LANDCRUISER 200 Series Towing Capacity
It often comes up on Facebook Groups about towing with a 200 Series Landcruiser and what is the Towing Capacity. Great car! I have one myself. Unfortunately, the restricted payload lets it down.
Here are some numbers based on the following assumptions:
Vehicle: 2021 Toyota 200 Series Landcruiser (GXL)
Max Towing Capacity: 3500Kg
Caravan: Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM) of 3100Kg
Toyota Landcruiser 200 Series (GXL) fully loaded to Max GVM
| Name | Kgs | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| GCM | 6850 | Max Combination Weight of Car and Van legally allowed |
| GVM | 3350 | Max Legal Weight of Car fully loaded (Passengers, Accessories, Fuel etc) |
| Kerb Weight | 2740 | Empty Car with a full tank of fuel. No accessories. (As defined by Toyota) |
| Payload Available | 610 | = GVM – Kerb Weight. Payload is the amount of stuff you can load into the car |
| Add Tow Ball Weight | 248 | Assumes 8% of fully loaded Caravan with an ATM of 3100 kg (8%-15% is average) |
| Payload Remaining | 362 | = Payload – Tow Ball Mass. Remaining for Passengers, Accessories or luggage |
| So now assume you add 4 people and luggage to the car weighing 362kg | ||
| Reduced Max Towing Capacity | 3500 | When the car is fully loaded to 3350kg (Max GVM), you can still legally tow a 3500Kg Trailer or Caravan. The issue here is the restricted payload remaining of only 362Kg. That’s 3 people and some luggage. If the Cruiser has a Bull Bar or roof racks, this is reduced even further. |
So what are the options?
The only real option for the LandCruiser is to add a GVM Upgrade. Although this won’t increase your GCM and therefore reduce your tow capacity (assuming fully loaded to upgraded GVM). The increase in GVM will give you an additional payload for the vehicle. It’s a balancing act.
Be careful though. The payload includes accessories like bull bars, roof racks, spotlights, fridges, dual batteries etc. Adding a bull bar and a second battery can use 100kg to 125kg of your payload.
If you have any questions, please comment below and I will respond as quickly as possible or contact us via our website. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for towing news and updates.
Happy and safe travels!
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