Increase towing capacity? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Increase towing capacity?

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inreb

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The vehicle is rated to tow 1500 pounds. I want to tow 3000 pounds. Right off the hop it's a non starter. But hold on a second, basic googling reveals difference in towing capacity is governed to a large degree, but not totally, by rear axle gear ratio. So if I change the rear drive wheels to lower profile or smaller dia. rim to achieve the same percentage gear reduction how could this not work? Trailer will have surge brakes and hitch receiver will be shored up for the extra load if need be.

Just for context, I used to tow 900-1000lbs with Hyundai Accent which had zero tow rating. No ill effects.
 
You didn't mention what vehicle you're talking about. 3000 lbs is a lot for any car. For a 1500 lb rating, you may be able to get away with 2000 lbs if you drive carefully, but doubling a tow rating is questionable. Not saying you can't, but I wouldn't, thats all. You'll notice that tow ratings for the vehicles sold both in europe and NA (e.g jetta, golf) have different tow ratings, even though the power train is the same. Liability concerns in North America place an artificially low value on some vehicles. That being said, it does not mean you can tow whatever you like. Final drive ratio would not be my primary concern w.r.t. tow capacity. The extra (unstable) load on the transmission is my main concern when I tow with my car. Hit a bump with the trailer and the trailier pushes forward a bit, briefly unloading the transmission, then acts like an anchor as the car re-establishes tension on the trailer mount point. This is adding major sheering force to the transmission gears. More importantly you will need the brakes to handle 3000 lbs. Given you are towing significantly more than the vehicle is rated you may be taking on additional liability should you not be able to stop in time.

Towing this kind of weight will also increase the temperature of the transmission oil, you'll need to do research whether an intercooler is good option. Depending on your car, adding an intercooler may reduce regular cooling if you need to place it in the airflow of the radiator.

If it was a 1 time deal, rent a truck, if your doing this regularly, get a different vehicle.
 
Bad idea.
I towed all summer with my 2012 si
Rated 1500 pounds.
Trailer and bike and all the crap was 1200 pounds. The car could pull it no problem but on the brakes I had to be really carefull
 
Check with Andy at Canam RV in London. They are towing specialists and they think outside the (North American) box.
 
Do you still have a warranty on the vehicle in question?

You could void it.
 
Without knowledge of the vehicle in question, kinda hard to get very specific.

I towed about 1600 lb without trailer brakes with my diesel Jetta without issue, but the same car with the same bodyshell, same engine gearbox brakes etc was rated 650 kg (1430 lb) without trailer brakes in Europe, and nearly double that with trailer brakes. In mountainous areas (not Ontario), you have to think like a mini transport truck driver, though - gearing down to go both up or down steep hills.

Legally, though, the towing rating that the vehicle was built with is the towing rating that that VIN will forever have, no matter what you actually do to it.

Also think about the hitch. Most smaller vehicles can only have a class 1 or 2 hitch, which limits you to 2000 lbs. I was pulled over by MoT once in the Jetta with two bikes on the trailer. They checked that the lights worked, weighed it and established that the weight on the axle was less than 2000 lbs, never checked the tongue weight, and sent me on my way.

I know about CanAm RV in London that seems to do custom hitches with much higher capacity for some vehicles. Note the custom weight-distributing hitch ...

http://www.canamrv.ca/towing/car-videos/jetta-towing-visa/
 
MTO has started taking really close looks at cars/pickups and all sorts of recreational trailers, fully enclosed, utility and boat trailers. Especially dual wheel units . After decades of accidents with poorly maintained trailers, its the new focus.

Its your own discretion, but I'd want to have everything well within insurance and legal parameters.
 
Brian P said:
Without knowledge of the vehicle in question, kinda hard to get very specific.

I towed about 1600 lb without trailer brakes with my diesel Jetta without issue, but the same car with the same bodyshell, same engine gearbox brakes etc was rated 650 kg (1430 lb) without trailer brakes in Europe, and nearly double that with trailer brakes. In mountainous areas (not Ontario), you have to think like a mini transport truck driver, though - gearing down to go both up or down steep hills.

Legally, though, the towing rating that the vehicle was built with is the towing rating that that VIN will forever have, no matter what you actually do to it.
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Mazda Ranger clone 4 banger 5 speed. I do believe it could pull double with surge brakes and a final drive gearing change. Probably don't want to mess with the legal side of it tho. I wonder what the canamrv guys know about circumventing the law. Or how happily would they sell me a big honkin camping trailer lol?

The package I hope to tow (very infrequently) weighs less than the tow vehicle. The rigs I see rolling down the road suggest ratios of 1-2 to 1-4 easily.
I could upgrade vehicle w/o to much bother but I'd be giving up excellent fuel mileage when not towing.
 
crankcall said:
MTO has started taking really close looks at cars/pickups and all sorts of recreational trailers, fully enclosed, utility and boat trailers. Especially dual wheel units . After decades of accidents with poorly maintained trailers, its the new focus.

