My dad 82, and his wife have decided to retire from caravanning and I have inherited his van, very nice comfy set up for 2, so my wife and I will be joining the ranks of the grey nomads  We did quite a bit of camping with our Jaco camper trailer when the kidlets were small, they are now off and doing their own things, time for us!!!
So, with the lease on my current car expiring soon, looking for advice on a suitable towing vehicle. Keeping in mind we live in the city, I still commute to work a few days a week, from sutherland shire to Wollongong. We would have the odd longish weekend away plus possibly a couple of weeks each year for the time being ( not quite ready to retire yet)
The van is a 17' Windsor pop top, single axel. It is a company lease restricted options. All fuel, maintenance included in the lease. I am considering the following- Nissan Murano ( which my wife considers to be butt ugly) the Nissan X Trail ( petrol or Diesel, or a cheaper option, Ford XR 6. Never owned a 4WD, the lease is 2 years so I thought I'd give one a try. Any advise, suggestions?   Thanks.

Hi Craig and welcome to the forum. Not being knowledgable about weights etc, so please check, but we tow a poptop with a 2004 Ford Territory. We just love it and are in the process of looking for another, newer model. It is such a comfortable car, good safety features, and plenty of room for whatever we need. I dont know the fuel consupmtion but I have no complaints about what we spend per trip. Keap reading the forum, you will find lots of advice about many, many subjects. Safe travels......

grab the xr6 and make tracks! you wont look back!

The Murano will only tow 1500 kg so forget it. The X-Trail diesel auto tows less so it will have to be petrol if you want an auto. The manual diesel and petrol models will tow 2,000 kg. If you get the XR6 then make sure it is fitted with all the bits that come with the Ford heavy duty kit (this will probably contain more than a tow bar and trailer socket.) When looking for tugs - the weight figure figure you have to consider is the ATM of the van. This is the total weight your van can never exceed. For preference - select a tug with a maximum towing weight that is 25% more than the vans ATM.

The best Ford for towing a van that size is the station wagon has a lot better springing and a longer wheel base. Plus they are comfortable with heaps of room my brother tows avan that size with his and loves it. The best tow vehicle fo bigger vans Diesel 100 series Cruiser my opinion

G'day Peter, thanks for your post.

I mentioned these vehicles because they are the ones available that seemed most suited to towing and within my budget.  I have had XR6's previously (though Turbo models) which are not ideal for consistent towing.

Ford have three towing packs available for the XR6, 1200Kg, 1500Kg and 2000Kg and would be factory/dealer fitted and so would have the additional strengthening items included.  The van weighs about 800Kg unladen and I assume another 100Kg for gear (no annex as it has a roll out awning).

I was thinking along the same lines as yourself with the Nissans, the Murano being too 'soft' for towing vans and an auto petrol X-trail being the better choice, even if the diesel has more torque.

Currently I'm going with the Ford (for familiarity's sake) with a 1500Kg tow pack and the 6 speed auto.

Yours thoughts??

Cheers,

Craig

How old is the van? If it is a 92 or later model it should have a compliance plate with some weight figures on it. One of these should be ATM (aggregate trailer mass) which is the maximum weight the van can be loaded to. This is generally 300 kg more than the tare weight, or in other words the disposable weight is 300 kg. However, if your farther has added any fixtures (eg awning) to the van then this comes off your load allowance.

What trailer plug is currently on the van? If it only has small pins (eg the flat 7 pin or the smaller round one) then it is not really suited to running the fridge on 12 V. (See this link) When you have the towbar installed either get the heavy duty round or the flat 12 pin socket installed, the small pins will only carry 5 - 7 A of current and the fridge will draw around 12 A if it is working efficiently. Get the hot wire from the battery to the fridge pin wired in cable that is 6 square mm or larger (6 mm auto cable only has about 4 square mm of copper.)

Peter,

I am only guessing, but the van would be about a '97/'98 model.  It is currently in WA awaiting freighting back to NSW, so can't check it's specifics yet.  I understand what you say regarding the current restrictions of the various trailer plugs (I am a telecommunications technician by trade), but do know it currently has a seven pin flat plug, which is easily changed.

We don't intend going away much until after retirement, so am mainly looking at 'tug' options at the moment.  Also, being on a two year lease, I can change the vehicle type at renewal.

Over the weekend we looked at various vehicles and are currently thinking of a 2.5L petrol X-trail as they have a 2000Kg braked towing capacity.  We also want something a bit more versatile than a sedan but retaining some comfort also.  I know the Pathfinder would also be another good choice but could be overkill.

Thanks for your continuing advice

I'd be inclined to go for the maximum capacity tow package/towbar available for the vehicle as you'll be stuck with whatever you decide to fit. The various comments above about checking the van weight and vehicle capacity are just as valid however.

Also note PeterD's comments about the trailer connector and wire sizes. When getting the wiring for the fridge circuit installed in the vehicle make sure the installer includes a relay to cut the power to the fridge when the engine is not running. This is essential to avoid a flat battery.

My own view on the vehicle size if considering a 4wd is something in the order of a Pajero or Prado, preferably a diesel.   No doubt there will be those who'll suggest otherwise so you'll have to take on board all the different options suggested.