Is anyone aware if there is a way of increasing the maximum weight a TL FWD can legally tow? Just want to be able to tow 1700kg.
Is therre a kit or something that increases the capacity above 1500 kg?

It all depends on the state regulations etc. Not sure of the independant states laws, or what even applies to me here in SA, but I think in general its something like a maximum of 1.5 times your vehicle gross mass? so if the vehicle weighs 1 ton, the means only a 1.5 ton towing limit!

I'm sure the TL FWD is over 1 ton, so yeah you could modify it and it would still be legal. I think some states the limit is 2 times. The limit without trailer brakes regardless of what vehicle you have is 750kg. I think in some cases electronic brakes are required (don't quote me on that), and they require an electric brake controller.

Now, even if you're within the limit by vehicle mass, etc., I think also the size of the brakes on the towing vehicle is taken into consideration. The TL could tow as much as a Falcon maximum (2300kg) if the brakes etc. were right. (and you have a towing brace on the towbar)

A GQ Nissan Patrol, and I think even the newer GU's can only legally tow 2500kg, and they're physically capable of towing much more, if that gives you some indication.

thanks for the info burfadel. The book says 1500 kg with electronic brakes. Looking at a 1180 kg tare caravan but when loaded, and with water, would probably exceed the 1500kg.by 100kg or more. Have some doubts that the TL, particularly fwd, would be up to the job but don't want to have to buy a big 4wd unless I have to. Does anyone out there regularly tow a van with a 3.5 fwd. Looking at a pop top to keep the wind resistance as low as possible.

I think there are towing kits for the magna to tow caravans and also i think there is a cooling kit for the automatic as well. don't quote me on this but i think there is. best to check with mits on this.

I believe the state regulations also stipulate that the towed weight shall not exceed the manufacturers specifications for maximum towing, which for the TL would be 1500kg.

NSW for instance:

TOWING RATIO REQUIREMENT
The loaded mass of the trailer must not exceed the lesser of:
Rated capacity of the towbar and tow coupling.
Maximum towing capacity of the vehicle.
Maximum carrying capacity of the trailer.
Maximum rated carrying capacity of the tyres.

If the vehicle manufacturer has not specified the maximum towing mass, the maximum towing mass is:
One and a half times the unladen mass of the towing vehicle, provided that the trailer is fitted with brakes which are connected and in working order, or The unladen mass of the towing vehicle if the trailer does not require brakes.

I think there are towing kits for the magna to tow caravans and also i think there is a cooling kit for the automatic as well. don't quote me on this but i think there is. best to check with mits on this.

Yes, this is a must unless you want a burned out transmission.

My grandfather had a TH and was towing his boat (2500Kg).. lets just say the car only drove for about an hour before something gave out inside his tranny

Go to the link below and talk to these guys. they can do a kit for you roughly around $150 with delivery and you can get any mechanic to fit it for you.

http://www.transtyle.com.au/

As suggested, if you tow with the TL, get a transmission cooler and also either upgrade your brakes, or get some good fade free brake pads (read: EBC Green Stuff) Otherwise you will cook the standard brakes easily.

My grandfather had a TH and was towing his boat (2500Kg).. lets just say the car only drove for about an hour before something gave out inside his tranny
Jesus christ, no surprises there. 2500kg! :nuts:

As suggested, if you tow with the TL, get a transmission cooler and also either upgrade your brakes, or get some good fade free brake pads (read: EBC Green Stuff) Otherwise you will cook the standard brakes easily.

Thats what the electric brakes are for. The old hydraulic brakes work on the principle that when you brake in the lead vehicle, the inertia of the trailer pushes forward on the brake piston (near the towing hook) that pumps the brake fluid. This method is very inefficient and you would require better brakes on the towing vehicle, as although some braking is taking place, a large proportion of the braking is still done by the lead vehicle.

With electric brakes the electric brake controller reads the position of the brake pedal electronically (or something like that anyway), that is, after you have tuned it correctly, they're easy to do, and sends a signal through the plug used for the lights etc to the trailer, which in turn activates the electric brakes. With electric brakes the braking on the trailer uses disc brakes and are very efficient, you don't need upgraded brakes on the car as the brakes on the trailer fully support the trailers mass. If your trailer only has hydraulic brakes using the old principle, then you may need to spend money on your vehicles brakes. well you don't have to, but the pads may need replacing when you get back from your trip. If it has the superior electric brakes, you have to buy an electric brake controller, and maybe even rewire the plug for the trailer if it is the wrong pin design. I can't remember what the pins are normally for electric brakes, I think it a 9 pin plug? I know there are 5 and 7 pins plugs and people usually get frustrated when they have a trailer, boat and caravan that uses three different types of plugs.

If you have electric brakes on the trailer and no brake controller, then legally you cannot tow it as you have no working brakes and therefore are limited to 750kg.

A good oil and a transmission cooler would be a good idea I totally agree with that, makes things quite expensive doesn't it?! but least then you have the peace of mind.

Dude..!!! You do not want to be towing 1700kg if your car ways just over 1500kg.. it is highly very dangerous and i wont even start you on the legal side of it..:)

You cant have the thing your towing weigh more.. just think about it.. it will push you off the road..:nuts:

Dude..!!! You do not want to be towing 1700kg if your car ways just over 1500kg.. it is highly very dangerous and i wont even start you on the legal side of it..:)

You cant have the thing your towing weigh more.. just think about it.. it will push you off the road..:nuts:

Thats true, and thats why good brakes are a necessity on the item being towed, and why its legal regardless of the vehicle to have a maximum of 750kg unbraked trailer. some vehicles may have a lower limit for an unbraked trailer than that.

