1982 BJ-42 Towing Capacity??

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crushers said:
so you are going to phone the above manufacturers and find out why their engineers feel the engine has a bearing on towing capacity? excellent. i look forward to your report.
Click to expand...

It is only the marketing departments who feel that engine size equals towing capacity and then mostly in North America.

The lexus 570 in my country is rated at 3500kg fully braked and has 270kw.
Lexus New Zealand - Weights & Capacities

The 200 series cruiser with the 4.5 V8 diesel is also rated at 3500kg yet has 195kw.
Toyota New Zealand - Dimensions

The highlander with 201kw is only rated at 2000kg.
Toyota New Zealand - Dimensions

The 70 series with 151kw is rated at 3500kg.
Toyota New Zealand - Dimensions

Do you see a common theme here?
Engine power does not dictate tow rating, the chassis, suspension and brakes do.
 
I don't care what the numbers say, you could pull a small utility trailer with a snowmobile or small boat - but don't plan on pulling a 30 foot trailer that sleeps 8. Do not pull a heavy load for long distances or in hilly/winding terrain - or you will die and or break your landcruiser. The 3B can't do it and your brakes won't stop it.

Regards,

Louis
 
crushers said:
so you are going to phone the above manufacturers and find out why their engineers feel the engine has a bearing on towing capacity? excellent. i look forward to your report.
Click to expand...


I agree with your sentiments towards engine size being a factor,especailly on downhill slopes as compression is be a great way to keep your brakes cool in case you reaaly need them ,or pull the rig and trailer out of trouble if it wants to wobble.

But towing loads on various vehicles sold down here are the same regardless of engine size AFAIK.
Is it is way in NA?

IMO ,the length and the centroid of the vehicles weight should also be included.
Its a ridiculous that a SWB with raised suspension should be able to tow the same load as a low slung LWB because they have the same weight and brakes .
 
Im going to bring in some heavyweiht advice on towing:D My Uncle is the President of his local trailer club for retirees;).
He says never tow more than 80%of the towing vehicles weight.

So for a 2200kg cruiser,that comes to 1760kg. I found that good advice but that still needs to have some common ssense added to it in the case of lifted suspension , condition of brakes and the towing conditions.
 
roscoFJ73 said:
Im going to bring in some heavyweiht advice on towing:D My Uncle is the President of his local trailer club for retirees;).
He says never tow more than 80%of the towing vehicles weight.

So for a 2200kg cruiser,that comes to 1760kg. I found that good advice but that still needs to have some common ssense added to it in the case of lifted suspension , condition of brakes and the towing conditions.
Click to expand...

That rule of thumb works for passenger cars, but is a little silly when applied to 4wd's and trucks, it doesn't fit very well with toyota's published figures either.
If I wanted to tow a 3 ton trailer, which toyota says is fine behind a 100 series, you'd expect me to buy something weighing around 4 tons.
A truck weighing around 9 ton can safely and legally drag around a 40+ ton total weight.

Regarding engine braking, am I the only one who uses lower gears going downill?
Does toyota rate the FJ40's higher for towing than the BJ40's?
 
I haven't seen much mention of trailer brakes in this discussion. When I was researching whether or not I could pull my body truck from California to Canada with my donor truck, everything I came up with seemed to say that there was one weight for normal towing and another for if you had trailer brakes?? I didn't have a trailer so I figured it was a bad idea, but I'm pretty sure came across several threads on here where guys had towed a 60 behind a BJ60.
The whole torque vs hp thing is still slightly mysterious to me, but don't the torquey little 3bs present a better towing engine than the higher hp gas engines like say the 3FE?
 
joshoisasleep said:
I haven't seen much mention of trailer brakes in this discussion. When I was researching whether or not I could pull my body truck from California to Canada with my donor truck, everything I came up with seemed to say that there was one weight for normal towing and another for if you had trailer brakes?? I didn't have a trailer so I figured it was a bad idea, but I'm pretty sure came across several threads on here where guys had towed a 60 behind a BJ60.
The whole torque vs hp thing is still slightly mysterious to me, but don't the torquey little 3bs present a better towing engine than the higher hp gas engines like say the 3FE?
Click to expand...

