[Rhodes22-list] Hey Chet....

[Michael D. Weisner]

The real question regarding towing is "Where (how far and over what terrain)
do you actually plan to tow the boat & trailer?"  Although I would not
recommend towing with such a small car again, when I first took ownership of
my 1981 R22, the only vehicle I had was a 1978 Plymouth Sapporo (Mitsubishi,
4-wheel disc, 5sp stick, 2.6L.I4)  Needless to say, after the installation
of a custom built weight distributing frame hitch, I was able to tow the
boat from Stan's factory (Farmingdale, NY) to my home, about 20 miles.  I
was able to safely tow at 55 mph without killing the engine/transmission and
stopping was a bit longer than normal but not dangerously.

Since I live only about a mile from the ramp, I towed and launched with this
arrangement for 3 years, never going very far or fast.  The clutch was fine
since the occasional slip was provided by my wet rear wheels when
recovering.  Pulling up the ramp did not damage the vehicle, although we did
get a lot of stares.  Sometimes, due to the weight of the car (2450 lbs), we
needed a 150-200 lbs crew member (movable ballast) positioned on the rear
trunk to gain enough traction.

The item that gave me the most concern was the ability of the trailer to wag
the car's tail.  For this reason, we never traveled very far or very fast
with this setup.  In 1984, a Dodge Caravan (2.6L I4 automatic transaxle) was
substituted as the new tow vehicle.  It was much better at pulling on the
highway and up the ramp due to the front wheel drive.

Since then, I have towed with a 1991 Isuzu Amigo (2.6L I4 5sp stick 4WD) and
most recently with a 2005 Nissan Xterra (4.0L V6 6sp stick 4WD).  Obviously,
the weight and gearing of these vehicles have really been tremendously
valuable.  I worry more about my old trailer than the tow vehicle now.

Mike
s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)

From: "Tootle" <ekroposki at charter.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 8:27 PM
>
> Chet,
>      All this chatter about towing is a red herring if you do not have a
> boat to tow.  Some of the guys saying you cannot do, do not have and never
> had a Rhodes 22 to tow.  While I have a ford van with a v-8, others have
> routinely towed a Rhodes 22 with a six...
>       In fact ask Chris what he used to tow a boat from Maryland to
Oregon.
>       He is a place for you to drool over:
>
> http://www.frappr.com/rhodes22
>
>        You might consider going to Edenton to show that lady that you have
> mentioned the differenced between a porta potty and a marine head.  After
> which she might have an opiniion.  Call Stan and make an appointment to
see
> one.
>
> Ed K
> Greenville, SC, USA
> See:
> http://users2.ev1.net/~barr/
>
>
>
> Chet Orton wrote:
> >
> > John,
> >
> > I've observed that vehicles which are available with either automatic or
> > standard transmission have higher rated towing capacities for the
> > automatic. Since the brakes and engine and such are the same, I've
always
> > assumed that the difference was that when starting from a dead stop, a
> > torque converter slips more and acts like a lower gear. But a clutch
slips
> > more and just heats up and wears out. So, I'm OK exceeding the manual
> > transmission rating a bit as long as I keep it within the automatic's
> > rating, with the understanding that it will impact my clutch.
> >
> > Chet
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > From: John Lock <jlock at relevantarts.com>
> > To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 3:54:49 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] evaluating the used boat
> >
> >
> > At 12:26 PM 10/19/2006 -0700, Chet Orton wrote:
> >>Thanks. I hadn't considered extra weight beyond the boat's
> >>displacement. My truck has a small 6 and the rated towing capacity
> >>is 3500 with a manual trans, 5000 with an automatic. I have a manual
> >>4WD. The hitch I installed is rated at 5000, so I don't think it
> >>will fail. It's not very hilly around here so I think it'll be
> >>alright, barely. I'll probably just need to replace the clutch
> >>sooner. I can drop it into 4WD Low for crawling up/down boat ramps.
> >
> > The rated towing capacity is not just a measure of how much the
> > vehicle will pull.  It also takes into account stopping power and
> > handling issues.  If you exceed that rating you get into the "tail
> > wagging the dog" issue discussed here previously.  You may also find
> > you have brake problems (overheating) if used heavily.  Be careful!
> >
> > Cheers!
> >
> > John
> >
> > "Catastrophe: a prize for the cat with the nicest buns."
> >
> > __________________________________________________
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> > __________________________________________________
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> >
> >
>
> -- 
> View this message in context:
http://www.nabble.com/evaluating-a-used-boat-tf2470746.html#a6908396
> Sent from the Rhodes22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
>
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