Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

Fordiesel69

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Sep 18, 2009
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1,146
Two things:

I am in need of the U-haul part# for the relay box that goes in the trunk. In 96' they switched to a LCM to control lighting, although you *CAN* use vehicle wiring to power the trailer lights, it is not wise to do so, especially me who often forgets to unplug.....

Secondly I beleive this car is capable to legally pull 2500lbs, will this be a miserable experiance at the launch ramp in terms of traction?

Town cars have ride leveling air springs from factory so tongue weight will not cause sagging.
 

fishrdan

Admiral
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Jan 25, 2008
Messages
6,989
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

Well, what year of Town Car, what engine, makes a big difference. Back in the 70's they would drop monster engines in those luxury cars.... One of my neighbors had a 70's Ford station wagon with a 460, pulled his big ol' sail boat through the Arizona mountains with no problems
 

TyeeMan

Master Chief Petty Officer
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Feb 27, 2006
Messages
849
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

Have the Lincoln dealer install your wiring harness then you know it's done right with the correct relay box.

How heavy is your 18' boat? Your owners manual will tell you how much your car can pull for sure.
The only way you will have a miserable time at the landing is if your boat is heavy, the ramp is steep, and the ramp is wet. Very likely you will spin tires. Oh, please use your parking brake. If you tow for any distance make sure you have a transmission cooler.
 

sw33ttooth

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Apr 24, 2011
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Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

Oh, please use your parking brake

i dont think so! parking brakes if new off the lot and you use it a few times a year after 15-20 years it will be fine. if its a manual trans. and used every day deveral times you will be fine. however, your talking about a 1996 vehical that the parking brake may or may not have ever been used. could be some reactions like they are rusty and once applied you can not unapply it. last i heard to fix the parking brake on a 92 f 450 it was upwards at $1500, i dont think you will have traction problems as your car is probably equipt with traction control i dont think id put it in a mudd launch but if its concrete you should be good to go.
 

TyeeMan

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Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

That's why you do ALL your testing befor you get to the ramp, including the parking brake. Park on a steep (or any) ramp without a parking brake with big boat on, , tourque lock your tranny in park, probably not a good idea. If the P brake doesn't work, fix it, then go to the boat ramp.
 

98Shabah

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Mar 11, 2010
Messages
408
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

I tow with an '05 Crown Vic, same frame/drivetrain as your LTC. The tow ratings on these cars have been drastically reduced over the years because Ford stopped offering tow packages for them. I am not going to comment on whether you should or shouldn't do it, I'll just provide my experience. This 4,200lb body on frame v8 rwd car tows my 18' bowrider with relative ease. The transmission rarely tops 200* if in heavy stop and go traffic, it has plenty of braking power & pulling power and I have yet to slip a tire on a ramp.

I installed the hitch and lighting module myself. That frame is THICK and you'll have to drill two holes for the class III hitch (it uses 1 existing hole on each side as well), you may want to be prepared with some really good drill bits. lol! The lighting module was a snap, the only time consuming part was running a separate power feed from the distribution block in the engine compartment all the way to the trunk.

Not sure of the uhaul part #, but this is the one I used.
http://www.etrailer.com/Custom-Fit-Vehicle-Wiring/Ford/Crown+Victoria/2005/119176KIT.html?vehicleid=20059114
 

wifisher

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Mar 9, 2011
Messages
578
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

i dont think so! parking brakes if new off the lot and you use it a few times a year after 15-20 years it will be fine. if its a manual trans. and used every day deveral times you will be fine. however, your talking about a 1996 vehical that the parking brake may or may not have ever been used. could be some reactions like they are rusty and once applied you can not unapply it. last i heard to fix the parking brake on a 92 f 450 it was upwards at $1500, i dont think you will have traction problems as your car is probably equipt with traction control i dont think id put it in a mudd launch but if its concrete you should be good to go.

Parking brakes are there for emergencies. They are required by law to be functional on ALL cars that were equipped with them by the factory. If it doesn't work it needs to be fixed. If you are too lazy to fix it or don't have the money to fix it, you should not be driving it.
 

jeeperman

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
1,513
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

Two things:

I am in need of the U-haul part# for the relay box that goes in the trunk. In 96' they switched to a LCM to control lighting, although you *CAN* use vehicle wiring to power the trailer lights, it is not wise to do so, especially me who often forgets to unplug.....

Secondly I beleive this car is capable to legally pull 2500lbs, will this be a miserable experiance at the launch ramp in terms of traction?

Town cars have ride leveling air springs from factory so tongue weight will not cause sagging.

You mean yours still actually works?

