I've read alot of the threads on towing, but I want to ask anyway. Does anyone out there have experience towing w/ a '95 - '97 Toyota Land Cruiser. It has an 4.5 liter I-6.
The weird thing is that it's rated for 5000 lbs max towing, the same as the smaller weaker 4-Runner??? It has a 112 inch wheelbase. I'm looking at a '03 19' Bambi or a 25' Safari, the Safari weighing in empty just below the 5k mark, add some groceries & I'm over. I know I'd be better off w/ the Bambi... but the Safari is just so much bigger... I want it & I want it now Looking for some justification here
There could be several factors as to why both have the 5k rating. It could be trans, gearing, coolling, etc.
I think V6s are great engines, but if you had a V8 with 3.73 gears, HD cooling for the coolant and the trans, I might say go for it, but I can't.
The V6 might not have the torque to do the job or the trans, gears or cooling to deal with it either. I am sure it could pull it, but at what cost. I'm not saying go out and get an 8.1L Chevy V8, but I am not sure your Land Criuser will be able to last the long term by going much further than the 5k stated.
Join a Toyota list serve and see what others are doing. I joined the Impala SS forum and found lots of great info on keeping the car happy when pulling. A bunch of great dos and don'ts.
Also, keep in mind the larger the rig, the more costly it is to move. If you don't need the space, 1,300lbs adds up. My '03 Bambi loaded really hit my MPG pretty hard, I can only imagine what the 25' Safari would have done.
I have a very robust tow vehicle that has heavy duty everything. The car is an absolute champ pulling. I chose those for cost difference between the Safari and the Bambi, possible MPG concerns and the actual space I need, and pushing the towing envelope and came to the Bambi as the clear winner for what I need.
Had I needed the larger space the Safari offers, I might have taken it on given the nature of my tow vehicle. I've been towing for over 10 years. You are right on the line though.
I do not have experience with the Toyota Land Cruiser - but the small V8 in my 2002 Ford Explorer is about the minimum to tow a Safari 25. A six cylinder would be straining hard on hills! Going over the tow rating would be a very bad idea.
If you really want the Safari, sell off the Toyota and buy a used tow vehicle.
Sure. I know what the I-6 means. Still, a good V8 will have a bit more torque than than the I-6 which is one reason why I am a bit hesitant to suggest going for the 6300lb trailer. A V8 also has a bit more to wind out of it.
I also have an '85 Dodge pickup I-6 that I think is a totally fantastic machine. The engine is rock solid as yours might be too. It has the gears, the cooling, etc. I am not sure that I would dare (even if it were younger) try to pull a 6300lb trailer with it.
You might be able to do what you propose, but I think you are right in the gray area where it could really go either way. I tend to err on the safe side, that's why I recommend going to a Toyota list serve and talk with a few folks that either tried it, done it or didn't and can tell you why.
But since you are asking advice, if it were me, I would not go to 6300lbs.
My guess is that if you want a 25', then you want a 25'. No sense in buying a Bambi and then wishing you'd got the Safari. I know in our own case, and for our purposes, we had to have the 25'.
Just a guess, of course.
On the other hand, that is not much wheelbase (112") for towing a Safari.
Looks like we all so far are on the same page. I don't want to come across like I am telling you what you have to do, nor do I want to preach either. Just want to see you keep posting and not get into trouble on the road.
I agree that the Safari is a great unit. If that is what you really want/need, I think you should consider trading the Land Cruiser for something that is a bit more robust. If not, the Bambi, from personal exp, is a great unit too.
Just remember....
"A bad day with an Airstream still beats a GREAT day with anything else!"
I am in exactly the same position regarding our '97 Toyota Land Cruiser vs. towing a 25' Safari!
We love our '67 Caravel (about 3500lb), but desire beds that can be left as beds -- ie, not pulling out the front sofa for one bed as we currently do.
The 25' Safari looks to be the shortest, lightest model which achieves our goal.
The Landcruiser is wonderful for the Caravel, but...
I have a 94' Cruiser with the same engine (125,000 mi) and I wouldn't try to haul anthing heavier than a popup trailer with it. I echo everything that has been mentioned. I won't even take my Cruiser into the muck (heavy duty 4 wheeling) even though it should be able to handle it (I take the T-100 instead). Having said all of that, I still love the Cruiser and will keep it until it conks out.
I blew my inline v6 Land Cruiser pretty quick. Just going through the mountains, not pulling anything! I would never be convinced it had the ability to cool itself when pulling a 25' trailer. Sorry.
I had a 2000 Land Cruiser, with ther Toyota V8. Absolutely loved the vehicle. It has plenty of heft for stability but even the V8 is somewhat underpowered in that vehicle for towing anything very heavy.
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Dave
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2001 19' Bambi
02 Avalanche
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