Thread: new 70 series

Originally Posted by Trout

My son n law has a 2.8 hilux 8 speed.Its smooth,fast and has 160kw of towing power.Makes my old patrol look vintage in technology.I want a 400hp Nissen Patrol 5.6 litre.Bugger the greenies.

All the engine power means nada for towing - you need torque and gear ratios set up right and the other thing is engine braking. Modern utes suck for engine braking, and even with the electronic systems still gas the brakes up on long runs. The 2500Kg override braked trailers are better than the TB-class 3500Kg rated units in this regard, as the hydraulic coupling applies a little bit of braking control as the trailer leans on the towing vehicle. The electric controlled systems generally only apply once the brake lights come on when you push the brake pedal and then a proportioning sensor increases the braking effect on the trailer in keeping with the amount of deceleration it senses (i.e. how hard you've hit the brakes). To get manual control of the trailer brakes you have to hit a button usually, rather than it happening automatically and this means the heavy trailers tend to punish the towing vehicle's brakes. Some form of retarder or engine braking enhancer system would really help with this!