towing a car trailer and car with an au

deathlucky · 23-06-2010, 10:34 PM

hay im just wondering if i would be right to tow an eb on a car trailer with my au i think its just a standard tow pack it only for 20km or so with a top speed of about 80

buggo · 23-06-2010, 10:42 PM

Im not 100% but I think the load limit is 1800kg? That would be close to and EB w/trailer.
Have a browse in the manual, it will say in there.

Iggypoppin' · 23-06-2010, 10:43 PM

You'll be fine. AU's are built strong. I uses to tow the burnout Gemini full of tools, tyres and spares to comps, 100k away, loved it. Car sometimes did bulk trips cos we had 2 or 3 cars but only one trailer.

**Mechan1k** · 24-06-2010, 01:49 AM

standard tow pack is 1600kg ... do you know if the trailer is running interia brakes or need an electric brake controller (need to know otherwise the trainer will not be braked and that changed everything).

Need to know the weight of the vehicle and the trailer combined ... and then you need to make sure that the weight over the towball is not more than 160kg either (10% of max tow weight).

It's all in the specs for the standard tow kit.

It's better to be safe than sorry ... cos you never know ... you may have an accident (highly unlikely) ... and if your insurance company find you exceeded any of the limits ... they WILL know ... and they will bend you over and reem you ... literally.

20km or not ... a lot can happen in that time.

If you have the square hitch 2300kg towing kit ... then you should be fine ... but the 1600kg standard towing kit I doubt will be legal ... as i said ... depends on the overall towing weight including the trailer.

seduced_xr · 24-06-2010, 01:59 AM

someones towed a BA on the back of their AU.. being only a 20km trip i cant see the big issue, if you were doing a long trip id be worried about trans coolers and what not.

**GasoLane** · 26-06-2010, 01:04 PM

Go for it. 20k's isn't worth worrying about. I towed this across the Syd metro area (from Manly for the locals there) to home...500+ kms about a year ago, and I'm sure I've only got the standard tow pack (shhh!).

POELWYK · 26-06-2010, 01:16 PM

yeah iv towed a EB with my White au with the standed tow pack without a prob

deathlucky · 26-06-2010, 01:24 PM

ok job done wasn't a problem except when i was driving on the back wheels of the au lifed off the ground

**GasoLane** · 26-06-2010, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deathlucky

ok job done wasn't a problem except when i was driving on the back wheels of the au lifed off the ground

SAY WHAT??

Oh, it was a ute with a pallet of cement in the back that you were loading...right?

deathlucky · 26-06-2010, 01:51 PM

lol what shouldnt that happen ones we worked out someone had to sit in the au with there foot on the brake it wasnt a problem

notty1978 · 26-06-2010, 02:01 PM

NO probs i done that many times with no problems.........

**GasoLane** · 26-06-2010, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notty1978

NO probs i done that many times with no problems.........

Ok I have to ask... Did what, towed a car or had the back wheels off the ground?

mik · 27-06-2010, 12:37 AM

ahhh i`ve done that too, myself and 3 mates bought a tank fairlane to go shooting in(when we were young buks), any way we ran a tank fairlane, side pipes an all

(390 equipped) up the ramps of the tandem ........well not far up the ramps lol, never seen 3 feet of air under the back wheels of a ht holden before lol, needless to say we had to take an alternative course of action

.

388cube_edxr8 · 30-06-2010, 05:46 PM

Pffffft, tow limits mean nothing.

We drove that across Brisbane, all the way up to 100km/h (eventually). All 4 tyres on that Magna were bald as a baby's *** - before we started. Apologies to anyone who got stuck behind me.

You'll be fine with your AU mate.

Danny · 30-06-2010, 06:12 PM

^^ That is appaling to hear... and you actually tried to get that up to 100kmh?? Pretty sure I had one tonne of concrete stumps in my old BA one tonner and because the front was floaty I stayed in the left lane at about 80km/h if for the safety of other road users.....

Frankly, I am a little shocked you're bragging about this on these forums..

388cube_edxr8 · 30-06-2010, 06:38 PM

Actually, it wasn't too bad. Being a FWD, the motor and and gearbox are way out in front of the front wheels, so it didn't float around too bad. The only reason it's at that bizarre angle is because the rear suspension is so soft because of the dismal weight distribution. It actually handled a lot better than you would expect from a ~4 tonne Magna. It was bloody slow though.

