Wonder how Europeans tow their big boats without a giant Ford F350? This Toyota Land Cruiser pickup looks positively petite in front of that fat boat, and has a 3 liter diesel, I presume. But it’s willing, ready and (presumably) able.
I have learned that the reason tow ratings in Europe are generally higher than in the US is because speeds are more severely restricted there, and thus a smaller percentage of the trailer weight is allowed to be on the hitch than the 10% in the US. If the LC could get this rig up to the 70 mph (113 kmh) speed limit allowed for towing trailers in some states (Texas, for example), I would be a wee bit worried about its stability.
Shot at the Danube in Vienna and posted at the Cohort by T-Minor
The Toyota Land Cruiser pickup truck looks too small and too light weight to tow such a trailer. It could tow the trailer, with no problems, but with something as heavy as the boat it’s carrying, it looks way too small. I would think you’d need something bigger than that, possibly a Ford F250 with the Powerstroke Diesel, a Dodge Ram D2500 with a Cummins Turbo Diesel, or a Chevy/GMC C2500 with Duramax Diesel.
Jason, you really don’t need massive turbo diesels to tow some weight. The Iveco Daily tractor below has a 3.0 liter inline-4 turbo diesel (Iveco=Fiat Group).
Huh! Fascinating. Unfortunately, not many Toyotas were sold in the USA with a turbo diesel engine. And I’m not from Europe, so I don’t get to see that many Iveco trucks, much less one with a small turbo diesel engine.
As far as I know the Iveco brand isn’t sold in the US. Below the current model Daily, maybe it gets a Ram badge in the future (like the smaller Fiat vans).
They used to be sold here , quite a few Diesel Cube and Bobtail vans .
-Nate
Its a tupperware boat so not very heavy a local here tows something this size in alluminium with a 3,0L turbo diesel Surf/4runner and he goes at the legal 90kmh I followed him for a few klicks.
Speeds are more severely restricted (vehicles towing anything have lower speed limits than those not towing) and the driver’s licensing standards are higher.
I went to a school to get the knowledge and skills to take and pass the written and driving tests for my “Class A” license, but as far as I know no state requires classroom instruction. Get the handbook and study it and learn how to double-clutch and steer something almost 80 feet long, then head to your state’s DMV.
Dont forget learning how to brake and reverse said 80ft vehicle, most modern American tractor units have auto shift because Americans cant drive manuals let alone no syncromesh 18 speeds LOL
Your bashing sure does get tiresome Bryce—what do you really know about ‘America’ other than what you read online? Based on what you write, you know little or nothing from actual experience here, so keep it to yourself.
I eagerly await Johannes Dutch posting another ludicrously mismatched ensemble from Nederland.
My family survived a trailer rollover accident during my childhood; some sort of induced oscillation is all I know about it. Can anyone provide more scientific detail on the dynamics of hitch towing? Is relative weight all that matters? Regulations say more about what than why.
http://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611
What matters is weight distribution and speed. European specs for less tongue weight means a smaller vehicle can tow, but stability suffers at speeds greater than 60 MPH.
Thanks, that helped!
The stability issues at speeds more than 60mph is why in Europe you generally can’t tow anything faster than 56mph. Not that you’d want to tow an aerodynamic equivalent of a brick or a sail any faster than that. Especially if you’re doing the towing with something underpowered, light and FWD, that can’t even maintain a constant speed at a gradient.
People in Europe aren’t stupid though. Those that need to tow frequently do buy American because when towing 7000lbs an American gasser V8 gets better mileage than an euro-japanese inline-4 diesel. Longer wheelbase helps, too.
Many US States limit towing speeds to 55mph. Doesn’t mean everyone heeds it though.
Actually, they don’t restrict towing to 55 mph. Split speed limits are only found in a handful of states (the 55 mph you’re thinking of is California). Many of the current split speed limits are for 60 or 65 for trucks over 8,000 pounds, not for vehicles towing anything a la California (which is an extreme rarity in setting a speed limit for simply towing anything).
Nope. Enthusiasts (guys who like to have something different) drive US gasser V8s. Running on LPG, by the way. None of them are imported officially.
Any midsized SUV like a Land Cruiser 150 series (Prado) will do to tow 7,700 lbs legally and in all safety. With a 3.0 liter inline-4 turbo diesel. Note that 3.0 liter turbo diesels are good for circa 200 hp these days. There’s just no way that anything with a big V8 gasoline engine can do that job more efficiently. Not here, that is.
The Iveco I posted above can easily tow a 20,000 lbs semi-trailer. We aren’t stupid, indeed.
A Volkswagen Bus is NOT underpowered. And no tongue weight problem.
Gearing would help a lot here.
