JMT Bass Boat

the weight guys - based on my own.

Mines 16 ft (4.85M) and 3mm 6061 T6 plate and weighs 300 KG bare hull...so I figured Timsys being 4mm should be bout 400 kilo's bare hull.

Pulling it with the crusers the way to go IMHO.

Stay away from the lightweight trucks - towing with em just pulls the guts out of em...I know from hard won experience (and the 10 grand of repair bills!).

Cheers!

[Bear]

Can't get the smile of his face. Nice to see it here Timsy and look forward to getting out on it.

[dantheman]

what bow ,mount is that, i saw the davo;s stickers so i knew it was from noosa or close by,

cheers Dan

it's an "old" Johnson. Couldn't tell you exactly what it is.

It works so that'll do me for now.

cheers

[dan_WA]

Hey Trouty,
what sort of "light truck" do you have that keeps doin' gearboxes ?
Just curious 'cos I've got a new hilux, and I've heard some suss reports on some of the earlier models WRT doing in 5th gear when towing ?

[chaser]

ive seen a few landcrusers do 5th as well as it is "direct drive " so to speek.. toyota reccomend not to touch 5th when doing under 80km/h or towing a "fair weight"...
chaser

Mines the Bitsamissing.......er mitsubishi triton dual cab 2.5 turbo diesel 5 speed 4wd, 1993 built.

The 5th gear is an overdrive gear - 4th is the right towing gear which is direct drive.

The input? (output?) shaft in the gearbox takes a LOT of strain towing in 5th overdrive, and the bearing which supports it is only a needle roller bearing (like the inside of a uni joint cup).

If you overload that needle roller bearing bye towing in 5th gear, (especially like going uphill without changing down from 5th) the amount of torque the little turbo diesel punches out will basically destroy the gearbox needle roller bearing before it will stall the engine.

The needle rollers shatter under the torque load in 5th and that bearning collapses and your in for BIG $ to rebuild it each time.

It was interesting the last (3rd) time I had my gearbbox rebuilt - I was thinking hey maybe sell the litle truck while it's going OK BEFORE it shytes itself again so I asked the Gearbox repair specialist in Bunbury whether I should get the cruiser or the nissan for gearbox strength to tow - rather than keeping my triton.

He reckoned that the Lancruisers AND the Nissan Patrols aren't without their gearbox problems... He didn't elaborate and I didn't have time to get into the nitty gritty...so just what does someone who wants to tow stuff get?

I've heard (read) that the new Nissan Patrols 4 cyl 3 litre intercooled turbo models blow 5spd gearboxes regularly around 40 - 50,000 km's if you tow anything with them...which doesn't surprise me at all...

The Older 1999 / 2000 Model Nissan 6 cyl turbo diesel 4.2 litre was sposed to be solid as the rock of gibralter for towing - but who knows these days?.

I just know I'm sick of keeping the gearbox fella in Bunbury in the manner to which he's grown accustomed.

For towing bigger tandem axle and tri axel boats in the 25ft range I'd consider something like the Yank Tanks with their allison transmissions and 8 odd litre diesels, if they weren't Left hand drive!

Cheers!

[jimi]

Trouty, here is what you need for towing. Also good for driving in traffic, people will get out of your way. Mmmm Hummer....

[dan_WA]

Ahhh well,
I guess any towing I do will be in 4th ! - the little extra fuel is a helluva lot cheaper than a gearbox rebuild !!

Is the answer, at least short term.

Down here, with all the hills, narrow & winding roads, towing in 4th and a top speed around 90kph is no real handicap.

That said, it's a PIA (Pain In th Azz), towing in 4th on a long trip on flat ground like going north to the 26th for eg.

Being the 'slow coach' is no fun on a long trip, as I recall from the Shark Bay boneheads trip which was a 'convoy' to shark bay.

It turned out my speedo was reading fast, meaning my 90kph was probably only 83 or 85 and driving everyone else in the convoy nutso.

Any faster and I started to overheat, and guzzel fuel. Bye the time we got to Cataby (from Perth) the decision was made to hitch my bboat to someone elses car to tow it so we could get a hurry on.

Strange thing tho - if left to my own devices - I'd a still got there at the same time as everyone elses....it's just that they liked to travell at 110, and then stop for an hour at each road house for a feed and chat, whereas I go slower - but just don't stop for more than 5 mins for a quick slash.

Anyway - my point is - you do need something "faster" (with more legs) like a cruiser / patrol etc for long trips away up north.

These 4 cyl / 5spd turbo diesels won't cut it long term either - theres no substitute for cubic inches and a truck like drivetrain for towing stuff like heavey boats.

Some of the sea breezes you get down that Geraldoton stretch of coastal highway, once you add in the weight and extra wind resistance of a boat / trailer can knock 10kph off the top end straight away, not to mention increasing the fuel bill etc.

IMHO the little 4wd diesel 4wds like my Triton just don't cut it for long hauling.

You know your going too slow when the grey nomads with their caravans and boats on top are overtaking you!

Cheers