| Home |
| Search |
| Today's Posts |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
what to tow with
I know I will be buying a boat in a few years and I'm considering what
I will need to tow it. Currently, I own a Toyota Sienna and am about to replace my other vehicle. The Toyota website says the Sienna has a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. Is this enough to pull a ski boat? One of the vehicles I'm considering is the Tacoma, which also lists a capacity of 3,500 pounds. Would there be a towing difference between the two vehicles, or should they perform about the same? |
|
#2
|
|||
|
|||
|
what to tow with
|
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
|
what to tow with
Consider this, the gross tow weight also includes what you put inside the
vehicle. So if you carry 3 people, coolers, gear, etc inside your vehicle which totals about 800lbs and have a tow rating of 4000lbs then what you tow can only total 3200lbs. "Pete McKinney" wrote in message om... I know I will be buying a boat in a few years and I'm considering what I will need to tow it. Currently, I own a Toyota Sienna and am about to replace my other vehicle. The Toyota website says the Sienna has a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. Is this enough to pull a ski boat? One of the vehicles I'm considering is the Tacoma, which also lists a capacity of 3,500 pounds. Would there be a towing difference between the two vehicles, or should they perform about the same? |
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
|
what to tow with
"Pete McKinney" wrote in message
om... I know I will be buying a boat in a few years and I'm considering what I will need to tow it. Currently, I own a Toyota Sienna and am about to replace my other vehicle. The Toyota website says the Sienna has a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. Is this enough to pull a ski boat? One of the vehicles I'm considering is the Tacoma, which also lists a capacity of 3,500 pounds. Would there be a towing difference between the two vehicles, or should they perform about the same? Like others have said, it depends on many factors. I own a 2002 Tacoma (6 cylinder automatic) for towing because with a sedan (93 Taurus 6 cyl), and on windy days, the car didn't have a stiff enough suspension to not be jerked around by the trailer at high speeds. Now, if this problem only existed for short drives, I'd put up with it, but much of the time, I'm towing for 2-6 hours. That's more time than I want to be putting up with a swaying tow vehicle at 65 mph. By the way, my boat & trailer weigh about 1500 lbs, so a larger one would make matters worse. The Tacoma is rock solid. Now....is it worth it? For me, yes, in terms of peace of mind. But no matter WHAT anyone tells you and regardless of how efficient Toyota motors are, the Tacoma gets 17-18 around town, so I'm burning more gas than I'd like to when I'm not towing. If most of my towing was local, I would've gotten a different tow vehicle and modified it a bit. If your Sienna has been well maintained, there's no reason not to tow with it. Specifically, you should be AHEAD of the maintenance schedule for changing TRANSMISSION fluid & filter. Shocks should be in good shape, not just "passable". And, you might consider air shocks for the rear, if you find that the vehicle sags under the weight of trailer, luggage and passengers. I believe your car is front wheel drive, right? That's another reason to keep the trailer from taking weight off the front wheels, especially when it's raining hard. If your manual's like mine, it'll define "towing package" to include a different fan clutch, which is denoted by a colored band on the fan's hub. You may not want to change the fan clutch, but at least be very attentive to cooling system maintenance. The best mod you could do would be to add a transmission cooler, which is like a small radiator installed inline with the tranny fluid. U-Haul advertises this service, but I'd lean toward having it done by a trusted mechanic or the Toyota dealer. It's not rocket science, but you don't want your tranny fluid draining out on the highway because some hack used a rubber band instead of a hose clamp. |
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
|
what to tow with
"Pete McKinney" wrote in message om... Currently, I own a Toyota Sienna and am about to replace my other vehicle. The Toyota website says the Sienna has a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. Is this enough to pull a ski boat? A very light ski boat, like a 16 foot outboard. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for a good sized tournament ski boat. Would there be a towing difference between the two vehicles, or should they perform about the same? There are several issues about towing that you need to consider. When towing down a freeway the drag of the trailer will increase the load on the car. In most cases a boat is fairly good in this regard as they are fairly streamlined and low profile. A whole lot better than say a camping trailer! Wheelbase is another issue. When the trailer starts to sway, a short wheel base tow vehicle can get pushed around pretty bad. Stopping: It is one thing to take a while to get the load going, it is another thing to take a while to get it stopped. If your tow vehicle is light then trailer brakes are essential. Getting the load moving: This is where boats are far worse than any other type of trailer. Launching the boat is easy, but eventually you need to put the boat back on the trailer and take it home. The boat ramp can be steep and the boat can be loaded with people, gear, and possibly a fair amount of bilge water. The car has to be able to get this load moving up a very steep hill. Automatics generally do better at this, I have seen underpowered manual transmissions just burn their clutch up trying to haul a boat out. In general, the larger the vehicle the better for towing. Rod |
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
|
what to tow with
I tow same weight or slightly more with a Plymouth Voyager mini-van with 3.0 litre 6. I've been thinking of a Toyota Sienna, and with it's 3500 capacity represents the best value in my parts. (About $30K CDN.) Those Tacoma and Tundra trucks are way overpriced in this market and according to Consumers Reports, the Tacoma is uncomfortable to drive. |
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
|
what to tow with
I read that CR story. Drive the truck yourself. When it comes to subjective
opinions, CR is often way off base. "Don White" wrote in message ... I tow same weight or slightly more with a Plymouth Voyager mini-van with 3.0 litre 6. I've been thinking of a Toyota Sienna, and with it's 3500 capacity represents the best value in my parts. (About $30K CDN.) Those Tacoma and Tundra trucks are way overpriced in this market and according to Consumers Reports, the Tacoma is uncomfortable to drive. |
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
|
what to tow with
My 20' Malibu skier is 4200 lbs dry, with trailer...over the rating.
Have you looked at the Nissan Titan? As for the difference between the two Toys, the longer wheel base will favor...which is the Tacoma I believe. Take care. -- -Netsock "It's just about going fast...that's all..." http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/ "Pete McKinney" wrote in message om... I know I will be buying a boat in a few years and I'm considering what I will need to tow it. Currently, I own a Toyota Sienna and am about to replace my other vehicle. The Toyota website says the Sienna has a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds. Is this enough to pull a ski boat? One of the vehicles I'm considering is the Tacoma, which also lists a capacity of 3,500 pounds. Would there be a towing difference between the two vehicles, or should they perform about the same? |
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
|
what to tow with
On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 18:27:48 GMT, "Don White"
wrote: Those Tacoma and Tundra trucks are way overpriced in this market and according to Consumers Reports, the Tacoma is uncomfortable to drive. ================================ Can't speak about the Tacoma but I've had a Tundra for almost three years and it's a great truck. |
|
#10
|
|||
|
|||
|
what to tow with
Thanks for the really great responses. Most of my hauling should be
short distances, so I think I'll try and stay with the Sienna. Nice to get such quick, friendly and informative responses. |
Linear Mode
