I have a 2012 Mazda 3 . Just wondering if it would be able to tow a 14 ft aluminum with 9.9? The owners manual says n/a for towing but I called a few places and they have a hitch for my car. Just looking for some advice. Thanks .
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I have a 2012 Mazda 3 . Just wondering if it would be able to tow a 14 ft aluminum with 9.9? The owners manual says n/a for towing but I called a few places and they have a hitch for my car. Just looking for some advice. Thanks .
I had a 1990 ford topaz that I pulled my 14 foot mirocraft with a 25 horse on it. It should be good for you just try and ballance the load so there is little tongue weight.
Don
I started of towing my 14ft boat with 15hp motor with my 2000 Caviar with no problems. As long as your trips are not too long, will not be hard on your transmission. If you plan on doing long drives, may want to get a transmission cooler installed. Also keep in mind that you will need a greater distance for stopping due to the weight behind the car.
This is bad advice.Quote:
Originally Posted by foulslayer43
If tongue weight is too light it can cause a dangerous condition known as trailer sway.
9 and 15 percent of the gross trailer weight (GTW) is the recommended tongue weight.
sure why not unless you are going across canada.....you will be fine
You always have to remember that when push comes to crunch who pays, are the guys that advocate towing with a Mazda 3 going to pay your repairs or do you take a healthy hint from the owner manual that says N/A, not applicable.
Just remember that you will probably have an extra couple hundred pounds of gear/gas along with the boat. Once you get it up to speed, wind resistance will give you some extra load but if your vehicle stays in OD like normal, then you can pretty well figure that you are ok. If it keeps dropping out, then you will be better to lock it out. Real tow vehicles normally have a "tow" setting for this purpose. Constant shifting can cost more in tranny repairs than a little extra gas will cost.
Thx for the tips :)
GF has a Mazda3... I've looked at putting a hitch on her car for towing a little trailer around... for those times I'm not around with my car/trailer.
Long story short... Mazda3 in Europe/Australia has a rated tow capacity. Identical Mazda3 in North America... no tow rating. You'll find the allowable numbers differ for most vehicles between North America and everywhere else. It's all about liability... People are stupid, but their lawyers are smart.
Same advice applies to all vehicles... install and tow at your own risk. Expect wear and tear. Consider that you may void the warranty by going against manufacturer recommendations.
I personally have no issue towing with a fwd vehicle. Done lots of towing with a '95 Ford Escort wagon and an '03 Focus wagon. My only real concern towing with a FWD vehicle is the potential loss of traction (wet boat launch + tongue weight).
**edit... wow... just realized I responded to a 6 month old post. sorry guys.
If your engine or transmission fails,kiss your warranty good-bye.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Fox
My Polaris ranger 400 tows my little 14 ft Tin with 5hp honda, boat loaded with TM, battery, gas and gear. Back of utv with cooler, and 2 guys in it. This is on gravel roads and atv trails. I think the Mazda will be ok with the light rig.
I would be more concerned with the brakes than the pulling power, your car will pull the weight but if you do not have trailer brakes your stopping distance will be much greater.
Also, you NEED tongue weight to prevent trailer sway. I almost rolled my truck with an excavator on the trailer due to the machine too far back on the trailer. Going down the QEW the trailer was veering uncontrollably from the fast lane to the slow lane as I was driving in the middle. All the traffic behind slowed right down, luckily for me and my passeneger the trailer straightened out and I adjusted the tongue weight by moving the machine up towards the front of the trailer. That was a cheap lesson for me in having tongue weight on the trailer, better too much than not enough.
I have done a lot of towing over the years as I grew up on a farm where you tow everything with many different tow vehicles. Currently, I tow a 26' 5th wheel RV with 2 or 3 trailers behind it. Yes it is legal ! One year I made a grave error loading the trailer. I filled the 50 gal. water tank which is at the back. I loaded 4 20L water cans at the back along with 3 coolers and a heavy tool box. All this weight was behind the axles and with my experience, I should have known better. Everything was going smooth with no issues until the downhill grade on the 400 north approaching the Holland Marsh. My engine was breaking the load of 3 trailers when the 5th wheeler started to sway. The brakes were not helping the situation, so I accelerated hard and pulled it out of the sway, pulled over and reloaded the trailer. This was the only time I was ever terrified towing anything. Thank God I had enough truck to hold it down. I don't believe in undersized tow vehicles. If you can't tow a properly loaded trailer safely at the speed limit, you are undersized and should upgrade your tow vehicle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DJB
It's lucky you had the smarts to accelerate to take the whip out. Most folks panic and hit the brakes. C-R-A-S-H!
Not positive but if you get in an accident and you are towing beyond the manufactures recommendation, insurance is void.
It's my understanding that he wants to tow a boat/motor/trailer combination that weighs in at about 400lbs---the same weight that he might put in his trunk. I might not feel good about hooking this behind his car that is loaded for a weeks holiday, but if he just wants to go to Simcoe or Rice lake for the day then it sounds fine to me.....