Hello (new member) 18.57 question

[Wes]

Hello all,

Nice forum you have here and plenty of info - I was stoked to find it!

So, our ownership history is all Jayco, and we've had:
1. Flamingo Touring model 2002, purchased second hand
2. Flamingo Touring model, 2006, purchased new
3. Expanda 16.49 Touring, 2008, purchased new
4. Swan Outback, 2012, purchased new

Like many I've talked to, the needs seem to change over time as your experience grows and you define what suits yourself best. Also, our needs change as our family grows up too.

Right now, with our young family (10yo and 8yo), I'm looking to sell the Swan and get into a 18.57-6 OB (bunks instead of rear bed). Can anyone give me their experiences regarding towing one of these with a 3.0 Patrol Auto Wagon?

I find it easy to tow the Swan at maximum legal speed even with the roof rack fully loaded. However, wind drag would be so much greater with this. I expect I would be able to tow at 90 in third without too much drama....or is that a complete pipe dream?

On the subject of tow tugs, does anyone have any experience towing an 18.57 OB with a 4.7V8 100 series, with regards to fuel consumption? I ask because this would be my choice of tow tug if the Patrol isn't suitable.

cheers! Wes

 

[Stan53]

G'day Wes and a very warm welcome to our forum.
Can't help you much with your questions as I am a Jayco Swift owner and wouldn't change it for quids. I will say this though, if your 3L Patrol is a diesel, towing won't be a problem. Especially if it's turbo. Just check its tow rating.
Meanwhile enjoy.

 

[bigcol]

hiya Wes - welcome to the Forum, plenty of good ideas and ways to spend your hard earned coin on Mods for sure............

with wanting a Cruiser - I have a v8, 4.7L Kakadu (2004 100series) tows my 16' like its not there, but it is rather thirsty when towing

yes, you are right, the wind drag - you dont think its there, but BOY do you feel it when you move on up the scale of Vans
my Patrol used to tow my Flamingo Offroad without a drama - but it sure feels like the brakes are on with my 16'
your 3L will pull it with ease - just not as fast as you are used to
yes, dont put it into Transmission Lockup (4th / over drive) you fuel bill will go through the roof

where abouts are you located?

cheers

 

[craigandteena]

Wes, while I have a different van here is a comparison for info. I have a 14.44 OB towing with Kluger AWD. The van has Tare of 1650kg and near the 1900kg fully loaded. I get ~18ltr/100km when towing and about 11ltr/100 when not. The OB sits a lot higher so the wind drag is there. I have no problem from a torque perspective towing. In summary you won't have an issue just expect to consume a lot more fuel as I had a camper previously and did not know it was behind me, however I am happy to burn more fuel for quicker setup and then able to crack a coldie sooner.

 

[Griffo]

Wes, used to have 3L GU4 towing a Swan OB and didn't really know it was there. A couple of years ago upgraded to a Pathfinder 550 and a 14.45.5 Outback. Given the 550s power and torque the only place I notice the van is at a servo. On a recent @@k trip averaged 16.5l per 100km but got as high as 22 into a reasonable headwind coming across the Nullabor and maintaining 100kph. By comparison Sydney/ Canberra averages a smidge over 10l/100km without the van on. The Patrol should pull your new van without too many issues but as others have said fuel consumption will go up. My worst with the Patrol and Swan was 22l/100k between Nyngan and Cunnamulla a few years ago but much of the Nyngan/ Bourke section was into an 80kph headwind and I struggled to hold road speed in any thing but 3rd.

From memory your tow rating is 2800kgs with the Auto so you should be Ok with an 18.57 at about 2300Kgs loaded.

Enjoy your travels.

 

[Bushman]

Auto 3ltr Patrols are restricted to 2500kg

Part of the appeal is the Y61 Patrol's 3200kg towing capacity for manual models (although the auto is restricted to 2500kg) and 125 litre long range fuel tanks which can deliver about 1000km between refills in optimum driving conditions.

The full artical
Patrol

 

[Wes]

Thanks everyone. Its funny with the tow rating as the same chassis with a 4.2 diesel or 4.8 petrol can tow 3500. I think its the actual auto which might hold it back in its official tow rating. Towing other stuff (like my tandem trailer full of sand or bricks), the Patrol doesn't struggle to handle the weight if you talk about stability or braking, it always 'feels' comfortable. Engine torque on the other hand is lacking with a heavy load. I think what I'll do is get my hands on the 18.57 and just see how I go.

Big Col - we're in Perth too. I actually had a 2006 UZJ100 GXL before my Patrol(s), and only really swapped to this because fuel range was so bad when towing and loaded. I don't really care about consumption - just range, so if I went back to a UZJ100 I would get a huge tank to defeat the huge consumption! im also looking at UZJ200 as they're getting more affordable all the time and have the VVT which makes a difference
Thanks craig and teena - modern petrol Toyota's are about as good on fuel as some other makes' diesels. Good thing about Kluger is that it has power to spare, so doesnt need to be pushed hard to tow a small van, and i reckon that's the 'secret' to good consumption
Brad - I have driven that motor in a Navara. WOW. And I know for sure that my car has a tow rating of 2500, where the manual version is 3200kg. Which is odd because the auto actually tows better IMO

 

[bigcol]

I think its the actual auto which might hold it back in its official tow rating. Towing other stuff (like my tandem trailer full of sand or bricks), the Patrol doesn't struggle to handle the weight if you talk about stability or braking, it always 'feels' comfortable. Engine torque on the other hand is lacking with a heavy load. I think what I'll do is get my hands on the 18.57 and just see how I go.

your quite correct there - for some reason, Nissan does not trust their own Auto to do the Job...........

Its funny with the tow rating as the same chassis with a 4.2 diesel or 4.8 petrol can tow 3500.

well, not quite - the chassis is slightly different for the 4.8 to the 4.2 to the 3L at the front in the engine bay....... not just the engine mounts either
also, the 4.8 has bigger brakes than either the 4.2 or the 3.0