Towing Capacity of the D21.

[Highway Man]

Morning Chaps,
A Question if I may,
I have just finished a delightful read of the "D21 Nissan Owners Manual" and to my Eyes anyway there is no mention of the "Maximum Towing Capacity" for my Beastie and I had just had
a thought of Towing a Trailer so to increase my Gross Loading of 1 Ton!

Has anyone any Idea of the recommended Tonnage she might Tow over Hills and flat country on Bitumen Roads, even a rough idea would be enough to get the "Worms of thought" moving
in my Muddy Brain!
Best Regards,

highway man!

[waynosworld]

Morning Chaps,
A Question if I may,
I have just finished a delightful read of the "D21 Nissan Owners Manual" and to my Eyes anyway there is no mention of the "Maximum Towing Capacity" for my Beastie and I had just had
a thought of Towing a Trailer so to increase my Gross Loading of 1 Ton!

Has anyone any Idea of the recommended Tonnage she might Tow over Hills and flat country on Bitumen Roads, even a rough idea would be enough to get the "Worms of thought" moving
in my Muddy Brain!
Best Regards,

highway man!

I am positive that there is an equation to answer that question, it's likely in the drivers manual over here in the USA, but I would claim ignorance if I were ever stopped about that, and I have been stopped hauling my trailer, but they gave me a ticket for speeding, the trailer wasn't mentioned.
We get away with stuff over here that you cannot even do over there, like towing a vehicle with a tow bar.

[Highway Man]

Good Evening Waynosworld,
Some States over here will except towing a car by the Towbar, with the Steering tied down, but here in Western Australia it can only be on a Flexible Towline, which is Crap really,
I know she is a "One Tonner" and thats that, and I have bought home on at least three Trips showing "T2.1.6" on a Railway Weighbridge which we all use for Free unbeknowens to the Government Railways in a Rural Place that will remain Nameless for the moment, and since I had the Rear Springs replaced she handles this very well indeed,"Ten Radiators and Twenty Car,
Truck and Tractor Batteries!

I do not want to cause Her any damage from overloading Her, and I feel She could handle another Half to Three Quarter Ton in a Trailer of probably a single Axle type and staying out of "Overdrive" at anytime, our Country Roads are in very good condition, except for the occasional "Flood Fords" in the Winter Season at a "Horses Belly height", which for a Diesel is not a
real problem, unless it comes into the Cabin when I could end up with a "Wet Bum and No Fish" along with "cold wet Knackers"!

After another Trip or two, I will buy a small Movie Camera to fit on my Windscreen and then I will film a Trip or two and send them to you and "Plenzen" for you both to view, which will give you a fine view of our State where I travel, Thanks for your reply!

Best Regards,

highway man!

[plenzen]

That will be interesting to see. I know that my D21 wouldn't pull the skin of a pudding here at 4600 ft. That being said , I guess with a tail wind down hill ....maybe.

I must have a look in my FSM to see if there is even a towing capacity mentioned.

[waynosworld]

I have loaded up my Datsuns in the past with loads that all of you would say, "Are you insane?", I have towed several 720 diesel and gas trucks with my 720 diesel truck using a tow bar, sometimes it was scary, and the worst mileage I ever got was 21mpg.
The 720 diesel doesn't have a lot of power, so if your on flat ground your fine, but on a road trip with a lot of hills, leave the SD22/25 diesel at home.
I also have to say this, if your going to tow a vehicle, with a tow bar especially, the tow vehicle should be a dually, the difference is night and day, 4 tires on the ground can be scary when towing, 6 tires on the ground is a pleasure.
One of the photos is of my 720 diesel dually towing a 521 diesel 4X4, another one of my 521 dually with a load of wood, and the another one of the 521 dually towing home a 1982 Datsun diesel, I tow only with dually trucks now, the 521 dually has 2 extra leafs in the stock spring pack, it has coil over over load shocks, and it has overload air bags in one of the photos.