Up a few posts I mentioned unbraked usually being 500-750kg and fully braked trailers being needed to get to the full factory limit.

Here we have an intermediate class of trailers with over-run brakes. The trailer hitch telescopes a little, when the towing vehicle slows the hitch is pushed in a little which applies the trailer brakes.
Trailers with over-run brakes seem to go up to around the 2.5 ton range. But many people go way beyond that.
 
Dougal, we call them surge brakes here. It is not just a question of HP and braking ability but also stability. The tow vehicle needs to have the right weight and wheel base. In addition, the tonge weight has to be right. It is worth the effort to scale the tonge and adjust the trailer load accordingly. Too many times I have seen vehicle and trailer heading down the road in front of me and the vehicle is being steered by the trailer.

One of our club members, Kim, tow an enormous travel trailer AKA Caravan) across Canada and back with his HJ60: https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tech-24-volts-systems/196382-hj61-towing.html I think if you want to tow anything of size, the wheel base of a 40 is too small as is the 3B. You need a Cruiser the size and weight of a 60 or an 80 and the toque and HP to move both rig and trailer.
 
Dougal said:
That rule of thumb works for passenger cars, but is a little silly when applied to 4wd's and trucks, it doesn't fit very well with toyota's published figures either.
If I wanted to tow a 3 ton trailer, which toyota says is fine behind a 100 series, you'd expect me to buy something weighing around 4 tons.
A truck weighing around 9 ton can safely and legally drag around a 40+ ton total weight.

Regarding engine braking, am I the only one who uses lower gears going downill?
Does toyota rate the FJ40's higher for towing than the BJ40's?
Click to expand...


Your examples are a little silly too as big trucks use trailers that are inherantly more stable.
Cars and 4wd typically tow trailers with single or tandem axles in the centre of the trailer.
Ninety percent of the worlds SUV type vehicles would weigh the same or less than the average Landcruiser.
I also know what Toyota and the law says in regards to towing weights but I think myself and others find those tow weights a little optimistic.
IMO the max legally towed load is barely ok on a flat road under ideal conditions.

No,your not the only one to use engine braking. I mentioned it a couple of posts back.
 
interesting, it doesn't fit well with your book knowledge (so it can't accepted)...go figure.

WHY should a truck be able to pull more than a RWD car? if both share the same gearing, brake size and full frame

Dougal said:
That rule of thumb works for passenger cars, but is a little silly when applied to 4wd's and trucks, it doesn't fit very well with toyota's published figures either.
Click to expand...
 
hummm, nissan doesn't agree with your theory either
the V8 is rated 1000 lbs higher towing capacity...
go figure?

Nissan Canada - Vehicles

SHOW ALL
Mechanical S V6 SE V6 LE V8
Engine
VQ40DE - 4.0-litre DOHC 24-valve V6 engine1 S S
Horsepower - 266 HP @ 5600 rpm S S
Torque - 288 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm S S
Emissions - LEV2 ULEV S S
VQ56DE — 5.6-litre DOHC 32-valve V8 engine S
Horsepower — 310 HP @ 5200 rpm S
Torque — 388 lb-ft @ 3400 rpm S

Curb Weights S V6 SE V6 LE V8
Base curb weight - kg (lbs) 2122 (4678) 2185 (4816) 2313 (5099)
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) 2773 (6113) 2773 (6113) 2948 (6500)

Capacities S V6 SE V6 LE V8
Interior passenger volume - L (cu. ft.) 5983 (211.3) 5983 (211.3) 5983 (211.3)
Cargo capacity - L (cu. ft.) All seats in user positions 467 (16.5) 467 (16.5) 467 (16.5)
Cargo capacity - L (cu. ft.) Second row upright, third row folded flat 1393 (49.2) 1393 (49.2) 1393 (49.2)
Cargo capacity - L (cu. ft.) Second row folded flat, third row folded flat 2243 (79.2) 2243 (79.2) 2243 (79.2)
Towing capacity3, 4 - kg (lbs) 2722 (6000) 2722 (6000) 3175 (7000)
 
Toyota Canada doesn't agree with your theory either:
(copy and paste didn't come through so good but the link is there)
V6 has a 1500 lb higher tow rating and surprisingly the auto is a full 3000 lbs higher than the 4 banger.

