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Hi, I own a 3870mm Hylite Fibreglass Camper that is designed to sit on a well sided ute. I have fastened our camper on a good solid trailer -(un braked) weighing in at approx 200kg. I have no idea what the total weight would be it may be approximately 1000-1200kg. The problem I have is which of our vehicles would I use for towing* 98 Nissan Stagea 2L Straight 6 petrol engine auto, vehicle weight being 1460kg- Max Power 114kw 64000 rpm / Torque 186.33 N*m 4400 rpm
*95 4WD Ford Courier single cab Ute 2.6 petrol Max power 88.26 kw at 4500 rpm and Torque 202.02 N*m at 3500 rpm / weight being 1530kg. Out of the two vehicles I would probably use the Ford due to the higher Torque and vehicle weight. It is my understanding that the Nissan requires a braked trailer at 1200kg and the Ford 1500kg Does this mean that it the Ford would still be safe towing the trailer un-braked?, We also have a 95 Toyota Dyna 200 Van -Max power 100/3400 rpm and torque 300/1200-2400 rpm / vehicle weight 1700kg, this would be the best as it has exhaust braking but the most uncomfortable for trips and being a van all the weight is in the front. Which of 3 vehicles would you recommend or do the Job towing around Canterbury and why? Cheers
While I can understand why you've quoted all the power and torque figures for your vehicles, when it comes to the legalities of towing, they don't mean much. Despite manufacturers' ratings, the law says that the rig must be able to stop from 30km/h in 7 metres.
I don't think there's a vehicle on the market that is rated to tow any more than about 750kg unbraked, so in a perfect world, your trailer should be braked regardless of the tow vehicle.
Having said that, I think the Stagea would be the least appropriate of all your vehicles to tow this trailer. The Dyna probably the most appropriate. However, given the uncomfortable nature of the Dyna, probably the Ford Courier would be the best.
Thank you for your reply, if we lived in a perfect world the trailer manufactures must build braked trailers that can carry 750 kg and over. If this was the case than all our little problems would be solved but for now it is an optional extra that is not cheap. per sq/m a trailer cost more than building a house. I am pleased that we both had the same conclusion and I still believe that the weight and torque of the vehicle plays a big part of towing.