towing

[Peej]

Hey All,

I've previously posted in the Fiesta section but didnt get much of a response. I have a 2006 Manual Ford fiesta and am looking to purchase a jet ski. I've read the specs and the car is rated to tow 900kg, the jet ski + trailer is rougly going to be about 500kg. Im assuming that this will be all good, but i've read a bit about towing this amount of weight with a small car and many people dont recommend it. Any feed back would be great or experiences would be great.

cheers

[Allen]

I don't have much experiance with towing, but I would imagen the Festiva would tow the jet ski fine under normal road conditions, but how well is it going to handle pulling 500kg of jet ski + trailor up a wet slippery boat ramp?

[Yellow_Festiva]

500kg behind a Fiesta shouldn't be a problem, just don't do it every day.

900kg would prob be rated for a trailer with brakes. Drive with the 500kg unbraked behind you and you will very much notice the extra weight.. along with the sluggish performance and extra brake pressure needed to pull up.

Just go for a spin with 3 110kg people plus yourself plus some weight in the rear and you will see what I mean.

[Peej]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

500kg behind a Fiesta shouldn't be a problem, just don't do it every day.

900kg would prob be rated for a trailer with brakes. Drive with the 500kg unbraked behind you and you will very much notice the extra weight.. along with the sluggish performance and extra brake pressure needed to pull up.

Just go for a spin with 3 110kg people plus yourself plus some weight in the rear and you will see what I mean.

yeah i expect the car to be a little bit sluggish etc, but i've read a few things about putting strain on the gear box and stuff which might be an issue cuz when i do head out to the dam and north coast i'll be on the highway for an hour each way.

[ZA-289]

Yeah it probably would do it, it would struggle near a hill / boat ramp and prematurely wear every mechanical part on your car, but yeah "i'll do it"

I'm buying a 4wd to tow my jet ski, mainly for beach launches.

[irlewy86]

Originally Posted by Peej

yeah i expect the car to be a little bit sluggish etc, but i've read a few things about putting strain on the gear box and stuff which might be an issue cuz when i do head out to the dam and north coast i'll be on the highway for an hour each way.

If your going to be doing that often I would consider a change of vehicle, or just be prepared to put up with the running costs. A friend used to tow his 2 jet skis behind a Corolla, fully loaded up. The biggest problem was the FWD v wet ramp/gravel ramp battle.

[Pinch]

You also have to think about the trailer pushing the light car around too. I took a mates light camper trailer down the coast one weekend with my old EF. Cruisy as of course, but he went again the next weekend - towing the trailer with his old short wheelbase Vitara. It was rainy and stormy and as he went around a corner he simply braked too late. Would have been fine without the trailer, or in the EF, but the weight of the trailer pushed the Vitara off the road. No biggie, but he left the trailer on the difficult road to come and get the next day due to conditions. Only when he got back there was only a trailer wheel with the Klamp-It lying there - with the rest of the trailer gone.

If you live in a metro area near a boat ramp, yeah the Festiva should be fine. But for anything more it might be pushing it and I wouldn't be using it. But how big is the ski? Is it an older 550 stand-up, or a newer 2 or 3 seater. The latter will be much heavier.

My NC was originally bought just as a tow car, but then I liked it so much it got promoted. These (non Sportsmen) are going on ebay for small change with rego. A hassle with 2 car regos to pay, or share it with some mates that need an occasional tow car too.

[vanman_75]

mates got an 07 626 ,he tore off his drawbar just towing his empty poly tandem trailer .most front wheel drives dont have much torsional strength as everything is up the front .i suggest no even if it just does it .

[Unco]

you'll be right.

of course you can't expect the car to handle the same as if you weren't towing anything.

people that get themselves in trouble when towing do so because they push the car to the limit when they shouldn't.

if you're towing something, common sense dictates that you will have to brake early, take corners a lot slower, and expect the vehicle to accelerate at a slower rate. keep that in mind and you'll be right.

500Kg is nothing.

[68XTFairmont]

Just use common sense and you should be ok, although a bigger car would be a lot more comfortable to tow with not everybody can afford a tow car.

In times of need I have towed my bikes with my datto 1200, one is a Harley and the other is a Yammie 1100 so they aren't lightweight bikes but with a little common sense and no time restrictions I have got them where they need to be.

[Unco]

Originally Posted by vanman_75

mates got an 07 626 ,he tore off his drawbar just towing his empty poly tandem trailer .most front wheel drives dont have much torsional strength as everything is up the front .i suggest no even if it just does it .

isn't the drawbar part of the trailer??? what the hell does tearing the drawbar off a trailer have to do with the vehicle's capacity to tow?

sounds to me like the tralier was at fault, not the vehicle towing it.

[vanman_75]

Originally Posted by Unco

isn't the drawbar part of the trailer??? what the hell does tearing the drawbar off a trailer have to do with the vehicle's capacity to tow?

sounds to me like the tralier was at fault, not the vehicle towing it.

tow bar off the sub frame since we are being smart ,and capacities mean stuff all till you try and tow em .i tow a 3 1/2 tonne cat with my patrol short distances but to tow at any speed would be dangerous and would wreck my car.and it within its legal tow weight .

