Bought my first lexus sc400 and was wondering (may be stupid, but what the heck) Can a 95 lexus pull a small ski boat and trailor? Say, a 16-18'boat? Is there anyone out there doing it?

 

I dont see why not........ but sc with a hitch

 

I don't know specifically about the SC400, but I did grow up on the Gulf Coast, so I'm pretty familiar with boats and trailers. You're in luck because the SC400 is rear wheel drive which is preferred for a trailer application. Also, it has plenty of low end torque which will make it easier to get up the boat ramp. If you're considering long trips or loads that are heavier than what you mentioned, you may want to look at a transmission cooler. Those are always a good idea. Get a quality hitch that won't affect the looks of the car, and you'll have the sharpest ride at the marina. Many people just buy a beater pick up to haul their boats which may be something you'd want to consider.

Speaking of the trailer, and pardon me if you know this already, there's a simple trick that will make your life easier. As you're pulling the trailer down the road, the wheel bearings and their lubricant heat up. When you get to the ramp and dunk the wheels in the water, the lube cools and shrinks and pulls in water. A few cycles of this, and you've got no lubrication and you're working harder to pull the trailer down the road. They make bearing caps with a grease fitting that you can use to replenish the grease before starting the trip home. Just keep the grease gun in your trunk or in your boat. There may be more modern sealed bearings that don't suffer from this, but that's the old school way. Also, never let the wheels of your car go into the water. It's really slimey at the waterline on a ramp, and you wouldn't want to have to ask someone with a beater pick up to pull your luxury car out of the water.

 

I appreciate the replies guys-thought I may get flamed for the thoughts. I dont know much about boats or trailors, so the insight given is helpfull. Im not crazy about a hitch on my ride, but I really dont care for a beater truck in my drive fulltime either. I just didnt know if the SC could handle this type of towing load and if it would seriously deteriorate the life of the drivetrain.... If so, I guess a truck would be my only option. Any other thoughts?

 

When I was in high school, 3 of us went in together and bought a Toyota pick up with a manual tranny and left it at the marina. Sometimes on a pretty day, there would be scheduling conflicts, but we got it worked out. If you're not towing very often, you could rent something.

If you keep a transmission cool, towing won't adversely affect the drivetrain life. Of course, it's not going to help any, but these cars are pretty tough. Mine is a daily driver in Atlanta, and I whip it like a rented mule.

 

Where in Missouri do you boat? Where are you located? And what kind of a drive will you have (terrain, hills, etc.)?

 

located in kansas city, not too many hills and about 20 miles to either blue springs or smithville lakes.

 

Cool, I live in Gladstone. We run a family business in Smithville. . . Just thought I'd ask! Good luck with your towing.

 

Luxury Towing.
Sounds good to me.
I thought about hitching up my SC3 to be able to tow a jet-ski but then decided not to mess with the drivetrain.
If you don't have to tow far, there shouldn't be any problems.
I have to tow at least 90 miles to get to the closest water so I decided against.

 

I struggled with the same thing when I bought my boat... Didn't want a hitch on the back of my GS.

I decided to store it at a marina in a drydock rack. If you have one big lake you go to on a regular basis like I do, you might be able just to keep the boat there. Or find somebody renting a slip that came with their house / condo they don't use.

At the marina they just haul it out of the 50 ft rack with a big forklift and plunk it in the water.



If you do tow for an extended period, consider getting a tranny cooler. Cheap insurance. Also consider you're likely going to be dunking the back of your SC underwater from time to time (including the rear diff)... not the best for longevity.

 

Well...... hitches have a 2500 lb capacity, 250 lb tounge weight, so I dont know why it couldnt be done. Ill check into slip rental fees as well, but I may end up going with the tow option. Thanks for the replies.

 

Yes, you can tow light loads with the SC's rear-drive layout....but I wouldn't overdo it. The SC is still a unibody car.........You need a traditional V8 rear-drive body-on-frame car (and transmission coolers / oversize radiators) for any real towing. Big body-on-frame cars are long gone from the U.S. market (regrettably) except for the Ford Crown Victoria / Mercury Grand Marquis / Lincoln Town Car, which share the same frame. This one reason why big body-on-frame SUV's like the Tahoe and Suburban are so popular....they can still do today what full-size American cars could do 30 years ago....except ride smooth.

 

Would you consider 2500lbs light towing? I dont really know. I see smaller blazer and ford rangers pulling these boats. Whatdya think?

 

Well, Blazers and Rangers are body-on-frame trucks that are designed for light-to-moderate-sized towing.
Yes, either one of them, except perhaps in the base rock-bottom version, should probably....with a towing package and the V6....be able to handle 2500 lbs, epecially with trailer brakes.

SC400's are not. So, with an SC...check the owner's manual. That is probably the best source. The engineers who designed the car know best what kind of stresses it can take.

 

I took a look at my owner's manual for my 1995 SC300. The title page of the manual says it's for both the SC300 and SC400. Sections that are obviously different refer to each car individually, so I assume that if they don't differentiate, it applies to both models. The section on towing says, "The total trailer weight (trailer plus its cargo load) must not exceed 726 kg (1600 lb.) Exceeding this weight is dangerous."

It also says, "The trailer load should be distributed so that the tongue load is 9 to 11% of the total trailer weight, not exceeding the maximum of 90 kg (200 lb.)."

However, dave95sc, I think the boat, motor and trailer combination you described would be around 1200 - 1500 lbs. That's just a guess so you should confirm your weight by referring to the manuals for the equipment or by taking it to some truck scales. mmarshall is correct; a full frame design is the best suited for towing. That's why I mentioned the beater truck. Cover it with a tarp or something.