[SierraDan]

Has anybody had any experience towing with 6.5's?
Mostly curious about on road and on sand.

[S13RR4]

tyre size?

engine?

trailer size?

[SierraDan]

I was just after a variety of experience from people.

But specifically to me, 31's, 1.3 carb, box trailer similar size to a Sierra.

[Teracis]

SierraDan wrote:

I was just after a variety of experience from people.

But specifically to me, 31's, 1.3 carb, box trailer similar size to a Sierra.

You are only allowed to tow a trailer up to 450kg which should be a piece of piss with 6.5's when you think about it, it's only about the same as going from 0 occuppants (or a really light driver) to 4 100kg blokes.

It all depends on your zook really, mine is heaps down on power, but I don't even notice my jetski behind it (even when I didn't have 6.5's) although that's only on the road.

Oh I'm on 29's with a crook 1.3 carb motor and the ski is probably 200-350kg with trailer. (2 men can lift the ski but it's a task, 3 men easy, I'm allowing 50kg for trailer)

[mondo]

i tow a 7x4 box trailer, weighs 230kg, throw 1 or 2 dirtbikes on it, and all seems good, that was while it was a stock standard coily on 29" tyres.

[SierraDan]

I've towed a trailer weighing about 280kg and on the road it wasn't all that noticeable but on the sand I had a lot of trouble. Got bogged numerous times, the exhaust manifold was glowing.

[Kermy87]

6.5s should be fine for towing as I to my boat with 32" muddies and run 3.9ratio diff centers ( with a 4age tho)
tows great,, just need bigger breaks.

[shep]

tows great but i have really good brakes on the trailer.
6.5s 1.3 and 3.7 diffs



this one towed fine but when loaded up really needed trailer brakes.
1.6 carb with 6.5s, 31s and 3.7 diffs. the aircon was always on as well

[dano_mung]

Kermy87 wrote:

6.5s should be fine for towing as I to my boat with 32" muddies and run 3.9ratio diff centers ( with a 4age tho)
tows great,, just need bigger breaks.

Were the bigger breaks to let the brakes cool down?

To the OP, sounds like you needed to let some more air out of your tyres and also the trailer tyres.
If the trailer does not track the same width as your vehicle it will also be very difficult to tow on sand.

[SierraDan]

It wasn't much wider the trailer. And I had about 2psi in all the tyres. Zook just couldn't handle it.

[dano_mung]

and this was obviously without 6.5s?

still sounds odd, must have been very soft.

never seen any zooks have trouble on the beach (except for coilys)

[shep]

i get stuck a fair bit mainly because the trailer weighs twice as much as the
car and it just cant get enough traction to move forward so it goes down.

if you are getting stuck and the wheels are still turning then 6.5s are not the
issue you need to do something about not loosing traction.
i find that lots of speed and revs just makes it harder and that low 1st gear at idle
and i can generally tow through anything especially if i use the wheels to compact a track.

[Teracis]

Back when I had my hilux (2000 model with 2.7 petrol and ifs front and nothing special on it) I skulldragged my jetski trailer up the beach with no trouble (axle was dragging with sand going over it because the tyres were so small)

The zook has less power than a hilux would, but I reckon with the same tyres (31's at the time) the zook would shit all over the hilux even to pull the trailer because it's just smaller and lighter.

That said, it was only across from the hard sand off the beach so not too long in the soft.

Something might be wrong if your zook is having trouble? are you in the right gear? are you trying to go too fast or too slow?

Does the trailer have wide or narrow tyres?

[atari4x4]

shep wrote:

i get stuck a fair bit mainly because the trailer weighs twice as much as the
car and it just cant get enough traction to move forward so it goes down.

if you are getting stuck and the wheels are still turning then 6.5s are not the
issue you need to do something about not loosing traction.
i find that lots of speed and revs just makes it harder and that low 1st gear at idle
and i can generally tow through anything especially if i use the wheels to compact a track.

that's the trick with sand driving, rolling & compressing a track with zero wheel spin when stuck. it might start off only a couple of inches, just bumping the clutch in 1st & reverse... keep going & roll a track that might end up a couple feet long or could be 4 car lengths.

[SierraDan]

dano_mung wrote:

and this was obviously without 6.5s?

still sounds odd, must have been very soft.

never seen any zooks have trouble on the beach (except for coilys)

Yeah my ex girlfriends stock pos.

[SierraDan]

Teracis wrote:

Something might be wrong if your zook is having trouble? are you in the right gear? are you trying to go too fast or too slow?

Does the trailer have wide or narrow tyres?

It wasn't the best zook (not my current one) but nothing wrong that would inhibit anything.
And I am no stranger to 4wding in any way, so I was doing everything as best as could be done in the given circumstance. It was soft as all fuck. To be honest the softest I've ever seen Stockton.

Trailer had 235s bagged out.



BUT, what I was after was just how people went towing with 6.5s if it was any better or worse haha. Not me trying to make my zook better at towing on sand.

[SierraDan]

atari4x4 wrote:

shep wrote:

i get stuck a fair bit mainly because the trailer weighs twice as much as the
car and it just cant get enough traction to move forward so it goes down.

if you are getting stuck and the wheels are still turning then 6.5s are not the
issue you need to do something about not loosing traction.
i find that lots of speed and revs just makes it harder and that low 1st gear at idle
and i can generally tow through anything especially if i use the wheels to compact a track.

that's the trick with sand driving, rolling & compressing a track with zero wheel spin when stuck. it might start off only a couple of inches, just bumping the clutch in 1st & reverse... keep going & roll a track that might end up a couple feet long or could be 4 car lengths.

That's how I got to camp that time. Took the trailer off and made a track about 20m long to get momentum.