TOYOTA CANADA : Vehicles > 2008 Tacoma > Specifications

CAPACITY

Gross Vehicle Weight
kg (lbs) 2,200 (4,850) 2,427 (5,350) 2,472 (5,450)
Curb Weight kg (lbs) Manual: 1,583 (3,490) Automatic: 1,592 (3,510) 1,694 (3,735) Manual: 1,799 (3,965) Automatic: 1,810 (3,990) 1,880 (4,145) 1,884 (4,065)
Seating Capacity 4 5
Towing Capacity kg (lbs) 1,587 (3,500)
2,268 (5,000)

2,948 (6,500)
Payload kg (lbs) 567 (1,250) 386 (850) 547 (1,205) 522 (1,150) 544 (1,200)
 
Wayne, doesn't the 6 cyl get an upgrade in brakes as well over the 4 banger? I think that is fairly typical for most manufactures. You don't just an engine upgrade, it often includes other options....

My mistake, it looks like the taco gets the same brakes on both.
 
Last edited:
crushers said:
interesting, it doesn't fit well with your book knowledge (so it can't accepted)...go figure.

WHY should a truck be able to pull more than a RWD car? if both share the same gearing, brake size and full frame
Click to expand...

Because RWD cars and trucks don't share the same gearing, brakes and chassis.
Duh.

Last year I designed a towbar for a Dyna light truck. The truck empty was just over 2 ton. It was certified to tow 3.5 ton on a fully braked trailer.

But hey, designing towbars doesn't compare to being an opinionated mechanic does it?
 
crushers said:
Toyota Canada doesn't agree with your theory either:
(copy and paste didn't come through so good but the link is there)
V6 has a 1500 lb higher tow rating and surprisingly the auto is a full 3000 lbs higher than the 4 banger.

TOYOTA CANADA : Vehicles > 2008 Tacoma > Specifications

CAPACITY

Gross Vehicle Weight
kg (lbs) 2,200 (4,850) 2,427 (5,350) 2,472 (5,450)
Curb Weight kg (lbs) Manual: 1,583 (3,490) Automatic: 1,592 (3,510) 1,694 (3,735) Manual: 1,799 (3,965) Automatic: 1,810 (3,990) 1,880 (4,145) 1,884 (4,065)
Seating Capacity 4 5
Towing Capacity kg (lbs) 1,587 (3,500)
2,268 (5,000)

2,948 (6,500)
Payload kg (lbs) 567 (1,250) 386 (850) 547 (1,205) 522 (1,150) 544 (1,200)
Click to expand...

I cannot find that table on their site. But I found this towing guide:
TOYOTA CANADA : Vehicles > Tacoma 2008 > Payload/Towing Guide

Sure they show a difference in towing capacity between the 2.7 V6 and the 4L V6 tacomas.
Because the 2.7L is a 2wd truck and the 4L is a 4wd truck.:D
 
oh my god, you designed a tow bar?!? WOW.
was the one from princess auto not good enough for him? gee, must take some real brain power to design one. hitch, 2 bars and a couple mounts... braggin rights for sure.

interesting blanket statement on RWD cars and trucks.
so... a 1970 dodge 1/2 ton share the same tranny, brakes and gearing as the old 70 dodge coronet but not the same in your books...got yah. i can see your age beginning to show.


Dougal said:
Because RWD cars and trucks don't share the same gearing, brakes and chassis.
Duh.

Last year I designed a towbar for a Dyna light truck. The truck empty was just over 2 ton. It was certified to tow 3.5 ton on a fully braked trailer.

But hey, designing towbars doesn't compare to being an opinionated mechanic does it?
Click to expand...
 
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