Focus towing a boat

[FORD5]

5m fibre glass boat on a focus LR hatch auto they have a max of 80 ball weight and can tow a maximum of 900/1tonne well we towed it anyway as the dealer said it was okthe 2.0 accutally towed it good.

[More revs]

Out of interest is the LR an auto or manual?

I reckon my LS would spin it's clutch up the ramp with that rig which would be way over the max recommended tow mass.

[Karnage]

Well I think its great that this is a thread to show that darwinism is alive and kicking, and not a rant about "why won't Ford warrant my gearbox" or "so my boat broke off my car and killed a family having a picnic in a park".

[FORD5]

Ahhh its auto, and we had no wheel spin it towed it great

[Velociraptor82]

Originally Posted by Karnage

Well I think its great that this is a thread to show that darwinism is alive and kicking, and not a rant about "why won't Ford warrant my gearbox" or "so my boat broke off my car and killed a family having a picnic in a park".

Whilst I think that comment was a little harsh, afterall we all have done some stupid things out of ignorance. I do have to agree. Even if the car appears to be pulling the boat OK now, you can't see the strain that is being put onto the towball and gearbox until it is too late.

Eventrully something is going to give way and when that happens it will be at the worst possible moment. Please don't continue towing that boat with the Focus. Hire a falcon or something alot stronger.

[FORD5]

oh no, we only towed it for about 1km cause our friends pajero blew a tire, we pulled it out of the water and towed it about 1km to the tyre power shop(very slowly) boat has about a tare weight of 1400kg not to much heavier then specified but never towing it again only a 6x4 box trailer

[Velociraptor82]

Originally Posted by FORD5

oh no, we only towed it for about 1km cause our friends pajero blew a tire, we pulled it out of the water and towed it about 1km to the tyre power shop(very slowly) boat has about a tare weight of 1400kg not to much heavier then specified but never towing it again only a 6x4 box trailer

Whew, you had me worried there for a sec.

[Fordman]

haha thats awsome, dont mess with the Focus

[FORD5]

yer don't worry i love my focus to much then to rip the **** end out of it, and exactly dont mess with the focus

[warren77]

If you had an accident (no matter how slow you were going) I am pretty sure you would've voided your insurance.

[FORD5]

As i said it was only 1km but still you have a point and yes i would of.

[marg99]

towing any distance with an auto especially above recommended tow wieght needs at least an extra transmission cooler or you will have premature trans failure. They even recommend the cooler for towing on the bigger falcon.

[FORD5]

defiently but it was only up the road 900m or so slowly yes still to heavy but it was a one time thing

[Dustproof]

Originally Posted by FORD5

defiently but it was only up the road 900m or so slowly yes still to heavy but it was a one time thing

Hi Ford5,

You will not do much if any damage in what you did, yes these days you must abide by the Max towed weights. If you tow ALL the time get a trans cooler, they do make a difference. The problem is that the heat will break down the trans oil quickly which will result in worn clutch packs, bands etc eventually failure.

I towed my race car all over the place with a 3L Skyline with no cooler, it was fine and never failed. When towing; slow is not always good as most new transmissions have a lock up torque converter which makes the car drive like a manual after it has got into top gear and is cruising, this removes a lot of heat as the converter is not generating heat.

Stay Safe
Dustproof :

[FORD5]

Ahh thanks dusty, yer probs doing bout 50-60 over drive off but yer focus's seem to be strong

cheers