[Highway Man]

Good Morning Waynosworld,

I loved your Pictures, of the Duels, and would dearly love them myself, Did you make up the Wheel Sets or buy them ready made?, Question,
How wide is your Tray to cover them properly as mine would be far too Narrow to satisfy the "Law" hereabouts, Are your Rims different or do they have
a Spacer fitted to fit the tyres, Although I have new Rear Springs fitted I would need Duels to carry your load of Wood, well done that man!

I am still sitting around home waiting for our City Fuel Prices to drop down from $1.29 a Litre so I can finally leave town on my next trip for "Scrap Metal",
I have Serviced my ute and I'm itching to headout and feel Her difference on the Road as we are heading into Springtime now, and I can sleep on a Campbed
on the Tray like a Gypsy under a Tree, I had to replace Her Battery as the CCA was stuffed, cost was $170.00 au, so I suppose I will have to make some
more Money for my extravagant Life Style Touring the Rural Areas, I have fitted another toolbox as the Law now wants all tray contents to be tied down incase
I roll her over while traveling about, so I hope to leave within a day or so!

Thanks for your Pictures again!
Best Regards to you and Plenzen,

highway Man!
John Richards
Hillman:6168.
Western Australia:

[waynosworld]

Good Morning Waynosworld,

I loved your Pictures, of the Duels, and would dearly love them myself, Did you make up the Wheel Sets or buy them ready made?, Question,
How wide is your Tray to cover them properly as mine would be far too Narrow to satisfy the "Law" hereabouts, Are your Rims different or do they have
a Spacer fitted to fit the tyres, Although I have new Rear Springs fitted I would need Duels to carry your load of Wood, well done that man!

I am still sitting around home waiting for our City Fuel Prices to drop down from $1.29 a Litre so I can finally leave town on my next trip for "Scrap Metal",
I have Serviced my ute and I'm itching to headout and feel Her difference on the Road as we are heading into Springtime now, and I can sleep on a Campbed
on the Tray like a Gypsy under a Tree, I had to replace Her Battery as the CCA was stuffed, cost was $170.00 au, so I suppose I will have to make some
more Money for my extravagant Life Style Touring the Rural Areas, I have fitted another toolbox as the Law now wants all tray contents to be tied down incase
I roll her over while traveling about, so I hope to leave within a day or so!

Thanks for your Pictures again!
Best Regards to you and Plenzen,

highway Man!
John Richards
Hillman:6168.
Western Australia:

The rear axle is a stock 85/86/87 Nissan daully axle, they came on cab/chassis trucks and on Nissan motor homes of that era, the rims look like normal big truck dually rims except they are 14 inch rims, Toyota also had dually axles, but there is one drawback, the dually axles do not have the gearing for a Datsun/Nissan diesel truck, the best hiway gears that can be put in the dually axle are 4.10s, the stock Datsun/Nissan diesel truck has 3.89(3.90) gears, that puts the engine at 3000rpms at 70mph, if one had 4.10 gears in the 720 diesel truck, max speed would be around 50/55mph and the engine would be screaming, that 720 dually diesel truck towing the Datsun 521 4X4 in the photo is a cheat, I could not get the gearing needed in the dually rearend, so I had adapters made that allowed me to use dually rims on a normal Nissan 720 H190 rearend, I trust that truck to tow other vehicles, but I would never load it up with a lot of weight, the adapters are for looks, they are not made to haul any kind of weight.
This red dually 720 diesel truck has 3.30 gears in the rear, it is also turbocharged, I could never turn them type of gears without the turbo unless empty.
Here is the thread about the turbo engine.
http://nissandiesel.dyndns.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3474

The Datsun 521 truck with the dually axle with the load of wood has a gas engine, it is a true Nissan full floating dually axle made for weight, not that kind of weight though, the bed/tray is 79 inches wide as per law so that I didn't have to use top of cab running lights, and the wheels are tucked in on each side about 1 1/2 inches, I should have mud flaps, but they both got ripped off by accident when I backed up a curb, I guess I didn't give mounting them enough thought.