3500kg tow wagons - what can they really tow?

#3500kg #towing #4x4wagon

There's many wagons rated for 3500kg towing, but in practice, which ones can actually do the job? It doesn't matter how powerful the car is, or how nicely it tows, if the numbers don't add up then you're not towing with it. So in this video I analyse nine 3500kg-rated wagons for their real-world towing capability including the newly released Toyota LandCruiser LC300, the to-be-released INEOS Grenadier, and from Land Rover the Defender L663 and Discovery 5 L462.

ERROR CORRECTION: 6850 - 4000 = 650kg not 750kg! However, the error doesn't change the basic concept of the principles behind GVM upgrades and towing. The tow calculator is here:

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[georgeduro]

Mr Pepper, well put together and highly informative style of presentations, but mate!! where's the 'Everest' far more relevant than those two Mercs in the touring/towing scene
let's see the Everest thrown in the mix, good payload too!!. And you should smile more Jack, maybe a few more of your wise cracks.
Cheers
George

[sirstevo]

Only came across your channel in the last week. Just wanted to leave a comment (help the algorithm) saying how much I like it. You're content is great. Learnt so much about the 300 series, winching, etc.

[cuozzo]

Currently towing a ~3T caravan with a Discovery5 (L462, 7S) and after 6000km I can certainly vouch for it being an amazing and extremely capable tow car! Great video Robert, thank you!

[alex_rogan]

The best breakdown I’ve seen for both info and production value. Thank you.

[overlandjourno]

Thank you. This was such an eye opener for me. I tow a metallic Maxi with a Discovery 5 3.0 2019. Essentially a ton fully kitted. A Breeze to tow.

[einfelder]

It would be interesting to see how quickly the payload adds up, when you factor in a full tank, and family of 4, with the tow vehicle having some all terrains, a bullbar and winch, roof rack, drawers, fridge, dual batteries, long range tank, the towbar and hitch, and some recovery gear. Quite applicable to the LC300, Patrol, Ineos which will almost always be kitted for off-roading & camping as well as caravanning.

[juliandrake]

Glad to hear your countering the torque myth that has crept in over the last decade. Power with appropriate gearing is what matters. Traditionally the only value of knowing max torque was that it gave insight into the power/torque curve of an engine ie was the power available ‘down low’. With modern turbo charged flat torque curves it’s is less insightful.

[taringaturi]

Thanks Rob
Another great clip again
I tow with a Y62
I have a bull bar, roof rack, rear wheel carrier with 2 jerry can holders. When my new van arrives I'll be putting the spare wheel and jerry cans on the van and getting rid of the roof rack to drop the weight off the Y62.
Only thing in the rig will be Wife, Boofhead (Dog) fridge and me. We should be good👍🏽

[vtcampbell]

Thanks Rob, great video.

I would’ve added a section to cover which vehicles are able to have their GVM upgraded since that would’ve pulled a few of the ladder frames up to their towing limits (assuming your 500kg payload scenario). The unibody vehicles are great out of the box but are poorly suited to accept what Aussies would consider “standard additions” …(bullbar, dual battery, small fridge, 2+2 passengers, luggage)

[ThePhantom]

Great overview of both available vehicles and practical considerations.
Thanks!

[sklyjd]

The Defender I have found is a great tow wagon and off roader with luxury on road habits

[tonygersbach]

Wow, the cruiser and patrol not suited fur heavy towing, that’ll upset a lot of people. Thanks for the video

[gadgetphilosophy]

Thanks for the review. Land rovers are always underrated. They do great. The defender with the short overhangs toes really well in real life. So does the patrol. The Landcruiser not so much.

[hedydd]

In the UK it is very commonplace to tow to the maximum 3.5 tons. Farmers with 14ft livestock trailers and flatbeds and plant operators towing mini diggers etc soon hit the limit and sometimes may stretch the limit somewhat and with cattle especially they move around and depending on which way round and how many, the tow ball load may vary significantly during a journey, from maybe 200kgs to 750kgs or more. The vehicles listed plus the Ford Ranger, Isuzu pickup, Nissan Navara, and older Defenders are the common tow vehicles. We do not get the LC300 or the Nissan Patrol any longer. Outside the holiday season around here in West Wales, every fifth vehicle will be a heavy duty 4wd and at certain times half of those will have a large trailer behind. Part of the reason for a high proportion of towing is that UK farms are not generally of a scale that warrants a larger truck and when these are needed then a rigid 12 ton to 42 ton truck is hired. My Ranger T6 has now covered 80, 000 miles and is having its fifth replacement rear spring fitted this moment. They break when lightly or no loaded for some reason and never, in my experience, when heavily loaded. I have a Grenadier ordered to supplement the Ranger for delivery in November 2023.

[snells-window]

It's frightening to see the number of overloaded 4wd/camper rigs on the road. 500kg sounds like a decent payload, but most people forget that you need to include fuel, driver, passengers, luggage and all the vehicle accessories(bull bar, roof rack, tow bar, winches, etc etc) that add up very quickly.
Would be interested to hear about some of the legal/insurance implications of being over GVM/GCM – they seem largely ignored at the moment. The police/scaleys could have a field day pulling over and weighing these rigs during holiday times, but they largely ignore them to focus on truckies

[EvangelosPapaioannou]

I think that it's very important to see what happens to the gear boxes after too much towing. What's the most reliable. I don't care if my vehicle can tow 3500kg and then I have to service the gear box

[mikedunkerton]

I hope caravan owners are going through this exercise, because first impressions just looking at the tow vehicle and the massive caravan behind suggest otherwise.

[belindalouise]

Great like to see those comparisons for the dual cabs

[davidjones]

Great video with some really useful information. Thank you! I think you will find the rear axle limits will be a major limiting factor as well. It is even problematic for some of the huge USA "pickups". Auxiliary fuel tanks have been available for the Jeep Grand Cherokee for a while. I had a 75 litre auxiliary tank in a Jeep diesel which gave me 168 litres total and I drove from Melbourne to Hervey Bay without stopping at a fuel pump - not towing.

[nickslotus]

Another great video. I would be interested to know this for the next gen Platinium ranger