towing capacity?

[Cobria]

I am moving from saint louis to california and was wondering what the towing capacity of a 93 mtx is? I anyone has experience with this and can help me out that would be great.

 

[HopefulSHO]

I belive it is 1000lbs. (dont quote me tho, I can't find my owners manual at the moment...)
But I know there are some members who tow boats and sutff (Sdpatt comes to mind) without any problems.

 

[SHOspazz92]

1000 Pounds for the Mtx
0 For the ATX thumb

 

[Bizzy]

yeah it is 1000lbs by what the book says. but sdpatt pulls a 3000+lb boat with his SHO on a class II hitch.

I just got a class II hitch for my car, and I'm gonna be towing another SHO home with it, plus the weight of a dolly. As long as your car is in good mechanical shape it should be ok.

Also Scott's car has/had 270k+ on it and he still tows with it. I'm sure he'll chime in here sooner or later.

 

[Cobria]

Yeah I was hoping to hear from Scott. The uhaul I was looking to tow when loaded will weigh approximately 2000 lbs. I hope this won't be a problem as I don't have a lot of other options. ALso I am going to need to ship a second car. Anyone know any good ways to do this? Also how much should a class two hitch run installed? And where is a good place to have it installed?

Thanks
David

<small>[ May 11, 2003, 04:59 PM: Message edited by: Cobria ]</small>

 

[Electric Frost]

Like Scott, I also use both of my SHOs to pull a boat. Mine weighs about 1600lbs, and you can feel every pound of it on steep hills or at a launching ramp for that matter. As long as you drive reasonably and keep the revs up, everything should be okay. I generally try to drive like there's an egg under the gas pedal when towing the boat. Netviper, I am a little concerned that towing another SHO may be too heavy, after all we're talking close to 3500lbs!

 

[SHOSIG]

Call a freight company or check with a car dealer, they should have some ideas how to ship a car. Should not be more than $500. A friend of mine had a car shipped from CA to Colorado(ebay purchase) and paid $350. Good Luck!

 

[sdpatt]

Scott chiming in as requested, sir!

I find my SHO to be a capable short-haul towing vehicle for my fairly aerodynamic 3000+ pound load. Please note the italicized portions of that statement. Most of my tows are on the order of 15-75 miles with no mountain ranges to be traversed (certainly not in Texas). I would be very reluctant to tow a 2,000 pound box trailer a distance of that magnitude. I would be more inclined to rent a diesel powered truck that I could load my gear into a pull my SHO on a dolly. I would be even more inclined to hire a moving company to move my household of gear, but I would probably only be relocating if it was being paid by my employer. What brings you to relocate to the West coast?

Some of the items that allow my SHO to pull a 3,000 pound load are present on all MTX SHOs: an oil cooler, a power steering fluid cooler, ample cooling system heat transfer capacity and no torque converter. What my car also has to aid in this job are higher than stock spring rates and damping levels.

Towing my boat on the highway is made much easier through the use of a trailering cover that has made a difference on the order of 2-4 mpg during a one-tank trip. A square faced box trailer will present a significant wind drag load for the non-torquey SHO engine. I would certainly perform a trial run with an empty box trailer to see how much wind load there is at highway speeds.

That also brings up the driving style changes that must be utilized to allow the SHO to safely transport a good-sized trailer. It is very important that the engine not be lugged with the greater load on the drivetrain. Keep the revs over 2,000 during any driving (except downhill)that is applying load to the engine. As a general rule, do not use 5th gear.

I have found that above 65 mph on a level stretch of highway that 5th gear will result in slightly lower indicated coolant temperatures than 4th gear. I have never seen the temperature gauge on my car move higher than "R" even towing uphill during 100F degree days with four large guys in the car. The cooling system must be in good operating condition.

For any incline, be prepared to downshift to keep the engine in the fatter part of the torque band. It is advised to allow a reduction in road speed as the engine must work harder to get the trailer up a longer incline. You will regain some of the energy on the downhill side as the potential energy is converted back into kinetic energy. You can do a 'net search on towing to learn more.

Taurus SHO: A true sport utility vehicle.

 

[Cobria]

Thanks Scott and everyone else for the replies. After reading all this info I might be leaning towards renting a uhaul truck and towing my car behind it on a trailer, although I'm sure driving the sho would be much more comfortable than the truck. With that in mind I have one last question. Uhaul rents a dolly that only lifts the front two wheels and a flatbed mover. Of the two systems is one more recommended? Also which of the two would be easier to drive with as this will be my first time towing anything? As for why I am moving to Ca. I am going to be attending the Gemological Institute to become certified as a gemologist. (grading and buying diamonds and colored stones) I hope to open my own store in the future.

 

[projectSHO89]

The towing dolly will make use of your rear tires. This means your tires, bearings, and suspension need to be in good working order as they will be doing some work the entire trip. Backing a car on a towing dolly is amlost impossible. I tried it recently and failed quickly. I was surprised since I've been backing tractors, trailers, and farm haywagons since I was 12 years old.

The flatbed trailer does all the work if you select it.

Good luck in CA.