[Unco]

not being smart mate, just get your terminologies right. a draw bar is not a tow bar. if you can't tow a 500Kg (total) load with a 1.6L vehicle, then you have no idea what you're doing. sorry, but anyone that has any experience towing and realizes that you have to be sensible about it would agree.

as for towing 3 1/2 tons, we're not talking about that, are we?

[vanman_75]

same thing vehicle mass verse ,towed mass . i already said it would tow it just that i wouldnt ,for long distances it will put to much strain on the car .towing experience been towing trailers boats cars whatever for twenty years .still better to be overgunned than put strain to its upper limits on a little car .

[outback_ute]

First find out exactly how much the jetski & trailer weigh so you are not working on a false assumption. Also allow for any jerry cans of fuel, etc you will carry on the trailer. 900kg is definitely a braked trailer rating (no car will be rated >750kg unbraked), so check what the unbraked limit is unless your trailer has brakes.

Leaving aside the boat ramp traction issue, you should be ok provided it is comfortably within the limits, just leave plenty of room in front and also be very careful not to make the motor lug too much (use a lower gear), and take off nice and gently using as few revs as possible so you can slip the clutch out more quickly.

[aquahead2001]

Originally Posted by outback_ute

First find out exactly how much the jetski & trailer weigh so you are not working on a false assumption. Also allow for any jerry cans of fuel, etc you will carry on the trailer. 900kg is definitely a braked trailer rating (no car will be rated >750kg unbraked), so check what the unbraked limit is unless your trailer has brakes.

Remember also the towing capacity will reduce with the load inside the vehicle too. if you pile in 3 of your mates who look like Wallaby Front Rowers, then you'll have a corresponding reduction in your towing capacity.

[BrisVegas]

sorry to threadjack, but can anyone recommend a good towbar installer in west Brisbane? I've got a 2.0l focus that I want to be able to tow a trailer with occasionally. nothing too heavy, just timber and stuff that wont fit in the back.

[notty1978]

Yeah no prob it wont even hurt it

[janddbone]

The best thing you can do, if you are going to two regularly is get an electric brake set up. Electric brakes on the trailer and a controller in the cabin. This will help you control the weight under normal conditions and in an emergency help you get things back under control.

As for wear and tear, it will help in that regard too, on brakes and transmission.

[janddbone]

Originally Posted by BrisVegas

sorry to threadjack, but can anyone recommend a good towbar installer in west Brisbane? I've got a 2.0l focus that I want to be able to tow a trailer with occasionally. nothing too heavy, just timber and stuff that wont fit in the back.

Cheaper and easier to consider roof racks... Assuming that weight is not to great.

[BrisVegas]

Originally Posted by mr_br_johnstone

Cheaper and easier to consider roof racks... Assuming that weight is not to great.

roofracks aren't that cheap and are limited to less than 100kg load.

i've looked at getting a roof pod and bars and the bars are $300-400. I'd heard a towbar could be installed for that sort of money.

[Feathers]

Considering I got stuck in a traffic jam the other day caused by someone trying to tow a boat with a Hyundai Getz, and having the trailercome off and cruise head on into a car coming the other way - I'd be looking for something a little more substantial than a Fiesta for towing purposes.

[dave351cid]

sure you "could" do it, but "should" you do it and "would" you be confident doing it.

when i was on the sunshine coast i seen an older couple driving a Hyundai Xcel with a large twin axle caravan on the back. probably about a 20 foot van. both van and car had WA number plates so you can only assume that they had towed it across the country.

[Unco]

guys, please read the first post.

he's not talking about towing a boat, or a caravan, or a removable home.

he's talking about a small trailer + jetski with a combined weight of 500Kg.

you'd have to be an absolute goose to get yourself in trouble while towing a total load of 500Kg.

having said that, i'm not saying that you'd be invincible if you towed a 500Kg load with a 1.6L vehicle as i'm sure some people would be able to stuff things up, but please, common sense applies when towing.

[FPV+fteT3]

If you like the car sell the jetski or buy something designed to tow with, you can't be serious expecting a fiesta to tow something regularly? Buy your self shares in a clutch manufacturing company as you will leave them on the ramp. Check the towing capacity of a manual falcon it's not that high either as the std clutches aren't up to the job. My guess would be the fiesta has a smaller clutch plate = smaller lifespan. 2nd hand falcons are cheap now and that's what you should be looking at seriously a jet ski with all the extra gear wet suits, life jackets, esky, lunch, mates etc...how much are you realy asking of an eco car?

[FPV70]

Personally, I think you are wasting your time. Eventhough it's only 500kg, it's still only a 900kg car.
Better off getting a Falcon or Commodore or if you still want 4cyl FWD, get a Camry or Magna.
Small cars with weight behind them is not really a good idea even if it is only 500kg and as someone posted earlyer, Add friends and cargo, it will make it worse.
A boat ramp and FWD would make an interesting combination.

Good luck if you do it.