Rated towing capacity

[enufsed]

My Pontiac Torrent has a towing capacity of 3500 pounds according to the manufacturer.

Amusingly, the published weight of M26 boats listed for sale -- including engine -- is 3500 pounds.

I assume this is not a coincidence and that MacGregor has deliberately built its boats to fit within a broad category of vehicle towing capacity that tops out at 3500 pounds.

Anyway, I'd like to know if the following statement is correct: When the manufacturer says that maximum towing capacity of my vehicle is 3500 pounds, they are being conservative. This "limit" takes into accound towing a load up steep mountains and so on.

If this is true, then if I buy a MacGregor, my car should rather comfortably be able tow it, because 95 per cent of the time I'll be driving at modest speeds on flat or almost flat terrain.

The only time I see hauling it on a steep gradient is backing it into the water at a marina loading ramp.

Let me know if my thinking is correct on this.

[Moe]

Both the vehicle manufacturers and the RV/boat manufacturers hope you'll think like that. And most people do.

"Towing capacity" isn't any kind of official rating. It's an advertising number obtained by subtracting the weight of a no-optioned vehicle with 150 pound driver, no passengers and no cargo, from the gross combined vehicle weight rating. In other words, as high as they can make it. GCVWR is based primarily on the engine's horsepower and torque, the robustness of the clutch/transmission, and the gear ratio. And that's for flatlands. Most experienced RVers recommend not exceeding 80% of the so-called "towing capacity" to allow for hills.

The other ratings you have to worry about are gross vehicle weight rating, and gross axle weight rating for front and rear axles. The trailer's tongue weight, plus the weight it leverages off the front axle, are both applied to the rear axle. Some put air bags on the rear axle to level the vehicle. That doesn't increase it's axle rating, often just hides the fact it's overloaded.

On the other hand, the RV/boat manufacturer tries to make it look as light as possible. A 26X, even with 50 HP outboard, can weigh several hundred pounds over 3,500 loaded up for the weekend on the trailer. And a 26M weighs more.

Finally, there's the wheelbase to length of trailer issue. 112" is pretty short for a Mac, but others here manage with that or less, primarily by loading all the gear in the bow to keep tongue weight up and by keeping speeds down. Of course, if that vehicle is FWD, that tongue weight takes weight off the axle that will be pulling the rig up the ramp.

You could probably get away with it, but I wouldn't.

[Don T]

Hello,
I agree with Moe.
For example, I tried towing our 26X with a GMC Safari equipped with a factory tow package. This included a HD radiator, engine oil cooler, HD hitch, anti skid brakes, higher axle ratio and a trans cooler. It was rated at 5000 lbs capacity. It had plenty of power but did not do well in the stability dept. The tail wagged the dog, I had to be wary of corners because the boat steered the van. The thrust angle was off when I bought it so when I hit the brakes, the trailer pushed the van into oncoming traffic. Even after I repaired the thrust angle, I had to be careful of braking on corners. In the end, the Safari was just too light and too short to be safe towing the Mac. I sold the new Safari and kept the old 84 GMC full sized van, it too was rated at 5000 lbs tow capacity but does a great job. It weighs more, has a longer wheelbase and truck suspension.

[littledevil]

[Kelly Hanson East]

Lets not forget there is towing and TOWING

In my case, I take my boat 10 minutes down the road to Hudson Launch -I have done this with the Admirals Volvo V70 T5 (stick shift )

Its a 30-40 mph road trip and I take it easy.

When I am Cape bound or Ontario bound, I wouldnt think of towing the boat at 70 mph with this combo though.


Point being a marginal vehicle can serve a light trailering need.

[TAW02]

I agree with most but would like to add, it depends on your ambitions. Like me, I really had no way of towing a MAC26M, although I had a Ford Aerostar.

I just figured though, since I lived so close to the lake, I would only be towing a few miles each way. What could it hurt?. Bought the MAC26M, and while waiting for it to arrive, I bought a class 3 hitch from a local parts store and installed it on my Aerostar. When the MAC arrived I hitched it up ... man, what a dream! It towed beautifully. Threw caution to the wind and took her all the way (50 or so miles) to the sea and launched her. What a glorious day to remember. Got her home, washed her up and then took the short 2 mile tow to the lake. Blew a tire. Got the trailer hung on the launch ramp. Took a four wheel drive pickup truck to yank the trailer out. Ultimately he loaded my boat for me and I paid him 40 bucks although he kept refusing nontheless.

