towing over vehicle capacity

[MuskokaDoug]

I have a 2011 Equinox LT1 with the 2.4L engine. The towing capacity is 1500 IBs. I woulkd like to tow a boat with a total weight of 2200IBs (Boat + Motor+ trailer).

Is the main concern that this weight would be hard on the engine, void warrenty, or are there other concerns?

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

You can drive it gently and avoid damaging the car easily enough and it's got plenty of power (180+ HP) and a 6 speed so it should be able to pull the boat around OK, but the biggest concern is braking. You could add electric brakes to the trailer to reduce strain on the tow vehicle brakes. Another concern would be breaking any laws in your area. Most states don't have laws against towing over the rated capacity, but I'm told some do. If you do damage the drivetrain while towing over the limit and try to make a warranty claim, you'll probably be denied if you tell the truth.

 

[roscoe]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

Safety. then engine, transmission, brakes, warranty, tail wagging the dog.

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

God Forbid you get in an accident. You are screwed.

 

[boat1010]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

There is a reason they put a weight limit on vehicles.. If you go over that it is just unsafe.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

I've worked in insurance many years, not once did we deny a claim because someone was a couple hundred pounds past the weight rating. That rating has far more to do with American drivers than any actual physical restriction. (hence, identical vehicles in non-usdm markets are sometimes rated up to TWICE what they are here... Of course, America has next to nothing for driver education, in some countries you are looking at $5000 to $10,000 in driver education just to get a license!)

Anyway... big question. How far/fast are you towing it? A couple miles to a local ramp that has a nice gentle grade, not a problem. 300 miles over a mountain pass to unload at a steep gravel ramp, not a chance!

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

Smokingcrater
A lawyer would tear him a new one.
Don't matter how far you drive, and what terrian.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

A couple hundred pounds is one thing. Just the estimated weight is 700# over. And note that there was no mention of fuel, gear, coolers, and other stuff that can easily add up to another 300#. While someone may tell you it not illegal to tow over the manufacturers stated capacity, an "ambulance chaser" would have a field day with you. Welcome to America.

 

[Jetwash]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

Sounds like your doing someone a favor. Its NOT your responsibility to move another trailer.

Rent a truck or pay someone to tow it. It much cheaper than a tranny rebuild and deductibles when you can stop in time.

 

[JB]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

I suppose you have a right to endanger your own life, but not the lives of others on the roads.

Do not even think about it. It would be stupid and dangerous.

None of the people here who have said you can do it are taking any of the risk or accepting any liability. They will not send you flowers in the hospital (or jail), bail you out, pay your lawyer, comfort your survivors or the survivors of anyone you kill.

They won't even hold your beer while you ruin your vehicle.

And beside all that it just isn't a good idea.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

Front wheel drive vehicles make the absolute worst tow vehicles for boating!

You may be able to tow the boat to the launch without wrecking, and you probably will be able to back the trailer down the ramp to the water and unload the boat... but when it comes time to pull the boat and trailer out of the water and up the ramp, it probably isn't going to happen. You'll spin your tires and probably go backwards instead of forward. You'll make a spectacle out of yourself in front of the others at the launch by wasting valuable ramp time, and you'll have to have someone pull your vehicle and boat up the ramp with a proper tow vehicle.

If you decide to go through with this, please have someone make a video of it and post it here for our entertainment!

 

[MuskokaDoug]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

Thank you all for your input.

I have given this careful thought. Even though the Equinox is AWD, I order it through my company and have decided to pay extra and upgrade to the V6 version that has a 3500LBs towing capacity and to have a factory installed trailer hitch.

Thanks to those who reminded me that the safety of my family and others on the road out weighs anything else.

 

[slowleak]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

This may be a bit late but I own three vehicles, an '04 Ford Crown Victoria, a '04 F150, and a 95 Ranger pickup. The F150 is rated at something like 5500 lbs or so, the Ranger at 1100 with the long bed 4 cylinder stick, and the Crown Vic at 1000lb with towing package, which mine does not have.
My heaviest boat is about 2200 lbs. The F150 is a 4x2 and hates the ramp, it spins and carries on if I don't put 500 or so pounds in the bed. It pulls fine on the road. The same with the Ranger, it tows just about anything I hang on the hitch and even gets good mileage doing it, but its limit on the ramp is about 800lbs at most places. The Crown Vic, which isn't really a tow vehicle, got a hitch added to carry a bike rack, with no intention of ever towing a trailer. However, after buying a boat 400 miles from home one day, it got put to the test.
I got to both try towing with it and launching with it as we test ran the boat before buying it. I did better than either of my trucks, in both towing, launching, and gas mileage. Not to mention power. For a vehicle that isn't supposed to be able to tow it sure does a great job at it. The boat weighed in at 2,200 on the trailer and I never even felt it back there, on my truck, that boat bucks and jerks all over. The Ranger tows it smoothly but I wouldn't attempt trying to keep the Ranger alive trying to climb the ramp with that much weight. It has enough trouble getting going without a boat on it with a 2.31:1 rear axle ratio. To make it worse, the Crown Vic is faster by plenty. I bought both new, and neither have more than 16,000 miles on them. The Ranger has 40K and was also bought new by me.

