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ust wondering as i have always had 4WDs and trucks as my tow what would be ok to tow my SF17 southwind fiberglass cuddly cab that comes in at around 1.5T fully loaded
would a standerd holden or ford be up to the job or would i best stick to another 4WD the reson i'm asking is that i have sold my buisness and the truck will be getting sold however i'm wanting to keep as much money as i can for the next adventuer so i'm looking at the cheaper side of things like the old 4WD around $5000-$7000 or the same in the sedans ???
what are the things i need to look for or what i need like the trannie coolers and load spreaders ???
basserman i recently sold my boat which was your size even a bit heavier.
my son used to tow it with a 1996 v 6 ford longreach ute.
did the job easy and we have to tow around 60 klms each way.
would struggle a bit at the ramp if wet but our ramps are very steep.
ideal set up would have been if it was auto as i have seem them pull out easy
troy
billfisher that is dead weight and at the upmost worst to be on the safe side
phewy yes i have and thank you very much your makeing it alot easyer for me just one thing but with the cooler is there something that i can see on the car to know it has one or do i need to take the word of a used car salesman???
i have seen a few sedans with towballs on them already for the price i want however how would i also know if it was a heavey duty one???
troy yeh i'm thinking more along the ways of a sedan and i have seen other do it but not many around my neck of the woods as every second bloke has a fourby
Basserman...Just another small cooler bolted or strapped onto the front of the radiator. Remember that some newer modern cars do not need them, so would be best to contact manufacturer for details.
Don't muck around changing the suspension in the tow vehicle, better to fix the problem at hand and thats only when you are towing. If needed get a weight distribution hitch to spread the load back thru the car. Changing the rear suspension will not transfer the weight back to the front where its needed. You may not need anything, hook it up first to find out.
If it has a square shank tube out the back of the bar then it is a Hitch Receiver or Heavy Duty bar. Should have a plate attached to give you details about maker/load limits ect. Definitely the way to go for towing anything in this range. With this you are able to adjust the height for different rigs to be towed and you can add a weight distribution hitch later if needed. Most popular of course is the Hayman Reese. Go to their web site for a plethora of information - http://www.haymanreese.com.au/index.htm
Here is typical passenger car Hitch Receiver, note all the extra bracing
I tow a slightly larger fiberglass boat (which weighs 1.25 T with a bit of fuel in the tank) and my AU11 Falcon handles it easily and I am not just talking about to the local boat ramp. I have towed it 600 km from Sydney to Southwest Rocks many times, doing 100 km/h on the straighter sections.
Two things you have to be careful of though is breaking in the wet and possible swaying at speed. I'd definitely go for an ABS equipped vehicle. If you have the right down weight on the towbar (7 - 10% of the rig weight), you should not get any swaying, though it is a good idea to get torsion bars fitted as well. You will need adjustable air shocks or heavy duty suspension at the rearas well to keep the ride height even.
I tow a Haines Hunter 510 Breeze with my AU series 1 Falcon Futura and have no problems on the highway. All up weight of boat/motor/trailer with 120 ltr fuel is about 1400kg. Sometimes I slip on slippery ramps at low tide but just get the ol' girl to stand on the draw bar and its ok.
morlers is that with any enhancments of just a plain AU?
seems i only want to spend a few thousand i don't really want to go to great expensies thats why it will be a old 4WD or a better sedan that can do the job for anything up to $7000
Forgot to mention Basserman, we previously owned a early '90s 533 CruiseCraft (very heavy). We towed it with several cars including an XF Falcon, an ED Futura, an AUI Futura (all company cars) and existing car, a Pajero with 3l petrol efi engine. All cars were stock standard with no suspension or engine mods, just Hitch Receivers/Trannie coolers fitted. The AU was certainly the best to tow with, smooth as and heaps of power across the range. Used halve the petrol the 4wd used when towing with other benefits as well. If ever had a similar size boat again would never even consider a 4wd.
Basserman, it is a standard setup with no oil cooler, level rides or sway bars. I regularly tow the boat to the local ramp some 15 klm away but also tow down to Hervey Bay and that is about 130 klm away. With car only I normally get around 11 klm/ltr (9ltr/100klm) on the hwy but towing the boat I drop to around 6 to 7klm/ltr (15 ltr/100klm).
On that basis I would suggest any late model falcon would do the job. Hope that helps
ive towed nofrills,17ft plate centre con.with a v6 vp commodore for years.the only mods is the hayman reece towbar and a tranny cooler.the only important thing with the commodore [as the owners manual suggests]is to tow with the auto in drive not overdrive,or things get real hot ,oops
never had swaying probs but the trailers dual axil.
cheers scott
Agree with Scott above, if it is dual axle, will be alot easier on the car. I've got a Cruise Craft 575, and I reckon it is too heavy for a standard car. All the numbers say that a normal car can handle it, but I've only ever towed it with my Mother-in-Laws AU Falcon once and I will never do it again. I normally tow it with my 80 series Cruiser, and now I've got my 40 shorty, I tow it with it.
My recommendation would be, if you have no kids and don't need a back seat, get a 40 Series Cruiser Ute, if you need to accomodate kids, as I do, either go for a 40 Series Shorty, or for more comfort, go for a 60 Series Cruiser wagon.
Obviously, before I get hammered, this is my opinion only,
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