Exactly !
Knowing what to do and what not to do when things go wrong is very important, more important than too much horsepower.
This does look odd but I’ll bet that the weight of that boat is perfectly centered over the axle or axles. The pictures don’t show if there is one axle or two. You can see quite clearly that the truck is not squatting at all. With proper trailer brakes and weight distribution I can see this working in flat country. The big question is how well this will perform on a boat ramp.
Just a guess, but judging from the surroundings I wonder if the picture was shot at a marine or something and the LandCruiser is being used a as a yard mule. For that purpose it would be awesome with the short wheelbase to move and park boats.
An excellent hypothesis.
That was my thought too.
Thats a long wheelbase Cruiser the shorties are useless for heavy towing you get too much push to control.
It was, but if the boat’s weight is within the limits, it could tow it legally on the road.
I was thinking the same thing. Also, you don’t need a bigger veihicle/engine to tow these big items, as evidenced here, but the larger sized/heavier tow vehicle will help when slowing down.
Most likely this Toyota has a naturally aspirated 4.2 liter inline-6 diesel. Power 125 hp, IIRC.
We used an earlier model Troopy to carry 12 guys and tow two tonnes of equipment it would cruise at 100kmh laden quite easily 4,2 motors have plenty of torque.
The 70-series as shown in the article was the last gen that was officially imported here. Very capable and durable. And quite spartan. With the old school non-turbo 4.2 liter diesel under its hood.
The local beekeeper has one, silver with a white top.
500,000+ km on the clock.
Now we only got the 150-series / Prado and the big V8 model. Plus the HiLux, of course.
I think this perhaps might just be the vehicle the harbour dudes use to move the trailers around the harbour grounds
Does not look like they are ready to hit the autobahn with the top still up.
Why? people drive their boats flat out with the top up, is there more wind resistance on land?
Flat out in most boats is far below typical highway speeds. Few travel flat out for long, WOT (wide open throttle) puts a lot of stress on the engine and outdrive. High speeds in a boat with the bimini (top) up will put a lot of wear on it (the bimini).
On water, the bimini has a parachute effect, increasing fuel consumption and affecting handling in crosswinds. When traveling for speed between distances, the bimini us usually taken down.
Bimini up, that boat is quite tall, I’ll wager about 15 feet. A hazard under trees and potentially low structures or bridges.
Bimini and boat manufacturers will tell you to trailer with the bimini down. There may even be highway regulations in some jurisdictions addressing this.
Yes, the boat sits a lot higher on the trailer than in the water. Wind sheer is also a way bigger problem with a boat on a trailer.
I have been around european marinas and harbours my whole life. Never ever I have seen some one hauling a boat with the top still up.
I LIKE the functional utility of that Land Cruiser pickup. I’m sure it also has a manual transmission. Wish I could get one here in the U.S. Got any details on the pickup?
From your article I get the impression the Europeans are more sensible and reasonable about towing, i.e., towing within the limits of the vehicle capabilities, than many U.S. drivers I’ve seen. I’ve seen people tow their big trailers and boats as though they were driving performance cars.
I agree. I’ve never seen a Land Cruiser pickup truck here in the USA or in Canada.
Years ago, my sister had a boyfriend who was a serious back woods type. He had an FJ-40 truck, also a diesel. With the low range, it could pull down a mountain. This was a specialist vehicle with an appropriate price tag!
Cool. I’ve only seen one diesel powered Land Cruiser, and it was the wagon version, similar to the Land Cruiser FJ60, but with the diesel engine. I would’ve loved to have bought it, except it wasn’t for sale.
The facelift version of the Land Cruiser pickup is available new in New Zealand (and Australia and the Middle East), although now solely powered by the 4.5 litre 32-valve DOHC intercooled-turbo direct-injected V8. 150kW, 430Nm and expensive! For more: http://www.toyota.co.nz/our-range/land-cruiser/land-cruiser-lc70-series/
I’ve always liked truck-based SUVs like this Land Cruiser. 🙂
That 4.5 liter V8 turbo diesel is also in the top model, the 200-series.
Here’s one in its element.
That trailer looks like it has a tow dolly under the front. I have thought of doing that to alleviate tongue weight and even add a set of brakes. Never really needed to but just mental exercise.
I have towed a batch of heavy stuff with vehicles ranging from my 79 Datsun to my 91 S10. Balanced the load and they pulled great. I found myself pulling over frequently because going fast would have exceeded even my considerable capacity for foolishness.
Lee, that’s a drawbar trailer…(see below 🙂 )
Air brakes and ABS (on both car and trailer) are legally required here on a heavy rig like that. Mostly the trailer manufacturer also takes care of the car’s air brakes.
