Towing a caravan with a KZJ120R

[nigelh Member Find all posts View Profile Close nigelh]

Anyone with a Kzj120r own a caravan over 16ft and tow a good distance with it? Any problems with the head? And what performance upgrades have you done?
We are looking into buying a 17 ft caravan and we own a 05 120 with the KZ-te engine with soon to be fitted DP Chip and 3' exhaust. Cheer guys for any info Nigel

[GTX Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close GTX]

Have a 2005 as well.
Mate owns local exhaust place, so a 3inch system was the first thing that happened to it ;->
I've not chipped it, but have a friend with same again, who have done both he exaust (after seeing mine) and then also chipped it.
They are almost grey nomads who have a fairly recent full-sized van.
They said the exhaust was great and the chip has just made it even better.

The minister for finance had a chip on the hilux - D4D type motor - but has now got a dodge ram.
The chip was great but would sometimes cause the vehicle to go into 'limp mode' apart from that there were no gripes!
Have you driven one with a chip? Or know anybody who's got one that you can borrow?
The minister lent the chip to a mate going up to birdsville - who couldn't speak highly enough of it, but in the end you need to do as much research as you need to to make sure you are comfortable with it, and that's it's what you want.
Cheers,
GTX

[nigelh Member Find all posts View Profile Close nigelh]

Cheers GTX thats good to hear as I'm hoping to happily tow the van from adel- nsw north coast and back with hopefully no over heating issues as I know the van is relatively biggish and the engine is relatively small. The last thing I wanna do is hurt my Prado. I know the older 90 series suffered from weak head issues but as I'm told the 05 120 series is the pick of the bunch so should be all ok as long as I take it easy. Cheers

[nigelh Member Find all posts View Profile Close nigelh]

Also did you upgrade the suspension or put in polyairs?

[mackayvx Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mackayvx]

Hey nigel.
You wont overheat if your cooling system is in good working order.
By that i mean the viscous fan working correctly, no mud blocking the radiator core & new coolant at 150 kms.
When you hit the 150 mark your timing belt will need doing. Its only a few extra bolts at that stage to replace your water pump.
Thats a bit extra work at the time but i think its well worth it.
I changed my water pump at 220kms and the bearing did have noise in it.
Would it have made 300kms? Maybe but i doubt it.

We tow regularly 1.5 tonnes and yes the kz struggles but he always gets me there and back no problems.

As for these heads... Well i cracked mine recently but i am in the group of 'unlucky' people.
Its very rare to have a cracked head on a 120 diesel.... Mind you i still drove near 2000kms home towing the CT with no issues exept for a lack of top end power.

I should put some pics up of the head... When i get around to it that is.

[mackayvx Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mackayvx]

Hey nigel. I just realised ive said the same thing in 2 of your threads you started this morning.

Please consider the topic of threads that are started as you could have easily combined the two with a common title.

Even better you could have searched the topic and commented in an existing thread...

This is how PP will get filled with the same stuff over & over and also mate experienced members may be hesitant to reply...

Just saying thats all...

[chester ver 2.0 Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester ver 2.0]

I have a 1201kz and tow a goldstream at about 1.5 tonne full loaded. The main problem with mine being the auto is not the engine but the gear ratios are to wide so on windy days or hill county it hunts a bit between third and 4th

I have towed the goldstream about 20k to Wa and the safari chip i had fitted made a world of difference. I would highly reccomend also changing the injectors out every 100k i just did mine at 200k and cannot believe how much power i have back.

As above change the coolant ever 100k or so and at 200k i am in the process of overhauling the cooling system (hoses, thermostat, pump and coolant and the fact that the are pulling the radiator out to check it i have told them just to change it out)

So yeah the chip does help so does exhaust it is a slow ride through the hills bun on the flat sections i can hold 95kph quite easily and get reasonable fuel economy about 16l per 100 towing

[zutta Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close zutta]

I have a stock 120 prado 1kz myself towing a 2+ ton van around oz, driven it back 200km from pickup and it wasn't that bad, Hills you loose speed quickly but i still could hold 70-80km/h. Don't think there will any overtaking what so ever but i'm happy just to poke along, you get there in the end.

