[Talari95]

Does anyone know how much a 1995 180 Talari weighs?

Thanks,

Carl

[mikeyt]

2250lbs give or take a big Mac or two.

[Talari95]

Thanks. I appreciate your help.

Carl

[SEMIJim]

If you're figuring out tow vehicle capacity, don't forget the weight of the trailer, (possibly) a full tank of gasoline (another couple hundred pounds) and anything else you might have on the boat. Also: You want to try to stay under about 80% of tow vehicle's capacity. For our '94 182 Barchetta, we figured on a minimum tow vehicle capacity of roughly 4,000 lbs. That's 30% of towing capacity head-room at 3000 lbs.

Btw: The problem is not generally what the tow vehicle can get & keep moving, it's what it can stop .

Jim

[Paul F]

My brochure said 2200 lbs. I assumed that was with the 3.0 engine. I added a few hundred pounds for the V6, fuel, gear and trailer.

I haven't weighed mine, but I'm guessing 3300 to 3400 lbs.

I pull it with a 2000 Ford Windstar minivan with a 3500 lb tow package. Tows like a dream, but avoid steep boat ramps.

I wouldn't want to pull it on a busy city interstate, but it does great on the rural highways around here.

[Talari95]

Paul,

Thanks. I currently tow with a Suburban (you can't tell the boat is even there), but am considering a Toyota Sienna with a tow rating of 3500lbs. My 2000 4Runner labors a bit while towing the boat, but the Sienna has more horsepower and torque than the 4Runner. Any thougths?

Carl

[Paul F]

Like I said earlier, I wouldn't like to tow in big city traffic where you're more likely to have to make a panic stop. But my Windstar tows very smoothly.

Corps of Engineers boat ramps at our local lake are not a problem. For steep, slick boat ramps, you'll want a 4wd truck.

I installed Hidden Hitches on my last two vans and have been very happy with them.

[95gts]

I tow our '98 Shabah 182 with my '05 Crown Victoria and my wife's '04 Grand Cherokee 4.0, I guesstimate the weight is a little over 3,000lbs w/ trailer. The Crown Vic actually tows better, more power, better braking, better gas mileage, and it's got a much larger factory transmission cooler.

[SEMIJim]

Originally Posted by Talari95

... am considering a Toyota Sienna with a tow rating of 3500lbs.

80% of 3500 lbs is 2800 lbs. Your boat alone is spec'd at roughly 2300 lbs. That leaves only 500 lbs for the trailer. And remember: A full tank of gas, assuming a 30 ga. tank, weighs nearly 200 lbs.

Cutting it too close, IMHO.

Secondly, let me remind you: For tow vehicles it's often not the getting going that's the problem, it's the stopping. That's why most factory towing packages include beefed-up brakes. The next big issue is the transmission. Depending on the vehicle's stock offering, towing packages often include either a beefed-up transmission and/or improved cooling.

Here's an interesting link: Toyota Sienna Trailer Towing. Hmmm...

CAUTION
- Do not exceed 72 km/h (45 mph) or the posted towing speed limit, whichever is lower. Because instability (swaying) of a towing vehicletrailer combination usually increases as the speed increases, exceeding 72 km/h (45 mph) may cause loss of control.
- Slow down and downshift before descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden downshifts. Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or too frequently. This could cause the brakes to overheat and result in reduced braking efficiency.

The 2nd part is kind of normal, but 45 MPH maximum speed? I think this vehicle is not really well-designed for towing. I wouldn't do it.

This is the problem one often encounters with off-shore brand "trucks." They're often not really trucks in the sense that Detroit-3 trucks are trucks. I ran into this with my Honda CR-V. We were originally considering a much smaller boat. (16' Sea-Doo.) It turned out that the CR-V's towing capacity was so low that I couldn't even tow one of those safely.

We finally gave up and bought a Chevy TrailBlazer. Mileage is terrible, compared to the CR-V, but boy does that truck ever trailer nicely .

Jim

[Paul F]

I can understand the 45mph limit when towing certain types of trailers.

A little utility trailer with no weight on the tongue can get squirrely in a hurry. A small travel trailer will react to wind causing sway issues.

I've pulled a 24 foot traveler trailer with my F150 with stabilizer and sway bars, and it can feel a little squirrely at times.

I never have experienced sway issues pulling my18 foot boat. They handle the winds much better.