The smaller Land Cruiser 150-series is a very popular and common trailer tower. The drawbar trailer in the picture below, with the wheelloader, is towed by one.
This is yet another of those Ryder Cup of towing / Ryder Cup of commercial vehicles articles – ie a bunch of Americans comment that someone needs to tell those Europeans they need F350s cos they clearly haven’t noticed yet. What’s taking them so long?
The Europeans say “What’s the big deal?”. I feel like I’m listening to talk radio.
No, if this was talk radio you would feel like taking a long shower, after you had cut off both your ears.
Differing speed limits are part of the European equation, Paul, but surely not all. Look at the European market. Europeans demand suitable small vehicles for weekend tow duty, while we don’t. They’re not overstocked with millions of large pickups and SUVs going underutilized as commuter cars, like we are. There’s a clear marketing reason why tow ratings gave the same number, ours in pounds and theirs in kilograms.
On the fiberglass travel trailer forum I frequent, I hear from many folks who wouldn’t dare tow over half their truck’s rated weight. Meanwhile, a few folks like me tow a ton with VWs and Honda Elements, and get along fine. After about 3,000 miles towing “at the limit,” I’d report that excess weight might not be as hazardous as excess driver confidence. Smaller tow cars tend to nourish the healthy fear that keeps me driving safely, smoothly and humbly.
*THIS* .
-Nate
It’s not marketing. I provided information above explaining the differences. There are different needs here, mainly higher speeds. I think both regions have regulations appropriate for their needs.
+1
It might just be a shop truck moving a boat around the yard. I did the very same thing with my ’75 Chevy LUV. Truck was 2WD, but I had a 4X4 trans swapped into it, and of course the ’76 and later G180Z engine. In low range, the thing had no trouble moving boats up to 30 feet around the shop I worked at.
Around 1973 VW buses were all over Bass Lake, California many towing and launching fiberglass speed boats with huge big block engines. The did a good job of pulling them back out of the water, but it had to have been hard on the clutch and engine. It looked so funny, a 60 HP Bus towing a boat with a 400 HP big block sticking up out of it. We were there in my ’65 Bus, driving in the heat with the rear gate and the windshields both up. But no boat.
In many European markets, at least in Sweden, the total weight of both tower and towee are added together. Thus, people with a regular driving license can’t drive anything with a total weight above 3500 kg. And that’s about what a single F350 weights in itself. So, it’s a tradeoff between pulling power and weight. The bigger the rig, the less is left to tow, if you’re meant to stay within legal towing limits. That’s why most European towing vechicles are (for American standards) seemingly small rigs with actually quite substantial diesel power. And those rigs are appropriate for most peoples needs. If you need anything bigger than that, you call a hauling company. Why would anybody drive around in a rig bigger than that if they’re not professional haulers? The thought is ludicrous to a European where every fill up costs three times as much as in the US.
In the U.S. I have friends that own a massive Ford F-350 tow vehicle for their 10,000 lb travel trailer – which they pull several thousand miles a year, including mountainous terrain.
His wife drives a much more practical commuter car, which she uses for work and they both use for most local errands.
He travels a very short commute to work, and drives the massive truck. But, it is far less costly than considering ownership of a third vehicle for just a few thousand miles of annual local travel.
There are no public transportation options for their work commutes. In many places in the U.S., holding a job simply requires ownership of a car.
As I said, unless you are a self employed contractor in the hauling business, there are no work in Europe that requires an F350 and a ten thousand pound trailer. It really is a non issue…
The ‘cruiser would have the grunt to tow that boat, although perhaps not the weight in the body for stability at open-road speed.
Mind you, sometimes people have perceptions about cars that aren’t entirely correct. I went to hire a furniture trailer in the weekend, took the Peugeot (307SW, 1,395kg / 103 kW / 150 Nm) instead of the Nissan (Laurel diesel, 1,440kg / 73kW / 178Nm). The hire centre never looks twice at the Laurel but were nervous at the idea of the 307 towing anything (even with the factory-fitted heavy-duty towbar). Eventually I got the trailer, and the 307 towed it without drama.
There appears to be a Marina sign on the passenger side of the truck. I’ll say marina mule or tug.
The boat’s bimini is deployed, this boat is not highway ready.
I can’t tell how many axles the trailer has. In the U.S., that boat would likely be on a triple axle unless it weighs much less than I’d hazard to guess. That does not look like a triple axle.
Towing preferences will vary, but in my experience, a large vehicle in relation to the item being trailered will inspire much more confidence, and significantly reduce stress.
I trailer 5000 lbs regularly at 70 mph hour for long distances, and that is taxing enough to be about maximum comfortable cruising speed – and only on the best roads in daylight – in my F-150 Supercrew 5.0. And, its a whole heck of a lot easier than in my 2002 Dodge Durango 4.7.
