3rd gen towing help

Tliska10

Active member
So I'm ready to purchase a pop up trailer, I have a trailer hitch on my Montero right now but, I don't know the brand,

It also has no light hook up or anything.


So the trailer I'm looking at is gross weight 4300lbs
Will the 3rd gen be okay to tow that much weight?


Where can I purchase a brake light kit at?



Also does the trailer hitch have a gross weight also?

Sorry this is all new to me and I'm super excited.

My Montero has ome med springs... And some 275/75/16 AT tires



Thanks again
 

normal_dave

waytoomuchwritinginposts.
I'd say you're good to go, here's my write-up, I'm towing happily at 3,000 LBS loaded, but with a high profile cargo trailer conversion. A popup won't have as much wind penalty, even if it is a bit heavier. Likely you won't tow it at it's max GVWR anyhow. Go ahead and get a weight ticket fully loaded to be sure you don't exceed your maximum cargo capacity of the Montero when you and your gear are loaded with the trailer attached. You'll see I went from a V8 Ford Club Wagon full size van to the Montero after much research and worry, only to discover it is a much better towing setup for my trailer.
Towing with a Gen 3 Montero NM

E-trailer has light kits, you'll want to add a brake controller, circuit breaker, dedicated brake controller wire, 7-way plug, etc. I have the 3.5L and shift manually right at 4K, like to keep the towing rpms around 3,500 (max torque), Hence I used the select shift, almost exclusively when towing, up and down hills (for braking). I tow in AWD as I've seen recommended by our Aussie brethren, it really does stabilize the combination, and usually stay out of 5th gear. It won't pull spaghetti out of a "..." (well, you know), in 5th unless you are going downhill with a tailwind. Now you won't set any speed records, so just plan ahead, take your time, but it's quite a reasonably stable rig all things considered, and when you get where you are going, the traction and turning radius are "the bomb". Your OME medium springs are a nice upgrade for towing.

We'll also assume you've done the proper transmission fluid flush using genuine SPIII fluid.
 

Tliska10

Active member
Thank you so much, what brand brake trailer kit did you get and is it easy to install?

This is all new to me but this I fo is great, thank you
 

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
So I'm ready to purchase a pop up trailer, I have a trailer hitch on my Montero right now but, I don't know the brand,

It also has no light hook up or anything.


So the trailer I'm looking at is gross weight 4300lbs
Will the 3rd gen be okay to tow that much weight?


Where can I purchase a brake light kit at?



Also does the trailer hitch have a gross weight also?

Sorry this is all new to me and I'm super excited.

My Montero has ome med springs... And some 275/75/16 AT tires



Thanks again

How much experience do you have with towing trailers?
 

normal_dave

waytoomuchwritinginposts.
Fair enough...

Start with spending some time with these videos, of course it's published for the United Kingdom, (metric and right hand drive), but most of the basics apply. We don't have handbrakes on the trailers, and our driver's licenses don't have trailer weight classifications (generally).

This was my brake controller, very basic, it sends power to the electric brakes on the trailer at a rate set by the adjustment wheel on the controller, when you push the brakes on the tow vehicle. There are much fancier controllers, I just wanted the basic one.
Reese Pod brake controller

In my prior post, the picture of my factory receiver hitch shows class III max 5,000 LBS towing, with a 500 LB max tongue weight, and not rated for a weight distributing hitch, so find out what your hitch is spec'd for. You'll also see I chose an extended ball hitch to clear the rear door/tire.

My '02 limited has a GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of 5,840 lbs. (look at your driver's door sticker). That means that the truck, when full of fuel, you, wife, wife's dog, (neighbor's dog), tools, luggage, cooler, gear, etc. has to weigh less than 5,840 with the trailer connected to it. The tongue weight, is the portion of the weight of the trailer applied to the ball. So just for fun, 5,840 - curb weight of empty Montero (~ 4,600) leaves you 1,240 LB cargo capacity, minus fuel, folks, stuff, and tongue weight. It adds up quick, but if you are careful, it's doable.

