What do you use for towing?

[Ray Bell]

Recognising that there are a few competitors on the board, and that many others would tow trailers or caravans for a variety of purposes, I'll pose this question.

Everything I do is done with the old 504 wagon, but there will, no doubt, be a variety of vehicles used for this purpose.

We'll be especially interested in towmasters used to cart race cars around...

[redback]

Ford Falcon ute with a 351 V8. It tows a two car trailer well and is still stylish enough to cruise.

[marcus]

your standard everyday run of the mill VN Commodore used to tow a double kart trailer and quite well too i might add..my other car a 87 XF Falcon does not tow well at all

[Bluebottle]

We use a 1984 Ford Granada 2.3LX to pull (and stop!) an unbraked 8'x4'x4' box trailer full of P.A. gear, guitar and bass stuff and PaulC's drums. I think tha Ford Falcon of that era was the same shape but with decent sized engines in them, still- it can sustane a decent pace while towing and has little trouble on hilly twisty bits and dosn't get too hot.

[Ray Bell]

Well, I really expected this thread to see a bit more action...

How many members race? Quite a few, I would assume...

So why not tell us some more about tow cars, past and present. My best one was an Austin A99 with the three-speed box with Borg Warner overdrive, simply fantastic, and economical to boot with its pair of SU carburettors... there must be others out there?

[Slowcoach]

Hi Ray , I think the problem maybe that there was a very similar thread just before you joined the forum , people may have thought it was the same one going .
Anyway I have a Range Rover (classic shape) - it tows brilliantly , either my car or my wife's horsebox ! Previously I had a Granada Scorpio 4x4 - I feel u really need a 4x4 , for those wet muddy paddocks ! I am hoping to trade in the RR for a Yankee Hi-top Dayvan this year - just want a bit more room inside to relax if the weather is pants - which it normally is over here !

[DAVID PATERSON]

I have a Ford Falcon Futura AU series II station wagon(estate car). It will be 12 months old in a couple of weeks. It is 5 metres (16'5") long and weighs over 1 1/2 tons. It has a 4.0 litre SOHC inline six engine with EFI and produces 157kW (210hp). It is very comfortable with room for 5 adults and an enormous boot (trunk). Being a brand new car it also very reliable and well equipped. The only downside, apart from being a Ford, is that it is very thirsty. When I'm towing on the open highway I only get 7 km/litre (20mpg). It's a good thing, I don't pay for fuel.

Marcus, my dad used to have an XF sedan with a carbied 4.1 and we towed my race car to Warwick with it and it went OK. It was so slow but it got there alright, no worries at all in fact.

[Peter Mallett]

I'm actually on the market for a 4x4. I'm really taken by the Ford Explorer (North Face) because it has all the bells and whistles (full leather, air con, 5 speed auto etc.). I know its off road performance is lesser than the Jeep but as with 0-60 mph times it's only the testers who take cars to those limits.

However, whilst researching this I've been offered a six months old 3000 miles ex demo Jeep Cherokee 60th anniversary model. Its a big saving over the Ford but is it better?I know its not quite as luxurious or indeed as big as the Ford.

I will be test driving the Cherokee on my return to the UK and will also test drive a Ford.

Any thoughts?

[Airhead]

Peter,

Don't put Firestone tyres on the Explorer!

[Peter Mallett]

Good point and well made Moff.

(Fancy a pie?)

[Hans.ca]

Peter I don't want to rain on your parade but the Ford explorer has some problems. While hunting in the north last year one of our fellow hunters had an Explorer. We also had a wash board road and he had trouble to keep it on the road. I think the wheelbase is to short. This wash board road starts at the transcanada highway west of Upsala and goes north. It is mostly used by logging trucks and a grader works on it every day. Fully loaded trucks average about 100 kph on it.
I drive a Ford F150 4x4 with the 5 liter engine. It had no trouble staying on the road but the down side is the fuel consumtion of 20 liters per 100 km while towing a small utilitie trailer loaded with food and to be used to carry the Moose home. The truck is a good tow vehicle, I also tow a boat trailer with it and it works fine.

[Vandas]

Well we use a number of vehicles to tow our Race Car.

We use a Toyota HiAce Commuter Van as our support vehicle, and it sometimes tows as well. However we prefer not to use it for towing, as it is usually loaded down with all of our equipment.

We often use my Dad's Mercedes M430 for towing. It does it easily and take a lot of the pressure off the poor BONGO VAN.

We also use a Holden Rodeo, which tows nicely, and also allows for extra storage of the dirtier equipment, which Dad would never allow into his car. hehehe

Anyway it has been towed by many a vehicle, but these are the more commonly used.

[Diabando]

We use an XF Falcon to tow the horse float. It has never given us a moments trouble, tows easy, and all the movement behind doesnt seem to bother it (which in other "stronger" cars, has been a problem).

[Peter Mallett]

Hans,

What year was the vehicle in question? Because since late '99 the chassis and suspension has improved immensely. According to reports it is a totally different vehicle now. There are a few here in Siberia and I've not heard any complaints. Mind you the favoured 4x4 here is the Toyota Landcruiser. But I don't like them.

Bear in mind that I don't really want it for off road capabilities. I do want a comfortable and powerful car for towing on the roads and around the paddocks in thre UK and Europe.

Upsala? I remember my time there in '96. I stayed at the "Best Western" and I used to ........... er no, I'd better not go there!!!!!!

What's a "washboard road"?