My upgrades will be 2" lift with new shockies all round and poly airs in rear, also have the H&R Weight Dist bars which i'm yet to try, Also ditching stock tow bar and replacing with a H&R bar.(recommended).

That will be it for me, can't afford exhaust upgrade or chip. I think keep it simple but safe and you can't go wrong.

Then again if i had the coin who know what i would do .lol

[nigelh Member Find all posts View Profile Close nigelh]

Thanks guys. Gives me a bit of confidence to head off with my current set up. I've done a bit of research on here. Most threads end up in going off on a tangent to types of chips and fuel delivery etc. great to get a direct answer. Cheers guys.. If you guys see a dark blue 120 towing a van on the north coast nsw don't be shy to say g'day, look for the pp sticker!

[mackayvx Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mackayvx]

Hey nigel. The thing i found with the 4 speed auto was it was a little bit of slow going due to having it locked back in 3rd....
I also found driving it like a manual shift auto gave me a bit more momentum when required.
Have fun on your trip mate. Stay safe.

[mackayvx Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mackayvx]

I have a stock 120 prado 1kz myself towing a 2+ ton van around oz, driven it back 200km from pickup and it wasn't that bad, Hills you loose speed quickly but i still could hold 70-80km/h. Don't think there will any overtaking what so ever but i'm happy just to poke along, you get there in the end.

My upgrades will be 2" lift with new shockies all round and poly airs in rear, also have the H&R Weight Dist bars which i'm yet to try, Also ditching stock tow bar and replacing with a H&R bar.(recommended).

That will be it for me, can't afford exhaust upgrade or chip. I think keep it simple but safe and you can't go wrong.

Then again if i had the coin who know what i would do .lol

Hey zuta... Your rig will go forever. No need to get caught up in the whole chip thing if you dont want to... Just drive it and enjoy it.

[Foxo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Foxo]

Hi Nigelh,

I've got a stock 03 1kzte auto and I tow a 15ft van which has a 1.2ton limit. We went to Perth in 40 degree heat and back from Bris with 4 people aboard so who knows what the van weighed. Its done 245000 and I tow in 3rd and sit on 93kph which suits me and the Prado, the auto runs cooler with the torque converter locked and consequently so does the engine I expect ( the temp guage doesn't ever move past midway).

So the message is, don't go overboard, be kind to your Prado and enjoy the scenery.

Have fun ,
Foxo.

[John Member Find all posts View Profile Close John]

Gidday Nigel,

I have the same model as you, and towed a 19' Coromal off roader, and now a Vista RV Crossover. I had Polyairs fitted back in 2006 to help with the camper I had back then. They are a great piece of kit whether towing or not.

When I had the Coromal I had about 18psi in the Polyairs (from memory), and used a HR WDH. As the Prado is stock, it does run out of puff quickly on hills. I've found that I can cruise between 90-100 on the flat. Generally I keep it in 3 most of the time, but on long, flat stretches put it into D. The Coromal towed really well and was very stable over all.

The Vista weighs in at around 1400kg, so depending on how it's loaded I put between 15-20psi in the polyairs (just enough to keep it level). This is the best unit I've ever towed. The Prado tows it well, but still lacks the grunt up hills. I've been thinking of chipping/putting a larger zorst on it, but have held off.

Polyairs have been the best accessory I've fitted so far.

[moby7 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close moby7]

I have 2008 diesel 6 spd manual and tow 18'6" dual axle van weighing 1.8t. HR hitch, adjustable height ball plus load leveller. No probs cruising at 100km, and able to overtake semis in 6th (or 5th if I am in a hurry. Towed a 23ft at 2.1 tonne and felt little difference. I will shortly be trying the max of 2.5t when it is loaded.

So, I say, it's a great tow vehicle, up to its 2.5 limit.