Just a quick towing question, VY Commodore Wagon towing another car

[M100]

Hey guys,

Quick towing question. I have an older Mercedes V8 that needs a new timing chain and I dont want to risk driving the 15ks to get it to the mechanic. Its a bloody big car (420SEL) which weights about 1660kg or so. I have a 1600kg tow pack on my wagon.

Question is, is it too risky to tow this car the 15ks? Im assuming a car carrier weighs about 400kgs or so..

I dont want to do detrimental damage to my commodore thats all.

[caaf]

Yes. As you are knowing towing outside your vehicles tow capacity. I suggest you find an alternate vehicle

[greenacc]

best option is find a mate with a diesel land cruiser or similar.
If you don;t have one, i reckon you would be fine towing it with your commo if you go slowly and brake early. Just don't let the fuzz see you doing it cos it would be rather obvious that you are exceeding your legal towing limit and could get a fine for it.
Id the timing chain really that bad that it can't drive 15k's ? how did you get it home last time ?
Best thing is to pull out a small but vital part then call the NRMA and tell them your car won't start and you need a tow to the mechanic !!!

[Reaper]

Not legal but the car will do it fine assuming you take things slowly. Having an accident would be a very bad idea.

Reaper

[TMM]

She'll be right mate.


Just No. Extremely bad idea. Once you add in the weight of the trailer, your load is significantly heavier then the towing vehicle. Find a mate with a 4x4.

Insurance will also just laugh at you if something goes wrong like above.

[Adds_05]

^^more pics and story?

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Yes. As you are knowing towing outside your vehicles tow capacity. I suggest you find an alternate vehicle

No, you won't be towing outside the vehicles capacity, just the towbar's capacity. The vehicle is rated to tow 2100kgs with the correct towbar fitted.

As Reaper said, the car will do it, but your insurance will be voided if anything untoward happens.

[M100]

Thanks for the replies guys. i know that i shouldnt do it but was just wondering thats all since its such a short distance and not a thing i would be doing very often. So basically if i had a specific 2100 tow bar then it would be apples then?

[Richard Moss]

Interesting questions and I don't know Aussie law but in the UK it is not illegal to tow above the recommended max towing weight - you are just limited to 50mph (80kph). However, if you have an accident the police still have the discretion to do you for something as dumb as using a clearly unsuitable trailer (like the one in post number 5).

I have towed a 1400kg car using an identical 1400kg car (Rover 800s in this case) but using a proper car trailer that I hired for the occasion. That meant that the combination being towed was about 1800kg all in and it was perfectly OK as long as the speed was kept sensible (i.e. below 80kph max).

As for the timing chain: how bad is it? Is it very noisy or is it just "time for a change"? Timing chains are very unlikely to fail unless VERY worn - they don't tend snap spontaneously as a cam belt may do. Unless it's incredibly noisy a steady, 15km drive should be no trouble.

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Irelevent post is irelevent.

If you had a 2100kg towbar and the combined weight of the trailer and car on it didn't exceed that, and the trailer has brakes, then yes, it would be perfectly safe and legal.

Put simply, the most you can tow is the amount specified by the vehicle manufacturer or the capacity of the towbar - WHICH EVER IS LEAST.

The ratio between the towing vehicle and trailer weight only applies if the vehicle or towbar did not have a specified capacity which in the case of light vehicles is mandatory after 1998. Then it is 1 1/2 times the unladen kerb mass of the tow vehicle if the trailer has brakes, or the same as the unladen kerb mass if the trailer does not have brakes.

[bwenny 23]

does anyone know iff ya can tow a car trailer (with car on it ) on ya green p plates cheers!