Left the companionway hatch on the top sliding hatch and it blew off on the ride home. So what else could go wrong? My neighbor came by to tell me he thought it impossible that I could tow that 'thing' with such a little vehicle. Offered me his 2000 chevy silverado 4x4 for a price I could not refuse. It has a 7K towing rating and had a factory tow package installed. Trouble is it has 200K+ miles on it. Looks good but, well ... for 1300 bucks I figure how could I lose.

Turned out the truck had a dry transfer case. I filled it up to find out the rear output shaft seal was leaking pretty good. Replaced it and refilled with tranny fluid until I could get the silicon fluid that only Chevy carried. Also there was a rattling-gearbox-kinda-noise. Asked the neighbor about it and he said, "Yeah, that's kinda the reason I sold is to you so cheap!"

Pity, since he did baby the truck all the time he had it. Changed oil religiously et cetra. Luckily for me, the neighbor on the otherside of me who has the reputation of having a drinking problem, (ok so he's a drunk), came by to listen to it. Figuring I was wasting my time with this loudmouth hilbilly, I'd humor him so he'd go home and leave me alone to drink on my own. The gearbox noise was getting louder (worse) and I was afraid of driving it.

I took the drunk for a ride around the block and he said, "To bad about that noise, so are you gonna sell me this fine truck?"

I was shocked. Are you serious I asked? And of course he was, so long as I sold it to him for half of what I paid for it. If not, he said he'd fix it for a fair price ... gauranteed.

Gauranteed? (am I being a sucker here or what?) But I did not know what else to do. Reasoning too that Paul (the neighborhood drunk) used to rebuild automatic transmissions and other gearboxs, if anyone could do it he could ... so long as he stayed sober long enough.

I could see there was something funny about all this when Paul smiled and said, "It'll cost you bout 2 cases of BUDLIGHT!"

He left and then came back wearing a tattered blue shirt ... he asked me if I had any tools, and I did. A 12mm wrench and a long screwdriver. A 15mm wrench .... 30 minutes later Paul was wiping grease off my wrenches and himself. "Now," he exclaimed. "Let's test ride up to the convenience store for my BUDLIGHT!"

I surely wasn't convinced. "Only if this works!" I warned.

I cracked a few jokes with the cashier while paying for those two cases of beer. I was so happy. My truck was perfect! Thank you Paul.

Looking back on all this, I can say I must be living a 'charmed' life. But you don't get something for nothing or next to nothing. Getting the right vehicle for the job is essential if you yearn to go to far away places and launch into unknown ramps, the likelyhood you could slide on ramp slime and launch your vehicle with you boat is real. Having a 4x4 is a real comfort, or at least a vehicle with a tow rating above that of what you are towing.

Big T

[tangentair]

The first time I tried to launch at out local ramp, I forgot to wait for the city to dredge the winter sandbar, as the trailer went back the boat's stern rose up while the bow and the back of my Isuzu Trooper went down. Even with 4x4, I had to take several passes of the anchor line around another car's frame to get a pull out of the ramp. Ultimately the transmission of the V6 trooper gave up and I replaced it with a V8 explorer. I think the trooper was rated a 4000 and the Explorer is 5000, the trailer seems really long behind both and feels like it would like to push a head now and then. If I had the space in the garage and the money for the fuel, I would go with a full size suburban or expidition next time, the longer heaver vehicle just handles the trailer better.

[Russ]

My van (Toyota Sienna) technically has the towing capacity to tow our Mac and there are people who use this vehicle all the time to tow it. However, I still like something with more reserve. When I towed our runabout with the van you know it's there. My truck pulls it much better and I'm more confident.

[Beam's Reach]

I have a Pontiac Montana extended version with the tow package. I had to drive about 5 hours to the nearest Mac dealer to pick up my Mac. I know I was probably at (or over) my towing capacity but I took it easy and didn't have any trouble - although I'm sure you'll hear from others here that I was just lucky (Hi Moe & Chip! ).

Since then it's a 5 minute drive to the marina in the spring and again in the fall to pick it up...and even that makes me nervous.

We've got our first trailer trip planned for this summer and the 3 hour highway drive to the North Channel Yacht Club on Lake Huron has me pretty concerned again.

[enufsed]

Yowser! You folks have got me reconsidering a few things! Thanks for the great advice!

When I buy my boat, the first summer or two I'll be doing local sailing out of my marina, which is part of my condo complex. So there won't be a lot of trailering. If I want to sail along the Severn-Trent water system, I can sail over to Honey Harbor, tie up there for a month or so and arrange for a ride home.

