I was wondering if anybody has experience with towing a van with an ATM of between 2700 kgs to 2900 kgs with a late model Pajero? If so I would be grateful for your feedback good and bad.
I was wondering if anybody has experience with towing a van with an ATM of between 2700 kgs to 2900 kgs with a late model Pajero? If so I would be grateful for your feedback good and bad.
Blair
Hi Blair, we tow a 2011 24' 2490kg loaded Jayco with a 2010 3.2ltr diesel auto Pajero. Have been doing so for 18 months, BUT have not tackled too many mountains. We sit on gps 90km/hr and get approx. 16.5 litres per 100 km. From Ballarat we have been to Apollo Bay twice, Loxton twice, Portarlington, Laancoorie, Adelaide up to Clare, Yarawonga, Hamilton. Our two longest trips have been 10 days each now mostly free camping as I have gradually got the appropriate systems in place.
I hope this helps. PM me if you like.
Aussie Paul.
-- Edited by aussie_paul on Saturday 1st of August 2015 05:47:38 AM
With the Pajero,, better check the ''Ball Weight of the Van ??? I believe at that weight your Recommended Ball Weight is Low ?? But someone else on here might know the full story ??
We tow with a NT Pajero but our van fully loaded is 2480kg. Anything over 2500kg can't be towed with a Pajero unless it has a ball weight under 180kg, which is low for a large van. We have towed it over 50k, around most of Australia. Our car handles our van well, but it does feel it on large hills, and we don't get as good a fuel economy as Aussie Paul, averaging between 18 and 20 litres per 100l, even more with head winds. Considering our fuel economy is around 9 litres per 100kg not towing around town its a big jump when towing. I think a heavier van could really be pushing the Pajero's towing limits, even if you could find one with a low enough ball weight.
Thanks everyone for your quick feedback. Just to make things a little clearer (my fault). We are considering buying a JB caravan 20'6" Dirt Roader (semi off road van). This particular van has a rear door side entry which apparently reduces the tow ball weight to between 120 and 140 kgs. The same van in the yard at Caboolture has a recorded tow ball weight of 120 kgs, a tare of 2308 kgs and an ATM of 2708 kgs. The van we are considering will be the same except for the addition of a grey water tank and a tool box on the A frame. All the other models of the Dirt Roader, with the exception of the 17'10" van, are over the 180 kg tow ball limit. This is still a fair bit under the maximum towing capacity of the Pajero rated at 3000 kgs. We are aware of the 180 kg max tow ball weight restriction of the Pajero when the van is over 2500 kgs hence the reason for considering the 20'6" Dirt Roader.
We have no problems with packing light after building, owning and cruising a 43' steel yacht for a number of years so living "frugally" should not be a problem meaning we don't intend to pack and carry the kitchen sink just the "basics" (well that's the plan anyway.) Comments welcome.
The tool box once you have anything in it will definitely increase the ball weight. Its just my opinion, but going from how our Pajero (which we really like) tows the 2480 I do think adding a few hundred more kilos could be really pushing it limits engine wise. We also have had to replace our suspension on the Pajero as towing that weight that much has pretty much wrecked it. We have towed my brother in laws around 3000kg van with his Landcruiser and you really do notice the difference in how easily the Landcruiser handles the weight.
We actually looked at the JB dirt road vans at a recent caravan show, really liked them. But did think if we bought one we would have to change vehicles. We are looking at retirement mid next year and are still considering doing that 'one day'.
Hi Blair Some facts from my end mate. I have a standard Pajero 2012 dual batts , the van when ready for a 1 week or 1 month trip is always 2360 to 2420 dependant on the front water tank full or only 20 litres {rear empty] I put the van over the weighbridge every long trip and it never varies.Ball weight goes 210 inc genie in front boot.If we free camp we only fill at a park the day before we start camping .We sit on 100kay and yeh we use 19 -20 litrs ! big deal ,its a holiday ! The amount of hills is a no brainer for us and the Paj never struggles. Since it was new it has, up till this year it towed a construction trailer 5 days a week too.I like to travel at 100 but I never punch speed out and never brake hard etc ,I think the Paj has more than enough get up and go.I mean if you go away for say 6 weeks driving 1 in 3 days that's still only 14 days ,if you only do that once a year and even if the Paj did suffer on a huge hill or two, for 350 days of the year its a happy Paj ! For 3 years this has worked for me and we are very happy with our lot . Good luck whichever way you go knowing you are safe and legal. Cheers John
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Westy. Some people I know are like slinkies. They look really funny when you push them downstairs !
Thanks everyone for your feedback. We might have a look at the 17'10" Dirt Roader and see if that suits our needs. Meredith, we have been told the rear suspension on the Pajero is "a bit soft" so we will be installing Polyair bags in the rear before we start towing anything so hopefully that will extend the life. Could both you and Westy tell me what sort of vans you tow? Many thanks.
We tow a 2010 Olympic Seaview 640SS Dirt Road van, its 19'6 internal. As said earlier its loaded weight is 2480kg, its not a real off road van but we have managed to take it almost everywhere anyway.
Hi Meredith your van sounds similar to the JB Dirt Roaders where they are not designed for extreme "off road" but can be towed on reasonable dirt roads for considerable distances eg national parks and some more remote free camping sites. And Westy your van looks big but I assume the weight is kept to a manageable level for the Pajero because it is not built as an "off roader" or "semi off roader". I've noticed when comparing the various weights of on road vans against off road vans that there is a considerable difference with the off road vans being a lot heavier due to their more rugged construction and extra "stuff". So to cut a long storey short and so I don't bore you both with my ramblings, we are looking at a 17'6" JB Dirt Roader on Wednesday which may just suit our needs better and take away the uncertainty of the weight issues and the resultant strain on the Pajero. After all, the whole experience is supposed to be as stress free as possible and the last thing we need is to be worried about is towing the van. Thank you both s once again for your valuable feedback.
