FZJ80 Towing Ability

[NC LX]

What is the towing ability of the 80 series. Not what Toyota says, but what is the weight everyone has pulled with their 80 series in a real world application.

I found a CJ-5 I want to go pick up and was just curious if I could pull it safely back with my LX450

 

[rockstate45]

How far of a drive? What's the terrain like? How heavy is the trailer...

I'd say, unless it's in town, you're probably going to want something that can pull better.

Why not rent a truck or borrow one? Better to be safe.

 

[scottryana]

On a trailer? Yes you will be fine, just have good trailer brakes and controller.

 

[JeepinPete]

These things tow pretty well. Not 2012 1/2 ton pickup well, but pretty well. I drug 5600# back last weekend, about 50 miles. Leave plenty of room, have good trailer brakes, and do not expect to win any races. Also expect 6mpg give or take

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

On a trailer? Yes you will be fine, just have good trailer brakes and controller.

^this^

 

[Impreza]

Trailer brakes, good cooling system, light aluminum trailer, you should be fine (as long as you ain't picking it up half way across the country).

 

[Howard705]

GOOD BRAKES on anything towing. If you have access to a weight distributing hitch use it-they make a world of difference on ANYTHING. I towed an old vw beetle behind my 40 10 miles -towed great.

 

[GmonkeyMan]

IIRC the 80 series is "rated" for 5,000 in the US. With the towing package. (All US models)
Everywhere else on the planet it's 7,000 or 7,500.
Why?
There are more attorneys in the USA than the rest of the planet combined.
That's why.
Attorneys and governments love to make decisions for the rest of us ignorant Neanderthal base creatures......
Go slow, stay out of traffic, leave lots of room, test your brakes out in the neighborhood with the trailer to get a "feel" for it, and promise not to sue anyone who says "you'll be fine".
I may have the record for 80 series towing. My 93 towed a 30 foot dual axle double slide-out travel trailer fully (very fully) loaded. 9,000 pounds worth. Pushed my OME 3" heavy J springs down a bit but not scary.
oK it was on my dad's property and I never got it over 10 MPH but that still counts, right?
Have to scrounge up that pic.....

 

[hammerheadfistpunch]

IIRC the 80 series is "rated" for 5,000 in the US. With the towing package. (All US models)
Everywhere else on the planet it's 7,000 or 7,500.
Why?
There are more attorneys in the USA than the rest of the planet combined.
That's why.
Attorneys and governments love to make decisions for the rest of us ignorant Neanderthal base creatures......
Go slow, stay out of traffic, leave lots of room, test your brakes out in the neighborhood with the trailer to get a "feel" for it, and promise not to sue anyone who says "you'll be fine".
I may have the record for 80 series towing. My 93 towed a 30 foot dual axle double slide-out travel trailer fully (very fully) loaded. 9,000 pounds worth. Pushed my OME 3" heavy J springs down a bit but not scary.
oK it was on my dad's property and I never got it over 10 MPH but that still counts, right?
Have to scrounge up that pic.....

I can actually give you a better explanation if you would like

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/tow-me-down-1609112611

its less about the litigation and more about the physics

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Not that I'd recommend doing the same, but I've towed 10,000 lbs worth of boat without issue

Low range definitely required for launching that beast

 

[GmonkeyMan]

'touché Snake Eater!
I have been bested.
And yes, the physics say that increasing weight exponentially increases stoping distance AND that highway common speeds are faster here in the USA to boot. My thing is that I'd rather individuals be held to a greater level of personal responsibility, instead of having politically motivated politicians and litigiously motivated attorneys constructing a false paradigm that forces people to live and act under the motivation of fear.

And bacon. I like bacon.

 

[Reelitchy]

After you tow it be sure and give an update to "at my wits end". I'm ready for season 2
Doh.... Need to get my prescription glasses. Can't read this thing ... Sorry thought someone else originated this

 

[Howard705]

Don't see WEIGHT DISTRIBUTING hitch or sway control mentioned in any of the math. I guarantee it will make a huge difference. Extra tongue weight and crank them up tight. Find a used one (and all bars and hardware) from an old camping trailer on craigslist. Even if you can get away without it you will be MUCH more stable and have an extra margin of safety for any unexpected maneuvers/wind/etc. Use a good trailer brake controller. #1-adjust the trailer brakes up if you don't have 100% certainty on their adjustment-they are manual adjusters. Should be able to skid all the trailer tires. Highest pressure you can run in all the LC and trailer tires.

