Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

So just to understand. You towed a "rig" similar to his with a vehicle that was about the same weight, half the hp with front wheel disk and rear wheel shoes. Smaller tires, much less transmission cooling. About the same weight on rear tires. Oh yea I forgot at the ramp he has positive lock differential. You most likely did not.

A great deal of finesse and skill. Come on. I pulled a 16 Glastron for YEARS with a Datsun 280Z. My Dad has pulled a 16 ft whaler for over a decade with a 4 banger toyota pickup. We pulled a 18ft with a 6 cylinder camaro for many years.

But what do we know. We live in Florida and only boat 12 months a year

What YOU know is how towing works... you have grown up towing your whole life, seen and FELT what all sizes of boats do behind all sorts of vehicles... you are not an inexperienced beginner asking if it can be done on a web forum.... Just because it (in your opinion) wouldn't be a problem for you doesn't mean that everyone has the experience to do it safely..... PROBABLY he would be fine and MAYBE he would have trouble....... If you read this thread with an open mind it's pretty obvious that we all feel that way.... facts are facts and he will either be right at the max capacity or a little over.....

What we don't and CAN'T know is if the tongue weight on his new trailer will be right, if it's light a marginal tow vehicle will be more likely to have problems, or if there are trailer issues such as bent axle or loose suspension that could cause stability issues..... Also does this trailer have WORKING brakes? if not he could certainly wish for a bigger tow rig than his transmarobird......

Yes he could probably pull it off, but, the CORRECT advice is that he will be pushing his luck a bit....

Btw, I put a receiver hitch on my BMW 330ci rated for 2000 lbs.... I have no problem hooking up a jetski or small trailer up to about 1000 lbs, and while I am certain I could handle it I wouldn't even think of hooking up to his boat. As far as cars go my beemer does really well as a tow pig but while I have no doubt I (and it) would do it fine, I love my car and see no reason to beat on it or risk any number of things that could happen.

for comparison it weighs pretty close to the same as the o/p's car, has amazing brakes, 245/40/17's rear and 225/45/17's front, DSC (computer dynamic stability control), ABS, Traction control, manual transmission, rear wheel drive, factory subframe connectors (convertible) and a very stiff suspension.... I recently hauled a 250 lb fifth wheel hitch along with about 60 lbs of tools in the trunk and couldn't tell any difference on the 500 mile trip home.

BTW having subframe connectors IN NO WAY makes it a full body on frame vehicle..... It is still unibody and while it will now be a little more rigid there is no comparison to a truck frame or even an old full frame car

 

[T_Herrod]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

The question you should be asking is "Can I control this with my car ?" You can tow a boat with a bicycle if your legs are strong enough. Think about what happens if you have a blow out or if a wheel decides to come off while you are motoring down the road at 65 mph. I understand lots of people have have done what you want to do without issue but there is always that chance that your trip could end badly.

 

[kahuna123]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

One answer is I don't see any dents in a 500hp car. The second is he knows what he doesn't know and has enough sense to ask. That pts him pretty much at the front of the line to be smart enough to grasp the concept of pulling something.

Hook it up and drive around slow in town. Find a safe spot and hit the brakes hard. Get the feel of something extra behind you. If your boat push is too much add trailer brakes. Go to a ramp and back it down and pull it out and see if you are happy with the results.

 

[xymmot]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

So just to understand. You towed a "rig" similar to his with a vehicle that was about the same weight, half the hp with front wheel disk and rear wheel shoes. Smaller tires, much less transmission cooling. About the same weight on rear tires. Oh yea I forgot at the ramp he has positive lock differential. You most likely did not.

A great deal of finesse and skill. Come on. I pulled a 16 Glastron for YEARS with a Datsun 280Z. My Dad has pulled a 16 ft whaler for over a decade with a 4 banger toyota pickup. We pulled a 18ft with a 6 cylinder camaro for many years.

But what do we know. We live in Florida and only boat 12 months a year

He should have no problem pulling trailer by God he had a lot of power use it!

Cheers tommy x

 

[Mason78]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

Many years ago I used to pull a 14' row boat with a 9.5hp all over the state of Wisconsin behind a Chevy Chevette.

Do you have any photos of that set-up:laugh:

 

[thebrain]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

doe's anyone here use the load leveling air bags that go inside the rear springs?

Thanks STB

 

[Rapio]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

I don't see on this or the previous trailering thread any concern about gross vehicle weight or tow vehicle axel weight. Manufactures tow limit and horse power available are part of the issue. The weight has to be distributed properly on the axels. If the cops don't get you the insurance company probably will if there is an accident.

