i researched trailer brakes (some redarc products is what i remember arriving at i guess) at one point but never got much further than that.
can anyone post what their (specific) upgrades were for towing and also what to watch out for or things to avoid?
i'm basically looking to list out specific items (and also cost out) what a proper setup would be and how much weight i can expect to safely tow in part so i can look out for new in box used items but also so i can plan to do this over time.
i guess a proper setup is brake controller, cooler upgrade (or something?), and airbags?
thanks
In all seriousness if you are towing something that requires trailer brakes you might be reaching the max tow capacity which is 5k lbs with a Fzj80. I’m sure people have towed more and been fine. A good brake controller can be had for reasonable cheep and do wonders. Weight distribution hitches work good on a heavy load and anti sway hitches help with wind or uneven roads.
Requirements for trailer brakes depend on the jurisdiction and typically are set by weight of the trailer. There are plenty of places where the requirement is much less than what the 80 is rated to tow. And IMO, trailer brakes are usually beneficial regardless of what the law requires.
I used a Reece brake controller (<$100) and added Air Lift air bags (~$120). You'll also need the lighting harness and plug assembly (<$100) that matches the trailer's. This will plug right into the 80 harness under the cargo floor near your stock spare tire location.
My trailer is rated as a 1/4 ton, but that is it's amphibious capacity. It'll float that ashore if you install plugs in the 4 holes at each corner. Underneath, it has what is basically the same 3500 lb capacity axle most small single axle trailers have. It had parking brakes and that made it easy to just bolt on electric trailer brakes, just swap those in in place of the old. The cheapest way to do this is not to buy the parts kits, but to buy the entire axle as you want it. If so inclined, you can swap in the whole axle assembly. Since I had no way of welding up the spring perches, I just swapped what I needed and sold the axle and this was much cheaper than buying the conversion kits.
Long story short, although not legally required to have road brakes, having them dramatically improved the tow performance of the trailer. It wasn't pushing the 80 around anymore, especially noted on hills. Since I use a pintle and lunnette tow bar arrangement, trailer brakes also took away most of the noisy slack that is common with this off-road friendly towing hardware.
so following up here. i have a 98 tacoma 4WD that is a great little truck but needs suspension and brakes snd AC and also the 97 LX 450 (which of course doesn't get great gas mileage).
if i wanted to tow a 31 foot airstream am i going to need a 1st get V8 tundra? or can i somehow swing it by ca bringing jig to work on the budget build land cruiser?
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A 31-foot Airstream, commonly known as the Sovereign or International Land Yacht, is a classic, large-format vintage travel trailer, frequently produced in the 1970s and 80s, offering around 4,900–6,800 lbs dry weight.
so following up here. i have a 98 tacoma 4WD that is a great little truck but needs suspension and brakes snd AC and also the 97 LX 450 (which of course doesn't get great gas mileage).
if i wanted to tow a 31 foot airstream am i going to need a 1st get V8 tundra? or can i somehow swing it by ca bringing jig to work on the budget build land cruiser?
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A 31-foot Airstream, commonly known as the Sovereign or International Land Yacht, is a classic, large-format vintage travel trailer, frequently produced in the 1970s and 80s, offering around 4,900–6,800 lbs dry weight.
IMO, that's a lot of trailer for a LX450 to handle. At 4,900lb dry, once you top up the tanks and add in groceries, you're over the rated tow capacity. At 6,800, you're way over before you even load up to travel.
so following up here. i have a 98 tacoma 4WD that is a great little truck but needs suspension and brakes snd AC and also the 97 LX 450 (which of course doesn't get great gas mileage).
if i wanted to tow a 31 foot airstream am i going to need a 1st get V8 tundra? or can i somehow swing it by ca bringing jig to work on the budget build land cruiser?
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A 31-foot Airstream, commonly known as the Sovereign or International Land Yacht, is a classic, large-format vintage travel trailer, frequently produced in the 1970s and 80s, offering around 4,900–6,800 lbs dry weight.
