I am about to part with my hard earned for a new tow vehicle. Considering the Dmax crew cab ute or the Ranger crew cab ute.
Looking at fitting
Clearview mirrors
Redarc brake controller
Canopy
Opposite lock steel bullbar
Snorkel
Dual battery, under bonnet
Long range fuel tank
I also wish to fit a rooftop tinnie and boat loader later.
I believe a lovells gvm upgrade would be sensible to remain legal with weights.
Which vehicle do you reckon, and am I overlooking anything?
I plan to trade my 2008 Patrol due to towing limit of 2.5t.
-- Edited by Hottuna on Thursday 17th of May 2018 10:21:19 AM
Dickodownunder said
01:50 PM May 17, 2018
Those two vehicles are probably on a par with each other.
It would come down to personal choice and probably cost or deal you may get from one over the other.
All the accessories you are adding will increase the weight considerably and if you intend to tow a new van as you indicated in another post on this forum you may want to do some very accurate calculations prior to purchase.
When doing these calcularions do not forget to pay particular attention to the maximum rear axle weight.
Personally if I were considering a roof mounted boat with an outboard plus all the other items you listed I would be looking at a large American ute or a truck like the small Izuzu....
The Isuzu or a similar configuration will be a lot cheaper and you will have room and probably weight to spare.
Just my thoughts...
Craig1 said
04:00 PM May 17, 2018
G'day Hot, The boat loader and tinnie would probably exceed roof rack limits,around 80kg. Consider a " smart bar " now by ARB, half the weight of steel, no vibration, used on lots of NSW Ambulances and some cop cars and still take a winch if needed.( I have one on Landcruiser). depending on your age and agility, consider an aluminium full canopy and get rid of tub, this would depend on your budget of course, but easier access and bigger space and less weight. Plus the tinnie would be accomodated no worries. Isuzu = extremley reliable to my knowledge and they have a very smart dpf system. You will struggle to get 2nd battery under Ranger bonnet, not sure about D Max. But in the tray/ tub is not a real problem anyway. Good UHF Radio. Good luck and cheers Craig
-- Edited by Craig1 on Thursday 17th of May 2018 04:01:22 PM
Radar said
05:18 PM May 17, 2018
Hottuna wrote:
Hi all,
I am about to part with my hard earned for a new tow vehicle. Considering the Dmax crew cab ute or the Ranger crew cab ute.
Looking at fitting
Clearview mirrors
Redarc brake controller
Canopy
Opposite lock steel bullbar
Snorkel
Dual battery, under bonnet
Long range fuel tank
I also wish to fit a rooftop tinnie and boat loader later.
I believe a lovells gvm upgrade would be sensible to remain legal with weights.
Which vehicle do you reckon, and am I overlooking anything?
I plan to trade my 2008 Patrol due to towing limit of 2.5t.
-- Edited by Hottuna on Thursday 17th of May 2018 10:21:19 AM
Hi Peter
As Dicko said pay lots of attention to your weights with a dual cab. I personally can not press that point strong enough even if you get an weight upgrade, the only place you will fine to load any additional weight is between the front axle and rear axle in the cab on the back seat, no fun in that.
I have stated else where on this forum in hindsight I personally would not of brought a dual cab ute knowing what I know now, had I not followed so many misinformed people before me, I have upgraded the suspension on ours which makes it a real good tow vehicle but is seriously limited by how much weight you can carry in the tray, our ute has a higher rear axle load rating with its heavier differential then most of the other common dual cabs utes.
Leave the steel bullbar off, no canopy you might have chance of putting the boat ontop with outboard in the back seat, you might come in legal. Thats providing you want to be legal.
My thoughts only a vehicle weight upgrade is a waste of money on a dual cab with there light weight chassis known for there weakness just in front of the spring hanger where they are known to break.
Sorry I am so negative on dual cabs, I would of sold mine only it has this awesome V6 under the bonnet producing more hp then the rest which I love so I just work with it and only carry what is needed to enjoy our travels.
These are my weigh bridge weights, I running about 500kgs under my gross combination allowance and under on my vehicle gross weight but am marginally over on my drive axle with about 275kgs tow ball weight, caravan weighs about 2750kgs, on that trip I was carrying extra 80litres of water and a bottle of nice port.
You may think I am carrying on a bit but this is real.
PS. Some of the addition are wrong but the weights are right.
-- Edited by Radar on Thursday 17th of May 2018 05:28:21 PM
Those two vehicles are probably on a par with each other. It would come down to personal choice and probably cost or deal you may get from one over the other.
All the accessories you are adding will increase the weight considerably and if you intend to tow a new van as you indicated in another post on this forum you may want to do some very accurate calculations prior to purchase. When doing these calcularions do not forget to pay particular attention to the maximum rear axle weight.
Personally if I were considering a roof mounted boat with an outboard plus all the other items you listed I would be looking at a large American ute or a truck like the small Izuzu....
