Tow Car Insanity.-Page 3: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Aug. 18, 2009 8:58 a.m. ggarrard New Reader

We have an 01 Odyssey (with transmission cooler and air bag rear suspension) and tow a 1000# fishing boat, 900# tent trailer, and utility trailer without giving it a second thought, but... We just upgraded to a 2600# tent trailer, and after one tow (on back roads) we'll be upgrading the van to something bigger if we decide to go on an extended trip. I was not comfortable feeling I would be run over by traffic because I can't maintain 70 mph on the highway. There are just too many yahoos on the loose these days..

GWGarrard
Aug. 18, 2009 9:25 a.m. Trans_Maro HalfDork

If you get caught overloaded or towing something overweight in my province, you're not allowed to drive it back home.

If you can unhook from the load (towing something) then you can drive the tow rig home as long as the tow rig isn't overloaded. Your trailer will have to be towed back home by a tow truck.

If your truck is overloaded, it has to be towed home. You can't just unload it and leave stuff by the side of the road.

If you run overweight or pull a triler that's too big, you don't just endanger yourself, you endanger everyone else too.

I thought OZ was the land of "you can't do anything to your car without an engineering inspection". You'd think they'd be pretty anal about checking trailer/tow vehicle combinations too.

Shawn
Aug. 18, 2009 10:29 a.m. Cotton Reader

Trans_Maro wrote:

If you get caught overloaded or towing something overweight in my province, you're not allowed to drive it back home.

If you can unhook from the load (towing something) then you can drive the tow rig home as long as the tow rig isn't overloaded. Your trailer will have to be towed back home by a tow truck.

If your truck is overloaded, it has to be towed home. You can't just unload it and leave stuff by the side of the road.

If you run overweight or pull a triler that's too big, you don't just endanger yourself, you endanger everyone else too.

I thought OZ was the land of "you can't do anything to your car without an engineering inspection". You'd think they'd be pretty anal about checking trailer/tow vehicle combinations too.

Shawn

Also if you're overloaded, wreck, and take someone out you open yourself up to lawsuits and jail time.
Aug. 18, 2009 11:25 a.m. 2002maniac Reader

Lately I've been dreaming of an Astro with a 6.0 and 3/4 ton tranny. Should pull anything I need to.
Aug. 18, 2009 12:40 p.m. 4Msfam New Reader

Just for reference, it's the Canadian's who do some of the more innovative tow combos in the rv sector. Visit canamrv.ca to see a 34' Airstream being towed by a Dodge Magnum. While I wouldn't want to tow that long of a trailer with it, I wouldn't pause to tow shorter trailers with it. I don't believe the police really care in the U.S.

I did do a 350 tbi transplant on an Astro. It was a rocket! However, it'd go sideways in an instant (which was scary to think of the wife drving it in the rain with the kids in it), and even with a bigger radiator and electric fans, cooling when towing was an issue, even in Seattle.
Aug. 18, 2009 1:42 p.m. dj06482 New Reader

I'd go with something else for towing. Did a lot of research on the Odysseys before buying an '05 model last summer, and one of the big reasons we went with the newer body style was the improved transmission. The older ones seem to suffer a combination of poor design and very high temps, especially when towing even light trailers. Frequent transmission fluid flushes, aftermarket transmission coolers, and transmission temperature gauges are prerequisites for towing according to the OdyClub forum. I would only think that a supercharger would add more heat to the equation, which is the opposite of the way you want to go.

I towed a 3500 lb. cherry picker that I rented at Home Depot this weekend behind my '94 Chevy K1500 (1/2 ton short bed with a 350, proper receiver hitch, aftermarket transmission cooler, and a tow rating somewhere around 6,000 lbs). The cherry picker/trailer combo did not have any brakes, and I would definitely want some electric brakes if I was going to tow that kind of load for any distance. After this weekend's towing experience, I also subscribe to the "go for overkill in a tow vehicle" philosophy. I'd rather tow with something that has some significant headroom built-in, as opposed to something that's at the ragged edge of its limits.
Aug. 18, 2009 8:09 p.m. Trans_Maro HalfDork

4Msfam wrote:

I don't believe the police really care in the U.S.

It's not the police who will come after you for overload / over towing capacity.

It's the DOT / MOT / TC that you need to worry about. They can make your life absolute hell if they chose to.

The vehicle inspectors will find any little thing they can and write you up for it if they decide to be difficult.

Unlike the police, they DON'T have anything better to do than pull you over and check that your rig is in compliance.

Shawn
Aug. 18, 2009 8:12 p.m. Trans_Maro HalfDork

For you guys who say towing with a manual gearbox is bad, have you ever done it?

I won't have an automatic for towing. They just build up heat and burn up, especially on a long climb.

There's a section of highway in B.C. that is well known for eating automatic transmissions. When the highway opened in the 80's, the climb was causing turbo Audi's to catch fire due to the heat buildup from the turbocharger.

My 5-speed F-150 hasn't ever had trouble pulling up grades and I'm only on my second clutch in 160,000 km's

Shawn
Aug. 18, 2009 8:37 p.m. MrJoshua SuperDork

OK-obviously you can tow with a manual, big rigs are manuals. Yes Ive towed with a manual. Thousands of miles with a T100.

A truck with a manual isn't bad. The clutch is tough, first gear is usually lower than the car equivalent, motors are designed for torque, lots of mass for the tow vehicle so the lag between gears doesn't really drag you down, etc...

The torque multiplication on starts and the quick shifts make an auto more convenient. Even more so if you are pushing the limits of the vehicle capacity. (That is of course if the auto can handle the load)
Aug. 18, 2009 10:12 p.m. mw Reader

I tow my miata ~1700lb miata on a ~600lb trailer behind my RWD 92 Mazda MPV 3.0L. The trailer has 2 axles and no brakes or suspension. It tows great as long as the weight is distributed properly. I like to think it's the miata of tow rigs. My friend tows an impala on a heavy trailer with brakes with his dodge 2500 4wd 5.9. My rig will easily out accellerate, brake and corner his.
Aug. 18, 2009 10:16 p.m. donalson UltraDork

... i sat in traffic outside of montgomery for over an hr on sunday... when it finaly cleared up I saw a nice camper that had obviously tipped and tore the crap outa the back corner of the shell... didn't get to see what was towing it but i doubt it was anything smaller then a suburban or full sized truck... have to wonder if it rolled the tow vehicle... is all we saw was a few cars picking up the random personal items that had obviously flown out from the camper