That is a lot of trailer for a 80 that's not forced induced. You already said it, get the V8 tundra and the longer wheelbase, the better for towing a long/heavy trailer. If you have your heart set on a Tundra, I'd get the one with the 5speed+VVTI combo for towing this beauty.
No sure our applications match, but this is what I did.
1) REDARC on/off road trailer brake control. Lets you dial in inertial braking on pavement and load on the brakes on loose surfaces. $$$ but amazing control.
2) Re-geared to 4:88 on 33's. Towing was difficult climbing hills in upstate SC and Western NC and N GA. Not anymore. The ol' girl pulls like a train.
My camping trailer is light, fully loaded its 2200-2500 pounds.
My utility trailer is pig, it's 1500# empty and I'll haul a pallet of mulch around, so 3500 ish lbs. No trailer brakes on that one and I have to pay attention to getting it stopped.
I've collected heeps (er I mean Jeeps) for friends on U-Haul car haulers and the Bean knows they're back there, but she doesn't complain. 2K for the car hauler and another 2900 for an antique jeep. So 5000ish.
I'm running the wits turbo on my 1fz-fe, 488's and 37's, set up with the red arc tow control system. I pull a small turtle back camp trailer that weighs around 1,900lbs loaded. As well, I have a digital transmission temperature gauge. In all the years of towing up very steep inclines or through the desert at high speeds on hot summer days I have never seen the transmission reach critical operating temperatures. It cools great and rapidly decreases in temperature as soon as I ease off gas pedal. That being said, I would not pull a 5k trailer with this rig (even with my big brake kit).
I don't think the 80 will be able to safely or comfortably tow that Airstream. You could move it around a campground or down low speed, local back roads but I wouldn't want to try to pull that at speed, distance, in heavy traffic, etc.
We have a 3k ish lb popup and have towed it thousands of miles up and down the East Coast and to the Rockies, etc. It tows fine in most scenarios but struggles with altitude and on extended, steep climbs and similar. My 80 is naturally aspirated and does fine up to a point but with the camper in tow is right on the edge of being able to keep speed in some cases so can be slowed by headwinds or whatever you may encounter. That's with a low profile popup, even if the Airstream were lighter the size and profile of it is going to be a handful in some situations.
My upgrades were brake controller, rear air bags and all of the tuning/tightening that I could think of. To tow that Airstream you simply need a larger tow vehicle.
My buddy has a Airstream like you are describing (his might be a bit larger). Full of gear its around 8000lbs and he tows it with a 2018 GMC 2500 duramax.
I wouldn't bother trying to make an 80 series into a towing monster that it will never be. Stick with small trailers for the 80 or get a full size truck for towing large trailers.
A 31-foot Airstream, commonly known as the Sovereign or International Land Yacht, is a classic, large-format vintage travel trailer, frequently produced in the 1970s and 80s, offering around 4,900–6,800 lbs dry weight.
LOL. That would be a hard negative ghostrider.
You're outside of the design parameters even if the 80 was just out of the showroom.
That is the wrong vehicle to use.
2001-2006 Suburban 2500 with the 8.1 would be a far better choice.
Only thing id add is a torque converter lock up, to keep the trans temp down. You can buy kits from aussie which are a waste of money. Or you can tie into the wire on the trans computer to manually lock the converter.
Hey Guys
i have a 1hd-ft 96 landcruiser 80 series with a 4 speed auto.
at the moment its living on the dyno chasing some good hp out of the diesel
but cant keep the tc in lockup
is there any mod or wire i can tap into to lockup the tc in 3rd
without buying the wholesale automatic valve body
as you can see by the dyno chart it wont stay in lockup when the foot is put down
????
I did this which works mint, until you go up a big hill with a 3.5 ton trailer on and the torque converter lock up just isn't strong enough and the switch makes no difference. Vehicles with a decent tow rating like American pickups cost an arm and a leg here, which is why I'm putting a Cummins and NV4500 in my 80 series.
