Hi. I currently tow my 17.55, twin axle Jayco Journey with a MY15 Triton. Besides having to beef up my rear suspension, the Triton does well and we deal with the offroad stuff by leaving the van in a park and venturing off road with our Oztent. To maximise our experience, we need to replace the Journey with an offroad van, which will also require a better tow vehicle. Cannot do both at the same time so am looking to replace the Triton first. I am currently considering a recent model Pajero - say 2016/2017. (My wife would like a break from a ute.) The Landcruiser Prado looks really good but is a bit out of our price range. I discovered yesterday that the earlier Prado's were only certified to tow 2500 kg so choices are somewhat limited. I hear that the Pajero plays second fiddle to the Prado but I would appreciate any advice/comment on the Pajero towing capabilities/reliability etc. Thanks. Alan
Hi. I currently tow my 17.55, twin axle Jayco Journey with a MY15 Triton. Besides having to beef up my rear suspension, the Triton does well and we deal with the offroad stuff by leaving the van in a park and venturing off road with our Oztent. To maximise our experience, we need to replace the Journey with an offroad van, which will also require a better tow vehicle. Cannot do both at the same time so am looking to replace the Triton first. I am currently considering a recent model Pajero - say 2016/2017. (My wife would like a break from a ute.) The Landcruiser Prado looks really good but is a bit out of our price range. I discovered yesterday that the earlier Prado's were only certified to tow 2500 kg so choices are somewhat limited. I hear that the Pajero plays second fiddle to the Prado but I would appreciate any advice/comment on the Pajero towing capabilities/reliability etc. Thanks. Alan
Hi Alan...the Pajero is rated to tow 3000kg,but if the van has an ATM over 2500kg,the maximum towball weight drops to a miserable 180kg. Up to 2500kg ATM,your ball weight can be 250kg,but after that the maximum ball weight is only 180kg,or 6%.No one in their right mind would have only 6% ball weight while towing 3000kg with a Pajero.Hope this helps you,but I suggest that you look elsewhere if safety is of any concern.And they have only a 1780kg rear axle.Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Saturday 21st of September 2019 08:38:51 PM
Hi. I currently tow my 17.55, twin axle Jayco Journey with a MY15 Triton. Besides having to beef up my rear suspension, the Triton does well and we deal with the offroad stuff by leaving the van in a park and venturing off road with our Oztent. To maximise our experience, we need to replace the Journey with an offroad van, which will also require a better tow vehicle. Cannot do both at the same time so am looking to replace the Triton first. I am currently considering a recent model Pajero - say 2016/2017. (My wife would like a break from a ute.) The Landcruiser Prado looks really good but is a bit out of our price range. I discovered yesterday that the earlier Prado's were only certified to tow 2500 kg so choices are somewhat limited. I hear that the Pajero plays second fiddle to the Prado but I would appreciate any advice/comment on the Pajero towing capabilities/reliability etc. Thanks. Alan
Hi Alan...the Pajero is rated to tow 3000kg,but if the van has an ATM over 2500kg,the maximum towball weight drops to a miserable 180kg. Up to 2500kg ATM,your ball weight can be 250kg,but after that the maximum ball weight is only 180kg,or 6%.No one in their right mind would have only 6% ball weight while towing 3000kg with a Pajero.Hope this helps you,but I suggest that you look elsewhere if safety is of any concern.And they have only a 1780kg rear axle.Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Saturday 21st of September 2019 08:38:51 PM
why a 79 series bentaxlebabe there a bit low on power and from what i hear there not much good on corrugations because of there front wheels being 100 mm wider apart that the back
I would buy your van first and then buy a tow vehicle to match.
Had to sell our Pajero for the reasons yobarr has stated when we bought our new van. Now tow with a Ranger.
Boab ,I think bentaxlebob may have been being a bit cheeky knowing yobarrs preference for the 79 series .
Greg1 absolutely top advice if you are in the position to do so find the van then match the tug to it .nothing more certain then the minister for war and finance will find a van she MUST have that is just over your tugs capability.
Hi all. Thanks for all the useful and intersting info. Rather surprised that the Pajero does not really shape up but maybe that would explain why we've seen so few of them on our many trips up and down WA. My first choice would have been a Ranger but I would like to first exhaust the SUV possibilities. In checking out the specs on the Sports I see it has a lower GVM (2710/3030), GCM (5400/6030), Max rear axe load (1600/2780) than the Pajero. How does Mitsubishi calculate the reduction in GCM when the Pajero load is increased to 3000kg? I am just trying to understand the physics/logics of this. I have always presumed that towball mass is calculated to balance the load between vehicle and van, hence the 10% rule of thumb and my confusion! As a matter of interest with our current setup, the Journey loaded towball weight is 160-180kg but the rear springs go convave. So much for the 300kg tow ball weight on the Mitsubishi fitted tow bar. Cheers. Alan
I owned a Pajero Sport and pulled a load that I kept down to around 2600/2700 kg - based on my experience that weight was a few hundred kgs above the vehicles comfort zone. The Sport was definately nice to drive, coupled its paddle shifters, 8 speed transmission the smaller 2.4 ltr engine it did reasonably compared to similar sized tugs. The drawback was in how hard it had to work, the fuel consumption averaged around 18lts/100km and was a lot higher in a head wind or on long climbs (not good with a small fuel tank). I had to use a HR WDH and also fit air bags to the rear coils to stop what I thought was excessive bouncing. Personally I would only recommend a sport if the load was less than 2500kg and ideally if it was closer to 2t but thats only my own personal opinion.