[Morris 1100]

I use a 1976 Ford F100 long wheelbase ute(pickup)with a 351 cleveland engine for towing a HQ Holden race car,the car and spares weigh about 1500kg.It cruises along at 110kph very well and gets about 15mpg,it can go from Sydney to Albury before the 2 fuel tanks need filling up,top speed fully loaded about 150kph but you don't get a chance to do that very often now days!

[Airhead]

Dear Morris,

Welcome to the house of fun. Get into it and enjoy yourself. I once had a Morris 1100 with a 1310 Cooper S motor installed. Went well seeing as the whole thing had some radical rust therapy to lighten the load.

[Ray Bell]

Washboard road, Peter?

Very severe corrugations in the surface.

And I'll also welcome Morris 1100... shame it's not an MG 1100, isn't it? Get posting, and have fun...

[Hans.ca]

Washboard road, Ray Bell has the answer.
The model I was talking about was a 99 model if I remember correctely.
I saw the car you want on the weekend. It is a Ford Excursion complete with leather interior. All the bell's and whistles on it, about $ 55 000. in Canada. It shows you the gas milage in liters or gallons. Does not make any difference which you use this unit drinks gas like my truck. (20 liters per 100 km)But it is big and beautifull and stays on the road.
No best western in Upsala, just 2 gas stations and one motel I think. Yes it does have a Liquore store there also, all the important stuff.

[Peter Mallett]

20 litres/100kms is about right for the vehicle in question. Do you mean that the Explorer over here is the "Excursion" over there? Or are you talking about a different vehicle?

I meant Upsalla in Sweden.

[Hans.ca]

No the Excursion is about the same size as the Lincoln Navigator. It is much bigger then the Explorer. The Excursion like the Navigator is built on a truck chassie. It handles well and looks good and will tow a 36 foot hous trailer without problem.
I assumed you meant Upsala in Sweden, nobody but us Moose Hunters visits the place in Ontario. For your information I was in Upsala, Sweden in 1949 while on a month long holiday from my job in Denmark. Don't remember any "Best Western" hotel, my style was youth hostels and back packing. However I do remember all them nice blond flicke. I think that is spelled correct if not I meant girls.

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by Peter Mallett
I'm actually on the market for a 4x4. I'm really taken by the Ford Explorer (North Face) because it has all the bells and whistles (full leather, air con, 5 speed auto etc.). I know its off road performance is lesser than the Jeep but as with 0-60 mph times it's only the testers who take cars to those limits.

However, whilst researching this I've been offered a six months old 3000 miles ex demo Jeep Cherokee 60th anniversary model. Its a big saving over the Ford but is it better?I know its not quite as luxurious or indeed as big as the Ford.

I will be test driving the Cherokee on my return to the UK and will also test drive a Ford.

Any thoughts?

Peter,
From what my friends here tell me, teh Ford is not that great an off road vehicle, whereas the jeep is superb - I'd go with the jeep. Forget about all teh fancy stuff in the Ford - unless you are a sissy that will never drive the vehicle out of the West End.
One warning - your fuel costs will keep you in Siberia for the next two lifetimes.
Go with the best - go with the Jeep Cherokee.

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by Peter Mallett


Bear in mind that I don't really want it for off road capabilities. I do want a comfortable and powerful car for towing on the roads and around the paddocks in thre UK and Europe.

Peter, Check out the Volvo Cross Country with the R motor. Before you buy it, check out the insurance rates first.
There is no better vehicle to meet your needs. You can unhook whatever you are towing, and have a ball with that car.
A washboard surface, is a corrugated surface on a dirt road, usually resulting from cars being driven on the road at a fairly constant speed. It can bugger up your suspension in no time if you drive at the wrong speed on such roads.

[Valve Bounce]

As for towing, it all depends on what you tow and where you are towing. In Hong Kong, I towed a dinghy on a small trailer with my Volvo 240 GLE which had the two litre engine only - no problems at all. So I would imagine cars with the low pressure turbos nowadays would be great for towing, it all depends what your needs are and who you want to impress, not to mention the degree of safety you want for yourself. If I had to tow anything, I would simply fit a tow bar to my Volvo AWD.
There are people that say that you need a 4WD if you want to drive in the country and onto dirt roads. This is all Bull$hit, as anyone who has competed in rallies will confirm. My friends who lived in Banana (yes!! there is such a place in Queensland near Biloela) said to me that he could never own a Porsche because of the rough roads, and I assured him that I could drive a Porsche onto his property without incurring a single dent or scratch, except from flying stones from other cars. Hell!! I used to rally a Peugeot 403 over some of the worst roads in Queensland.
Like I said, what 4WD you buy depends on who you want to impress.
The only real 4WD owners are those who go off road, across creek crossings and so on, not this silly woman who said on TV the other day that she needed a 4WD to drive her kids to school in the city because she needed the space.

[Peter Mallett]

Looked at the Volvo, but its too expensive really and small. The Car will also be used for business so whilst I need it for towing it will not be an "off roader" as such which is where the Jeep really scores. The Jeep is a bit cramped in the back and for passengers the rear seats are not good for really long journeys. The Ford scores in the comfort dept.

Hans. They're still blonde and er gorgeous in Upsalla.

[Ray Bell]

Used to rally a 403, VB?

And managed to get clutch slip, too, I guess... I never felt they were as good for the purpose as the 203, which seemed much tauter in the body. And the 404, of course, with a taut body and more power...