If you have good brakes on the trailer, its fine having it heavier than the tow vehicle. Trucks would be in a lot of trouble if this wasn't the case, and most of the big boats and vans people tow would also be a big problem (hypothetically).

I'm not saying you're wrong! You're completely correct, but only when the towed item doesn't have brakes (or electric brakes on heavier items)

I wouldnt worry too much about the 200kg's over the 1500kg limit. Who is ever going to measure that. Its only a guide to give you a rough idea what you can tow.

Magna's are very capable of towing that sort of weight. Sometimes people on here make miss informed judgments on bad experiences towing heavy weights usually due to going about it the wrong way. If you have the correct setup in place for towing a heavy load then your Magna will easily tow that sort of weight comfortably.

Things to do when towing heavy loads.

1. Trailer brakes (obviously)
2. Weight distribution hitch on a heavy duty towbar. (Makes all the difference)
3. Transmission cooler is a must.
4. When you are due for new pads then upgrade to a high temp rating pad such as a Bendix Ultimate. Gives you a better feel.(not necessary straight away as the trailer brakes take up most of the load.)

I and many others on here continously tow much heavier loads than you are looking at sometimes close to double the rated weight, due to having the right setup and not asking too much of your car unecessarly.

Here is another thread on the topic.
http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34503&highlight=towing

I thought the law state that you cannot tow over the manufacturer's specified maximum weight, which for the Magna would be 1,500kg.

You CAN NOT tow more then the rated capacity of the vehicle OR towbar. Period. If you do and are involved in a crash,even if you're not at fault, you will have no insurance coverage. Not to mention a hefty fine for overloading. Even if you aren't in a crash and you are caught, it does happen, you are faceing some serious fines. If you want to tow more then 1500kg, buy a car that can safely and legally do so. The is a reason why the Magna is rated at 1500kg.

Thanks guys.
Wasn't looking to tow more than the rating, was really asking if there was any way of increasing the rating.
Going out today to look for a used Challenger or perhaps Triton.
Challenger rated 2270/270. Triton 1900/190.
See For Sale TL/ES posted this morning.

You can tow more than your car weight - up to 1.5 times. That's why a my fathers Series 2 Discovery can tow up to 3500kgs braked (manufacturers specs). As for the Series 3 Magna/Veradas, sadly we can only tow 1500kg braked according to Manufactures. So every time I have to tow a car trailer (1000kgs) and a car (another 1000kgs minimum) I am forced to borrow my dads Discovery....

Yeah I looked at a Challenger to increase my towing capacity and get a bigger boat (we have a ski boat and all the gear). In the end I simply upgraded my front brakes to bigger rotors/calipers. But still looking at a Challenger eventually. Challenger is a bit more comfy to drive than the Triton. Try to get a newer one (I think late 2000 models on) as they upgraded the rear suspension to a much better setup (leaf to coil).

You can get heavy duty tow bar kits for 3rd gens, that support 2.3 or 2.5 tonne. I'd find it nerve racking towing that much behind my car though, if something happened the trailer would have more say in the direction of travel than the car would...just need to be careful.

You can tow more than your car weight - up to 1.5 times. That's why a my fathers Series 2 Discovery can tow up to 3500kgs braked (manufacturers specs). As for the Series 3 Magna/Veradas, sadly we can only tow 1500kg braked according to Manufactures. So every time I have to tow a car trailer (1000kgs) and a car (another 1000kgs minimum) I am forced to borrow my dads Discovery....

This is all well and good, but you don't really want to tow much more, if any more than what the car your using to tow, weighs. This is to say if your car weighs 1.7 tonne, I wouldn't want to tow anymore than that.

The new Nissan Navara is rated to tow 3 tonne but go on a Navara forum and see how many clutches are burnt out towing this much weight.

My old man has a 2007 Hilux SR5 with the 3L Diesel and a DP-Chip and recently towed a camper van which weighed roughly 1.2 tonne, then he had about another tonne of gear in the car and boy could you feel it. The torque convertor was constantly unlocked and slipping - huge amounts of heat and stress on the gearbox. It did a 3,000km round trip with ease, but he said it was working hard.

Thought the hilux should have been able to do that with relative ease! the thing with an automatic is running it in top gear isn't necessarily the best thing, its much better to have the engine revving a bit higher than normal otherwise you'll also get that hunting for gears problem that happens at certain speeds. Not sure of the newer hilux automatic transmission, but if it has an overdrive off function (practically the same as selecting say, gear 3 on the magnas). Tiptronic 5 (or 6 like the ZF on the non-base Falcons) speed makes it a lot easier, you simply leave it in tiptronic mode and remember to change it up/down as required.

I'd go electric brakes with a caravan regardless of whether its required or not. The override brakes simply aren't that good! There are also cable override brakes and fluid override brakes, just remember they work on the principle of a piston when the mass of the caravan pushes forward on the car (and hence piston) which helps brake the trailer which in turn, limits the braking efficiency and still puts a lot more forward force on the car. Many people forget to take the reverse override off which stops the brakes working all together!

Electric brakes have to be adjusted, but when adjusted correctly the trailer brakes with the car, neither creating a pulling or pushing force against the car :) You will definitely need to get torsion bars. Also keep in mind the towball load limit (the downforce allowed on the towball), I'm not sure what it is on the Magna, find it out then consider factors such as such as going over dips and through road drain channels that may put that strain on the towball. Its not that the towball can't take the weight, its the stress that is put on the towball connection with the car, and more importantly, the capability of the rear suspension. The worst thing is having to unhitch the trailer and not having them level, it makes the task of putting on and off the trailer difficult due to the angle (even with a jockey wheel).