6bt 80 (1 Viewer)

[itbrokeagain]

So I'm sitting here looking at the leaking transmission on my excursion that I use to tow my 80 to the trails. It got me thinking about building a 6bt 80 as a tow rig. I was curious if the frame and drivetrain will hold up to towing 10k pounds. I would swap the engine and trans and everything else will be toyota. Opinions? This is a ways off if it ever happens. Just thinking out loud for now

 

[scottryana]

For a tow rig you are better off with a 6BT Excursion. Longer wheel base, 137" vs 112", more weight and I believe a heavier rear axle.

 

[itbrokeagain]

I have a 7.3 excursion. It does the job and does it well. Just thinking about what happens next. Who knows. The excursion may end up with a 6bt when it's time but I was thinking this is very unique. Especially if I go with an lx

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

The frame isn't an issue, the rear axle would hold up for a while but would likely eventually fall apart internally. The drivelines would probably be okay but their life would be shortened with regular use at that weight. The transmission I wouldn't trust without a lot of work and money. I wouldn't expect the VC transfer case to hold up either, a part time kit could solve that. In the end I'd say it won't make a great tow rig, but it could do the job if it had to. Your main concern will be braking power.

 

[cjmoon]

10k would be bad with stock breaks and short wheel base. If 10k is your normal keep with a 3/4 ton or larger.

 

[shocktower]

A 6bt will tow for a while, but stopping would be a problem, and the drive train is going to die, go with a Excursion 6bt swap with a manual transmission, and while you are at it, do a twofer and swap the Land Cruiser too

 

[Hornd]

The frame isn't an issue, the rear axle would hold up for a while but would likely eventually fall apart internally. The drivelines would probably be okay but their life would be shortened with regular use at that weight. The transmission I wouldn't trust without a lot of work and money. I wouldn't expect the VC transfer case to hold up either, a part time kit could solve that. In the end I'd say it won't make a great tow rig, but it could do the job if it had to. Your main concern will be braking power.

What 10K Trailer does not have it's own brakes?

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

What 10K Trailer does not have it's own brakes?

The one whose brakes fail. I wasn't implying necessarily that you're Relying on the cruiser to stop it all the time, just in the event that the trailer brakes don't function properly when you need them too. Had this happen a couple times on rented and borrowed trailers so it's always in the back of my mind. Which is the other point, a lot of the bigger rental places won't rent 10k trailers to people trying to attach them to a land cruiser or other similar sized SUV and when asked why not and that the hitch installed currently was rated for it they said it had to do with vehicle size and braking power, that their system wouldn't allow it, at least that has been my personal experience thus far. YMMV.

 

[itbrokeagain]

I can see brakes and short wheelbase being a problem. Oh well. It was a fun idea for a while