Hi all we are presently looking at buying a Mitsubishi Triton GLS Automatic to tow our small Karakampa it has an ATM of 1700kg and we would be getting close to that.
I am interested to ask a few questions :-
1. What gear you tow your small van with your Triton do you tow it in top gear (5th) or do you tow it in the next one down (4th)?
2. What is the weight of your van is it similar to ours?
3. Have you fitted a transmission cooler and what do you think if them, do you think they are necessary?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
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We've seen plenty of Tritons towing 20ft plus caravans. Don't think that you've got any real worries.
We tow a 1600kg caravan easily with our fully loaded D22 Navara & a Triton has about 100nM more torque than our tug.
Thanks for your prompt reply Desert Dewller. Can you tell me if you tow in top gear? I have been towing mostly in 5th gear in our 6 speed Santa Fe though I think it would tow OK in 6th I just flick the gear lever from Automatic to manual when it is up to speed on the highway (We only got the van half way through last year)
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To err is human but to really mess things up, you need a computer.
We've seen plenty of Tritons towing 20ft plus caravans. Don't think that you've got any real worries.
We tow a 1600kg caravan easily with our fully loaded D22 Navara & a Triton has about 100nM more torque than our tug.
Thanks for your prompt reply Desert Dewller. Can you tell me if you tow in top gear? I have been towing mostly in 5th gear in our 6 speed Santa Fe though I think it would tow OK in 6th I just flick the gear lever from Automatic to manual when it is up to speed on the highway (We only got the van half way through last year)
We tow in top gear 99.9% of the time. Naturally in hilly terrain things are a bit different. The Triton is a proven gutsy tug it pulls like a frustrated school boy.
There's a big difference between a Hyundai Santa Fe & a Mister Bitchy Triton in the real world. SF is just a big SUV with no chassis.
-- Edited by Desert Dweller on Tuesday 30th of January 2018 07:10:32 PM
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Thanks for that Desert Dweller it sounds good. I now have to wait for my Wife to decide because she is worried about accessing things in the tub. If we get it we will get a good canopy with lift up gas strut windows and some Drawers which should make it easier. She wants to test drive the Pajero Sport 5 seater model which has a fair bit of storage room in the back but for me they have a stupid high console which is not comfortable when I want to spread my legs, I find it a bit cramped in that manner. Anyway thanks again it is good to hear what others have to say Cheers Sandy
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We have a 2015 MN Triton 4 speed auto.
When hitting hills we usually drop into third and that saves you from auto hopping thru the gears as the slope gets steeper.
We are towing a 17 foot Regal pop top around 1500 kg.
Plenty of folk are pulling way more than that but I think keeping under 2500kg is about the limit I would be happy to pull.
We have a 2015 MN Triton 4 speed auto. When hitting hills we usually drop into third and that saves you from auto hopping thru the gears as the slope gets steeper. We are towing a 17 foot Regal pop top around 1500 kg. Plenty of folk are pulling way more than that but I think keeping under 2500kg is about the limit I would be happy to pull.
Thankyou RoamerAllWaze it is looking good for the Triton.
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To err is human but to really mess things up, you need a computer.
"Pajero Sport 5 seater" I had a challenger (previous model to the sports) for a short time and it had coil springs in the rear. It was supposedly same tow capacity as the Triton. However it didn't take the tow ball weight. Arse was on the ground and even with WD equipment didn't tow well (2300kg) Got a Triton and was fine.
Avoid if it has rear coils is my advice. A Triton will be fine.
-- Edited by oldbloke on Wednesday 31st of January 2018 12:00:09 AM
I traded my 2016 5 seat Pajero Sport in a couple of months ago on something a bit larger. It had no problem pulling my van which is around 2.7T, the 8 speed transmission and the paddle shifts on the wheel really worked well teamed with the smaller 2.4ltr turbo diesel and it easily pulled away from a lot of the bigger engined vehicles. The biggest issue with the sport is that it has only a 68ltr fuel tank and with the smaller engine it had to work pretty hard to pull the weight I was lucky to get 350kms range out of it. The sport is nothing like the old Challenger in terms of performance or comfort and it is far more passenger friendly than the Triton due to it,s coil springs. I agree with you about the lack of leg room due to the centre consule being too chunky especially if you,re a bigger guy. I used a WDH and fitted air bags to the rear coils which I lightly inflated to make it a very stable towing platform - IMHO if the load had been 400kg or 500kg less it would have made an excellent tug.
Thanks for your input guys it helps to hear from those who have tried these vehicles. I'm not a big guy but I'm no short either and I was worried about the knee room in the Sport and I found the Triton quite comfortable and my wife is coming around to the Triton. Yes the coil springs while comfortable around the town don't give the support that the leaf springs do it appears it is all compromise but I was surprised how good a ride around the town the Triton was and with the extra weight of a canopy and drawers it should improve more.
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Take the triton for a decent drive first. personally had an 2013 mn which is the same model as you are looking at only kept it 2 years. ride was as ruff as guts and it struggled pulling our van at about 2.7 tonne, but as i said the ride was bad and the seats were worse. traded on a bt50, happy days
We have just purchased a triton MQ 2017 GLX+ , these have a extra leaf in the rear springs [ as per triton forum] . We pick up the new van on Wednesday next week , salesman has the gls triton and and was all praise for the triton . We love the triton .
outlaw40 we did take it for a drive and yes it was on the bitumen but a bumpy bitumen road that we tried a BT50 2016 and a Ranger 2015 on and we found them as you would expect for a ute a bit bumpy (I think they have improved since then) but I think they have tweaked the Triton up a bit because the seat and the ride was very comfortable and tonight we tried the 2017 Ranger and that was lovely as well so they have tweaked them up as well.
The Expats thanks for your reply I hope you enjoy your new van. If we get a Triton it is the GLS we are looking at.
I would be interested to hear from those of you that are towing a small van like ours (1700kg loaded) what your fuel consumption is and also anyone with a Ranger towing a small van but maybe I should ask this in a new thread so that I get the Ranger drivers.
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We hauled our 17ft (around 1400 unloaded I think) van from Adelaide to QLD with our 2016 2WD 6 speed manual Triton. The road we took looks like this (we are on a station between Bollon & Mitchell). Admittedly, we have upgraded suspension due to the canopy (300-400kg added weight), but she towed like a champ, even on the slippery corrugated red dirt.
Thanks for that RosieW from the look of the photos and the distance travelled it did a good job. My wife is now having second thoughts about a ute she is worried we will soon be a bit long in the tooth to be accessing gear from the back of a ute especially now that she has seen the Ford Everest. We are thinking about waiting for the specials at the end of the financial year and then get a current year car.
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