 

[brwnj60]

I towed over 5000pds 2000miles a couple years back. Stopping is definitely the hardest part. Remember the 1fz engine likes to rev high and you should be fine

 

[jhamby]

On two occasions, I have towed fully loaded sugar cane lorries down various village roads. They are 4-ton capacity trucks, so I would guess they weighed around 13,000lbs.

A few factors contributed to this being possible, I think. First, they used their own brakes, so I never had to stop the load. Second, we aired up their tires and filled any large pot holes we would encounter. I was in 4LOW in first gear. Nearly toasted my clutch.

Of course, there's also the small detail that I have the 1HZ diesel

 

[NCFJ]

I am sure that your 80 can tow it but the real question is, should you? If you have ever seen a trailer over power a tow rig and whip both around you know what I am talking about. Very scary indeed. It is one thing to put yourself in harms way, a totally different thing to put all those around you on the highway in harms way as well. Having little or no experience towing is also a big factor. Do yourself a favor and rent a proper tow rig.

 

[Brentbba]

Wimp here. My max is only 4000 lbs. I've used both a weight distribution hitch and electric brakes/controller. If you're renting a trailer to tow it'll probably have surge brakes on it negating the need for you to have a brake controller. As others have said, you WILL NOT set any land speed records towing and your mileage will really stink, but you'll get there! Requisite disclaimer - Mr. T does not recommend weight distribution hitches. Debated here and the trailer section IIRC. If you weren't on the right coast, I'd let you have my old one for a small donation to the scout troop that bought it for my use. It's got several years of dust on it since I went to air bags.

 

[JeepinPete]

I am convinced the reason Toyota doesn't want a weight distribution hitch on these trucks is the LSVP valve. Normal driving my back brakes do not heat up at all. The first time I drug my trailer home the rear brakes were smoking at one point. There is not a drastic difference in braking feel on my truck empty vs towing, they both are pretty lousy

 

[hammerheadfistpunch]

'touché Snake Eater!
I have been bested.
And yes, the physics say that increasing weight exponentially increases stoping distance AND that highway common speeds are faster here in the USA to boot. My thing is that I'd rather individuals be held to a greater level of personal responsibility, instead of having politically motivated politicians and litigiously motivated attorneys constructing a false paradigm that forces people to live and act under the motivation of fear.

And bacon. I like bacon.

I hear your argument, but the truth is that I'm okay with our system....mostly. I would like a tiered license system that rewards additional training with additional capability, but that's a helluva change. In the end it boils down to:
Yes you can tow more than rated, but you better know damn well sure and can prove that you are doing it safely. I think if you can, then you are within a shot of being able to defend to the insurance company lawyers if you wreck that the towing was done safely.

That having been said, I've had a talk with several Engineers for truck makers here in the US and they all say that more and more, the high margins of safety for component's is starting to be a thing of the past. With higher degrees of engineering and mounting pressure to produce the highest numbers, the tow ratings for today's trucks are very close to the maximum limits on the weakest components. Its not just about cooling, or power, or brakes, or chassis rigidity, or springs, or wheel bearings, etc, etc. Its a combo of all of those things and it will be the weakest link that fails, not the strong point.

 

[Howard705]

I am convinced the reason Toyota doesn't want a weight distribution hitch on these trucks is the LSVP valve. Normal driving my back brakes do not heat up at all. The first time I drug my trailer home the rear brakes were smoking at one point. There is not a drastic difference in braking feel on my truck empty vs towing, they both are pretty lousy

With good trailer brakes it probably shouldn't be a problem since they will stop the trailer and load. The '80 has a gvw around 6500 so it should easily handle the 10-15% tongue weight. The weight distribution hitch also evenly distributes the weight over both axles. Since these are 20 years old, as Gmonkey said, their safety margin is still probably high. People regularly load them up over 6500 with add-ons/etc and put 37" tires on and still stop them. Toyota probably hasn't designed or tested the stock hitch for the weight distribution but like other mods that doesn't mean you can't.