Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 17:00:42 GMT From: krhodesnospamnospame.rr.com (Kevin Rhodes) Subject: Re: Saab 9-6x photo
In article <06mdncUv6YA8qHffRVn-gwnospamphia.com>, Malt_Houndnospamm*yahoo.com wrote: >Kevin Rhodes wrote: >> >> >> Actually, the hitch on my 2000 Saab 9-5 V6t is a Class II, rated at 3500lbs, >> which is also the official towing capacity of the car per the US manual. >> I have towed a car trailer with a Triumph Spitfire on it which weighed that >> much or even a little more perfectly comfortably. > >No. A little Triumph Spitfire only weighs something less than 1900 lbs >(wet), so unless your trailer is over a ton you are well short of towing >a good sized boat. This was an ex-U-haul rental trailer - wieghs ~1500lbs. So the combination was pretty close to 3500.I never said anything about towing and launching a boat, but since you bring it up, I have a friend in the Saab club who uses his 9-5 sedan to tow and launch his 18ft sailboat. Boat and trailer wiegh ~3000lbs. has not had a bit of trouble putting it in and out of lakes and the ocean around here. Back before the SUV craze, the standard tow vehicle was a big old American station wagon, which wiegh about the same as a modern European car and are a heck of a lot less sophisticated in design and engineering. > >> In fact, I have also towed >> the same car and trailer with a friend's 2000 GMC Jimmy, a "rough, tough > SUV". >> There was simply no comparison, the Saab was infinitely more comfortable >> towing than the Jimmy. Hugely better braking, and far more stable. > >That's your opinion. I would disagree. I would suggest you try it and get back to us when you have some actual experience rather than uninformed opinion. > >For one thing, a properly loaded trailer will have a tongue weight of >between 10 and 15 percent of the load. That SAAB 9-5 would be doing a >wheelie with my boat trailer loaded on it. Max tongue weight is a function of trailer hitch and car. My 3500lb rated Class II hitch is rated at 150lbs, same as the 9-5. That is exactly what I used towing the Triumph, determined with a bathroom scale. Towed beautifully. > >Then you have to back it down a sometimes slippery boat ramp (sometimes >they aren't even paved). With front wheel drive and ~400 lbs on the >hitch, I doubt I'd even be able to retrieve the boat and trailer back up >the ramp at the end of the day. > >In many of the places that I launch, before the trailer gets submerged >enough to move the boat on and off of it I usually have to back the >Explorer up so that the bottom of the rear bumper is submerged. At that >point the exhaust is underwater and bubbling away happily. Half the >trunk of the SAAB would be underwater. You need a trailer with a longer tongue. It's really not an issue. > >> In Europe, >> using the official Saab hitch (which is rather more rugged than my CII >> Drawtite), I believe the official towing capacity of a Saab 9-5 wagon is >> 5000lbs. > >As I mentioned in another post, I found the same thing. It's ridiculous >if you ask me. I didn't. :-) > >But either way, there is no way in hell you would be able to use a FWD >SAAB automobile to trailer (launch and hopefully retrieve) even a modest >sized power-boat like mine. You guys really do not have a clue. > >-Fred W As I said, try it and get back to us. Kevin
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