And I wasn't bragging, I was attempting to make a point that the rated towing capacity for any given vehicle is at best a rough guide. There is a safety margin included in the figure.

kruptor · 30-06-2010, 06:54 PM

Should be fine for short trip with standard towbar pack.

I have a ED sedan with the heavy duty 1200kg tow bar pack,has the cross beam which goes undr the fuel tank/spare wheel and also goes along the back bumper of the car.I use my ED as my tow car.

In May towed my missus one tonner V8 to a race meet almost 4hrs away.I know my towbar is ownly rated at 1200kg (will be upgrading to a 2300kg unit very soon).Towed great just had to make sure you dont put too much weight on the front of your trailer even the weight out over the trailer.

Also i own my own car trailer it weighs 600kg.I would cruise at 100kph.But im sure towing a trailer or a car trailer with a car you cannot go over 90kph in nsw.

302 XC · 30-06-2010, 07:07 PM

388cube,
HHMMMM,
So towing with a front wheel drive with bald tyres makes towing overloaded better ??????
I understand the point that your makin, but seriously the scalies would reem you a new bottom hole if they saw that
What about the poor bugger whos car you mite have hit ?????
Insurance companies would wipe their hands with you
Its usually the "shell be rite attitude"that many are doin time in her majesties palace
Also,
Im sure an EF or EB and a tandem trailer would wieght more than 1800KG

388cube_edxr8 · 30-06-2010, 07:22 PM

Well I figure that with a 1000kg trailer a 4000kg total weight would be a conservative guess. It would be interesting to check out the weight of each vehicle and get a little more accurate - I wonder if it would be over 5 tonnes and require a truck license?

75van · 30-06-2010, 09:41 PM

Towing such a setup as shown in that pic can have massive consequences in even moderate braking. I'ver seen the aftermath of someone doing a similar setup that braked for a roo - the result was that the tow car folded back onto the trailer (due to no braking weight over the front wheels), the two got separated and all three vehicles ended up upside down and way apart. It was bloody lucky that there wasn't anyone else around when it all went wrong.

I've always thought that it's a scary thing that you don't have to have any sort of training to tow a trailer - there's so much you have to consider if you're going to do it safe - tow vehicle specifications, towed mass combination, towball weight, tyre conditions, the possibility of load shift, etc. Even so far as to plan your route to your destination to avoid possible problems like sharp corners, rounabouts, high traffic, etc.

When I did my L's in Tassie it was legal for a learner to take a F250 or something just as big, and tow something like a horse float - all adding up to a massive thing to control. Yeah, you had a licenced driver beside you, but I'd hate to think what could have happened to people who tried it. Even worse - a P plater could have done it alone!

Anyway, rant now over......

388cube_edxr8 · 30-06-2010, 10:31 PM

The fact that an inexperienced driver can drive anything under 5 tonnes but is restricted from driving anything with 8 cylinders boggles my mind too. Add in the fact that there is zero training for towing heavy loads and its just plain stupid.

I have had a lot of experience towing things that are waaay beyond the recommended capacity of the vehicle, and as long as you use some uncommon sense, its no more dangerous than driving a light truck.

You have to look a long way into the distance when you drive, and drive within the realistic performance capabilities of the car with load attached eg. braking and cornering. It's easy to make allowances for this the same way you make allowances reverse parking a Falcon wagon as opposed to a Corolla.

And it is impossible to strap a load down too tight.

silicon · 01-07-2010, 07:01 AM

Is the Falcon even strapped down in that picture?

chevypower · 01-07-2010, 09:12 AM

It's not power you have to worry about, it is the rear suspension. My dad has killed his suspension on his WK Caprice towing a dual axle horse float. Power wasn't an issue. - GM rear ends are p!$$ weak compared to Ford's

GA_0009 · 01-07-2010, 10:43 AM

From Adelaide to Melbourne..

302 XC · 01-07-2010, 11:47 AM

A 4x4 towing a 4x4 is not a problem at all
But towing a falcon with a magna , now thats a problem
It really astounds me how people know they are doin wrong but still think its ok to do so
If you have towed for many years then you would know that the magna was towing way beyond its capabilities
And comparing a light truck rated at 4.495 t (with a car licence) to a seriously overloaded magna is not a fair comparison by a long shot
For one the 4.495t is for the truck only,not the trailer,and throwing a 4.495t truck around in a bad situation would be ALOT easier than controlling that magna in a situation
Small trucks have exhaust brakes as well ,dont think magnas have those
IF you have driven smallish trucks you would know that
Maybe when you get done being over loaded and go to court ,tell your tall stories to the judge
I dont beleive them
By the way ive towed large loads with smallish trucks,4x4s ect for many years
Their should be laws that people get fined (If not already) that general cars,utes,4x4s get when they are over loaded like the semi drivers get
Drive a 40-50t semi over loaded and see what happens

388cube_edxr8 · 01-07-2010, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silicon

Is the Falcon even strapped down in that picture?

