I dunno...

J

jkust

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Re: I dunno...

Nice car...reminds me of a Chrysler Pacifica. Twin turbo must have big torque numbers.
 
WAVENBYE2

WAVENBYE2

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Re: I dunno...

BWR1953 said:
The car is characterized as an Executive Estate wagon. Yep, that'd be me! No pickup drivin' redneck here! I'm a country gentleman! LMAO! :D
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This Redneck wouldn't be caught dead driving an Audi, I'll stick with my Redneckneck pick up any day!!;):D And proud of it.
 

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BWR1953

BWR1953

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Re: I dunno...

Here are the pix of the hitch. Seems weak to me even though it does have five grade 8 bolts for retention. I'm going to talk with the guy about making a much stronger variant.
 

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lowkee

lowkee

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Re: I dunno...

BWR, I love the pics of your car.. not only for the car, but the land around it. Nice property!
 
BWR1953

BWR1953

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Re: I dunno...

lowkee said:
BWR, I love the pics of your car.. not only for the car, but the land around it. Nice property!
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Thanks! I do love my little 1.36 acres in the country! Here's a pic I took in December 2008 of my front and side yards, facing east before daybreak. http://www.rugerpix.com/rbm-frostyfield1.jpg

And another as the sun came up one foggy morning... note - this pic is NOT photoretouched! http://www.rugerpix.com/bwr-pinksunrise18dec08.jpg

Back to topic - I did think about it some more today and have decided that I will get with the hitch guy on Monday to see what it will take to get a stronger hitch. I have a yearning for an 18' - 19' Starcraft in the future and want to be able to tow that boat when purchased.

Then I'll have TWO tin boats! :D
 
WAVENBYE2

WAVENBYE2

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Re: I dunno...

BWR1953 said:
Here are the pix of the hitch. Seems weak to me even though it does have five grade 8 bolts for retention. I'm going to talk with the guy about making a much stronger variant.
Click to expand...

Do they make frame hitches for your car?? Now I see why you would want to change it!
 
BWR1953

BWR1953

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Re: I dunno...

WAVENBYE2 said:
Do they make frame hitches for your car?? Now I see why you would want to change it!
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Audi used to offer a factory hitch for the car, but it was discontinued several years ago. And at $1175 plus installation, I can see why! :eek:

U-haul offers a Class 1 hitch for $120, but I wanted something stronger. Thought I had it, but clearly do not. Soooo... I'll speak with the hitch guy about options on Monday. Should be an interesting conversation. LOL
 
BWR1953

BWR1953

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Re: I dunno...

Well, the hitch wasn't bent... the unibody was. Just a little. Too much tongue weight.

Had a LONG visit with the hitch guy this afternoon and we both got under the car to have a look. I see what he's talking about now. No frame to speak of at all. The nearest solid member is easily several feet forward of the trunk.

We decided to go with a temporary fix for now. He fabricated a piece of 1/4" sheet steel and locked it into place to support the hitch and spread the load a bit more. Still isn't what I really need, but that will have to wait. I know it isn't as strong as I want because he tested it with a 6 foot prybar. Inserted the bar into the hitch and levered the car... and we heard "tink" and "klink" noises from the unibody. Ah well, it'll last for the near term for towing my little boat.

Eventually, I'll have him fabricate a much stronger hitch which will be attached at several points, including the frame member. Gonna be awhile before I can do that though. Costs big bucks for me.

I'm also planning on KEEPING my 5' x 10' utility trailer. It suits my needs here on the ol' homestead too well to give it up. I'll have my neighbor move the wheels/axle forward about 20 inches or so. That will move the CG on the trailer and reduce the tongue weight.

I think I'll do the same on the trailer for my Sea Nymph too. The wheels on that trailer are well back indeed.

Been an interesting day.
 
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JLEE08

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Re: I dunno...

good luck on the new ride! i have a 2003 honda crv that pulls my 1988 bass tracker, 150hp mercy blackmax with no problem. i don't notice any differnce in power when i tow or just going to work., but you know women, my wife told me to find a truck to pull the boat, so, i got a 1996 gmc 4x4 with a 4.3L v-6 for $500 on 10/6/09. i had to put a fuel pump on it and a set of mirrors, but for the price....now i to have a nice way to tow. anyway, have fun in your new car.:)

ps. don't go to uhaul for the hitch.....bad choice!
 
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SBTOM

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Re: I dunno...

I don't know if you ever managed to get a reliable hitch on here, but I tow my Trophy with pretty much the same car. Mine is a 2002 though. I don't know how much my boat weighs, but it is a lot. I would say more than 3,000 lbs with the tower and the oversized fuel tanks, etc.
When I first started using it to tow, I had a little rigid inflatable boat. I made my own tow hitch and it worked perfectly. When I picked up my 19' center console though, I needed to rethink how the hitch attached to the unibody. As you mentioned, the sheet metal is pretty vulnerable, especially when you exposed it to any sheer force. I custom formed a bunch of .125" 304 SST plates to reinforce my unbody anywhere a fastener passes through. It was a pain but it works perfectly.
The one word of caution that I would give you would be to be carefull with the air suspenion. Never tow on 4 or 1, because you can damage the sensors which are upwards of 3,000 $ to fix.
 

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BWR1953

BWR1953

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Re: I dunno...

SBTOM said:
I don't know if you ever managed to get a reliable hitch on here, but I tow my Trophy with pretty much the same car. Mine is a 2002 though. I don't know how much my boat weighs, but it is a lot. I would say more than 3,000 lbs with the tower and the oversized fuel tanks, etc.
When I first started using it to tow, I had a little rigid inflatable boat. I made my own tow hitch and it worked perfectly. When I picked up my 19' center console though, I needed to rethink how the hitch attached to the unibody. As you mentioned, the sheet metal is pretty vulnerable, especially when you exposed it to any sheer force. I custom formed a bunch of .125" 304 SST plates to reinforce my unbody anywhere a fastener passes through. It was a pain but it works perfectly.
The one word of caution that I would give you would be to be carefull with the air suspenion. Never tow on 4 or 1, because you can damage the sensors which are upwards of 3,000 $ to fix.
Click to expand...
Nice rig!

I ended up getting my hitch reinforced and then moving the wheel locations forward on both my boat trailer and my utility trailer in order to reduce tongue weight. Worked like a charm and I now have about 98lbs. of tongue weight with each trailer.

Thanks for the tip on the ride height. I typically keep it on 2 while towing because that's the way the car levels best with the trailer.
 
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