Towing Capacity of L300 - for Camper

[everythingells]

anyone know what these vans are capable of? i know 80-85% of vehicle weight is normally max load. how much do the L300 delica's weigh? i want to tow a camper/trailer and need to find out what it will handle. suggestions are welcome! thanks for your help

[jessef]

The Delica won't tow 70% of it's weight unless you're going downhill.

I wouldn't tow more than 3,000 lbs maximum for a long period of time.

If you have a 5spd it's better. If you have an automatic, a trans cooler may be better along with a larger exhaust and pyro.

[mararmeisto]

I was never really comfortable with anything greater than 1 tonne. This was one of my towing experiments, and it ended up being about as heavy as I was willing to go.

PS: I added an electric brake controller, just because, but one should REALLY add a pyrometer in order to keep an eye on exhaust temps so one doesn't cook the turbo.

[everythingells]

i wanted to come back to this topic because I've put two years of towing on my Delica now and have learned a lot.
i tow a Boler trailer in the summer and fall and a utility trailer with a snowmobile on it in the winter.
boler - 1100 lbs dry
snowmobile - 800-900 lbs with gas and extra tire.

what i do with my van (and all vans are different) is i won't let the turbo overflow go to hard. i exhilarate until i can hear it and then i ease back just enough to keep the power as great as possible without letting it burn unnecessary heat.
i drive very slowly up hills. I'm often in the shoulder lane so that other vehicles can pass. because i live in the rockies the hills are long and steep here and i have found no real issues with towing this weight at all.
i do not have a pyrometer but i keep a close eye on my heat every hill. thats all i look at and i listen carefully to the exhaust.

totally double and so enjoyable. but be prepared to drive slowly… always.