I've since used the Crown Vic twice to take my smaller boat on trips, it does fine and it hardly even affects gas mileage. The truck drops from 13 to about 10 mpg with any trailer. The Ranger from 25 down to about 12 mpg.

What makes me wonder is why my F150 and my Crown Vic both use the same motor and transmission, both have the same gear ratio, and both are in the 4100lb range, yet the Crown Vic has gotten 27 mpg, but the F150 has trouble getting 14 mpg?

 

[White90GT]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

This may be a bit late but I own three vehicles, an '04 Ford Crown Victoria, a '04 F150, and a 95 Ranger pickup. The F150 is rated at something like 5500 lbs or so, the Ranger at 1100 with the long bed 4 cylinder stick, and the Crown Vic at 1000lb with towing package, which mine does not have.
My heaviest boat is about 2200 lbs. The F150 is a 4x2 and hates the ramp, it spins and carries on if I don't put 500 or so pounds in the bed. It pulls fine on the road. The same with the Ranger, it tows just about anything I hang on the hitch and even gets good mileage doing it, but its limit on the ramp is about 800lbs at most places. The Crown Vic, which isn't really a tow vehicle, got a hitch added to carry a bike rack, with no intention of ever towing a trailer. However, after buying a boat 400 miles from home one day, it got put to the test.
I got to both try towing with it and launching with it as we test ran the boat before buying it. I did better than either of my trucks, in both towing, launching, and gas mileage. Not to mention power. For a vehicle that isn't supposed to be able to tow it sure does a great job at it. The boat weighed in at 2,200 on the trailer and I never even felt it back there, on my truck, that boat bucks and jerks all over. The Ranger tows it smoothly but I wouldn't attempt trying to keep the Ranger alive trying to climb the ramp with that much weight. It has enough trouble getting going without a boat on it with a 2.31:1 rear axle ratio. To make it worse, the Crown Vic is faster by plenty. I bought both new, and neither have more than 16,000 miles on them. The Ranger has 40K and was also bought new by me.

I've since used the Crown Vic twice to take my smaller boat on trips, it does fine and it hardly even affects gas mileage. The truck drops from 13 to about 10 mpg with any trailer. The Ranger from 25 down to about 12 mpg.

What makes me wonder is why my F150 and my Crown Vic both use the same motor and transmission, both have the same gear ratio, and both are in the 4100lb range, yet the Crown Vic has gotten 27 mpg, but the F150 has trouble getting 14 mpg?

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Makes me want to buy a crown vic LOL.

I have towed our 17' Chris Craft with my old 90 Mustang GT automatic. It pulled great with the V8. It did need a little extra weight on the rear when pulling out of the water. However, the brakes sucked! I had to nail the brakes coming up on an intersection once...guess what, I slid through the intersection with the front wheels locked up.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: towing over vehicle capacity

Front wheel drive vehicles make the absolute worst tow vehicles for boating!

You may be able to tow the boat to the launch without wrecking, and you probably will be able to back the trailer down the ramp to the water and unload the boat... but when it comes time to pull the boat and trailer out of the water and up the ramp, it probably isn't going to happen. You'll spin your tires and probably go backwards instead of forward. You'll make a spectacle out of yourself in front of the others at the launch by wasting valuable ramp time, and you'll have to have someone pull your vehicle and boat up the ramp with a proper tow vehicle.

If you decide to go through with this, please have someone make a video of it and post it here for our entertainment!

It really depends on the ramp. If the upper portion of the ramp is paved but it turns to gravel near the waterline, the front wheels will have better traction than the rear. I've used a 2400 lb FWD car to pull a 1600 lb boat and have never had a problem pulling out so long as I kept the front wheels on a solid surface. I did once have some wheelspin pulling the empty trailer out when I backed in to far and the front wheels were on gravel. If you need to launch on gravel ramps, you really want AWD or 4WD.

/\
Makes me want to buy a crown vic LOL.

I have towed our 17' Chris Craft with my old 90 Mustang GT automatic. It pulled great with the V8. It did need a little extra weight on the rear when pulling out of the water. However, the brakes sucked! I had to nail the brakes coming up on an intersection once...guess what, I slid through the intersection with the front wheels locked up.

That's what trailer brakes are for.