Sort of not really. We didn't have any straps but the trailer came with a winch.
That plus the sides and front of the trailer are quite high, so it didn't shift around too far.

388cube_edxr8 · 01-07-2010, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 302 XC

A 4x4 towing a 4x4 is not a problem at all
But towing a falcon with a magna , now thats a problem
It really astounds me how people know they are doin wrong but still think its ok to do so
If you have towed for many years then you would know that the magna was towing way beyond its capabilities
And comparing a light truck rated at 4.495 t (with a car licence) to a seriously overloaded magna is not a fair comparison by a long shot
For one the 4.495t is for the truck only,not the trailer,and throwing a 4.495t truck around in a bad situation would be ALOT easier than controlling that magna in a situation
Small trucks have exhaust brakes as well ,dont think magnas have those
IF you have driven smallish trucks you would know that
Maybe when you get done being over loaded and go to court ,tell your tall stories to the judge
I dont beleive them
By the way ive towed large loads with smallish trucks,4x4s ect for many years
Their should be laws that people get fined (If not already) that general cars,utes,4x4s get when they are over loaded like the semi drivers get
Drive a 40-50t semi over loaded and see what happens

The point is that you have to harden the **** up and make allowances for these things. Whoop de ******* do if you have driven a light truck, but you missed the point completely.

75van · 01-07-2010, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 388cube_edxr8

Sort of not really. We didn't have any straps but the trailer came with a winch.
That plus the sides and front of the trailer are quite high, so it didn't shift around too far.

I would hope that you'd make sure it didn't shift at all before you set off

Quote:

Originally Posted by 388cube_edxr8

but you missed the point completely.

I'm sorry, but I think I missed the point you were trying to make regarding the thinking that the Magna situation was in any way okay. The point above about the truck being better is that the truck would have far better load sharing between the front and rear axles, and wouldn't have it's nose pointed skyward as the Magna does. That Magna would have next to no real braking power, unlike the 4WD drive above that is sitting nice and level - hence the load is shared from front to rear, and allowing the front brakes on the tow vehicle to do their job safely.

However I'm not trying to hang poo on you, please feel free to remake your point if you reckon you can do it clearer - I am open to fresh opinions.....

302 XC · 01-07-2010, 01:53 PM

I think the comment for me to harden the **** up !!!!
I think you really are way out of your depths even saying that
Im not saying woopie doo ive driven a truck
But you would know that hey
Im merrily saying that the MAGNAs towing situation is WRONG and UNSAFE
BUT you know that, yet you still say its SAFE
WE need to get people like you OFF the roads,as OBVIOUSLY you have no respect for other road users
I think you need to WAKE up to yourself
I never had a pesonal attack at you,but you see it other ways

The magnas front wheels being higher off the ground than normal,WOULD not now or ever be better for towing
BUT you know that also

AS for making allowances for this, keep doin that i hope you get caught go to jail for negligence,
Then you can make ALLOWANCES for that

388cube_edxr8 · 01-07-2010, 02:08 PM

Because the Magna is already a very nose heavy car, the total braking power of the system is not overly affected by the nose pointing at the moon. The braking distance is increased by the ability of the brakes to pull up such a massive weight, but not as much as one would reasonably expect.

I actually found that the admittedly peculiar load distribution across the 4 tyres of the Magna meant the braking was slightly more balanced and predictable than when the car is unloaded. Yes, the braking distance was increased, but the extra weight over the rear axle was vastly more than what was removed from the front end by having the nose up in the air like that. Although the front wheels look as though they are about to come off the ground, the car was actually very planted and stable.

The braking performance was not at all compromised by the weight distribution or the balance of the car, but rather by the overall weight of both cars and the trailer together.

Such a load distribution would not be advisable on say a VW Beetle or a Porsche, but on a Magna it's not as bad as people who have never done it assume.

Does that make sense?