td5 130 towing advice.....

[jimbob]

Hi all, I have a chipped td5 130, standard gearing but i will be getting 255/85 or 285/75 tyres for it when these ones wear out. I am looking at fifth wheel race trailers to go on it. I have a car i like to take to the drags when i get the chance.

My question is what weight can the td5 tow? I know its rated to tow 3.5t, but will it tow that weight up hills at speed etc????

What sort of weights have people towed with their td5s? And how did it handle it?

Cheers Jim:D

[numpty]

I have no experience towing with a 130, chipped or otherwise, but have regularly towed loaded car trailers with my Td5 110. It feels the weight and anyone who believes otherwise is having themselves on. But, they will do it. Dont know about at speed though.

[Fluids]

I know the Td5 in the 'fenders are a little less HP output, but my D2a Td5 auto quite happily pulled a 2.25T car float + car along with 3 passengers and all their goods and chattels on the highway between Gosford & Newcastle. Sat on around 90 most of the way and tried several squirts up to 110-120km/hr. It's working hard at 120. The Nanocom showed it was running hi-boost most of the time, but no black smoke or rise in coolant temp! Slipped the auto to 3rd lockup for the hills. No problems! The engine can do it. 3.5t is alot more weight though ... and ..

Your bigger tires will be the deal breaker imho. I'm on 255/70*16 .... unless you got a _big_ chip ?

The Td5 D2's rated at 3500kg tow ... I think the 130 is the same ... and like numpty says, you'll feel it.

Kev..

[easo]

G'day Jim, I don a fair bit of car towing with my 130, I have no chip or any other preformance enhancment mods. But it has no major dramas with the pull, you do hold the gear a little longer (not much) and once up to speed she will still drive well. Some of the things I have found are,

due to the long length of the 130 you'll need to take corners a bit wider so trailer wheels dont mount the gutters.

the 130 HCPU tray kills most vision of the trailer you'll see the sides/wheel arches only. My car trailer is 16ft long and I can't see the back of it at all. Clerance lights are vital.

A fair bit of planing ahead when you need to cahnge lanes in bussy traffic. (people just don't want to let you in).

Hills will slow you down very quickly, I can maintain 80km in 4th quite easy up most steep hills.

I have no experiance with 5th wheelers but the idea looks good. Would love to see pics when your done.

My normal tow package, the trailer is 800kgs.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/664.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/02/1474.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/02/1475.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/02/1476.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/02/1477.jpg

Cheers Easo

[jimbob]

Thanks Guys. The 5th wheeler i am looking at is nearly 30 foot long. Weighs 1.4t so with a little living quarters and the car i expect around 3t. I am after one a little shorter about 25 foot but so far the ideal one has not popped up. But it sounds like the td5 will do it, but maybe a little slower than expected. I would be happy with 90ks. Wind drag might be another factor i will have to consider.

I have the bruce davis chip but i believe there are better maps around. I also have a bigger exhaust. Another couple of things i could do toimprove performance is Diesel Gas and a bigger intercooler.

Any one towed the 3.5 t they are rated to?

Cheers Jim

[jimbob]

Nice rig easo. i just love the 130s. Is that an old split screen combi your dragging on the trailer??

[Sprint]

jim, where are you, and are you looking to buy a new or 2nd hand trailer?

i might be able to put you in touch with a good trailer builder who will be happy to build whatever you want, and not in the format of the conventional 5th wheel setups that have the hitch taking up half the loadbay space, but still as a gooseneck design

[justinc]

Hmmm, nice Kombi. Whats happenning to it Easo? Resto?


Like the 130 too:D

JC

[jimbob]

jim, where are you, and are you looking to buy a new or 2nd hand trailer?

i might be able to put you in touch with a good trailer builder who will be happy to build whatever you want, and not in the format of the conventional 5th wheel setups that have the hitch taking up half the loadbay space, but still as a gooseneck design

I am looking at second hand ones at the moment but if one doesnt come up i will get one built. I am in Mildura. Where is this trailer builder???

[easo]

Nice rig easo. i just love the 130s. Is that an old split screen combi your dragging on the trailer??


Hmmm, nice Kombi. Whats happenning to it Easo? Resto?


Like the 130 too:D

JC

Without hijacking, the split screen kombi was recovered from my uncles after he passed away. 2 were recovered and are at good homes. The blue is under going amazing rebuild.
58 Double Door Panel - Kombi Club Forums
Its a good read and the dedication to the rust repairs is phenomenal.

Easo

[George130]

I have towed a bit with mine.
Heaviest long haul was car trailer with mid 80's highline pajero rom Newcastle to Yass. The car trailer was a hire job weighing around 1.3 ton.

She elt the load but easily pushed speed limits on the freeway.
Mine is very modded.

[jimbob]

Thanks George. What mods do you have? Also what would one of those bitsamissing highlines weigh roughly?

I am thinking of doing more mods to mine but not sure what, Bigger intercooler, different map or turbo.

Cheers Jim

[slug_burner]

Try here (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/projects-tutorials/98199-modifying-td5-more-performance.html#post1177275) for TD5 mods

[George130]

Estimate of the towed load was 3 ton.
perormance Mods are
BD intercooler
BD monster mod chip
3 inch exhaust system
Auto conversion (Heavily modded auto)
modded transfer case
egr kit
was running 285/75 muds

[Mellow Yellow]

I tow a camper/trailer with Peril (a Tombie2 chipped 110). Peril's got a bit of extra weight over a standard X-treme - maybe another 250Kg and the camper/trailer when loaded is probably around 900 Kg.

The camper/trailer definitely slows Peril down. Nevertheless, If I want to I can hold 110kmh on an open road and maintain a good pace up hills BUT what I find is that my exhaust gas temperature rises quickly on long hills with any more than a moderate gradient.

If you haven't fitted an EGT gauge then my strong advice is to do so and watch it like a hawk. It's surprsing how quickly EGT can rise when you start to work the engine hard.

From extensive reading on this forum I've come to the conclusion that I should never exceed 680 degrees Fahrenheit, so once I hit 650 degrees I start to back off. What this means is slowing down; simply changing down a gear and maintaining my speed usually does not see the EGT fall.

[jimbob]

Yeah thanks, i do have an egt, one of the best investments i have made. just good for peace of mind.

Thanks George. That is a few mods. The EGR kit is next for me. Where did you get yours from?

Cheers Jim

[wisey110]

My dad has a 130 and i have a 110. both books are the same. both say 3500 braked towing. with elictronic brake controler can go up to 4000kg. we've pulled a 15ton grain buggy full around the farm no fast for reasons. pulls not a worry its stopping!!!:o