The Isuzu or a similar configuration will be a lot cheaper and you will have room and probably weight to spare.
Just my thoughts...
Thx Dickodownunder,
Ive done the weight sums and that is part of the reason for the lovells gvm upgrade. I go prospecting so require a bit of clearance as well.
The frontal protection on my patrol has saved me from major repairs twice with roos as well as supplying a mounting point for light bar and winch if I choose to add one later.
The dual battery is for running my engel, far better than risking a drained starting battery
The long range tank is a better alternative than jerrycans for those long outback treks.
The lovells upgrade increases the gvm to 3600 which equals a load capacity of about 1600kg, well over my needs, and also increases the gcm allowing for the full towing capacity of 3500kg. So finding a van of around 2900 atm means I will be well within all the legal weights. Similar figures for the ranger as well.
A large american ute might be a bit thirsty and struggle through the bush tracks for prospecting.
Dickodownunder said
12:32 PM May 20, 2018
No worries Hottuna,
I certainly agree about the width of the big US utes being a worry in the bush and in the Coles carpark.
You certainly appear to have done your homework and the only concern I would have is what will be the ACTUAL weight on the rear axle considering the boat and the loader, the ball weight and the fact that the weight of these items will all be over or behind the rear axle.
Without searching I think there was a topic on here regarding the 4wd Iveco small truck and these may be worth consideration as another option. Whichever way you go, good luck with your prospecting.
Hottuna said
12:52 PM May 20, 2018
Thx again Geoff,
Ive used the pedders weight matrix to check as best I can. It comes out with a total gvm of 3083 kg with 61% on the rear axle. That is a total of 1880kg , exceeding the axle loaad by 10 kg, a bit of shuffling should sort that. Unfortunately those calculation have been done without allowing for the tinnie or boat loader.
Looks like bank fishing for me.
Aus-Kiwi said
12:56 PM May 20, 2018
Consider light Jap truck ?
Hottuna said
03:17 PM May 20, 2018
Looked at the Iveco, a bit pricey and only manual transmission.
Any other suggestions?
Hottuna said
03:22 PM May 20, 2018
Thx radar,
Definitely need to keep the axle max loads in mind. I have emailed Lovells to ask how they can offer a max load of 3600kg when the front axle is rated to 1350kg and the rear to 1870kg a total of 3220kg. I know statewide do a gvm upgrade that includes lamination of the rear diff to increase capacity, for the Patrol, not sure about the Dmax.
Dickodownunder said
04:45 PM May 20, 2018
With 4wd and auto trans will restrict your choices.
I was going to suggest a 79 series Land Cruiser.
They have a good payload and it is easy to upgrade GVM etc but only in manual trans unless you change one to Auto and I believe that will cost about $20000.00 which makes them a very expensive work type ute.
Craig1 said
03:32 PM May 21, 2018
G'day Hot,
I had a Mazda BT50 2012 with steel bull bar, winch, arb canopy, 140 litre long ranger tank, 2nd batter in tub, roof racks and me at 95kg in, went under 2800 on weighbridge with almost full tanks, so would think D Max could be a tad lighter, as I said before you save 40kg with a Smart Bar alone.
Hottuna said
09:22 AM May 24, 2018
Craig1 wrote:
G'day Hot, I had a Mazda BT50 2012 with steel bull bar, winch, arb canopy, 140 litre long ranger tank, 2nd batter in tub, roof racks and me at 95kg in, went under 2800 on weighbridge with almost full tanks, so would think D Max could be a tad lighter, as I said before you save 40kg with a Smart Bar alone.
Thx Craig, handy figures.
Looks like the Dmax is out. Talking with the salesman yesterday, he refused to sell it with a Lovells Gvm upgrade,happy to get Peddars though, and he states that it would negate any warranty on the vehicle. Whist I believe he is just being overly cautious, I have no intention of handing over any money to a mob that refuse to honour their warranty.
Ford are offering 5 years unlimited km. Lovells warranty the upgrade components. Seems like a no brainer.
Hi all,
I am about to part with my hard earned for a new tow vehicle. Considering the Dmax crew cab ute or the Ranger crew cab ute.
Looking at fitting
Clearview mirrors
Redarc brake controller
Canopy
Opposite lock steel bullbar
Snorkel
Dual battery, under bonnet
Long range fuel tank
I also wish to fit a rooftop tinnie and boat loader later.
I believe a lovells gvm upgrade would be sensible to remain legal with weights.
Which vehicle do you reckon, and am I overlooking anything?
I plan to trade my 2008 Patrol due to towing limit of 2.5t.
-- Edited by Hottuna on Thursday 17th of May 2018 10:21:19 AM
It would come down to personal choice and probably cost or deal you may get from one over the other.
All the accessories you are adding will increase the weight considerably and if you intend to tow a new van as you indicated in another post on this forum you may want to do some very accurate calculations prior to purchase.
