Trailers and towing

[goldendeli]

Hey all,

Loooking for some feedback on towing and trailers. I am heading out on a long road trip and need to tow some toys and vegoil.

If anyone could throw a dog a bone, this tail will be wagging.

Cheers,

GD

[Meanman]

I tow a 10 foot utility trailer with a 1300 lbs side by side atv....haven't had a problem yet. Slows you down a bit but otherwise not bad.

[Manitoba Delica]

I have been towing a trailer for over a year now. I am a mason, hauling tons of stone, tools, sand,etc... I have a small utility trailer, which is easy to overload(largest load was 2700 lbs)s, as well as a tent trailer that weighs 1200 lbs..... The van definitely works harder. You are going to slow down to 80 going up hills. I turn the overdrive off, so it revs higher and goes slower. I feel like the van can handle the weight no problem, its just the engine is not the beefiest for towing much. I would prefer bringing a small trailer with veg oil, rather than a hitch mounted carrier. You'll carry more and it won't be so awkward.

MAtthew

[goldendeli]

Thanks for the quick feedback. Our trip will be about 12000km's so I will try and keep the load to a minimum.

I have concerns doing long climbs with all that weight? Should I be?

I will be hauling, 2 Mtbikes, camping gear and an extra 120L of oil (full tank plus two extra's).

GD

[Meanman]

that is a relatively small load...don't sweat it. Just keep an eye on your pyro if you have one or your temp guage. Also if you don't have a turbo timer giver yourself some cool down time.

most importantly...HAVE FUN!!

[Golf Cart]

Hey Meanman,

Are you running 15 inch tires on your trailer ?

Ive done a quick measurement and found my ATV should fit in the back of my Deli, but thats having to yank out all the rear seating. Would like to tow it - saves me having to strap 4 chunks of moose to the roof basket.

[goldendeli]

Thanks Meanman,

Sorry for the ignorance...Pyro light???

How long of cooldown time are you thinking???

[glenn]

I've towed this set up across the rockies, to drumheller etc - and we do a lot of roadtrips locally. I agree with everyone so far. Get used to being the SLOWEST vehicle on the road. You will easily be passed by loaded semi's. Having said that, just relax and enjoy the scenery, and keep an eye on the temp. My very basic rule of thumb is: if I can see black exhaust in the rearview, I'm pushing too hard and ease off on the throttle.

As far as the turbo timer goes - the time varies depending on how hot it is. The longest it is on is just over 2 minutes. So, just let it idle for at least 2 minutes before turning it off when you've been on the freeway.

[goldendeli]

Love the custom interior!

How much does the load weigh?

Do you let it idle to cooldown if you got it so hot the AT temp light comes on??

[DelicaMark]

I would like to make a point about towing with these vans. All of the posts mention that the van can pull the load, maybe a little slower but it pulls it. I have not seen one of these posts discuss the braking aspect of these vans with an increased load. I saw a Delica pulling a boat about a month ago and yes it was pulling it but the size/weight of the boat had to be way to big for the van to safely stop. I don't know how many times I have seen a Ford Explorer pulling a 25-30ft boat. A boat so wide that you can't even see the Explorer. Trailer brakes or not it is just not a good idea to push the upper limits of what is possible to tow with a vehicle.

Don't overlook the thing that will keep you alive....the braking capabilities.

-Mark

[goldendeli]

Thanks for that, it is a very important part of towing.

I am weary about the weight and braking abilities, I will keep the load as light as possible.

GD

[Modsqwad]

Thanks Meanman,

Sorry for the ignorance...Pyro light???

How long of cooldown time are you thinking???

A pyrometer measures exaust temperatures at the turbo. This is a more accurate way to keep track of engine temperature to
prevent damage from heavy loads, big hills, high temperatures. The cool down time suggested it to protect your turbo. If you
shut it down after a long hard pull the exess heat in it will burn the oil in the bearings to carbon and can lead to failure. 1-2 minutes
depending on how hard you have been running is a good idea. It leads into another thread being discussed right now, not shutting
the van off at the pump. I don't usually shut my van off after running in off the hyway to a fuel pump. I have yet to get any grief
about it and it gives the turbo cooldown time. Have a good trip, sounds like a long one, where are you headed?
Andy Wilson

[TardisDeli]

Hi,
Just to echo the concerns about Trailering and brakes -- yes be worried. Just plan ahead, and spend some research time and money setting up things properly and you'll be fine, my Deli is very happy & stable when towing.

You should put extra brakes on a trailer. Surge brakes work on inertia / motion thus will easily work with any vehicle. Electric brakes on a trailer require the electric brake brainbox to be installed near the drivers seat, see the posting by Mararmeisto (last year, or previous year?), he also has heaps of good info about trailering.

Remember braking distance is based on your total weight of trailer and vehicle, so it will be much more than twice the usual distance due to the exponential math formula for braking.

We tow boats, but we have surge brakes fitted on all our trailers. I do notice the difference when I am towing something without brakes, that feeling of HOPE the trailer stops in a hurry BEFORE it crunches my delica or WORSE crunches another vehicle or pedestrian. Freeways are freaky, people drive trailers way too fast, and get wind problems from other vehicles.

