Towing with a 60

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marcfj60

marcfj60

15 Year
Joined
Oct 1, 2006
Threads
210
Messages
4,508
Location
Sandia Park, NM
I realize that a 60 isn't the best option for a tow vehicle considering the the low horsepower and modest torque. It seems like there should be enough experiences out there to give me some idea of whether I should even consider it. I'm considering buying a pop-up tent trailer. The owner claims it weighs 1,250 lbs unloaded. It's single axle and has electric brakes. First I need to decide if I really want or need the pop-up. But I also need to be realistic about whether my 60 can even tow it. Thoughts?

The owner has towed it with two different vehicles, a mid-'80's Olsdmobile (that looked a lot like a Chevy Caprice) that probably had a V8 and an early '90's Dodge Dakota with a 3.9L V6. He says the Dakota gets the job done but it's generally at a very low speed in second gear on hills.

Marc
 
I use to tow my 20' center console with a FJ62, and it was on fairly flat ground, truck would have trouble maintaining a consistent speed but all in all it wasn't to bad. I wouldn't recommend it but can be done. I would assume it would shorten clutch/transmission life.
 
Beowulf said:
Yer kiddin', right?

-Mike-
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I'm trying to be optimistic until someone tells me I'm stupid for even thinking it's a possibility.

Marc
 
You can tow a 1200 lb trailer with a 60 - BTDT. But you won't get anywhere fast. Going up in altitude exacerbates the problem. I towed it with my (then 2F powered) 60 to Tucson once and it was what convinced me to put the V8 in. Dragging the pop-up locally, like to the Jemez, wouldn't be a problem.

This thread reminds me, Marc. You mentioned only going 55 - 60 mph to Ruidoso. Is that really as fast as you can go on the highway? I would think a 60 with stock tire size would be able to maintain a decent 70 - 75.
 
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Tent camping with a twist. We have a 12'x12' wall tent with a nifty opening opposite of the door that attaches to the liftgate/tailgate. Leaves a secure place for Wives & Daughters to sleep (in the wagon) and us guys are in the tent part! Way cool
and bunches easier to tow! Doesn't take up much space in the driveway either *<);^)

I'm bringing mine to Ruidoso so you can check it out. If fits on
every wagon I've had, 60,62,80:cheers:

james
 
Cruisergreg said:
This thread reminds me, Marc. You mentioned only going 55 - 60 mph to Ruidoso. Is that really as fast as you can go on the highway? I would think a 60 with stock tire size would be able to maintain a decent 70 - 75.
Click to expand...

I think I can maintain 70 on the Interstate with no problem but I avoid going much higher than that for extended periods of time. I'm comfortable with the speedo indicating 60-65 and with 31" tires I figure that's about 5 mph slower than actual speed.
 
marcfj60 said:
I think I can maintain 70 on the Interstate with no problem but I avoid going much higher than that for extended periods of time.
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Marc,
What RPM are you turning at an indicated 70mph? Is that your concern or is it something else like MPG or brakes or something? Your truck should cruise all day at 75 (the speed limit on better NM roads) without harming the engine if the RPMs are 3,000 or less.

There is a loooooong stretch of I10 between El Paso and San Antonio (~500 miles IIRC) with a posted speed limit of 80 MPH. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me the first sign that I passed.

-Mike-
 
Indicated RPM is ~2,750 when indicated speed is 65 mph. As Greg said, getting close to 3,000, things start to get really loud. I'd guess I'm probably close to 80 when the tach shows 3,000. I don't like how the engine sounds at 3,000. When the speedo shows 55, the RPM is ~2,500. The truck seems very happy at that speed - not too loud, no high pitched highly revved engine, fairly smooth ride....
 
marcfj60 said:
I don't like how the engine sounds at 3,000. When the speedo shows 55, the RPM is ~2,500. The truck seems very happy at that speed - not too loud, no high pitched highly revved engine, fairly smooth ride....
Click to expand...


H55F​

Jon
 
marcfj60 said:
Indicated RPM is ~2,750 when indicated speed is 65 mph. As Greg said, getting close to 3,000, things start to get really loud. I'd guess I'm probably close to 80 when the tach shows 3,000. I don't like how the engine sounds at 3,000. When the speedo shows 55, the RPM is ~2,500. The truck seems very happy at that speed - not too loud, no high pitched highly revved engine, fairly smooth ride....
Click to expand...