When doing these calcularions do not forget to pay particular attention to the maximum rear axle weight.
Personally if I were considering a roof mounted boat with an outboard plus all the other items you listed I would be looking at a large American ute or a truck like the small Izuzu....
The Isuzu or a similar configuration will be a lot cheaper and you will have room and probably weight to spare.
Just my thoughts...
G'day Hot,
The boat loader and tinnie would probably exceed roof rack limits,around 80kg. Consider a " smart bar " now by ARB, half the weight of steel, no vibration, used on lots of NSW Ambulances and some cop cars and still take a winch if needed.( I have one on Landcruiser). depending on your age and agility, consider an aluminium full canopy and get rid of tub, this would depend on your budget of course, but easier access and bigger space and less weight. Plus the tinnie would be accomodated no worries.
Isuzu = extremley reliable to my knowledge and they have a very smart dpf system. You will struggle to get 2nd battery under Ranger bonnet, not sure about D Max. But in the tray/ tub is not a real problem anyway. Good UHF Radio.
Good luck and cheers Craig
-- Edited by Craig1 on Thursday 17th of May 2018 04:01:22 PM
Hi Peter
As Dicko said pay lots of attention to your weights with a dual cab. I personally can not press that point strong enough even if you get an weight upgrade, the only place you will fine to load any additional weight is between the front axle and rear axle in the cab on the back seat, no fun in that.
I have stated else where on this forum in hindsight I personally would not of brought a dual cab ute knowing what I know now, had I not followed so many misinformed people before me, I have upgraded the suspension on ours which makes it a real good tow vehicle but is seriously limited by how much weight you can carry in the tray, our ute has a higher rear axle load rating with its heavier differential then most of the other common dual cabs utes.
Leave the steel bullbar off, no canopy you might have chance of putting the boat ontop with outboard in the back seat, you might come in legal. Thats providing you want to be legal.
My thoughts only a vehicle weight upgrade is a waste of money on a dual cab with there light weight chassis known for there weakness just in front of the spring hanger where they are known to break.
Sorry I am so negative on dual cabs, I would of sold mine only it has this awesome V6 under the bonnet producing more hp then the rest which I love so I just work with it and only carry what is needed to enjoy our travels.
These are my weigh bridge weights, I running about 500kgs under my gross combination allowance and under on my vehicle gross weight but am marginally over on my drive axle with about 275kgs tow ball weight, caravan weighs about 2750kgs, on that trip I was carrying extra 80litres of water and a bottle of nice port.
You may think I am carrying on a bit but this is real.
PS. Some of the addition are wrong but the weights are right.
-- Edited by Radar on Thursday 17th of May 2018 05:28:21 PM
No worries Hottuna,
I certainly agree about the width of the big US utes being a worry in the bush and in the Coles carpark.
You certainly appear to have done your homework and the only concern I would have is what will be the ACTUAL weight on the rear axle considering the boat and the loader, the ball weight and the fact that the weight of these items will all be over or behind the rear axle.
Without searching I think there was a topic on here regarding the 4wd Iveco small truck and these may be worth consideration as another option.
Whichever way you go, good luck with your prospecting.
Thx again Geoff,
Ive used the pedders weight matrix to check as best I can. It comes out with a total gvm of 3083 kg with 61% on the rear axle. That is a total of 1880kg , exceeding the axle loaad by 10 kg, a bit of shuffling should sort that. Unfortunately those calculation have been done without allowing for the tinnie or boat loader.
Looks like bank fishing for me.
Looked at the Iveco, a bit pricey and only manual transmission.
Any other suggestions?
Thx radar,
Definitely need to keep the axle max loads in mind. I have emailed Lovells to ask how they can offer a max load of 3600kg when the front axle is rated to 1350kg and the rear to 1870kg a total of 3220kg. I know statewide do a gvm upgrade that includes lamination of the rear diff to increase capacity, for the Patrol, not sure about the Dmax.
I was going to suggest a 79 series Land Cruiser.
They have a good payload and it is easy to upgrade GVM etc but only in manual trans unless you change one to Auto and I believe that will cost about $20000.00 which makes them a very expensive work type ute.
I had a Mazda BT50 2012 with steel bull bar, winch, arb canopy, 140 litre long ranger tank, 2nd batter in tub, roof racks and me at 95kg in, went under 2800 on weighbridge with almost full tanks, so would think D Max could be a tad lighter, as I said before you save 40kg with a Smart Bar alone.
Thx Craig, handy figures.
Looks like the Dmax is out. Talking with the salesman yesterday, he refused to sell it with a Lovells Gvm upgrade,happy to get Peddars though, and he states that it would negate any warranty on the vehicle. Whist I believe he is just being overly cautious, I have no intention of handing over any money to a mob that refuse to honour their warranty.
Ford are offering 5 years unlimited km. Lovells warranty the upgrade components. Seems like a no brainer.