Towing with g6et??

[v8falconsrule]

Hi all, I have towing question. I have a g6et with a heavy duty towbar rated at 2300kg, and I want to tow a car trailer and old vw bug ( it's for the wife- don't ask), the hire trailer will have brakes equipped, but doesn't have swaybars.

I know the weight is going to be about 300kg on the safe side of the limt, but I've only ever towed car trailers with swaybars in the past, should I allow for this too, or will it not affect the capacity?

I will probably load the beetle on backwards to keep the weight on the towball better too.

[mik]

i don`t have a g6et but i think the same rules apply, i have always tried to balance the weight so it`s not more than the recomended tow ball weight(120 kg i think), not a big fan of looking at the stars while driving , tyre pressures are important on car and trailer, spongey tyres = trouble,
my own experience, i don`t tow heavy in over drive, in over drive the engine uses more fuel /runs richer because it`s laboring, also running in direct ratio 1 to 1 when you hit a slight incline or a dip it`s less likely the auto will hunt for gears which also helps with stability, nice and steady wins the race,
it`s also better for the auto, as long as it`s fairly balanced and the vehicle is nice and secure, trailer brakes are up to scratch ( perhaps give them a test before loading the car)you should be alright mate.
i don`t think the lack of stabilizers will be a problem, done 99% of my towing without them, not sure how they effect the load rating legally.

[XRGhia]

Agreed with the above - tow in 4th (ZF)

Swaybars shouldnt make much of a difference with a trailer would it?

[GasoLane]

You mean a Bug like this ?

No sway bars and not sure of the towbars rating

You wont even feel it behind you

[XARATE]

^^^^ try parking the vw the other way around or more to the rear. That has way to much tow bar weight, quite dangerous having the rear sag that much

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by XARATE

^^^^ try parking the vw the other way around and more to the rear. That has way to much tow bar weight, quite dangerous having the rear sag that much

It wasn't as bad as that pic looks, weight distribution was fairly even. The VW was towed 1400kms with no problems.

If it was parked the other way around it would be lifting the rear which would have been unstable.

Another (much heavier) car but a better pic.....

[v8falconsrule]

Cool thanks guys, I have towed heaps of different cars behind the old au workute, but always had swaybars. Always used 3rd in the au and turned econ off, so will be using power mode in the g6.

Gasolane, yep the bug will be a 68 model, is the Missus dream car- I don't get it myself, not my idea of a 60's two door car…

[OzJavelin]

By sway bars do you actually mean load-leveling bars? (and associated equipment). If you are towing anything near that 2300kg it's probably advisable to fit the load-leveling equipment (if you have it) but typically most people don't bother unless they tow the same trailer all the time as attaching and detaching the equipment can be a pain ..

[supershifty]

Now, that is a nice pic - A Merc being towed by a Ford, loving it!

[2011G6E]

No worries...

I towed our sons '97 Hyundai Sonata on a hire car trailer around Rockhampton (admittedly a pretty flat place), and honestly, apart from the "nudge" when I stopped, you hardly knew it was there. Mine is a G6E, not a turbo...I imagine the turbo would take it well in stride.

[ebxr8240]

Originally Posted by XARATE

^^^^ try parking the vw the other way around or more to the rear. That has way to much tow bar weight, quite dangerous having the rear sag that much

I've towed many cars and horse floats over the years..
You are 10 times safer having weight over the FRONT than rear..
The trailer WILL fish tale real bad if weight is oriented towards rear, even centre..
Yes I would load Beetle style VW on backwards..
A G6ET WILL do it easy.. Yes pull it back manually on big hills...

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

I've towed many cars and horse floats over the years..
You are 10 times safer having weight over the FRONT than rear..
The trailer WILL fish tale real bad if weight is oriented towards rear, even centre..
Yes I would load Beetle style VW on backwards..
A G6ET WILL do it easy.. Yes pull it back manually on big hills...

That made my eyes bulge too...yes, of course you can have too much weight on the ball if you load it wrong, but it has to be about 10% of the trailer weight on the ball (minimum I think) to ensure safe towing...plenty of people have come to grief by "balancing" the trailer so there's virtually no weight on the ball, or foolishly reversing a car onto a trailer to "keep the engine weight to the back"...

[ebxr8240]

Yes ...
Not just the balancing issue.. Check how strong the towing hitch is ???
They are NOT designed to be pulled upwards ..
We had coil over springs on most our tow cars for horse floats..

The last thing you want to happen..
Is approaching a bumpy corner and the trailer lifting the rear of car..

[BigAL_250]

Word to the wise, this is what happens if you load a trailer with too much weight at the back.

[SPArKy_Dave]

Try towing one of these, with a clevo up front.

I don't which was heavier, but I do know that the old 3.5ltr V8 / ZF 4sp auto in the rangie, couldn't handle anything more than Manual 1st gear,
(high range) when going up a reasonable incline.

She was fair dinkum screaming at 30km/hr I tell you.




didn't much like towing the 6cyl XB GS either.

[EB#]

A bit more discussion on towing with an FG G6ET here:
www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11348256

[Sam_Boss260]

Sorry to revive an old thread.

But we are looking at towing a 200kg motorbike behind my G6ET. The trailer is a garden trailer.

The drive will be all highway - Brisbane to Orange and back.

From what I have read, the only real suggestion to stop the ZF auto from labouring is to leave it performance mode? Or with only the weight of a the bike, is Drive ok?

[GasoLane]

Labouring ? with a bike and a box trailer....

You wont even know it's there!

[ltd]

Drive with a bike will be fine. I've driven over all manner of roads in various cars with and without trailers and honestly, the G6E-T is hilariously brilliant. On a stretch near my parents place on the Hume near Mittagong, there is quite a steep hill which goes for around 3klm. In a BF LTD with a 230kw V8 the ZF drops a gear/sometimes 2 to maintain 117km/h.
The G6E-T doesn't drop a gear at all and just powers on up. The only thing you can hear is the turbo spool noise becomes a little louder.
Seriously, they have to be one of the best tow cars in Australia today.

So much so I've actually caught myself fantasising about my G6 when I've been on the I-70 from Denver to Moab UT, as V8 cars struggle like an asthmatic with a coughing fit due to the 11,000 feet altitude. Semi's overtake on this stretch thanks to their large turbos, and a G6E-T with its overboost feature would take this 10 mile uphill stretch in its stride.

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by Sam_Boss260

Sorry to revive an old thread.

But we are looking at towing a 200kg motorbike behind my G6ET. The trailer is a garden trailer.

The drive will be all highway - Brisbane to Orange and back.

From what I have read, the only real suggestion to stop the ZF auto from labouring is to leave it performance mode? Or with only the weight of a the bike, is Drive ok?

Put a ute on the trailer and the bike in the ute and tow both then you might start to have to worry :-)

[Auslandau]

All this talk about towing with Falcons! Always towed stuff with mine and this is how I get the track car around! Have to keep reminding myself its there!!!!

When on the freeway its just in drive but if hit a hill, both up and down, I stick it in Sports mode. Thats all and plods along very well.