It is a marina authority vehicle, the trailer has 4 axles and they DO use US-made pickup – see further on the cohort…
But “normal” people use things like minivans and sedans to tow their boats (maybe not boats as big as that one, but still…).
I haul Professional Cars to PCS Car Shows all over the U.S. I have a F350 Dually and a 30 – foot gooseneck trailer. Why? Because I can.
Superb rig, absolutely !
I mentioned “enthusiasts” in one of my comments above. Guys who drive a US pickup here because they like something different, something exotic.
Here’s one of them. A 2008 Ford F250 with a 6.4 liter V8 diesel, plus an American gooseneck trailer (gooseneck trailers are very rare here).
Neat load too ! (Photo courtesy of rickyv8)
Same rig, other load.
That kind of thing would draw no eyes in ‘Murica. F-250s and comparable are almost a dime a dozen in the Midwest. But I’d definitely give it a second look if I saw it elsewhere!
A more common way of hauling cars. A Ford Transit tractor plus a semi-trailer, and two other Fords.
Know anyone looking for one ? .
1980 Fleetwood S & S Victoria….
-Nate
1) engine power and torque are no longer cu.-inch-size dependent.
2) There is this thing between the engine & rear wheels called a transmission
that allows adjustment of output power and torque to load and speed conditions.
3) I pulled the heaviest loads of my driving life with a 1950 Studebaker 1/2-ton Pickup
with a 169 cu. in. engine of 90 horsepower and 4-spd. granny gear transmission and
there exists a working example of a similar-age 30-foot moving van with Studebaker mechanicals of similar power. Stopping within distances expected by modern drivers accustomed to electronically-controlled disc-brake equipped vehicles would be a different matter. And I faced no emergencies and couldn’t push that truck over 55 mph. (They didn’t offer a 4-spd, granny gear tranny with overdrive ’til ’58 or ’60!)
Did I mention towing a 1953 Studebaker Pick Up with my ’91 Volvo 740 Turbo wagon?
4) Safety in all this is dependent upon geometry, physics, balanced loads and braking system capabilities.
I wish people would stop equating power and size with ability to move loads successfully.
Clearly the US has developed a preference for high-power, high-torque, low-revving engines, at constant speeds regardless of grades while other parts of the world have not.
Question to the trailer experts. What’s the English / American English name for this type of trailers ? (“schamelwagen”…that’s how we call it, I can’t find a translation)
Full trailer, drawbar trailer
OK, thanks !
And this ? (“middenasser” / “middenasaanhangwagen”….sorry, I just have to know…)
That would be called a “car hauler” but haven’t seen many with the small under the deck wheels; do you have width restrictions over there? Most car haulers have the bigger wheels and fenders like this trailer, which I have used ones like it to haul my old jalopies around:
tmt, thanks, but I mean a trailer with the axle(s) in or close to the middle of the trailer (regardless the kind of load).
Hence the Dutch word “middenasaanhangwagen”, literally a “middle-ax-trailer”.
The trailer in my picture is for hauling machinery, like a wheelloader. Those small under the deck wheels are quite common, even under the biggest trailers or semi-trailers towed by a class 8 truck / tractor.
In Australia this type of trailer (for heavy trucks) is called a pig trailer, whereas your first example with a steerable dolly at the front is called a dog trailer – I don’t know the origin of the terms though!
The same terminology is not used for light trailers though, but then I have not seen one like the one behind the L/C Prado, probably because it would be too hard to reverse, and a triple axle would be able to carry as much load as was allowed.
Thanks, John. I like those Aussie names. Regardless their origin !
For hauling machinery etc. a small tractor with a semi-trailer (like the Iveco Daily I posted above) is very common. These are easier to reverse too.
The Iveco Daily seems to be the most popular tractor unit. The trailers and semi-trailers are all built by domestic manufacturers.
Here’s a whole bunch of them, latest gen Daily. (Photo courtesy of TTM.nl)
I have heard them called tandem trailer because of the tandem axles. Now that I think of it the tow dolly trailer is common on the farm and I always called it a farm trailer. For some reason the top picture behind the toyota looked different first time I saw it.
This truck tows two of them, also with small wheels.
Where`s the caboose?
In Australia at least, the Landcruiser ute is rated for 3500kg towing, no more than many of the ‘midsize’ pickups nowadays – nb. excluding the Hilux.
My uncle has one that he has regularly used to tow harvester comb (weight about 4 tonnes) between paddocks on his farm, mind you this is on unsealed roads at 40-45mph, and it would be rare to encounter another vehicle.
My recent tow job: