Just this afternoon I returned to Sydney via Lithgow / Blue Mountains, and had the joy of climbing up Mount Victoria.
I am driving a 4.8 litre Nissan Patrol, Petrol fueled, and pulling a Jayco Starcraft, 2010 model, with corrugated Alum exterior, weighing around 2300 kgs.
My little is my pride and joy, love it's capabilities, brute strength, leather interior etc etc. I tackled the mountain in manual gear selection mode, starting in 3rd gear, then 2nd, and was struggling to get over the top before needing to revert to 1st gear. My rig was struggling, and performed less than expectations on this particular challenge.
Matters made the more embarassing when a Ford Ranger towing a single-axled camper van, of reasonable proportions, overtook me, half way up, obviously comfortable in top gear, and going very fast and easy.
I would like to hear of others experience on this particular climb, what they may have found to be successful combo's, and certainly from othet 4.8 Patrol owners and how they may have fared.
I am not familiar with that particular range (see PPS), but I have pulled my 2.3ton van over many of the ranges in Au with my old GQ 4.2L EFI Petrol Patrol & have never had to get below 2nd.
The worst that I can recall was crossing over from Bright to Mt.Beauty (or Tawonga). That was a 2nd gear pull & I could smell the engine/transmission getting hot about 3/4 of the way up. So I stopped for a cuppa at a conveniently situated spot to let it cool down. It made those worrying heat related cracking noises when I pulled over. Bit of a worry but no problems since that incident about 150,000Km ago.
If it was my vehicle I'd have it off to a good mechanic for a tuning check.
ps. I can't get into Low Range without engaging 4WD & have auto locking front hubs on the front too. My options are 2WD, 4WD High or 4WD Low range.
Edit .. PPS ... Just had a re-read of your post & checked my marked up map. Yes I have been from Lithgow to The Blue Mountains so I have been that way but can't recall any particular difficulties except that it was drizzling rain & was getting a bit late when I got to Katoomba. Crappy driving & lots of traffic. I was on The Great Western Highway not the one that goes thru Bell to Kurrajong.
-- Edited by Cupie on Monday 24th of July 2017 03:53:10 PM
Yes Cupie. If you used the Gt western Hwy to Katoomba, you did climb this dreaded stretch of road.
I did make it in 2nd Gear, bust expected that I may have done it with greater ease, and NOT been overtaken by a 5 cylinder utility. If you know what I mean.
Hi Keiron we live in the mountains and have travelled up and down Mt Victoria several times towing our Jayco Heritage 21' behind the 3.8 Pajero we travel up comfortably in 2nd gear "sports mode" but the Pajero does use a fair amount of petrol towing the van we also use LPG but not up hills like Mt Vic.
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Yes Cupie. If you used the Gt western Hwy to Katoomba, you did climb this dreaded stretch of road.
I did make it in 2nd Gear, bust expected that I may have done it with greater ease, and NOT been overtaken by a 5 cylinder utility. If you know what I mean.
Cheers.
Sorry, I read your post to infer that you had to go down to 1st.
I never try to go as fast as I can on the flat, down or up hills. I just try to maintain a steady 2000 rpm & change gears as appropriate but ignoring 5th at all times & never exceeding 95 Kmph.
On ranges many (all) pass me including those utes pulling all sorts of stuff. The only things that I pass are semis. I'll be interested to see how those (flogged) beaut utes are going after 300,000Ks or so though.
My old truck still purrs like a sewing machine after 260,000K (except perhaps for a few tappet rattles).
We did that climb on our ES trip.. but not with caravan in tow, a day trip to Lithgow. Yes, some challenging climbs up that way.
I have to say, our DMax 4x2 with 1.5 tonne van behind was just incredible, especially after our old Rodeo 4x4, a reliable slug. We tow in manual too, 5-speed trans in the 2016 model, but we don't usually use 5th. Most climbs didn't see us below 3rd, and 4 was able to cope time and again on long slopes. The DMax's torque, at least up to 2016, comes close to max from 2000 revs up with a very flat torque curve. Absolutely great for towing. But it's asking a lot of any of these mid-size utes to tow a 2.5 tonne van long term. Pity the poor next owner!
We have travelled via Mt Victoria quite often ina 2.8lt Mitsubishi Challenger towing 17ft Jayco. We use 2nd gear at approx 2200rpm. (the mitsi does it with ease).
We travel like this on Mt Ousley,The Brown mountain,The Clyde mountain and both ways out of Sofala near Bathurst. Try not to place to much stress on our vehicle.
