would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

[Colliemcc]

I have a glastron sx 175 with a 4.3 in it do you think that my Audi A4 2 litter Tdi Fwd pull it ok.

 

[rbh]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

Take the weight of the boat including, fuel and all your other stuff thats in the boat plus the weight of your trailer empty, add them up and see if they are in line with what audi says you can tow.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

looks like the rated tow capacity of that might be 1500# max. You will be well over that. (that boat dry is going to be about 1500#, not including gas, oil, batteries, trailer... all up weight will be 2000#+)

 

[seaboo]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

Post the year of the boat and Audi. From what I looked up the biggest hitch you can get for the car is 2000# and the boat DRY weight was like 2300# (add fuel, oil, cooler, people, ect you can easily be Way over that.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

Hell no. And I love Audis.

 

[Colliemcc]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

its a 05 A4. all i can find is an sx 175 with a 3ltr and it says dry weight 930kg. add another 100kg for bigger engine? 200kg trailer? 100kg fuel? may another 100kg for crap on board.??

 

[Colliemcc]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

the boat is 99
audi say between 1500 and 1650 thats as much as i can find.

 

[NYBo]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

audi say between 1500 and 1650 thats as much as i can find.

Is that kilograms or pounds?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

that is WAY too much to pull with that car

 

[rallyart]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

Colliemcc, you need to find out the tow ratings in Europe. Many European cars have much different ratings there than in North America, perhaps due to liability issues or perhaps some in design changes. From a practical standpoint the Audi has great brakes but not a lot of torque to get the boat up a ramp.
Actually, with a manual it might be OK on the ramp. Just check the specifications from a dealer where you live. It's not a big car and it is not a tiny boat.

 

[Colliemcc]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

Its kgs that I'm using. I only use the boat in the one place and the ramp is not to steep. every time I need to move the boat I have to get a loan of sumthing. was down the slip the other day seen a lad putting in a boat like mine with a ,saab 93 which would be very close to my car. maybe I shud just try it and c how it goes. what would be the worst to happen. burn out the clutch.? give it a shot!?

 

[H20Rat]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

maybe I shud just try it and c how it goes. what would be the worst to happen. burn out the clutch.? give it a shot!?

Get into a wreck because you can't stop, back down the ramp and the boat pulls the car into the water, car can't pull boat back out and you need to get a tow for boat and car, the list goes on...

Even if its within specifications for towing, ANY front wheel drive car is going to have a tough time pulling that boat up the ramp. If the ramp is wet from a previous boat/trailer, very good chance its just going to sit and spin. FWD minivans are substantially better, but they also have more weight to work with.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

Adding tongue weight to the rear of a front wheel drive car takes weight off the front wheels which decreases traction. If there is someone around that can sit on the hood (heaven forbid) you could counter that lost traction. And just to clarify, an automatic transmission will start a heavier load than a stick will. The torque converter multiplies available torque. And don't get into the pickup "granny gear" discussion because it doesn't apply to a car manual transmission.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

what would be the worst to happen?

jacknife and die

 

[brick75]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

Usually when people ask this question they're at least close to being ok with the vehicle. Sedans were not made to tow boats. While that is a fine car, you'd be taking a huge risk (not to mention endangering everyone else on the road). Get yourself a truck or SUV with a higher tow rating.

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

maybe I shud just try it and c how it goes. what would be the worst to happen. burn out the clutch.? give it a shot!

dont get me wrong i am all for bending rules here and there hell my truck really doesnt have the balls to pull my boat but still i know it can. however that car and that boat should never be hooked togather first thing first is the hitch your hitch on that is the 1 inch square yes? good for class 1, not the 2 inch that is class 2, 3, and 4. the boat your hualing should have at LEAST class 2 or class 3 hitch for safty. worst that could happen besides death, your hitch breaks totaling your car because the frame broke, trailer and boat gets totald because the hitch broke. my 23 foot cuddy is class 4 reciever, hitch, and ball so i am not worried about putting brakes on once a year, or the balls to pull off the line. if that trailer gets away from your car not only will insurence not cover it being your fualt but if it hits and injures/kills some one your liable for there bills and/or homacide.

if you have to buy a POS rust bucket with adaquite tow rating put plpd on it and with multidiscount insurence and that vehical not being used daily you will pay close to nothing. my uncle put insurence on a vehical he never uses for $8. a month hoping that it gets totaled sitting outside next to a dead tree.

 

[Colliemcc]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

cheers for all the replies. I have not got the money to buy another car. I live about 3 miles from the slip so not far to take it. my car and insurance will cover me to pull 1550kg I think I will be under that. only pull the boat about 4 times a year as I park it in a marina

 

[H20Rat]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

first is the hitch your hitch on that is the 1 inch square yes? good for class 1, not the 2 inch that is class 2, 3, and 4. the boat your hualing should have at LEAST class 2 or class 3 hitch for safty.

Nope... (well, sort of nope!)

Class II hitches can come in either 1 1/4 receivers or 2". They are equally strong, both certified to class II weight limits (3500/350). There are also class I and class II 1-1/4 drawbars, the class II's are usually solid while the class I's are hollow tubing.

I had the choice on my little SUV, it has the option of a class II hitch with either the 1-1/4 drawbar or 2", they are 100% identical except for which tube is welded in. I went with the 1-1/4 because of my assortment of other 1 1/4 drawbars, vs a shortage of 2". (didn't have any vehicle that had a 2" at the time.)

 

[fsds123]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

cheers for all the replies. I have not got the money to buy another car. I live about 3 miles from the slip so not far to take it. my car and insurance will cover me to pull 1550kg I think I will be under that. only pull the boat about 4 times a year as I park it in a marina

1550 kg is 3417 lbs. The vast majority of people on this forum have never towed with anything other than a rear wheel drive truck/suv but will still tell you without having had any experience that front wheel drive will not work.

I tow a boat with a front wheel drive vehicle and have a much easier time getting the boat out of the water than the vast majority of people using trucks. Why?

On a fwd car the engine sits over the drive wheels and the drive wheels are out of the water.
On a rwd truck there is usually not any weight over the wheels and they are in the water. Add to that the open differential in most rwd trucks and you only have a single wet spinning wheel with no weight on it.

Since you are in Europe you should have no problem buying a hitch rated at the 3400 lbs capacity that Audi rates your vehicle at.

 

[ssobol]

Re: would a 2w fwd pull my boat?

The other advantage of FWD is that the drive wheels often end up above the mean water line on the ramp. Areas of the ramp that are regularly exposed to water tend to get slippery from the marine growth and slime. The portion of the ramp above this area is noticeably cleaner and will gives better traction.

On some ramps where I load my boat the back wheels of my Sienna van end up just in the water when loading the trailer, but the front wheels are high and dry and I have no problem pulling out.

Additionally with FWD, if you put the transmission in park and set the parking brake you have all wheels locked. With RWD you can only lock the rear wheels.

Once I saw a guy in Florida loading his boat on a trailer. He had some big Toyota SUV. He parked the SUV and the trailer on the ramp and set the brake. Then he got out and had his buddy drive the boat up on the trailer. When the motor on the boat was stopped and the trailer took the boat's weight the whole thing started sliding into the water with the rear wheels on the SUV locked. The rig stopped sliding into the water only when the boat started floating enough to reduce the load on the trailer (the SUV did not end up too far in the water). They then went looking for a different ramp somewhere else.