Question about towing a boat.?

[livaio]

I was wondering how does anyone calculate how much can the car tow?

And what is the weight of the boat ie. QUINTREX 450 HUNTER fitted with 40hp?

[woody1]

If you don't have the car manual to show towing capacity, head to Redbook and find your car, it shows the towing capacity. I doubt that boat would go over 750kg

[Scope]

You should be able to get the weight of the boat and outboard from the respective manufacturers websites.

[mick fillet]

Brakes on a trailer are required if the total mass wieght exceeds 750 kg. normal cable style breakes are fitted to trailers exceeding 750kg but not exceeding 2000kg.so if you have brakes on your tailer then the capacity is between 750 and 2000kg.if there are no brakes then it cant be more than 750kg.(gvm)

There will be a capacity label mounted on the trailer chassis and the tare wieght of the trailer and the carring capacity of the what the trailer can carry should be engraved on it.

The tow vehicle will have a tow rating but this is not always good to go off as some fitted tow bars and tow balls have a towing capacity and a ball down load capacity which dont meet the towing capacity of the tow vehicle.Some tow bar balls only have a down load rating of 70kg and have seen them as low as 50 kg.(thats the downward wieght directly on the ball)

The vehicles tow rating isnt how powerful the motor is and how much it will be able to pull it is rated on the maximum wieght braking capacity that the tow vehicle can saftly stop with the load with the brakes fitted to the tow vehicle. You can get gvm upgrades over size brakes fitted,more sutable suspension/springs.And with GVM upgrades tyre ratings must be improved and fitted to meet the standard.

What kind of tow vehicle you have got? the boat trailer package that you describe sounds like its rather light and should be able to be towed by most cars.

[Doyley]

Hey Livaio, if u r talking about the 450 Hunter 40hp at Bribie Boats I'm pretty certain it's under 750kgs. I put an offer on this boat a while ago, but ended up buying a boat elsewhere. If u're interested send me a pm and I'll let u know how I went with negoiations with the dealer.

[Avitir]

I was wondering how does anyone calculate how much can the car tow?

And what is the weight of the boat ie. QUINTREX 450 HUNTER fitted with 40hp?

What car you got? If you have a 6 or 8 cylinder you should be fine regardless.

Saw on topgear the Volkswagen Touareg was able to pull a 747 so if you have one of them you will be more than fine

[Terry H]

If you don't have the car manual to show towing capacity, head to Redbook and find your car, it shows the towing capacity. I doubt that boat would go over 750kg

livaio

Woody's method is the method I'd run with.

Avitir, there is a massive difference between being able to pull something and being able to tow it both safely and legally. I'd like to see the Tourag stop it in a hurry, or even pull it up a hill.

[Binder]

Just be aware many modern cars are only able to tow 500kg unbraked, some model falcons and commodores were only rated 750kg for auto's as well.

Many cars can tow higher with brakes, but are speed limited.

[aussie123]

It's not so much the ability to tow something,it's more the ability of being able to stop it in a hurry.

Many accidents are caused from the tow vehicles not being able to pull up a load behind them in a hurry or on wet greasy roads.

[livaio]

I own a toyota corolla and according to the manual, the tow weight must not exceed 950kg. But for safety reason, i was looking at towing with the weight of 500-600kg so that i will not stress the engine too much. Currently towing a 3.9 meter savage with 25hp on my mate 1.5cc hatch.