With good tires, you should be fine. Just put her in 1st gear when on the ramp and easy on the gas.
 

Fordiesel69

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Messages
1,146
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

Parking brake is a non issue, it works!!!!

1996 Town Car. Its a beater car with 150k + rust so im not worried about it causing scratches, abuse, etc. It is however mechanically sound.

Uhaul is who does hitches in my town and they do it good in my opinion. I am not getting metal in my eyes / ears etc drilling 2 holes. I will let them do it. Its $98 to install my frame and they do not offer the relay box for my year. So I will pay them to put the hitch on and install the wiring myself.

My glastron weighs 2050 dry. Trailer is probably 4-500?
 

98Shabah

Chief Petty Officer
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Mar 11, 2010
Messages
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Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

My 18' weighs 2200 dry.. I figure with the boat loaded on the trailer I am somewhere between 3200 and 3500.
 

444

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704
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

I think you will be okay with that car if your rear tires are decent and the ramp is concrete and not slimey.

That's why you do ALL your testing befor you get to the ramp, including the parking brake. Park on a steep (or any) ramp without a parking brake with big boat on, , tourque lock your tranny in park, probably not a good idea. If the P brake doesn't work, fix it, then go to the boat ramp.

Who really uses their parking brake at the ramp with an auto trans vehicle? I have never seen anyone use theirs when launching/retrieving your typical 16-19' bowrider.
 

ezmobee

Supreme Mariner
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Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

Who really uses their parking brake at the ramp with an auto trans vehicle? I have never seen anyone use theirs when launching/retrieving your typical 16-19' bowrider.

I use my parking brake on any vehicle when parked anything short of completely flat.
 

Splat

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Jul 20, 2008
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1,366
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

I think you will be okay with that car if your rear tires are decent and the ramp is concrete and not slimey.



Who really uses their parking brake at the ramp with an auto trans vehicle? I have never seen anyone use theirs when launching/retrieving your typical 16-19' bowrider.

I do as well. Especially considering your vehicle is parked on an incline, with a load behind it WHILE YOUR WORKING AT THE REAR (DOWNHILL) god forgive the pawl gives way you don't have many outs. Think about it your between the truck and trailer, usually have a dock on one side and other vehicles backing/maneuvering on the other. Not to mention the possibility of getting knocked down and going the water with #9,000 of truck trailer, and boat. Yea I'm using the emergency brake and giving myself every possible out should something fail.

Go ahead call me paranoid... lol have I ever told you guys I even plan my outs while driving in traffic... its saved my *** more than once when someone infront of me does something stupid.

Tactical and situational awareness... you should hear how I even look around for exits and places to draw/hide/shoot from when I walk into businesses... don't get me wrong I don't obsess over it, I don't even consciously do it anymore, its second nature but that's a whole different thread all on its own.

Bill
 

Brewman61

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Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
996
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

The pawl that locks an automatic transmission in park isn't meant to be a parking brake. We all get away with it, but that isn't what it's designed for. Even the owners manual will recommend using the parking brake. And yeah, if you don't use some parking brakes regularly you may have a rusty mess to deal with. Good idea to apply the brakes at least once a month just to help keep it working smoothly.
It also servers as an adjustment aid if you have rear drum brakes for some vehicles.
 

98Shabah

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
408
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

I just have a habit of always using the park brake no matter where I park... Although sometimes I forget it's on, put the car in gear, let off the brakes, then realize it's still on, DUH! Sadly though, many park brakes aren't going to hold a vehicle on a ramp with a boat behind it if the pawl in the tranny should fail.
 

444

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 16, 2010
Messages
704
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

Well I guess you guys are a lot more careful launchers than the folks around here. I drive a stick shift so of course I use the park brake on the ramp but I never see any auto trans drivers make that distinctive motion of hitting/releasing the e-brake upon getting back in their trucks to pull away.
 

Splat

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Jul 20, 2008
Messages
1,366
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

Well I guess you guys are a lot more careful launchers than the folks around here. I drive a stick shift so of course I use the park brake on the ramp but I never see any auto trans drivers make that distinctive motion of hitting/releasing the e-brake upon getting back in their trucks to pull away.

I just thought it was common sense... that's the problem, its not so common anymore.

Bill
 

ajgraz

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
1,858
Re: Pulling 18' boat with Lincoln Town Car

My glastron weighs 2050 dry. Trailer is probably 4-500?

Your trailer estimate is likely way low. Plus what about the weight of motor (included already probably, I/O, right?), gear, gas, batteries, etc.? You should reassess just how much weight you are talking about towing here. If the car's limit is 2500lb you are almost certainly over that.
 
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