tow ball on am mi16?

[mi16_weapon]

has anyone done this? can it be done without butchering the rear skirt?

i may be getting a small boat, and id also like to use it for a bike rack (its bloody annoying trying to fit 2 bikes into the boot)

 

[petermc505]

not too sure a FWD is the best car towing a boat.
maybe get a towbar that sticks out further away from the back of the car?

 

[mi16_weapon]

is only a very small boat - aluminium - so its very light.

Its being given to me, so its kinda hard to say no i dont want it, and theres no way im getting rid of the 405!

 

[petermc505]

hey, i never suggested getting rid of the 405!
You could possibly take the rear bumper off while towing (I'm only half-joking - it would be better than butchering the thing...)

Cheers

 

[pugrambo]

you will have to cut the rear bumper on the Mi-16 to have the tow bar on it

the rear skirt comes down too far for the gooseneck

get a standard rear bar and put the tow bar on and keep the Mi bar in the shed

 

[DoubleChevron]

not too sure a FWD is the best car towing a boat.
maybe get a towbar that sticks out further away from the back of the car?

Why Why do you guys with rear wheel drives always think a FWD car can't tow .... I don't get it. As for towing a boat, the only issue may be on a boat ramp. In a rear wheel drive you have the weight on your towing wheels, however they are also much further down the boatramp, possibly in the water where it's slimey & wet. With a FWD your driving wheels are further up the ramp where it's dry and there's a lot of traction. Lets face it, dragging a boat up a boat ramp is one area where a BIG 4wd has it over everything (except maybe a tractor ).

seeya,
Shane L.

 

[Pug_405_Mi16]

Hey Mi16_Weapon,

I've got a tow bar here for an Mi16 thats off a wreck, and the full Mi16 rear bar was not cut at all....

I'm happy to sell you this one if you like ? postage will only be like $20


Cheers

Ben

 

[petermc505]

Why Why do you guys with rear wheel drives always think a FWD car can't tow .... I don't get it. As for towing a boat, the only issue may be on a boat ramp. In a rear wheel drive you have the weight on your towing wheels, however they are also much further down the boatramp, possibly in the water where it's slimey & wet. With a FWD your driving wheels are further up the ramp where it's dry and there's a lot of traction. Lets face it, dragging a boat up a boat ramp is one area where a BIG 4wd has it over everything (except maybe a tractor ).

seeya,
Shane L.

:violin:

I've been told RWDs are better for towing than FWDs,
there must be a reason so many people say this
I never tow anything anyway

 

[mi16_weapon]

Hey Mi16_Weapon,

I've got a tow bar here for an Mi16 thats off a wreck, and the full Mi16 rear bar was not cut at all....

I'm happy to sell you this one if you like ? postage will only be like $20


Cheers

Ben

ben, sounds perfect to me!

it definately fits with the standard kit still in place??

can you possibly email me at:

kriss@3square.com.au

to organise???


cheers,

Kriss

 

[pugrambo]

:violin:

I've been told RWDs are better for towing than FWDs,
there must be a reason so many people say this
I never tow anything anyway

actually having towed many things great distances with both FWD and RWD cars they are much of a muchness

i did a lot of towing with a 604 all over the country side and it did it well

i then towed all the way from the southern highlands to adelaide with a FWD nissan and it did it very well

same trailer each time and it was a fair size with a bit of weight in it

yeah FWD cars have a bit more trouble taking off on a hill with a trailer but that happens rarely

someone would have to give me a good reason as to why

 

[Nick I]

Hi,

Importantly what's the towing capacity of the towbar, including maximum permited weight on the towball?

Tow bar manufacturers like Hayman Reesse recommend that a minimum of 10% of a trailer's weight should be resting on the tow bar/ball itself with the rest of the trailer's weight carried by the trailer itself ie it's suspension and wheels. The 10% minumum guide is to help ensure that trailers track without becoming unstable, eg fishtailing.

So if your trailer weighs 750kg at least 75kg should be resting on your towball. Many cars have max ratings below the 10% recommendation. It is easy to loose one's compliment of bikes and bike rack if the total weight exceeds the manufacturer's limit.

FWD cars are more susceptible to the effcts of towing permissible heavy loads. When weight is loaded on to the rear of the car wight is taken off the front wheels thus reducing both traction and braking efficiency in FWD cars and braking and in RWD cars. In both cases steering sensitvity and geometry are also altered.

When towing something that raises the front of the car upwards then it is usually wise to use a towing aid (levelling bars) to transfer weight from the rear of the car to the front wheels. Before a trailer is hitched up to the car measure the distance from the ground to the top lip of the front guard. Hitch on the trailer and then adjust the towing aid to return the height at the front of the car to its normal height, as previously measured. This ensures safer motoring with heavy loads.

If you wish to offest the affect of carrying heavy loads within the confines of a car then you may want to consider the benefits of heavier springs or self levelling suspension. Neither of these modifications should be used to level a car when towing heavy loads as the weight distribution issue still prevails, only a towing aid will do the proper job of transferring weight to the front wheels when towing.

Enough from me Cheers ...... nick

PS always use an approved by standards tow ball, one rated to 3500kg would suffice for cars.