TOWING CAPACITY
mind.net
hitch. It is rated at 3500 lbs. maximum. I'm OK on the tongue weight. Is any
body out there doing this and have you any advice for me? Thanks, Mitch
SkiN Bs
Mitch,
First suggestion would be to upgrade the hitch with a Class III.
>It is rated at 3500 lbs.<
Car/Truck/Hitch? If it is just the hitch that is the limitation, replace it.
Driving down the road is not necessarily the issue here. Depending on how
rough the road, you might make it. My issue with your plan is stopping. The
stress that hitch has to withstand during braking could snap it clean off the
frame. Examine the two hitches yourself. The sturdiness is evident. CL III
at Northern Handyman is about $165 US. My wife and I installed the last one on
my Chevy pickup.
Best wishes,
B
Please support Eskimo Escapades. See @ behindtheboat.com
mind.net
and also the hitch (3500 lbs.). The boat trailer is a tandem axle with
trailer brakes. Do you still think that stopping will be a problem? Thanks
, Mitch
SkiN Bs <ski...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19990507204758...@ng-cn1.aol.com...
Steve H
With all due respect I think you might want to take a deep breath and think
about all this.
I'm certainly no expert on trailer hitches, but my question to you about
your Class II is why take chances? I'm certain you could purchase a Class
III hitch, installed if needed, for no more than $200 (mine was much less
than that). I can promise you $200 is much less than the dollars you'd
spend if your hitch broke while towing, not to mention some heartache and
time on your part.
My second concern is towing a 3500 lb boat behind a Previa rated for 3500
lbs. Again, I'm no expert on towing, but I'm guessing that rating is on
flat land, not on a boat ramp. Will you have the traction and horsepower
and torque to get your boat up the ramp? Keep in mind that with a full load
of ski gear and some fuel it's going to weigh more than that. Again, if
your boat pulls your Previa backwards into the water (yes I have seen this
happen) you're going to have some serious headaches to contend with.
I wish you the best. Keep us posted on what you do.
Steve
<@mind.net> wrote in message news:7h2hhk$e4v$1...@utah.laird.net...
Tom and Michelle Harvanek
@mind.net <@mind.net> wrote in message <7gvtev$eai$1...@utah.laird.net>...
is set up properly, you should have 10% tongue weight me thinks, which is
370# is you case, and likely over the 350# of the class 2 receiver. If you
don't have that much tongue weight, it can get squirrley easily.
Tom
Paul Jager
A trailer gets squirrely when the center of gravity is behind the axle, i.e
light tongue weight, so the trailer starts to steer the trailer instead of
the tongue steering the trailer. Then the trailer starts to steer the back
end of the car and it gets dangerous from there! Rule of thumb is 5-10% on
the tongue. I suppose a tandem is more stable and will not move the Previa
so much over bumps. You can go with as little as 175lbs tongue weight or
so.
Ramps shouldn't be a problem, esp if you have AWD. Test it out. There is
always some margin of error built into the numbers, you should be OK. A few
hundred lbs either way is no problem. Performance is usually the limiting
factor. Are you going to be happy with the acceleration/stability? Do you
drive up big hills in summer heat? Then you'll want a HD rad and
transmission cooler - or the towing package. Remember to not load up the
van to the maximum while towing - gross weight total of the two is the more
important number. The trailer should brake itself.
Tom Ruta
>I am driving a Toyota Previa van . The van 's towing capacity is 3500 lbs.
>and also the hitch (3500 lbs.). The boat trailer is a tandem axle with
>trailer brakes. Do you still think that stopping will be a problem? Thanks
...
Mitch, unless you've got a really light boat you are going
to be above the rated limit. Towing any distance with a 4
cyl (or do you have the 6?) will be a challenge. Not to
mention hills, traction on the ramp, etc.
I hope that thing has the towing package.
Tom
JSmyth
had a Toyota pickup with the V6 AND 4X4. I am also towing a Malibu
Sunsetter LX which weighs about 3700 lbs (?). Going up any type of
hill means down shifting to 3rd, and sometimes even 2nd gear just to
keep going. As for the launch ramp, if the truck did not have 4X4, I
would never be able to get the boat out of the water. I do realize
that pickups do not have a lot of weight on the rear tires, and this
adds to the problem with the ramp, but the bottom line is that truck
did not have the HP and Torque needed for towing a 21 foot comp. boat,
and I can only guess that the Previa is only equal at best.
