Will Turbo Diesel jeep tow an 18'6" Topender

[sunovabeach]

Hi all, have just registered, & don't own a caravan as yet,

but we are having a serious look at a 2005 Topender which

I think is 18'6" in length. I have a Prado at the moment,

but because of the weight of the van i would have to upgrade

the car. I have been looking at the new Jeep Grand Cherokee

& also a 2nd hand 200 Series Landcruiser. The Jeep would be

cheaper, would it be suitable to tow the Topender? It is rated

at 3500kg. Would appreciate any comments on this Subject.

Cheers,

Brad.

[Laurie and Helen]

Brad,

I have a 19'6" TE and when packed for a trip currently goes over the scales at 3760, I don't know what the van you are looking at tares at but you have to be careful with what you carry. As far as vehicles go a couple of members have Jeeps and 200 series so they can best tell you how they tow the vans they have.

cheers

[TonyH]

G'Day Brad,

Welcome to this forum, you have put this post in the wrong section but I'm sure the moderator will happily move it.

I may be biased but my preference would be for the 200 series, few of the reasons

1. longer wheel base, resulting in more comfortable ride.

2. heavier tow vehicle, more stable, just because its heavier doesnt mean more fuel my 200 when towing returns 18.6 lphk's

3. in the unlikely event of vehicle trouble, LOT more Toyota dealers out there than Jeep.

Heres hoping you purchase the Kedron & become a regular contributor on this forum.

[sellinup]

Hi Brad

We have a 200 Series Landcruser , and it tows our 21'6 ATV like a dream. not sure about the Jeep.

Regards Mal and Kerry.

[Mayzee]

Hi There Brad,

No idea what the Jeep is capable of but there are literally hundreds of 200 Cruisers out there towing heavy vans successfully so if you can I would definitely go with the flow. If the Jeep isn't capable to do the job easily it will be a very costly exercise to then change it for a Cruiser or Patrol.

[sunovabeach]

Hi There Brad,

No idea what the Jeep is capable of but there are literally hundreds of 200 Cruisers out there towing heavy vans successfully so if you can I would definitely go with the flow. If the Jeep isn't capable to do the job easily it will be a very costly exercise to then change it for a Cruiser or Patrol.

Thanks to all who replied to my post. Judging by those replies so far, they lean towards the Landcruiser, although the Jury's still out on the Jeep.

I think what concerns me more at the moment is the tare & agg weight of the TE, which is 2980kg & 3480kg. It looks like the previous owner

has fitted a 3kva generator to the drawbar. I don't know if that was standard from new(the van is a 2005 model) If it's not then would that change the

tare & agg weight? Another question that springs to mind is, does the agg weight include full water tanks? My main concern is being covered in the

unlikely event of an accident, & having the claim rejected because the van was over the 3500kg limit, 'cos we all know insurance companies will duck & weave if everything isn't 100% legal. I intend to have the van weighed anyway, & have sent an email to Dept of Transport to get their ruling on

tare & agg weights. However I would be interested in any feedback from you guys/girls. Sorry, if I've gone on a bit long with this subject, but it's a big decision for us both, & as we will be retiring soon, would like to get it right the first time.

Cheers,

Brad & Jan(BreadnJam)

[Neville and Kay]

Thanks to all who replied to my post. Judging by those replies so far, they lean towards the Landcruiser, although the Jury's still out on the Jeep.

I think what concerns me more at the moment is the tare & agg weight of the TE, which is 2980kg & 3480kg. It looks like the previous owner

has fitted a 3kva generator to the drawbar. I don't know if that was standard from new(the van is a 2005 model) If it's not then would that change the

tare & agg weight? Another question that springs to mind is, does the agg weight include full water tanks? My main concern is being covered in the

unlikely event of an accident, & having the claim rejected because the van was over the 3500kg limit, 'cos we all know insurance companies will duck & weave if everything isn't 100% legal. I intend to have the van weighed anyway, & have sent an email to Dept of Transport to get their ruling on

tare & agg weights. However I would be interested in any feedback from you guys/girls. Sorry, if I've gone on a bit long with this subject, but it's a big decision for us both, & as we will be retiring soon, would like to get it right the first time.

Cheers,

Brad & Jan(BreadnJam)

Hi Brad & Jan.Look back to the post Increasing your Vehicle Towing Capicity January 25,you will see about Tare & GVM of Vans what it includes & does not.Put it over a registered weigh bridge then you know where you are for sure,most operators will let you drive on with just car on,Wt[1] wind jockey down on ground lift van gives draw bar wt[2] then pull van on to bridge total wt[3] drive car off bridge wind jockey wheel down on to bridge wt of van[4]. Regards Neville.

[Ian and Sue]

We used to have a Jeep although not that model, sold it because its maximum towing capacity was only 2.5 ton. It towed our "old" van all around Oz and didn't put a foot wrong BUT... having had problems with every Jeep dealer we had visited in WA we thought it was time it went. We now have a LC200 turbo diesel to tow our Kedron ATV 18.6ft and are sure we will not look back. You can't beat Toyota reliability and there is nearly always a Toyota cealership around the place were as Jeep are harder to find should something happen. Don't get me wrong we DID love our Jeep - off road you couldn't fault it - but a real compromise for towing.

Cheers

Sue

Karratha WA

[sunovabeach]

Hi Brad & Jan.Look back to the post Increasing your Vehicle Towing Capicity January 25,you will see about Tare & GVM of Vans what it includes & does not.Put it over a registered weigh bridge then you know where you are for sure,most operators will let you drive on with just car on,Wt[1] wind jockey down on ground lift van gives draw bar wt[2] then pull van on to bridge total wt[3] drive car off bridge wind jockey wheel down on to bridge wt of van[4]. Regards Neville.

Thanks Neville,

After looking at the January 25 Post, & the problems owners have with overweight issues, & not wanting to step up to a Silverado or equivalent,

we have decided to take a pause & re-evaluate in regards to a new van. We probably have enough on our plate at the moment, as we are getting married in 2 weeks, & Jan has been stressing out to the max. I think we will go to the Perth Caravan show, & take another look.

Thanks to all for your help & info.

Cheers,

Brad & Jan(BreadnJam)