Fuso, as expedition and ranch vehicle

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I originally was thinking of a 4x4 kodiak or topkick chasis, but am thinking a fuso would be a better fit, for a few reasons

Gm terminated their medium duty line a few years back
Fuso variants are used world wide

I have a ranch and have used my 04 Chevrolet 2500 for all my towing/hauling needs and it works well has no issues towing 15klbs of stock down the freeway at 70mph. However it's the 6l gas and is getting up there at 180k miles. She is going strong and I have no plans to get rid of her. But I would like a comercial heavier duty 4x4 diesel chasis to take on the brunt of my towing/hauling needs. As well as get used as a expo rig to haul a north star 850sc camper to Baja, varies fire roads, and eventually Africa, Australia etc

So my questions would be

Can they tow? ( I keep an eye on here and am constantly looking for info but have not found much)

For a camper on the flatbed, it should prob have a pivoting frame?

Can I tow a goose neck with a pivoting frame?

Purchase new or used? I've been told the newer models have more power and torque





And just any thoughts ideas, you guys and gals know your rigs and what these can and can not do better then most

 

[mog]

I don't 'tow' with mine, but perhaps some specs will get you started:

2004 Chevy 2500 6.0 liters 300hp @ 4400rpm 360 lb-ft @ 4000rpm
pre - 2000 Fuso 3.9 liters 135hp @ 2900rpm 273 lb-ft @ 1600rpm
2001-2004 Fuso 4.9 liters 145hp @ 2900rpm 275 lb-ft @ 1600rpm
2005-2011 Fuso 4.9 liters 147hp @ 2900rpm 347 lb-ft @ 1600rpm
2012-2013 Fuso 3.0 liters 161hp @ 2900rpm 295 lb-ft @ 1600rpm

 

[azken]

I googled: mitsubishi fuso towing capacity - Up popped 587,000 related web sites. There was nothing absolute but I did run across sites that have some "rule of the thumb" calculations. Hope this helps.

Ken

 

[kerry]

I don't think a pivoting frame is necessary. Look up pictures of my rig with the service body/ Northstart/Texson camper. Almost 200k and no problems without a pivoting frame. It won't tow at 70 mph. There are some pictures on here of some Fusos pulling some pretty big loads. Not so sure about 15k lbs though. Landscapers use Fusos a lot. Look on landscaper forums to see if they are towing backhoes or tractors.

 

[patowhf]

maybe this help you:

http://www.businessvans.co.uk/fuso-canter-pulls-its-weight-for-plant-hire-firm/

http://europeanmotornews.com/2012/10/30/tough-fuso-canter-pulls-its-weight-for-john-graham/

 

[westyss]

maybe this help you:

http://www.businessvans.co.uk/fuso-canter-pulls-its-weight-for-plant-hire-firm/

http://europeanmotornews.com/2012/10/30/tough-fuso-canter-pulls-its-weight-for-john-graham/

Dont take this the wrong way but the North American mind set for tow vehicles is very different than a European or Australian mind set in that we want to tow huge loads at warp speed up 8 percent grades while passing porsche 911's. That said the fuso's are not what I would classify as power beasts and if you are of the mind set I mentioned I would recommend not going with a fuso, but if you are interested in cruising the back roads and viewing the scenery and not racing the freeways at 80mph then its the truck you want. It could tow a large load but I have to say it will be slow climbing those big hills. As for having a truck for ranch or farm, they do perform well in certain conditions, I know of several people who own these trucks and use them for spraying and servicing thier crops and also a few construction companies who absolutely love them, but as a tow vehicle, not so much.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

All,

Yes it is, I wouldn't need it to tow at 70. Ive been in contact with a few dealers and have gotten that the towing capacity is 10klbs max be it bumper pull or goose neck. I keep debating even at 15k its 5k over the rating and that's just going to tear stuff up. They said its a combination of drive train and power that limits them. I really like the fuso, and for feeding off of hauling hay, equipment etc it would work great; 4x4 good turning radius. Would have no trouble hauling the northstar. Just torn on not having the capacity for large towing weights. Although a it may just be to varied of a list for a rig to do it all. Maybe I could go with a larger model and not even need 4x4 or aftermarket upfit. Glad I started research a year + out from purchase. I will continue to look around and research. Sorry about the sp/grammar its all typed from my BlackBerry

Thanks For everyone who has contributed this far

 

[olsurfer]

Towing a Baja bug

I have been wondering about trying to tow a Baja Bug with a 07 Fuso FG140.
If the weight of the Fuso and the weight of the Baja didn't exceed the GVW of the Fuso, wouldn't that be within recommended limits?
If I'm not driving over 55/60mph (the speed limit for towing) or pushing it too hard uphill, would I still be asking for trouble?

Thanks

 

[k9lestat]

i know this is not a fuso but a ford excursion 4x4 with a sports mobile styled top sounds like what your looking for unless you need a goose neck or fifth wheel. not ford fan, but not a ford hater, the diesel version is a monster.

 

[SkiFreak]

How heavy is the Baja Bug and trailer?

 

[blackduck]

I have been wondering about trying to tow a Baja Bug with a 07 Fuso FG140.
If the weight of the Fuso and the weight of the Baja didn't exceed the GVW of the Fuso, wouldn't that be within recommended limits?
If I'm not driving over 55/60mph (the speed limit for towing) or pushing it too hard uphill, would I still be asking for trouble?

Thanks

if your talking about "towing" as in on a trailer then its GCM (gross combination mass) which is about 10.5 tonne for a 6 tonne fuso (in OZ anyway)
GVM (gross vehicle mass) is the tare weight of the truck plus load

 

[jhrodd]

How heavy is the Baja Bug and trailer?

No heavier than this, I hope :

 

[mog]

No heavier than this, I hope :

Don't leave those two alone, or you may end up with one of these :sombrero:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/100691-Fuso-and-64-Jeep-M677-LoveChild

 

[olsurfer]

How heavy is the Baja Bug and trailer?

No trailer just a tow bar and hopefully the bug is less than 2000lbs. My GVW is 14,050 lbs. and if I don't top off the water tank and don't have a passenger I'm at 12,300 lbs. So hopefully the total package would be right at GVW. Manufacturers commonly over rate the trucks capacity, so I'm looking for some real world data instead of what they recommend for this truck and engine/trans.
At Desert Rendezvous 2013, folks would set up camp and then go exploring during the day while I was back at the "Fuso mothership" wishing I had a buggy to go exploring with.
Thanks for any info,
Dean

 

[jhrodd]

No trailer just a tow bar and hopefully the bug is less than 2000lbs. My GVW is 14,050 lbs. and if I don't top off the water tank and don't have a passenger I'm at 12,300 lbs. So hopefully the total package would be right at GVW. Manufacturers commonly over rate the trucks capacity, so I'm looking for some real world data instead of what they recommend for this truck and engine/trans.
At Desert Rendezvous 2013, folks would set up camp and then go exploring during the day while I was back at the "Fuso mothership" wishing I had a buggy to go exploring with.
Thanks for any info,
Dean

Your "gross combination weight" rating is almost 22,000 lbs so you would be well within limits.