Evillex

I know this sounds bad, and im not going to be doing this all the time but I want to know if I can tow a jet boat.. its 18' ft yamaha xr1800 jet boat. Net Weight 1,950. people tell me that It will tow it but stoping that im told i will have a problem with. any help will be good.

-mike

SilverLexo

bwahahahahahahaha.....OMG!! You must be crazy. You gonna mount a class 3 hitch to the frame, or what? You won't be able to stop, you will probably screw your tranny, don't go over any hills, and don't expect the be able to pull it off the ramp (unless maybe you have an LSD, but even then it's a bad idea). Also, you will probably need to use an extended ball hitch, and flip it upside down so it sits high enough. You know your mufflers will be under water, right? Can you take pictures, or better yet a video?? I would pay to see this go down.

rushgator

Mike, let me give it to you straight.

Could you? Yes. Should you? Absolutely not.
If you need a tow vehicle, get a Tundra. Your car is a luxury sports car, not a truck. Use specific tools for specific jobs....vehicles are no exception.

mmarshall

The main reason you can't tow heavy loads with the SC400, even in spite of the V8's power, is the fact that, like most cars today, it is a unibody product and is not well adapted to hanging heavy loads on the rear like a separate body-on-frame product like a pickup truck. The earlier poster's point is well-taken....if you want to tow loads, get a vehicle designed for it......like an F-150, Suburban, Tundra, etc.......

SPORTcoupe

iTrader: (2)

I've seen it done and actually am considering the possibility of hitching my SC3 to pull around a JetSki.
Only thing is I have MagnaFlow exhaust, so my mufflers attract some attention to that part of my car and I don't really want to ruin the look with a hitch.
If you're gonna go for it, definitely get a good tranny cooler.
I've got a 5spd and my load is gonna be minimal so I think I should be ok.

My dad used to tow around a 18' Reinell boat with a 98 V-6 Automatic Camaro.
I'm pretty sure the boat is what caused the transmission failure at 60K miles but then again, he didn't even look into a transmission cooler and hadn't changed the tranny oil since the car came off the lot.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

very informative.

Philly#1 Lex

iTrader: (2)

WHY Can get a turbo or supercharger now guys are turning our beautiful SC4's into trucks. Where is the Love and respect for the SC400? Next I will see someone wanting to put mud tires and raise her a couple of inches and go off roading. What is the world coming to

Philly

rushgator

That Warn winch is gonna look good on the front of an SC!

SilverLexo

You could probably get away with towing a single jetski...I mean were talking a 600lb dry weight for most, and I don't think a V8 lex would have too much trouble pulling it. Another thing you need to figure into the weight of your load is the trailer. If you've got a doule axle trailer, it's probbaly a 800-1200lbs. A single axle jetski trailer is probbaly only a couple hundred pounds. Also, you can ride that jet ski way up the launch ramp so you don't have to dip your lex into the water too deep. Either way, you should know that you need a truck for a boat. A boat is a big hole in the water to throw money into...truck, GAS, wear & tear on the truck & boat, insurance...oh and you want to get into MODS, man you thought the lex was bad. Boats have endless possibilities. So much fun!!, but for love of the late JC, DO NOT tow a boat with your lex.

Philly#1 Lex

iTrader: (2)

PLEASE no one encourage him to tow with the LEX SC anyway. I can ehar the laughter now.
A sad day indeed.

Philly

SupraCoup3

just don't do it.

mikeloc24

C'mon fellas, Mike's looking for answers...not ridicule. We shouldn't make someone feel uncomfortable because they simply asked a question, no matter how we may view that particular question.

Mike, get a beater pick-up truck if funds allow it. That's your best bet. I know a lot of folks aren't too pleased about having a beater in front of their house (park it around the corner in front of someone else's house if you must ) but I'd rather that than an SC with a ruined tranny in front of my house.

rushgator

True. A beater P/U would be much cheaper than an SC tranny. BTW, I have a beater P/U that I bought for 2k just for pulling car trailers and hauling lumber and stuff back from the Home Depot. Having installed the reciever hitch on the truck myself, I can tell you the best advantage a truck has (and I know this has been said before) is a big beefy frame to attach things to. Unibodies, such as SC's were not made for much more than extremely light duty towing. Whatever you do, be careful, as a boat and a tow vehicle represents a lot of $ rolling down the highway.

BTW, we can't help razzing you a little! We just like to have some fun.

SupraCoup3

I can only speak for myself, but I know this board, and we're not bashing on you... maybe just razzing a little.

Kinda like what you do to a little brother -- ya know?


Anyhow, agreed. Get a beater truck, or see if you can't borrow a friend's jeep or something. You're from around MA, so I'll keep my eyes peeled for a truck that's had a easy life.

My construction company (www.tocci.com -- shameless plug ) just picked up a site truck for short money. Really nice vehicle.

the SC400 V8 is a gutless wonder in the low RPM range -- you're much better off with an older pickup. Even if it is a dodge dakota, S10 or ranger. Another bonus to a second cheapo vehicle is when you're working on your ride, you won't have to piece it all back together to go buy a handful of 10 cent clips at Home Depot Motorsports.

One really big thing mike is the winters around here. The SC400 mine as well be a sled in the snow... believe me, I've been there. I used to own a 400, and even with snow tires, it's no fun. I won't even get into road salt.

An inexpensive pickup will go a long way -- towing stuff, getting the xmas tree, getting you parts (try transporting a new front bumper cover -- it didn't even fit in a Infiniti QX4)...

Wait on the set of rims, and pickup.



or you could save all the aggrivation and find a buddy with a truck!


John

Evillex

Ok, well thanks for all the info ! Im NOT going to tow a boat with my SC.... But., I think I might do the jet ski, that was my other idea. does this sound a little better ? I think... well, I know that the boat idea was prity dumb, but i think a jet ski will be fine. anyone else does this before ? and is there a place that sell's a hitch for the sc ? I plan on gettin a pathfinder, or a tacoma before the summer is up for a winter car. I figured the SC would not go good in the snow. im just not gettin a 4x4 now, so untill then I would like to be able to tow a jet ski around. and imput is good !!!! thanks all.

-Mike