Montero Towing?

[speedtre]

I recently purchased a VERY clean '99 Montero with the winter package (lockers). My intention was to use it for a summer camping trip out west (4-6 weeks) and I planned on getting a light-weight offroad trailer with a RTT on it as well. Well, my wife has informed me that she is not crazy about the RTT setup and would much prefer a pop-up camper setup for this type of trip (which I realize will also keep us more on the beaten path as well ). I know the Montero would pull it just fine on flatland and some limited hill pulling like we see in the North Ga mountains, but on this trip we are talking about spending alot of time in the much bigger mountains out west so I'm concerned about the Montero's ability to tow under those circumstances. So, for those of you with experience, do you think the Montero is up to it or should I just bite the bullet and start looking for a 4x4 Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon?

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

I've only pulled my 4x8 loaded with junk.... and a few stuck cars:elkgrin:.... so far.

I think the power of the Montero will be adequate. The ponies that the V6 put out was one of the reasons why I picked up a Monty. You may consider leaving the tires close to stock size so that you aren't lugged down by that also.
What size camper are you looking at anyways and for how many people? You may be able to modify the suspension so that you can get the it offroad more. BUT even better than that, you will be able to set the camper up somewhere and taking off in the truck!

 

[off-roader]

Or upgrade to either a 94-96 SR's 4.6:1 ring and pinion gears or the 4.9:1 gears out of the later Montero Sports.

 

[zukrider]

i would think that with the HP, the reputably stout trans, and factory trans cooler and such, it should do just fine with a pop up behind it. also, when in doubt, leave it in 3rd gear instead of drive.

offroader- with the 4.9's, is it any montero sport, or a certain package? i see these in my local yards quite often.

 

[Justice R]

Towing

Factory rated to tow 5K pounds, you will be fine. It has a nice trans cooler from the factory too.

 

[speedtre]

Does the trans cooler come on all '99 Monteros or is it part of the tow package? I don't think mine has the tow package because where the tow hitch would be is just an attached D-ring....

 

[off-roader]

Does the trans cooler come on all '99 Monteros or is it part of the tow package? I don't think mine has the tow package because where the tow hitch would be is just an attached D-ring....

From what I've seen... ALL have had them.

 

[speedtre]

Thanks all for the info...

 

[BushPig]

Bumping an older thread --- any comments here from those who have towed with their Gen 2's? Has the tranny gotten sloppy over time from the stress of towing? How do I know if the hitch is a factory one or not?

 

[off-roader]

offroader- with the 4.9's, is it any montero sport, or a certain package? i see these in my local yards quite often.

I don't recall. You need the diff out of one with both a 3.5L DOHC engine and a high pinion front diff IIRC but I don't recall the exact years they are available.

Also, I'd add a 2nd transmission cooler just to be safe. You can easily find them in various sizes at your local salvage yard for cheap then simply build brackets and hoses to plumb them in-line with your stock transmission cooler.

Not sure about the transmissions except everyone I've spoken to about them have indicated they're VERY, VERY stout. Far exceeding the requirements of the rig.

As for the 'factory' hitches... I suspect the ones sold by the dealers are not from Mitsubishi Japan and are instead locally built. What is stock on the vehicle are mounting points for a hitch with a pre-drilled hitch plate and loop for chains.

You can also find trailer light setups online. I found mine on Ebay.

HTH.

 

[JamesW]

What kind of hitches are ye using over there on the monteros? Personally I wouldn't use just a plate coming down from the factory recovery eye,by all accounts that thing is only rated for 1500 kg.

There is 2 types of tow bar,one is a heavy duty,and the other standard duty,they go into the 3 holes on the ends of the chassis rails at the back. I want to put a higher mounted receiver type one on mine,my current one is a bit of an anchor. Anyone got any pics of what they have?

No issues from my gearbox as a result of towing BTW,but an ATF cooler would probably be a good cheap way of saving any potential headaches

 

[off-roader]

What kind of hitches are ye using over there on the monteros? Personally I wouldn't use just a plate coming down from the factory recovery eye,by all accounts that thing is only rated for 1500 kg.

There is 2 types of tow bar,one is a heavy duty,and the other standard duty,they go into the 3 holes on the ends of the chassis rails at the back. I want to put a higher mounted receiver type one on mine,my current one is a bit of an anchor. Anyone got any pics of what they have?

No issues from my gearbox as a result of towing BTW,but an ATF cooler would probably be a good cheap way of saving any potential headaches

James although there are some class 2 hitches that only attach to the middle mounting area most are typically class 3 hitches like this one that attach to the frame.

Also, all the US Auto Transmission Monteros i've seen come with a transmission cooler. Not sure about the Manual Transmission gen II's. Maybe Grasscat can chime in on this since his new one is a manual model.

 

[JamesW]

James although there are some class 2 hitches that only attach to the middle mounting area most are typically class 3 hitches like this one that attach to the frame.
Also, all the US Auto Transmission Monteros i've seen come with a transmission cooler. Not sure about the Manual Transmission gen II's. Maybe Grasscat can chime in on this since his new one is a manual model.

The manual ones haven't got a transmission cooler,they also have a different front radiator to the auto ones without the ATF pipes at the bottom,i'm just thinking that in the US it can get very hot and it will do no harm,and for the money they cost it will give you that bit more peace of mind.

My tow bar looks like this


It's a big stupid thing that comes out beyond the back bumper,and since I've lifted it it has to have a drop plate,which sticks out even further out the back,but at least half of it is removable. It acts like a cheese grater. I'd rather a tidier bar which tucks up good and close to the rear bumper without sticking out the back too much,and is just a receiver,which means that I can keep the hitch in the boot when i'm offroad,and not having the existing bar causing me clearance issues. My current setup actually hits a wall behind me before the spare does :Wow1:

 

[off-roader]

Yeah not sure about your MOT regulations but perhaps you could have one fabricated where rather than go down it goes back at the same level as the frame & integrates with it so the hitch & bumper combined look near stock (since there's a lot of space between the rear-most cross member and the bumper).

 

[JamesW]

Yeah not sure about your MOT regulations but perhaps you could have one fabricated where rather than go down it goes back at the same level as the frame & integrates with it so the hitch & bumper combined look near stock (since there's a lot of space between the rear-most cross member and the bumper).

I like that idea,once it doesn't look too home made it won't draw attention from the testers. Mine wouldn't be so bad if it didn't have that extra bit that sticks out and hangs down,it's hard to believe the stopping power something so small has. It really frustrates me how different mitsubishi made everything between countries,for what is essentially the same machine!

Anyone here have one fitted that would be able to put up a few pics so I can get ideas from all sides?