Steve

 

[qiksho]

Since you are going across the mountains I would strongly advise getting a truck. Its not that the SHO can't pull the weight...its that the weight will push you around the road coming down the back side of the mountain. The stock brakes are not good enough for that IMO. Otherwise I see no problem pulling 1,500-2,000lbs.

My class II hitch was around a $100 and took me around 45 minutes to install.

I pull jetski's, and a motorcycle around most the summer with my SHO. One day I pulled our 79 Ranger Fiberglass bass boat, and even though I only had to pull it 15 miles, I will never do it again. Difficult, to say the least pulling it out of the lake on a steep incline. I swear it has to weigh 2000lbs.

 

[HopefulSHO]

Agreed...get the truck
Try Budget Truck Rental . Used to be Ryder, and all three trucks I've rented from them were cheaper than U-Haul, and of good quality. I would also advise you to get the flatbed car trailer if possible..I just never felt comfortable towing my Avenger with the two-wheel-on-the-pavement dolly.
They are gas hogs, though

 

[Slo-Sho]

Also, I've found on the U-Haul trucks there is a governor at 65! headbang

 

[AutoSHO]

Just thought I'd chime in and add another vote to "get a truck". Driving across the mountains you'll top 9,000ft for sure. My car, with a brand new cooling system, still has to turn the fan on and off at that altitude towing just me. You'd be dangerously close to the limit there. Also, its started snowing here, which means the mountain roads are nasty. If you can justify it, drop down through New Mexico and Arizona. You'll thank yourself, truck or car.

As for the tow dolly vs. trailer, I wouls go for a complete trailer, as they are equipped with a braking system. A tow dolly creates a 3,000+ Ib dead weight on the back of the tow vehicle, making it evenmore hazardous to stop in the event of an emergency. Trailer brakes are good.

One last note: My '93 ATX was totalled in a rear end collision because of a reciever hitch. Because the hitch ended up sticking out far enough to absorb the impact of a rear-collision, it bent the whole rear subframe and buckled both rear 1/4 panels. And the guy in teh new beetle has a little hole in his bumper to show for it. This happened at 15-20 mph. Totalled my car, his needed a bumper cover. Something to think about.

I won't ever put a hitch on a unibody car again.

 

[sdpatt]

The external hitch portion of my receiver style hitch is installed only when I am pulling my boat. I never leve the hitch exposed for the visual and safety concerns.

 

[K-Dawg]

My car has a "rear frame cross brace" (reciever hitch), but I don't keep the tie bar in it.

AutoSHO, are you talking about the hitch itself sticking out too far or the tie bar?

 

[projectSHO89]

AutoSHO:
Just thought I'd chime in and add another vote to "get a truck".

Darn, he's been in California since June.

Why did this thread get resureected?


Steve

 

[AutoSHO]

My car was totalled as a result of having the hitch itself installed. The receiver hadn't been in the car in years, only the structural section remained.

Scott, I'd like you to think about this scenario: You hit the brakes when the person in front of you abruptly slows. This raises the rear end of the car, putting the hitch higher than it would typically sit. Further complicating the problem is the person who is about to rear end you is on the brakes, lowering their bumper (and therefore the point at which their car impacts yours). When they impact your car, they miss the inner bumper completely, instead folding under the bumper cover and driving directly into the hitch, transferring all the shock directly to the subframe rails instead of it being absorbed by the bumper absorbers as it would've had the other car had the chance to drive further into the rear of the car.

My hitch was hidden very well, I believe it was a U-haul hitch if memory serves correctly.

I lost a perfectly good SHO to a trailer hitch, I'd hate to see someone else have the same experience.

 

[shojuan]

AutoSHO:
My car was totalled as a result of having the hitch itself installed. The receiver hadn't been in the car in years, only the structural section remained.

Scott, I'd like you to think about this scenario: You hit the brakes when the person in front of you abruptly slows. This raises the rear end of the car, putting the hitch higher than it would typically sit. Further complicating the problem is the person who is about to rear end you is on the brakes, lowering their bumper (and therefore the point at which their car impacts yours). When they impact your car, they miss the inner bumper completely, instead folding under the bumper cover and driving directly into the hitch, transferring all the shock directly to the subframe rails instead of it being absorbed by the bumper absorbers as it would've had the other car had the chance to drive further into the rear of the car.

My hitch was hidden very well, I believe it was a U-haul hitch if memory serves correctly.

I lost a perfectly good SHO to a trailer hitch, I'd hate to see someone else have the same experience.

Probably would total the car anyways without a hitch installed under your scenario where a car slides under the SHO's rear missing the bumper. It's not going to take much damage for the insurance company to total a SHO. And imagine if they knew how many of our parts have been discontinued! eek!

 

[AutoSHO]

I agree. The damage would not have been nearly as extensive to my car, however. My hitch hit his bumper directly, and all the force was there. Unfortunately, my hitch had a lot of mechanical advantage on the subframe it was twisting. Without the hitch, his hood would have hit the back bumper (followed by the radiator support, I'm sure) and transferred some of the impact to the rear energy absorbers and not bent the trunk floor, buckled both rear 1/4 panels, and bent both subframe rails.