150 Prado Tow Upgrade
At Active 4X4 we pride ourselves on quality and value for our customers, to enhance the looks and performance of their 4wd's
5 years ago, we pioneered the 3 Tonne Tow Upgrade for the 150 Toyota Prado (some models excluded) of which we have supplied & fitted to hundreds of Vehicles since we began, right throughout Australia excluding Queensland.
We also offer GVM upgrades on certain types of 4wd's
The ride quality is exceptional, which we can vouch for as we use Prados ourselves with our Kimberley Kampers, so we know it works.
There are now a few other companies following suite and creating some confusion.
For further assistance and information on our 3 Tonne Tow Upgrades and GVM upgrades, please contact our friendly staff at Active 4X4.
The Tow Upgrade
Toyota Prado 150 owners have had the limitation of 2500 kgs towing capacity and 250 kgs ball weight. The team at Active 4X4 specialise in off road vehicles, we also have the engineering approvals to upgrade the towing capacity of the GX and GXL Models (ONLY) to 3000 kgs.
The drawbar weight is also increased from 250kgs to 300kgs.
The result is an Engineers Certificate and a re-labeled towbar with capacity limits on it.
How can this be done now after many years production since the 150 Series release?
Some Forums have carried an unsubstantiated view that Toyota has wanted to "hold back" the specs on the Prado to force those towing bigger caravans to the 200 series. Whilst this is possible, it is more likely the 5 door Prado has a suspension "budget" in the build process. The current Prado suspension is designed for maximum comfort around town BUT it has a towing and ball weight limit. Changing the towing parameter also impacts the "around town" comfort design. Accommodating both of these changes would increase the cost of the standard suspension substantially as new. Whilst we don't know for sure, this would seem a logical reason for the current design limit.
Increasing the towing limit changes the detail of the suspension design required. It is far more complex than just increasing capacity. The changed design has to accommodate slip angles and the impact on steering. This involves Engineering Compliance to the ADR and issuing an Engineer's Certificate.
The outcome is that the increased towing capacity is possible for selected models but ONLY if done in accordance to approved engineering designs. We have received approval to do this work on our own premises. With this change, owners of selected models of the 150 Series Prado's who want to keep their Prado (at least till the end of a big trip) have a one stop shop to upgrade their vehicle.
Why can't this be done to the Kakadu and VX Models?
The Kakadu and VX variants are fitted with Toyota’s KDSS system. The engineering approved upgrades can not be done to this system.
This work also increases the drawbar weight to 300 kgs from 250kgs.
You may note that in our calculations above we simply just did't look at the "weight" of the off road caravan and match this to the towing capacity? Why not?
It is the combined towing mass that is the critical value combined with our policy of keeping the vehicle and off road caravan matched in their weights. If the off road caravan is heavier than the vehicle, "the tail may wag the dog".
In calculating the combined mass and the ratios, the drawbar or ball weight is added to the vehicle's weight. The calculations are then done on this basis.
Remember that when the State's Road and Traffic authorities check weight, they weigh each of the axles (or the combined axle in a tandem off road caravan) to get the total weight on the road by axle group. This is the critical measurement for them. The sum of all these measurements is the combined vehicle mass and this is published by the manufacturer.
If you increase the drawbar weight to the maximum, it will decrease the resultant off road caravan gross trailer weight that is allowable. You can use the table above to tweak the number as it would apply to you.
For more information or to enquire about our 150 Prado Tow Upgrade, Please call us on 02 49668330 or send us an email below