Standard Nissan towbar ball weight
Submitted: Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 17:48
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Member - Philip L4
I have GU 1998 4500 auto already has GVM upgrade we are looking to buy new caravan ,I know towing capicity is 2500kg but ball weight is 150 mark on Nissan towbar also it had 2800 load marked on it as
well but after googling, researching, I phoned Nissan Australia to confirm specs it was 2500 but my question is how can I raise ball weight because 150 is not approx10 percent of 2500 load ,can I put Hayman Reece 3500 towbar with ball weight to up ball weight to 350
Thanks
Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 18:22
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 18:22
Hi Philip
From what I have been told by others, that is one thing you can not upgrade, as that is one thing that was set with the ADR’s back in 1998.
AnswerID:
633028
Reply By: Member - Bigfish - Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 19:21
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 19:21
Pretty sure Stephen is right. My Pajero can only have a ball weight of 180kg after 2500kg. Glad my trailer is only 2250 ATM.
AnswerID:
633030
Reply By: OzzieCruiser - Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 19:41
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 19:41
While the tow bar you have has a ball weight of 150kg - the Patrol may have a higher capacity - of course it may not. I know that Patrols around 2000 have a ball weight of 200kgs but yours may not.
So find out what Nissan has determined what the tow ball rate is for your vehicle. If it is higher then just get a bar of a higher rating (noting that fitting a tow bar of a higher rating does not mean you can tow the tow bar rating - what you can tow is the lower of you vehicle limit or the tow bar.
So yes you can put on a Hayman Reece 3500 towbar with a 350kg ball weight BUT if you vehicle limit (as determined by Nissan) is only 150kg or even 200kg as that is lower than the 350kg of the bar you are retricted to either the 150 or 200kg limit.
AnswerID:
633031
Reply By: Bazooka - Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 20:23
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 20:23
THIS says the Nissan rating is 200kg max Philip (based on what is the question - Nissan's tow bar maybe?) but if you read
PETER'S COMMENT (at the bottom of the thread) it seems there might be an out for you. Maybe contact Hayman Reese.
AnswerID:
633032
Reply By: Member - Warren H - Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 20:48
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 20:48
I would
check your owner's manual, it should have the specs. Around that time there were some strange Nissan towbars fitted. I had a 1994 Ford Maverick that according to the owner's manual had a 2000/200 kg rating but was fitted with a towbar with a 2000/150 kg rating. The 4WD mechanic I go to checked a pile of used GQ/GU towbars he had lying around and found all sorts of odd combinations, 2800/180 for example. I fitted a new Hayman Reece 3500/350 kg bar so I could tow to the specified vehicle rating (as stated above 2000/200 kg).
AnswerID:
633033
Follow Up By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 22:48
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 22:48
Hi Warren, that sounds about right, there were three engines in 1997, at the beginning of the GU. The 2.8 TD, the 4.2TD and the 4500 petrol or a 4200, i can't remember now, the petrol engine had a lower towing capacity than the 4.2TD and maybe the 2.8 diesel had a different rating also. The 3.0TD came later, about 2002. The petrol engine definitely had a lower tow capacity, probably due to the reduced engine braking of the petrol engine. Maybe the first six cylinder petrol engine was a 4.2L not the 4.5L, , its all so long ago. My current 4.2TDI 2003 came with tow bar and bull bar and a few other things as a bonus when i picked it up new. The Nissan tow bar is made by Hayman Reese and it has a 3500kg tow capacity. I also previously had a new 1999 GU 4.2TD and its tow capacity was also 3500kg and delivered with a genuine tow bar. Michael
| Patrol 4.2TDi 2003
Retired 2016 and now Out and About!
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Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 at 07:51
Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 at 07:51
Hi Guys,
For clarification, back in the 1990’s, Nissan & Ford had some kind of partnership whereby Ford got the Nissan Patrol and badged it as a Maverick, and Nissan got the 4.1 Ltr. petrol engine.
As far as the OP’s original question, the only thing that I can suggest is go to the source. Go on line to Nissan and look up the specs for the vehicle in question.
Macca.
FollowupID:
909932
Reply By: Member - Bigfish - Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 at 06:32
Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 at 06:32
There are a mixture of replies and it seems a heap of different tow bars...all irrelevant. It doesn't matter if you put on a tow bar rated to 5000kg with a ball weight of 500kg...Nissan motors have a specific maximum tow ball weight for your particular model. Get it in writing from them as to the maximum tow ball weight you can have even with a non Nissan genuine towbar.
AnswerID:
633036
Follow Up By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 at 07:03
Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 at 07:03
I agree, tow and ball weights are set for different engine/transmission combinations. Michael
| Patrol 4.2TDi 2003
Retired 2016 and now Out and About!
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Reply By: Member - John - Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 at 08:49
Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020 at 08:49
Philip, if your Patrol has had a GVM upgrade, your tow capacity will be decreased by the increased GVM weight. I.E. my Patrol prior to GVM upgrade had a 3500kg tow capacity with ball weight of 350kg, post GVM increase, 3000kg tow capacity with tow ball weight remaining the same. I would be checking what the paper work for the GVM increase says before going any further as your tow capacity could be 2000kg.
AnswerID:
633038