Just this afternoon I returned to Sydney via Lithgow / Blue Mountains, and had the joy of climbing up Mount Victoria.
I am driving a 4.8 litre Nissan Patrol, Petrol fueled, and pulling a Jayco Starcraft, 2010 model, with corrugated Alum exterior, weighing around 2300 kgs.
My little is my pride and joy, love it's capabilities, brute strength, leather interior etc etc. I tackled the mountain in manual gear selection mode, starting in 3rd gear, then 2nd, and was struggling to get over the top before needing to revert to 1st gear. My rig was struggling, and performed less than expectations on this particular challenge.
Matters made the more embarassing when a Ford Ranger towing a single-axled camper van, of reasonable proportions, overtook me, half way up, obviously comfortable in top gear, and going very fast and easy.
I would like to hear of others experience on this particular climb, what they may have found to be successful combo's, and certainly from othet 4.8 Patrol owners and how they may have fared.
Cheers to all, and many thanks. KB
Hi KB,
We know how you feel. Up till our return trip to WA in 2012. We did a number of trips via Mt Victoria to Broken Hill to WA Return.
Back then we still had our 3.4 Toyota Parado V6 petrol.
We went hunting for diesel power. We ended up for both work and towing, for the next 4 years till retirement last year. A 2012 TTD200 GXTRD with 4in pipes and chipped.
We now tow both the Aluminium plate boat 1900kg loaded. / 2015 Jayco Journey Outback with fibreglass skins all round. @2650kg. over Mt Vic.
I drop it back to S4 before the run up, and sail up and over without any issues and use the full max torque @2600rpm.
My little is my pride and joy, love it's capabilities, brute strength, leather interior etc etc. I tackled the mountain in manual gear selection mode, starting in 3rd gear, then 2nd, and was struggling to get over the top before needing to revert to 1st gear. My rig was struggling, and performed less than expectations on this particular challenge.
Sound like you did not get back into first gear early enough. When your rig is struggling in second gear you should go back to first and not let it labour up the hill like that.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
We got down to 1st gear quite a few times on a recent trip to the NSW South Coast. Our Nissan Navara is only 2 years old, bought new. It's maximum allowable weigh for towing is 2,800kg.
We tow a van that only weighs 1,600kg fully loaded with not a lot of gear in the Navara's tub & it STRUGGLES quite often. God knows what it would be like towing it's maximum?
These maximum allowable tow rating are a load of b*ll sh*t. We've had our Navara serviced regularly at a Nissan dealer since new.
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[Click here to start writing your quick reply.] These maximum allowable tow rating are a load of b*ll sh*t.
+1 for that! Our ute is rated to 2.5t, the 4x4 version to 3.5. That's ok if you want to tow your battleship down to the local ramp. But to tow a near max weight across Oz? That's making a rod for your own back. You need one of the BIG SOB's to do that with ease. Isuzu is talking about raising the limit on the 4x2 hi-ride to 3.5...
Nissan small Auto's are known as needing a Lock up.
A mates son I bumped into this morn. (Down from the mines. His dad the same . Mines)
Hid dad has that inline 6 and loves it. Tows a big Bushtracker with it.
ALSO goes to Dubai in weeks off. Desert racing with his mates.
They get UP TO near 1000hp out of those 4.8 donks.
Tuned pipes. Turbo or Supercharger. Lockups on transm and Gearmaster transfer gears.
Change your driving style he said. High 4 gives better gear ratios for towing.
Then get. Converter Lock up, Earlier ones slip all the time. Specially on those older transm's.
then either Pacemaker Extractor style manifold\tuned pipe or Turbo and tuned pipe behind it. (Intercooler??)
PS. You want to learn driving along the sides of sand dunes. Watch them. They RACE on the sides of then. Flat out. Brown jocks the first couple times he said.
Unless your car sick.
Those are about the most powerful SMALL engines on market. It's your driving. He said. A lot use big Blocks.
KEEP it revving. Torque is higher up on a Petrol.
-- Edited by macka17 on Tuesday 25th of July 2017 02:39:08 PM
As long as the Transm Locks in each gear. and you change them down Kiwi..
As soon as they start slipping in the Converter. (standard)
Loss of drive. Overheating. shut down to limp home.
NOT all transm's lock in each gear.
Just some of them.
With An After market Lock-up. YOU select what. when. and for how long.
They magic.
Best $460 I spent. alongside the exhaust and Transm cooler I fitted.
Plus chip and snorkel and light right foot and . and.
Back seat driver (shhhhhhh). she looking????.