Its your own discretion, but I'd want to have everything well within insurance and legal parameters.
Click to expand...

Of course they have, there's never been a golden age of towing. Ya, the legal thing might make this a non starter again.
 
Brian P said:
Without knowledge of the vehicle in question, kinda hard to get very specific.

I towed about 1600 lb without trailer brakes with my diesel Jetta without issue, but the same car with the same bodyshell, same engine gearbox brakes etc was rated 650 kg (1430 lb) without trailer brakes in Europe, and nearly double that with trailer brakes. In mountainous areas (not Ontario), you have to think like a mini transport truck driver, though - gearing down to go both up or down steep hills.

Legally, though, the towing rating that the vehicle was built with is the towing rating that that VIN will forever have, no matter what you actually do to it.

Also think about the hitch. Most smaller vehicles can only have a class 1 or 2 hitch, which limits you to 2000 lbs. I was pulled over by MoT once in the Jetta with two bikes on the trailer. They checked that the lights worked, weighed it and established that the weight on the axle was less than 2000 lbs, never checked the tongue weight, and sent me on my way.

I know about CanAm RV in London that seems to do custom hitches with much higher capacity for some vehicles. Note the custom weight-distributing hitch ...

http://www.canamrv.ca/towing/car-videos/jetta-towing-visa/
Click to expand...

Hang on, they weighed it? Did they force you to go to a truck inspection station or something?
 
I had my 06 jetta tuned when i started towing for a more power (mostly just my bike, and sometimes 2) but since it was turbo vehicle the gains were pretty substantial.

also like Smergy mentioned transmission fluid is now getting hotter, and brakes will be getting a working as well.
 
TwistedKestrel said:
Hang on, they weighed it? Did they force you to go to a truck inspection station or something?
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MTO has portable scales. They normally use them is rural areas or places with little commercial traffic (and far from a traditional scale house)
 
TwistedKestrel said:
Hang on, they weighed it? Did they force you to go to a truck inspection station or something?
Click to expand...

Portable scales. The check point was at the MTO maintenance yard on southbound Hwy 56 north of Hwy 3 on the way to Cayuga, and this was probably 7 or 8 years ago. I now take a different way there. For the record, that is the one and only time that I have EVER been called in for inspection when towing with a car.

For the OP, I doubt if a pickup truck towing a smallish trailer will raise alarm bells, but if they have a situation where they pull in every vehicle towing a trailer then there's no avoiding it. Picking your time and place might help ... Also, make sure your hitch is rated for the capacity.

The problems that I've been hearing about lately seem to involve towing trailers with dual-rear-wheel pickups that some cops seem to think are commercial vehicles no matter how you are actually using them.
 
Brian P said:
For the OP, I doubt if a pickup truck towing a smallish trailer will raise alarm bells, but if they have a situation where they pull in every vehicle towing a trailer then there's no avoiding it. Picking your time and place might help ... Also, make sure your hitch is rated for the capacity.
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Thats going to be another problem. It's a 26ft. trailer sailor. It's light because it uses a water ballast system but looks big. Ouch.
 
I get the appeal, when the weather gets ugly you crank on the 50hp and go home. Me and my 6kt shitebox are there for the next 4hrs. What sail # did you get? on your boat with a sail....
 
crankcall said:
I get the appeal, when the weather gets ugly you crank on the 50hp and go home. Me and my 6kt shitebox are there for the next 4hrs. What sail # did you get? on your boat with a sail....
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Sorry to lead you on:) I will be getting a 26M but, like a cottage, just because you can afford it, it doesn't you will get the proper use out of it. Timing. And paradoxiclly, I will be using 20hp or less. I've seen them with 75hp:eek: It's all about maximum trailerable interior space. No other boat with sails comes close. Compromises.

What 6kt shitebox?
 
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I have a 24ft shark this year for racing and a C&C34 as a cruiser. I know what you mean about getting the use out of things, we sold a 30ft race boat because it took 7 guys to run it. Thats a lot of beer. The 24 races with three crew, that's way better.

your bigger problem with an M26 wont be pulling it around, its that launching and retrieving part. Sucking the trailer out of a muddy launch ramp with a nice wet incline will be a bit of effort.
 
crankcall said:
I have a 24ft shark this year for racing and a C&C34 as a cruiser. I know what you mean about getting the use out of things, we sold a 30ft race boat because it took 7 guys to run it. Thats a lot of beer. The 24 races with three crew, that's way better.

your bigger problem with an M26 wont be pulling it around, its that launching and retrieving part. Sucking the trailer out of a muddy launch ramp with a nice wet incline will be a bit of effort.
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You do get around:cool: It appears my life is a lot simpler than yours and I make a conscious effort to keep it that way. Or I don't have the brain power and stamina. It's one of those two. Anyway. The plan is to in and out once a year. I could hire somebody at the marina for that. I might even rent a truck twice a year if thats available. The boat will be my ride destination.
 
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