Patrol towing capabilities

[bosque]

First off, I realize we can see extreme examples of loads carried and/or towed by Patrols and I encourage posts and pictures of those but I wonder the comfortable towing limitations a Patrol has. I'd imagine a 800-1000 lb. load (maybe 300 at tongue), cargo and trailer weight, single axel would be fine. But what about a 2-axel car trailer with a car in tow? .....a small RV trailer? I have heard of jack knifing SWB vehicles easily when trailing...?
What is your take on normal limitations?

[miller]

Swerve is the only person I've seen with a decent size tow with a 60, I'm sure he'll chime in.
I think a big part of it would be how good the tow bar system is. I'd wanted fully tied in the the chassis and not relying just on the 4 bolts at the back.

[Esteban]

I used to go camping towing a single axle trailer, that I tally the total weight to about 1000 pounds. This was travelling some hair raising roads back home, with some stretches that were 40 miles downhill, and brakes used to overheat easily, so I used to rely on the gears more. Weight at the tongue was about 150 - 200 pounds. On regular roads there was never a problem keeping up with the traffic. The trailer didn't have brakes. The following picture is with the trailer loaded with the remnants of the other Patrol that I had, that I totaled when overturned. No chassis or engine/transmission there.

Trailer with Patrol to scrap.jpg

But I guess that this load will be considered low by many standards, and specially guys with big V8s.

[Swerve]

Well today was the big day with a 120 mile drive down the coast with 2000 lbs on the tray and 5000 lbs being towed by a 1978 Patrol with a 1972 engine, hard to believe the old girl 38 year old engine with 137hp, did she survive.

Packed Ready to go


Left sunny downtown Mortdale at 9:20am or so with no idea how this trip would go ? Would I have a mechanical, would my leaky gearbox and transmission hold out ? would the dead syncro on 4th gear cause me issues? To think this is the same driveline I plan to take on the Simpson Desert ? In true adventure style, I’m willing to find out the hard (expensive) way, as that’s what adventure is for !!!



So back to my trip, after leaving Mortdale my 1st real hill was Heathcote Rd up to Engadine, this is a reasonable steep hill (2km long), soon found out 4th no good, 3rd no good, speed dropping to 40kph, ended up in 2nd doing 30-40 kph (20mph). This really worried me as I still had 100miles to go.
Stopped at Heathcote and fueled up (Getting good at American, Gassed Up) Filled the 80Litre tank (Gallons still confuse me) and started on a flat undulating freeway for the next 50km. Was able to hold around 90kph for most of this in 4th, some hills would pull be back to 3rd and 60kph.



After Bulli pass turnoff, we start getting some steep up and down hills as we are top of a escarpment looking other Wollongong. Remember I’m doing around 95kph. Had a scary moment when the 5000kg (10,000 lbs) total car weight starting taking off down the hill, applied the drum brakes all round and I started to smell BRAKES, on with the electric override brake controller (I love 4 wheel discs on the trailer) and brought her under control. There was worse to come as we have one big mother of a hill as you drop of the escarpment to Wollongong, this section trucks are forced into low gear and all that, many safety ramps with gravel for trucks to run into incase brakes fail.

So I’m approaching this DOWNHILL and in the back of my head was thinking of a 4WD trip I did in 1992 to the Victorian Highlands, Anyhow on this back road to Mackillops Bridge (??????? I could be wrong) we came across the old XA Ford Falcon with Dad, Mum and 2 kids, his drums had died on the dirt downhill and he choose a tree over the cliff drop. We towed him off, winched out his grill, told him to top his radiator up and keep the cap off, anyhow was thinking this event in the back of my head.

So start the downhill and thought will try 3rd, still to fast as engine braking was around 70kph and still going up, tried 2nd and shes almost blows a engine at 40kph, needed 30kph to make that work. Had to use 3rd and at around 60kph I had to use brakes all the way. Used the trailer disc’s almost the whole way down the hill and would alternate between the car/ trailer/car/trailer so they could both cool.

Was so relived to make the bottom and after another 30km of freeway stopped at Dapto Macca’s to recover, amazing how driving a old girl takes it out of you.



I checked all my leaks under the car and all looked good with no more oil then the normal. Still will be topping up both gearbox and transfer at Sussex to see how much is missing.
So back off and now it’s all coastal driving with ocean on my left, I tried to get a few snaps for you COLD yanks with feet of snow laying around.

Bombo (Kiama)



Stopped at Kiama for a quick check of the oil leaks, for some reason I though the view was better then it was.




After Kiama I can choose to stay on the HWY which is hilly and windy through Berry, nice town for the girls, lots a shops and stuff, good bird watching for the men
Anyhow I choose a back road through Gerroa, Shoalhaven Heads as it is all flat and straight.


After dropping down this hill we have a 90kph road alongside that beach. I was stuck behind a stupid Toyota Yaris doing 60kph, Some idiot towing a boat (would you believe) thought I was the slow one and passed me thinking clear ahead, sure enough with only 1 car space between boat infront and me, then a car coming the other direction, I had to slam the brakes on to let him in. Gez there are some wa&%ers on the road.
All very boring from here and made it to Sussex in one piece and alive, with NO mechanicals !!!!! SO HAPPY and relieved.


So now I’m here, I looking forward to reducing weight for the trip home as the winch will be gone and some other stuff, Hopefully drop about 800kg (1500 lbs) to help the engine. I think either the gearbox output seal or the transfer input seal is leaking as oil comes out of the space between the two boxes. There is a small casing over this section. I know it is sideways but to the left of the transfer filler, about a 1.5” spacer.