 

[Rapio]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

To The Brain. I have air bags in my 2007 Ram 4X4 1500. I think they are Firestone

 

[thebrain]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

OK I'm off a tad on my tow weight caluclations forgot about two batties each probabley 35LBs each

also the X factor on the big Starcraft would be water logged poured in foam that these newer SC suffer from this WL foam would be hard to estimate it's weight increase.

as far a traction for lauching I would be swapping the rear wheels from 18x35x285 to 16x60x225 heres a link for a good traction tire
the TR link is just to provide infor on the tire will probablley obtain from discount tire for less $.


Rapio how are you liking the air bags how do you operate them like do you hookup then air up accordingly.

I read a thread here w/ a ford escape 2. litre engine and towing a heavier rig. I believe my car is heavier than the escape it just not real frame sub frame to connectors then sub frame.

as far as brakes go the WS6 has excellent brakes (better than a normal car) 12" front rotors w/ 2 piston calipors. I believe the rated stopping distance from 60MPH is 110 feet.

don't get me wronge I won't be in any rush during towing like I am just cruising around.



http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...26TR6UGW&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

edit I planning on a 125-150HP OB so this increase in engine size will lower the tonuge weight reducing the stress on the rear air bags.

 

[MAC ATTACK]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

Very nice boat for the money! If/When you decide to tow it, do a test pull to get a feel for the load balance. Based on the looks of the trailer there is plenty of room to move the boat on those bunks to adjust tongue weight (appears the bow stop moves also). Also, not sure of your hitch set-up, but a different height on the ball helps also.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

asked and answered........You have already made up your mind. Why continue asking over and over?

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

asked and answered........You have already made up your mind. Why continue asking over and over?

Like a very few he is trying in vain to find justifications for his borderline actions and it isnt gonna happen here of course.

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

Having owned a 3rd gen F-body for 15 years there is NO WAY i would try to tow with it.

Yes its older than the OP's car but it has been gone through in every way no rubber bushing or pivot point on the car has more than 15K miles on them. My brakes are stock disc front drum rear and they are small they stop the car ok but i wouldnt want much more weight, OP's car probably is 4 wheel disc but they still arent great. Not to mention that 200lbs on the bumper is going to put it on or extremely close to the bump stops at the slightest dip/bump in the road.

Yeah the power is there to tow, but nothing else is. I would be curious what GM says its rated to tow likely just 1000lbs.

Use the car for what its intended for drive it and have fun, pick up a small truck to tow boats with man.

 

[thebrain]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

. Not to mention that 200lbs on the bumper is going to put it on or extremely close to the bump stops at the slightest dip/bump in the road.

.

that's what the airbags are for.

is this guy towing safely? a 200HP 1/2 ton truck w/ a giant boat.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

When I think about a firebird towing a 21' boat, I get this mental picture of a 21' long suppository lodged in a very uncomfortable place

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

asked and answered........You have already made up your mind. Why continue asking over and over?

The OP has been dreaming for almost two years since his first post on the subject. It's time to wake up.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

that's what the airbags are for.

is this guy towing safely? a 200HP 1/2 ton truck w/ a giant boat.

Sort of hard to say but that truck with a 5.3 ( 315 HP ) and the towing package is rated at 9500 pounds and if it has the bigger diesel motor it can be 15,000. So with out knowing the exact boat weight its hard to say., But more than likely the owner has sorted all of that out and its fine.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

that's what the airbags are for.

is this guy towing safely? a 200HP 1/2 ton truck w/ a giant boat.

who care's if he is or not.... not even close to relevant to your question.

You can debate for the rest of your life but that will not change the answer to your question....
(estimated)
10% no way - instant death
10% sure - I or my friend/family member has done it for years
80% risky - you'll probably make it home but you are taking a bigger chance than you should

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

If it were me, I would buy an older well maintained 1/2 ton pick to tow. You'll probably be surprised what else you would use the pickup for, they do come in handy... Towing a decent sized boat with a T/A, nah.......

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: Will my car tow this 1800LB boat safely class one hitch

that's what the airbags are for.

is this guy towing safely? a 200HP 1/2 ton truck w/ a giant boat.

yeah its a half ton, its rated at the bare minimum 5-6k lbs, and that giant boat is a big starcraft which is aluminum and thus is extremely lightweight for a boat of its size. i would guess the whole rig is maybe 4500lbs.

as mentioned its not worth the risk of life and limb... a unibody sports car is not a truck. the horsepower of the truck has very little to do with towing ability..... its more dependant on torque to get it moving, and suspension and stopping power to control the load.