If you are thinking Ranger I can highly recommend one. Mine has done 4 return trips across the continent, one of those a complete lap towing a van just under 3000kgs ATM.
With in built trailer stability control, long wheelbase and good rear suspension for towing, it makes a great tow vehicle for any van upto about 3100kgs which is its practical maximum.
Ours is the Wildtrak and we have found the comfort levels equal or better than our Pajero VRX which we really liked but just wouldn't handle the current van.
Other than a bullbar, A/T tyres and canopy mine is unmodified and I have not found any need to do so. Very capable off road vehicle too. Never had to resort to diff lock yet.
Handles a decent ball load of 350kgs. Our van on the last trip weighed 308kgs on the ball fully laden.
Brother in law also has one to tow his van which has done 2 laps around without issue.
Well I guess I must have rocks in my head. Have towed my ATM 2990 kg van with a Pajero for the last 6 years with a ball weight of 180 kg. Keep reading about the 10% rule being a matter of physics and it must be obeyed religiously. If it is purely physics, then it could very easily be regulated and the 10% rule could move from a matter of opinion to a regulation that then must be obeyed. In my case the van was constructed to suit the ball weight and hence the weight is evenly balanced across the dual axles. I was worried early and had esc fitted to the van but have never felt anything that would trigger the esc unit occur. Have a look around and see how many dual axle vans of 19 ft and over are being towed by pajeros. We must all have rocks in our heads. For my mind, the Pajero is a very underrated tug. Sorry about the rant.
i tend to agree with you Elob that the 10% number which is often quoted is only a guide and is not a legal requirement, if you have 180kg on the ball of your Pajero pulling under 3t then you should be within the manufacturers spec. The reason I went with the Sport or the Montero as it is known elsewhere was because I thought with the van we had I would never be able to meet the manufacturers ball weight requirements with the full size version. Having said that I have noticed when I fill the water tanks and increase the ball weight on the Jeep from around 8% to 10% the van feels to be a bit more stable.
I am also with Elob .My 2012 Paj has towed my 2450 kg van beautifly for 7 years .We were recently staying in Benalla for the night and we had 3 Pajeros on either side of us in the park !Not one of us considered any other tug !Cheers
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Westy. Some people I know are like slinkies. They look really funny when you push them downstairs !
Towing capacity of 3100kg with max towball weight of 310kg......thatll work!
I agree with you it tows great
Hi Ger.....been flat out with other stuff,but I think that you should know that the Pajero Sport has a ridiculously low rear axle rating of only 1600kg.Given that a 310kg towball weight would add roughly 440kg to that rear axle,you wouldnt want to have much more than a box of beer in the back of the car! Cheers
Towing capacity of 3100kg with max towball weight of 310kg......thatll work!
I agree with you it tows great
Hi Ger.....been flat out with other stuff,but I think that you should know that the Pajero Sport has a ridiculously low rear axle rating of only 1600kg.Given that a 310kg towball weight would add roughly 440kg to that rear axle,you wouldnt want to have much more than a box of beer in the back of the car! Cheers
She tows beautifully - I have one and its sensational. i tow at abt 2500kg
The Pajero is a great vehicle (I have a 2015 model pre DPF) , but they do have soft rear suspension. Just be mindful that if you tow over 2.5t your tow ball weight goes down to 180kgs. I get about 17ltrs per hundred towing 2.6t. Also those in the know recon you should only drive in 4th owing (sports mode) to the 5th gear being overdrive as it will lead to overheating of the auto transmission as the torque converter is not locked. Of course there are as many people who say that this is a lot of poppy**** as they've been doing it for years and never an issue. I would also advise looking at the Pajero 4 wheel drive club of Victoria's website, it will give you all the inside info on the Pajero's.
Certainly not bagging the Pajero. Loved the VRX we had. Unfortunately though the Paj has it's limitations and that is the 180kg ball weight on any van over 2500kgs. There are not a lot of vans that once loaded, will stay below the 180kgs if they are over 2500kgs ATM. The vans compliance plate shows the ball weight when empty so will be very unlikely to be anywhere near that when loaded.
If you are towing outside of the manufacturers specification for the tow vehicle, you do not have to justify that to me or any other forum members, but that bloke in uniform with the weight scales on the side of the road will stop you cold and you won't be going any further.
Please explain. Sorry I am not technically minded but I don't understand how the towball weight reduces with the heavier van. If a vehicle can handle a certain towball weight why doesnt it retain that rating regardless of the weight it is towing ?
Rod.
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Rod.
Ah! The serenity
Tug - Mitsubishi Challenger, Van - Starcraft Outback Poptop..
Hi all.Thanks for all the advice. I am trading in the Triton on a 2016 low km 3.2L Ranger. Cheers
Hi Alan....Well done! Congratulations on choosing what I believe to be the best of the lightweights.You can now safely tow up to about 3100kg ATM with that car,with 2800kg GTM and 3200kg GVM to be right on your legal GCM of 6000kg. I am sure that you never will regret your decision.Cheers