So basically, your issue is noise. The engine noise is uncomfortable when the engine RPM is over 2,750 RPM and you don't like how the engine sounds at 3,000 RPM (~80MPH) so it must be really bad at that speed.

I'm not trying to be funny here... Do you feel like the engine is "coming apart" at a steady 3,000 RPM? If yes, then maybe an overdrive transmission like Jon suggested. If not, then maybe some sound deadener could make things more livable from a noise standpoint. Some of the 80-series guys are applying Dynamat inside the doors, on the floors, and in the cargo area to cut down on road noise (mainly those that have installed high-dollar sound systems...)

Or you could run some big Mud tires and you won't be able to hear the engine. :D

-Mike-
 
Beowulf said:
Or you could run some big Mud tires and you won't be able to hear the engine. :D
Click to expand...

the first set of tires i bought for my 40 years ago were 31" Kelly Safari muds. they sounded like, and as loud as, a small airplane by 30 mph. so they don't have to be big to be obnoxiously loud and drown out the engine noise. :D
 
pappy said:
H55F​


Jon
Click to expand...

So who's going to start the "Marc's H55F" fund? What are we talking, $2,000? Will that have any effect on my 60's ability to tow a pop-up?
 
Beowulf said:
So basically, your issue is noise. The engine noise is uncomfortable when the engine RPM is over 2,750 RPM and you don't like how the engine sounds at 3,000 RPM (~80MPH) so it must be really bad at that speed.

I'm not trying to be funny here... Do you feel like the engine is "coming apart" at a steady 3,000 RPM? If yes, then maybe an overdrive transmission like Jon suggested. If not, then maybe some sound deadener could make things more livable from a noise standpoint. Some of the 80-series guys are applying Dynamat inside the doors, on the floors, and in the cargo area to cut down on road noise (mainly those that have installed high-dollar sound systems...)

Or you could run some big Mud tires and you won't be able to hear the engine. :D

-Mike-
Click to expand...

It's not that it's so loud that it bothers me but that I don't like how high speed the engine sounds. That would fall more along the lines of "engine coming apart" than the "too loud" reason. I know the redline is 4,000. 3,000 is pretty far from that. I've run it probably up to 80 with 3,000 rpm but things just don't sound "good" at that rpm. I can't easily define what I mean by "good," "bad" or "comfortable". It just doesn't feel right and I'd rather not push it.

So let's get back to the question of towing the trailer. Should I just accept that it's not a good idea and pass on the good deal of the trailer? The truck is already slow. Pulling ~1,500 lbs behind will only make things worse. But I won't be pulling this every day. It will probably be a few times a year. I don't have a problem with tent camping. I will still do it on dedicated 4WD trips. But I was thinking it would be nice to have something a little bigger, more convenient and with a few amenities that tent camping doesn't offer for some of our camping trips.
 
You could move up to a 3rd gen 4Runner. Our's, pulling the pop-up, gets better mileage than a 60 by itself. It also gets about 20 mpg at 75 mph by itself, and it's comfortable above that. The only drawback is the IFS (plus some snottiness by some because it's not a real Landcruiser).
 
marcfj60 said:
Should I just accept that it's not a good idea and pass on the good deal of the trailer? The truck is already slow. Pulling ~1,500 lbs behind will only make things worse...
Click to expand...

marcfj60 said:
You could move up to a 3rd gen 4Runner. ...
Click to expand...

I love the way any problem on this forum is addressed by the suggestion of purchasing a different vehicle...

Anyway...... Marc, you're in that overthinking mode again. If you want a pop-up and have found a good deal then get it. You can pull a trailer that size with just about anything. When I went to sign the final papers when we bought our pop-up the dealer thought I intended to pull it with the RX7 I drove up in. When I laughed at the suggestion he said that the car would've towed it just fine.

More than pulling power I would be more concerned about braking, but the unit you've mentioned already has trailer brakes, so you're fine.

If you're looking for reasons to replace your 60, don't waste your time, just dump it and replace it with whatever you can afford that makes you happy. And it'll save some bandwidth here :-)
 
Marc,

Can you "test tow" the popup behind your 60 going up a long grade to find the answer out yourself? This will tell you whether or not your vehicle has the power to satisfy your needs. It'll probably do fine, just stay in the slow lane. The electric brake is a big plus. Oh yeah, there's the additional fuel consumption...not your favorite topic...!
 
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