Another thing to keep in mind is going down hill. I realize the
trailer has surge breaks, but a Previa is a pretty light car. I would
be very careful with the weight of the boat pushing you down the hill.
With my Toyota, I was very careful by surging the breaks every few
seconds to keep my speed at about 50 until the hill leveled up.
I loved the truck, but had to sell it because of the boat. By the way,
I ended up with a Bronco.
Good luck,
Jason Smyth
--
Posted via Talkway - http://www.talkway.com
Exchange ideas on practically anything (tm).
Eddie B
Are you referring to a Toyota Previa "car" or "van"?
The van pulls ski boats great, and will yank them up the steepest of ramps.
I have pulled Mastercrafts, both inboards and outboards with a Previa van
for the last 5 years sometimes for 600 miles at a time without any problems.
Most manufacturers also supply great trailers that are well balanced which
makes long highway hauls a breeze.
Eddie.
JSmyth <jason...@alza.com> wrote in message
news:FKCZ2.1233$xa.1...@c01read02-admin.service.talkway.com...
jss
>I am driving a Toyota Previa van . The van 's towing capacity is 3500 lbs.
>and also the hitch (3500 lbs.). The boat trailer is a tandem axle with
>trailer brakes. Do you still think that stopping will be a problem? Thanks
>, Mitch
There are some factors to consider that determines the towing rating
of your van. You should ask a knowledgeble factory person how the
axle, differential, and transmission is sized over the 3500 lb rating.
You will also need to be concerned with the brakes on the van as well.
I'm guessing, but I'd say that your weakess link would be the
transmission if it's auto. With low horsepower, you will most likely
burn it out. Horsepower is not everything for towing. Lower horsepower
will just take you longer to get there. However, it will put a strain
on the transmission and differential.
Consider the frequency and duration. If you are towing the boat to
berth in a marina for the season. Your van may be fine. I've seen
people at the marina who do just this. But if you are towing for every
ski outing with long distance and hot temperatures, I'd recommend
getting a towing vehicle. To give you a comparison, my GMC Sierra is
rated for 12,000 lbs. This is similar to most other 1/2 ton trucks.
Philip Pointer
I put a class III hitch on my previous Pathfinder, and even though the truck was
rated for #3500 I pulled a trailer similar to yours. I had two problems -- not
enough torque with the five speed for pulling the boat up the ramp unless I used
4wd lo, and the hills of Kentucky required much down shifting to keep speed
anywhere near the limit. Actually, I think having the manual transmission was
better in that vehicle for towing than would be an automatic.
Suffered no problems with the brakes. In fact, the front factory pads lasted
84m miles.
My opinion of your situation is this. If you must keep that Previa, upgrade the
hitch, because the class II won't get it. Then, if you're going to hit the
highway, install a transmission cooler, because that will be your next weak
link. And stay in the right lane! you're going to be a rolling road block...
mind.net
Bronco's towing abilities?
Thanks
P.S. Anybody want to buy a Previa??????
JSmyth
couple of days ago. The guy I bought it from towed his Nautique with
it with no problems. Mine has the tow package (hitch, Tranny cooler,
etc) which helps.
I'll let you know after this weekend.
Jason
Joe Hiestand
Should be pretty much the same weight as your Sunsetter.
-Joe
JSmyth <jason...@alza.com> wrote in message
news:rJg_2.2514$xa.2...@c01read02-admin.service.talkway.com...
LACu...@aol.com
<@mind.net> wrote:
> I'm the guy with the Previa. Today I bought a Bronco. Any input
on the
> Bronco's towing abilities?
Practically unlimited for ski-boats. I had a 94 Bronco that towed a
5000# plus Ozark deckboat. Never a problem. Plenty of power, a real
road warrior. Late model Broncos were probably rated over 6000# towing
capacity.
Larry
--== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==--
---Share what you know. Learn what you don't.---
putt...@compuserve.com
large with your Previa. Very short distances may be the exception.
Brad