that the 3.0L makes more sense (and that is what I pull with). That gives nearer to 170bhp and it can be readily chipped up to around the 195bhp mark at modest cost, although whether this is done or not is, of course, purely optional.
The point is, it is a more than viable option to the Navara that appears to be the most common choice among fifth wheelers and which seems to come in for quite a bit of criticism in these blogs. Appropriately modified (suspension wise), it is well capable of legally pulling any of the European Legal 5th wheels, it allows for a significantly higher pay load, has a fabulous reputation for reliability and is worth being considered as a suitable tug for fifth wheels.
To put the engine capacity and power output thing in reasonable context, there are not many European style motorhomes that boast more than a 3L engine or more than 200bhp. Even at the most expensive end of the market.

Best wishes

John

 

[ehuplad]

we have a 3500 Ram with a Cummins, not a problem pulling the fiver it even changes into overdrive up hills, although i would have prefered a manual

Ram 3700 kg solo
Trailer 5100 fully loaded Gross 5200kgs

Had it on the weigh bridge and the trailer puts around ton onto the truck when connected.

15 mpg when towing
22 solo round town
28 solo motorway

Well happy with this vehicle :thumb::thumb:

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[Brian and Jo]

truck

hi there guys,interesting thread,we are in the process of selling our RV and buying travel trailer toy hauler.we have bought a harley davidson and are having it converted into a trike.the trailer we have chosen is a Stealth FS2410 which is 28ft long including the a frame.we have a ford f150 harley davidson pick-up 5.4 petrol.the laws being what they are means the f150 is not legally up to it not only because of the weight but apparently you are not allowed to tow a trailer over 22ft on an f150.so now we are going to change the f150 and get an f250 6.4 diesel,which is more than enough to do the job.ive also ordered 12months supply of pain killers to get me through the situation regards brian jo and josh

 

[jbcampbell]

we have a 3500 Ram with a Cummins, not a problem pulling the fiver it even changes into overdrive up hills, although i would have prefered a manual

Ram 3700 kg solo
Trailer 5100 fully loaded Gross 5200kgs

Had it on the weigh bridge and the trailer puts around ton onto the truck when connected.

15 mpg when towing
22 solo round town
28 solo motorway

Well happy with this vehicle :thumb::thumb:

Hi, sounds like a lovely combination. We did meet someone with something similar and it was very impressive. It was much larger than the standard European type system but he was a former HGV driver with the appropriate licence. If my interpretation of the weights and total is correct you have a GTW of 8,800kg. What type of drivers licence do you need for this. As far as I am aware a standard pre 1997 licence limits the weight to 7,500 kg.

Best wishes

John

 

[Sundowners]

Hi, sounds like a lovely combination. We did meet someone with something similar and it was very impressive. It was much larger than the standard European type system but he was a former HGV driver with the appropriate licence. If my interpretation of the weights and total is correct you have a GTW of 8,800kg. What type of drivers licence do you need for this. As far as I am aware a standard pre 1997 licence limits the weight to 7,500 kg.

Best wishes

John

Hi
the 'Grandads' licence allows 7.5 tonnne truck or 8 1/4 t. train weight
Nigel & Pamala--------Texas

 

[ehuplad]

Hi, sounds like a lovely combination. We did meet someone with something similar and it was very impressive. It was much larger than the standard European type system but he was a former HGV driver with the appropriate licence. If my interpretation of the weights and total is correct you have a GTW of 8,800kg. What type of drivers licence do you need for this. As far as I am aware a standard pre 1997 licence limits the weight to 7,500 kg.

Best wishes

John

Yeh there is changes needed the grandfather rights allow you up to 8.25 as Nigel has said, this also puts a restriction on your licence code 107.
If you do a trailer test 7.5ton truck with a trailer, think trailer was around 2 ton this lifts the restriction and allows a combination up to 12 ton as long as the base vehicle is not above 7.5ton.

 

[jbcampbell]

Hi
the 'Grandads' licence allows 7.5 tonnne truck or 8 1/4 t. train weight
Nigel & Pamala--------Texas

Hi Nigel and Pamala

Thanks for pointing this out. These legal weights and measures are such a mine field and you are absolutely correct.

Best wishes

John

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[GAUDIE]

Pulling power

Okay so some of you were right and i bow to your knowledge, my navara is not man enough to pull my 5er up hilly areas and certianly not suitable for reversing up any sort of incline.

Im looking at yank pick ups as i dont want a mini artic, has anyone got any experience or views on the following

Dodge ram 1500 quad cab 4.6 V8 or 5.7 Hemi
Dodge ram 2500 quad cab
Ford F150 super crew cab

Thanks

Neil

Hi Neil
I don't know much about 5ers but was talking to the 5th Wheel Co in N Wales and they suggest a Navara for pulling theirs.
In future I may go in this direction so it would be useful to know which vehicle is most suitable for pulling.
Gaudie

 

[rainbow chasers]

If you know and like Nissans, why not go for the Titan? Easily do the job! They are around the same size as the Dodge/Ford.

Here is one for you to have a browse.

Link Removed

 

[Sundowners]

Hi
on the trailer there WILL be a plate with its max gross weight----------add this to the kerb weight of chosen truck -----this must not exceed the train weight of truck.
The other weight that is important, is the pin weight----that is the weight of the trailer that is sitting on the truck----very important to prevent overloading back axle of the truck.
Nigel

 

[Snowbird]

Have always favoured the Dodge Ram with the Cummins 5.9 diesel but having seen one of these towing a Yank 5er I quite like the looks of them.
I think they call them a cabriolet and are purpose built on the Ford F350 chassis.

 

[nokaii]

Is that pic from Tatton Park Stars & Stripes?

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[Snowbird]

It certainly is,its a few years ago now though.

 

[nokaii]

Thought so.....There's usually one or two stump pulling vehicles in attendence!

I used to show the Cobra at that one but now just do the Classics at the begining & end of the year.

 

[Snowbird]

Used to show my metalic silver 1989 Dodge Ramcharger there with Cummins 5.9 turbo diesel and Banks twin turbo conversion.
That was a bit of a stump puller too
Give it full grunt and it used to snap halfshafts like carrots.

 

[nokaii]

I often think most car nuts are fixated with speed, 0 to 60 etc. when the real deal is bucket loads of torque!:thumb:

 

[madspark]

hi i have f150 twincab

:thumb:hi i have a 27ft whitewater 5thwheeler brought from the5thwheeler company over manby way and i pull it with my ford f150 twin cab it seats 6 persons it runs on lpg or petrol but it loves the gas hates the petrol it does round 28mile per g around town and on motorway about35 per gal it has a 4.2 engine

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[Wheelie]

Hi
Im glad i bought a Dodge ram as i have upgraded my fiver, should be picking it up from Niche sometime this month, i also now have a superchips for the dodge and can set my own gear shift patterns which make towing a lot easier

Cheers