I am interested in your boat/trailer weight and tongue weight. I have a 2015 Subaru Outback 3.6 six cylinder that calls for 3000# total weight and 200# tongue weight. I am guessing my trailer weight approaches 3,000 lbs and the tongue weight over 300#. This is high to the printed standers but I am interested is seeing weights for people that are actually towing with this set up. I think I could just hook this rig up and it would tow ok. I currently tow with my 2089 Ford F-250 with a Lance Camper which is a large rig to tow a 17ft sailboat around and I am sure I could save some gas and time with some other set up. On Thu, Sep 17, 2015 at 5:19 PM, John Schinnerer <john@eco-living.net> wrote:
Hi all,
As promised a while back, a report on towing. In particular for those wondering about what a "small" car can do with an M17.
Yesterday I drove from Maple Valley, WA to Ashland, OR, 450 miles, mostly on I-5, towing my recently purchased 1974 M17 "Pajarita" with my 2001 Subaru Outback wagon.
Basically, it works just fine. I had to shift down for some of the steeper uphill grades on I-5 in southern Oregon. I cruised at around 60 mph on the freeway, except for a few slower uphills. Nothing I wasn't used to from owning a 71 VW van for many years a while back :-). I can definitely tell there's something wagging my tail a bit, but got used to it eventually. Just needs thoughtful driving, taking a bit more care than without the tow.
So now outings to various nearby lakes or Pacific coast won't seem like much of a long tow! ;-)
Specs of tow vehicle: base model Outback wagon, 2.5L engine, 165 HP rated, 5 speed manual transmission. Official tow rating is max 2000 lbs. load, max 200 lbs. tongue weight.
Has overload rear springs (std. height) from RalliTek:
http://www.rallitek.com/lifted-springs-kits/5634-rallitek-rear-overload-spri...
Front brakes are high carbon disks and ceramic pads (in plain English, a small upgrade from original equipment).
Hitch rig is this one:
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Subaru/Outback+Wagon/2001/90176.html?v...
...which I installed myself some time ago, easy-peasy. Along with electrical rig identified on etrailer.com - the car has a plug and play plug, no splicing or manual wiring required.
Sometime fairly soon I will try and get the boat & trailer on a scale and see what it actually weighs.
Also sometime soon I will be doing the boat ramp shuffle, so will see how it handles that part.
cheers, John S.
-- John Schinnerer - M.A., Whole Systems Design -------------------------------------------- - Eco-Living - Whole Systems Design Services People - Place - Learning - Integration john@eco-living.net - 510.982.1334 http://eco-living.net http://sociocracyconsulting.com