Towing with an EB 4 Speed

BuuBox · 09-11-2005, 10:36 AM

On Thursday, the plan is to tow a car with the ol' EB. It shouldn't be much over 1600kg with the car and the trailer, but I'm not too sure how I should load the trailer.

I figured put the car somewhere in the middle of the trailer, leave it in 3rd, and keep my speeds around 80km/h. Is that the general rule? Someone mentioned in Bass Crazy's towing thread that you put the car as far foward in the trailer as possible.

Thanks! Hopefully the EB will live to see another day. I'm planning a very last minute oil change and general maintance tonight... without noisy lifters, I'd never remember the change the oil :nutsycuck

FordFan86 · 09-11-2005, 10:44 AM

I'd say leave it in 3rd and stay at around 80km. This will stop the trans from hunting between 3rd and 4th. Make sure the car is loaded FRONT first onto the trailer, this helps with weight distribution. Other than that the EB should do fine.
EDIT: Have you got a trans cooler?

Dezza · 09-11-2005, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordFan86

I'd say leave it in 3rd and stay at around 80km. This will stop the trans from hunting between 3rd and 4th.

When I towed a port-a-loo behind the Ghia, I initially left it in Drive and found it to be hunting between 3rd and 4th like you said. Putting it back into 3rd certainly improved it, and the car did well after that. But I'm thinking that brief time I had it in Drive is the reason why my transmission thumps and clunks between the gears.

BuuBox · 09-11-2005, 06:30 PM

Yeah, it's definatly got a trans cooler. I serviced the trans maybe 5000kms ago, and the fluid's still bright red, so shouldn't have any drama's there.

The trans cooler's 18cm x 28cm, so it's a relatively large one too. Must have scored a tow pack from the factory/dealership when it was new...

Key · 09-11-2005, 07:01 PM

I towed a car for a mate on a tandem trailer and found it a real drama
we had to keep going but the steering and brakes were right off

We stopped at mackas in Benella (for a last meal maybe?) and figured there was too much weight up front on the trailer.

We rolled the car off the trailer and loaded it back on rear first. What a difference!
Trans selector in 3 instead of D (best way to go) and the trip home from Benella over the black spur was then ok.

Jason[98.EL] · 09-11-2005, 07:08 PM

when you are taking of at lights use all gears ie start in 1 then when revs sound right shift up and so on through all gears and you should be able to use 4th that will help with fuel economy

i used to tow a 20ft ski boat with my ea 4 spd auto and never had a prob

hope this helps

Aaron_EF8 · 10-11-2005, 01:36 AM

When you put the car on the trailer, you want about 30kg of weight on the towbar of the car, just to stop it rattling. Towbars aren't designed to carry weight, just tow trailers. This will also make the trailer a lot easier to tow.

Also, it's now illegal to tow anything that weighs more than the car thats doing the towing, unless the trailer has working trailer brakes.

It would be better if you can get into 4th, but with the convertor locked, if the converter keeps unlocking all the time, drop it back to third so the converter locks. The number one killer of auto trans is heat, and towing a car trailer while the converter is constantly slipping will make a lot of heat.

What sort of car will be on the trailer BuuBox??

PULLY6 · 10-11-2005, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_EF8

When you put the car on the trailer, you want about 30kg of weight on the towbar of the car, just to stop it rattling. Towbars aren't designed to carry weight, just tow trailers. This will also make the trailer a lot easier to tow.

Jeez, I wish we had loaded the EB like that!

Sox · 11-11-2005, 09:32 AM

Actually the ball weight should be 10% of the total loaded weight. That is if the weight is 1600kg, the ball weight should be 160kg.

Rick.

Aaron_EF8 · 11-11-2005, 12:52 PM

Well i'm not too convinced on that, and I can see where this is gonna end up, so i'll just say this. If I put 160kg on my drawbar, the rear bumper would be scraping the ground, and the bumpstops would crack the body, the front end will be 6" higher in the air, and the headlights will be koala-spotting/blinding everyone else.

Also, the trailers i'm talking about here are normal tandem axle car trailers, not single or triple axle trailers. To get 160kg onto the towbar of a Falcon you're gonna put a lot more weight on the front tyres of the trailer, which will cause excessive trailer swaying.

Sox · 11-11-2005, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_EF8

Well i'm not too convinced on that, and I can see where this is gonna end up, so i'll just say this. If I put 160kg on my drawbar, the rear bumper would be scraping the ground, and the bumpstops would crack the body, the front end will be 6" higher in the air, and the headlights will be koala-spotting/blinding everyone else.

Also, the trailers i'm talking about here are normal tandem axle car trailers, not single or triple axle trailers. To get 160kg onto the towbar of a Falcon you're gonna put a lot more weight on the front tyres of the trailer, which will cause excessive trailer swaying.

160kg is only the weight of 2 guys, which is easily carried by the rear of any Falcon.
In any case, if it does sag too much, load levellers should be used to distribute some of that weight to the front wheels, but they aren't always needed with loads up to 1500kg or so.

All towbars with a given capacity must be capable of carrying 10% of that capacity on the ball.
Even the 2400kg hitches.

I've been towing heavy loads for more than 10 years interstate, I have some idea, though if you don't believe me, go to the Hayman Reese website.

BTW, it is too little weight on the rear wheels which causes swaying.

Rick.