A new tow vehicle for Elena

My old pug that used to tow Elena became very unreliable, with crankshaft position sensor errors and other sundry issues cropping up regularly. Its age was such that we were going to have to do timing belt and particulate filter, and there was a fair bit of panel damage from an intimate encounter with a roo. So when rego came due last year we took it to the wreckers.

Since then we haven't had a car with a towbar.

I've been talking about getting a ute for ages, and recently my main car has been off the road (another roo), so we brought that forward. Top of the list was something that could comfortably tow Elena. I also wanted something that would be good for picking up piles of wood for the next boat. I decided something with a tray 2.4m long would be perfect, as so much wood comes in 2.4m lengths. Also I didn't want to spend too much, as it's a second car and will have it's arse dipped in the water occasionally.

So meet our new ute. It's a bottom of the range Mitsubishi Triton single cab, with a tray. It's a 2011 model, with 120,000km and is as simple as a vehicle can be. And it's just the ticket for towing Elena.

I've come up with a simple method of securing the mast so it doesn't scuff the floor, just by hanging it between the aft mooring cleats. I'll sew bags for the rest of the bits.