In your popup example, a 4,300 LB loaded trailer, the tongue weight is typically 10-12% of the loaded trailer weight, so you could already be above the maximum tongue weight of your hitch for example, even though you are still under the 5,000 LB max rating. 4,300 * 12% is 516 LBS! (Oops). Good news is, I imagine a typical popup might not have a 12% tongue weight, but you won't know for sure until you drive across the CAT weight scales.

Don't despair, just take your time, and think this stuff through. Don't just hookup and go. The camper salesperson likely will tell you whatever you want to hear, so be realistic. Also don't get too excited and get too big of a trailer, or your Montero towing experience won't be much fun at all.
 

RyanY

Adventurer
Dave has provided some great info already - I just want to add a couple points.

First, your trailer is not likely to be near the GVWR - my 24' Starcraft pop-up trailer equipped with roof-mounted a/c is under 2500 lbs fully loaded with water tank, toilet tank, and propane all full. Taking it to a weigh station to get it weighed is not a bad idea.

Any trailer you're towing that's over 1000 lbs needs to have trailer brakes. Investing in a quality digital brake controller will make your life much easier in the long run so you don't have to regularly fiddle with adjustments on a cheap controller.

I would plan on installing an additional transmission fluid cooler. Yes, your vehicle already has one, and yes, it's probably sufficient for most towing. However, excess heat is the best way to kill a transmission and you will be adding a lot of heat to the system on a vehicle who's transmission has been known to have issues. An additional cooler inline with the factory cooler and a transmission fluid service is cheap insurance against failure.

You will want to make sure that your cooling system is in great condition as well - if you've still got any original hoses it would be wise to replace them before towing.
 

Tliska10

Active member
Awesome info everyone, I appreciate everything,

Is there a harness for the brake controller?


Here is the stats on my trailer

Dry Weight
2,965 lbs.
Payload Capacity
1,435 lbs.
GVWR
4,400 lbs.
Hitch Weight
395 lbs.
 

plh

Explorer
Is there a harness for the brake controller?

There is a short harness included, but you will need to run supplementary wires to lengthen it.

Dry Weight
2,965 lbs.
Payload Capacity
1,435 lbs.
GVWR
4,400 lbs.
Hitch Weight
395 lbs.

Even with OME medium rear springs, I don't think you will be happy with 395 lbs hitch weight. My opinion is that a fully loaded 4400 lb trailer is a lot for a Montero to handle. Mine isn't that heavy, but it is higher than a pop-up and its a lot for the truck. Make sure you have a very clean & clear cooling system, add an additional transmission cooler & good condition high performance vehicle brakes (think power stop pads or similar). Be absolutely sure to use trailer brakes as well.

I have this hitch kit: I also added a 7 pin plug to match my trailer wiring.

https://www.amazon.com/Class-Package-2001-2006-Mitsubishi-Montero/dp/B01MXNAONL/


might be this one, don't exactly remember:

https://www.etrailer.com/Custom-Fit-Vehicle-Wiring/Tekonsha/20135.html
 
Last edited:

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
Awesome info everyone, I appreciate everything,

Is there a harness for the brake controller?


Here is the stats on my trailer

Dry Weight
2,965 lbs.
Payload Capacity
1,435 lbs.
GVWR
4,400 lbs.
Hitch Weight
395 lbs.

Yikes, it will be a learning curve having zero experience with towing, I have towed a lot and wouldn't even want to do that with any Montero. Why not just buy a truck to tow with?
 

Tliska10

Active member
I've been thinking of buying a truck for towing lately,not sure if the Montero can handle the heavy towing
 

Michael Brown

You followed me, so now we're both lost
The Gen 3 has a 5,000lb tow rating. I have routinely towed 3,000 lbs with mine on my 3500lb rated trailer. It will used 4th gear more to get up hills, but never let me down.

The IRS will sag more than a solid axle over time, but this can be remedied easily with a set of helper air springs.

I would recommend installing some fresh brake rotors and pads (possibly EBC yellows or similar) and tow in 4H (Limited with 5-speed only) to use the AWD system to assist with towing duties. It will not be as quick or effortless as with a full size truck, but It should have no problems.
 

Tliska10

Active member
I'm been back and forth if I should sell the Montero and get a truck, but I really like the Montero, I only need the brake light kit and a brake controller and I should be fine
 

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