So for the next couple of years I wouldn't absolutely need to tow the boat. When my lease expires in two years I'll consider getting something more suited to towing. In the meantime, if I tow at all, I'll restrict myself to only towing on flat ground for short distances at very low speed.

If I lower the boat into the water on a steep ramp, I'll get someone with a truck to fulfill that part. And/or simply put in at a nearby marina with a suitable set-up.

I'll make delivery of the boat to my place a condition of sale, assuming the vendor has a stronger vehicle.

[tangentair]

The video shows a Ford Tarus towing the boat, my wife had one when we first got married, even with the big six that we had it would have been slow and pushing the limit of the transmission. Maybe to and from storage would be OK but even here in the relatively flat midwest US, I would want a heavier vehicle with substantial braking (do not depend on trailer brakes) and an adiquate transmission to take the load. I would prefer not to imagine pulling in the Pacific NW with a midsized vehicle. But don't let it stop you from getting a MAC, you can always rent a U-Haul for the odd tow if necessary (and drive Rich's civic right up into the box).

[Wayneoh]

but with a 26D. Thought I could get by for the season with my old Taurus. After much discussion here and other forums I ended up buying a used Pathfinder 4x4, glad I did as I don't have to worry about weight limits etc. Better to be over capacity than under is my thought here.

You also need to consider the fact that with the ballast full the additional weight of items on board the boat coming out of the water may be as much as 1300 to 1500 pounds heavier.

[Ron]

I think your car can tow the boat short distances without a problem. However, after awhile you might want to travel to other places with your boat, and then thats the problem. The car can tow 3500 lbs, and as Moe said your boat will likely weight a touch more than that with gear (and passengers in the car). The bigger problems are difficult ramps, etc. That's when you temporarily need that extra power. My father has owned a 22 ft. Chrysler sailboat that probably weights about the same as the Mac, and he has always towed it with whatever car he has (an AMC Pacer, a buick, and now a Ford Taurus). But, he only tows it twice a season, he only goes about 10 miles, and on local roads where the speed limit is 30 mph. Even still, I remember having problems at the ramp because the car is low to the ground, and he couldn't back up far enough to float the boat without surmerging the rear of the car.

[enufsed]

I'm going to pick up the boat and trailer on Monday and have a quick question (the boat is two hours drive away, so I can't check this myself). Remember, the boat is a Mac X.

There's a hole on the tongue above where the ball hitch attaches. I believe one can put a bolt through this, as further precaution against separation of hitch and trailer. I'd like to bring a bolt and nut with me on Monday, but need to know what size?

Also, I noticed that the trailer had only one (not two) safety chains. I thought there are supposed to be two. Am I missing something here? Assuming I must add a missing chain, again, what size should I buy and how big is the fitting/hole in the trailer? I need to get this stuff on the weekend, not Monday.

[kmclemore]

There's a hole on the tongue above where the ball hitch attaches. I believe one can put a bolt through this, as further precaution against separation of hitch and trailer. I'd like to bring a bolt and nut with me on Monday, but need to know what size?

The hole in the ball latch is 5/16", so a 1/2" headed bolt will do, but I'd get a 5/16" pin with a clip were I you - it's easier than a bolt and nut, and safer (since the nut can come off, but the clip won't). If you do use a nut, get a nyloc. Better still, you could just buy a hitch lock - they're all the same size and will do the job nicely, plus adding a measure of safety when you've got it un-hitched.

Also, I noticed that the trailer had only one (not two) safety chains. I thought there are supposed to be two. Am I missing something here? Assuming I must add a missing chain, again, what size should I buy and how big is the fitting/hole in the trailer? I need to get this stuff on the weekend, not Monday.

Yes, there are two chains, but they are welded to the chassis and I can't really see any way to hook them around anything as a temporary measure. If you haven't got a welder handy, I suppose the best bet is to through-bolt the chains by drilling a hole straight through the frame, behind the brake actuator, and using a long 1/2" or 9/16" (head) bolt, some hardened washers and a nyloc nut - tighten to moderately snug, but don't kill it - the load will be axial, so it won't need much tightness to do the job and you don't want to crush the frame.

As far as chain size, the factory used (2) 1/4" dia. X 24" long chains, but I've always found them to be too short and I've needed to use an extender chain for my hitch. I'd make yours at least 30".

One other thing - don't forget to get a cable and clips that will hook up the brake safety to your car as well. It goes from the lever on the top of the brake actuator to your hitch, and should be slightly shorter than your chains, so that the actuator kicks in when your hitch drops, but not so short that it takes all the load - the chains should do that. The hole in the actuator lever is around 9/64".

Hope that helps?