There is a rule of thumb that you shouldnt tow more than half the towing vehicle weight. The heaviest I have towed is about 3500 pounds, a fully loaded Boston Whaler fishing boat, but I drove very gently on paved roads, braked well in advance, and watched my temp guage.

I prefer the trailer hitch basket (princess auto) which holds up to 500 pounds, and I probably had 400 pounds on it with firewood and camping tarps and veg oil etc. It doesnt affect cornering, and the balance of weight between the rear basket and the engine is very stable. Only problem is anything above one foot high placed near the tailgate side of the basket stops the rear door opening, but I just use the side door or load stuff in crates to be easily removed.

Trailer hitches are another issue. Get one welded to the frame, not just aftermarket bolted or spot welded to the tie down area. The E&H Hitch in Burnaby is greatly skookum, recommended by all who have seen or used it, see various posts for pictures. Cost $500 ish. Get a RATED hitch, not just some unrated hitch or only Class 1 rated. Class 3 is great.

Trailer tires and axles are usually under sized, criminal. Don't cheap out. Get a full spare tire mounted on a rim, ready to be swapped as needed (saves time on the highway). Check the maximum speed rating on the trailer tire, you'll be horrified at how low speed it is.

Make sure your vehicle tires are good, rated for your load etc. You only have those 4 tiny rubber bits of the tire bottoms touching the ground to keep you alive. Have you put the spare tire on your delica yet --- go out and do it now, make sure it is the correct tire and rim, and that bolts are not seized. You can put a full size delica tire in the under basket, but it can't be fully inflated to my usual 40 pounds, Falco keeps his at 30 pounds psi so it fits the under basket then when needed to replace a sad tire he uses a 12 volt tire pump he carries to bring it to the 40 psi.

Trailer loading is an art form. The balance of tongue weight is critical, as not enuf versus too much tongue weight results in fishtailing or jackknifing. Watch how it handles and be ready to alter the load.

So, in sum, yes we happily tow, delica is very stable and LOVES to tow. But we spent a lot of time practising, altering load points, researching. It takes us a couple trips with a new trailer to finally get the best set up. So load up the trailer this weekend, and try it out on a quiet road to test your braking and cornering at speed. Then try it on the freeway beside some humungous trucks. And try it in the heat uphill when your van wants to overheat anyway even without a load. Consider putting the cubes inside the van, and crates of sleeping bags and clothes and light weight stuff in the trailer or on a basket instead.

Regards, Christine.

[Erebus]

1-2 minutes depending on how hard you have been running is a good idea. It leads into another thread being discussed right now, not shutting the van off at the pump. I don't usually shut my van off after running in off the hyway to a fuel pump. I have yet to get any grief about it and it gives the turbo cooldown time.

Coming straight off the highway, 1-2 minutes is nowhere near enough. I have a pyro, and I don't shut down until temp drops below 500 deg F. Cruising on the highway the temp will be at 800-1200, and it can easily be 5 minutes of idling before the temp gets down low. On the other hand, if you pulled over after a long DOWNhill run, the temp can be as low as 200.

I live several blocks from the highway, so by the time I get to my driveway, I don't have to idle for any length of time.

Yes, I highly recommend getting a pyro. It will cost about $300 installed (obviously less if you do the install), but cheaper than a new turbo.

[TardisDeli]

Hi GoldenDeli, I was just rereading your questions, and noticed your comment about cool-down AFTER the AT Light comes on .... ouch, the AT light should never come on. On all our group trips leading herds of Delica on laden camping treks, no one has ever had their AT light come on -- we are usually in radio contact comparing tach and temp so we all learned what is normal under varying conditions.

Oddly, we had our AT light come on this past weekend, but we were naughty, lugging up a gravel back road climbing steeply from sea level to 1000 metres, when it came on so we stopped to read to manual, which said idle until light goes out, after a few minutes it did, but this week I must change the AT fluid (it should be pink, keep draining the bolt and topping up until it stays pink).

The "cool-down" referred to in the various posts is when you reach yr destination, you never just turn off the engine, the turbo etc need to cool for about 2 minutes to get lube running thru it. So people install "turbo timers" so you turn off the engine, exit vehicle, lock doors and walk away --- meanwhile the engine keeps running for the timed 2 minutes. Yes helpful bystanders let you know that you forgot to turn off your engine. So, instead, you can drive calmly the last few minutes or your drive or the habit-formed solution is just to sit and idle for 2 minutes while you turn off yr accessories and finish your cup of tea and tidy your centre console.

If any of the "idiot lights" come on, it is not usual, and you should pull over immediately. Overheating is a big concern, read Green1's posts, he's gone thru 2 engines due to overheating. So if you have any overheating lights or issues, do not tow. I still think that since you don't have a lot of stuff in your list to carry, just put in on a rear basket.

If you do travel thru Burnaby, feel free to stop over with us.
Regards Christine.