Pulling Waverunners with car?

I have a simple question. I Plan on buying two new Yamaha Waverunners and putting them on a double wide trailer. The waverunners weigh 715 Lbs each. I want to pull them with a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am. I haven't gone foreward with any of this yet...but thought I would put it foreward to this group to get some feedback...I have googled this and found several class 1 and 2 hitches made to fit. Has anyone done much towing with their Pontiac? Thanks...Jim

Reply to
Jimi
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Jim,

I've been towing a 1200 pound unit (Yamaha XLT 1200 + trailer) for five years now with a '00 SSEi and I've had no problems at all. However, I think you may be pushing it weight-wise with a Grand Am. My car weighs roughly

3750 lbs. I would imagine you're GA is around 3350 or so as my '96 was. With the trailer you will be over 1700 lbs. and that's half your cars weight. No big deal with a full-frame SUV or P/U, but our subframe cars are a different story. I think it's too much.

Lee

Reply to
Lee C. Carpenter

Check either your owners manual or the sticker on the edge of the drivers door. They should tell you what the max towable limit is.

Your already at 1430 lbs without a trailer.

Tow Vehicle-do not exceed the GVWR of the tow vehicle. This includes the curb weight of the vehicle, payload, and hitch weight. Hitch weight is the percentage of the trailer weight that is placed on the trailer coupler of the tow vehicle. (Refer to the next section on Trailer Vehicle Hitch Weight.) Tow vehicles also have GAWR limits. Payload and hitch weight must be divided evenly between the axles to conform with the maximum weight limits and to avoid oversteering problems.

Trailer Vehicle Hitch Weight-approximately 10-15 percent of a trailer's gross weight is designed to be loaded in front of the front axle and onto the hitching mechanism. This ensures needed stability for road handling. If your trailer is not stable, you may have a problem with not enough weight on the hitch. Here are some methods to figure out hitch weight: Park your loaded trailer on a scale so that the hitch coupler extends beyond the end of the scale, but the tongue jack post (the post on the front of the trailer which rests on the ground when unhitched) is on the scale. Block the trailer vehicle wheels, unhitch the tow vehicle, and obtain a weight rating. This is the curb weight of the trailer vehicle alone. Place a jack stand (or 4" x 4" blocks) under the coupler (beyond the scale) so that the tongue jack post is supported off the scale and the trailer is fairly level. Note this weight rating. Subtract the reading in #2 from the reading in #3 for the hitch weight.

Hope this helps.

Snow...

Reply to
Snow

Stop at your local Pontiac dealer and ask the Service folks to look up the tow specification for you. They can decode the vin number for motor size ect.

Also a local shop dealing in hitches can do the same. If all ties out OK, install a aux. transmission cooler, be glad you did. Service the cooling system (ie. new water pump and hoses, flush-N-refill).

I use to have 91 Trans Sport with the 2800 V6 and towed a 3300 LB pop-up camper with no trouble. Did install the aux. cooler.

Install heavy duty or air shooks as you will be dragging the car tail around.

Take care.

Reply to
brxsep

I have a 96. Put a 1000lb. hitch on it. Biggest load I've hauled on it is my ST1100's 600lbs. The owners manual recommends not using any trailer. IMHO going over 1000lbs would really be over the limit. The trailer pushes down on the rear of the car taking weight off the front. It's a front wheel drive car. Taking weight off the wheels that drive and steer the car is not a good thing. You probably can get away with a lot when its dry but driving in rain where the tires already tend to hydroplane could be a real killer.

When I bought the hitch noticed they made a 2500lb hitch. Can only wonder "what the hell are they thinking"? Like to have an enclosed trailer but will get a bigger rear wheel drive vehicle before that happens.

Reply to
T Shadow

The 2500 lb hitch would REQUIRE a load distribution head.

Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

One of those made quit a difference when my parents were towing a travel trailer with a "mid"size Oldsmobile. Didn't need anything like that so didn't research it. I'm thinking that goes past most peoples concept of trailer hitch on a G Am though. Especially when you get to the installed price. It's good that you brought it up, the OP may be more ambitious than I was.

Reply to
T Shadow

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