Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

[karl7feet]

Hey everyone,

I am a total newbie to the boating world and I am trying to determine what I can safely tow and then pull up a boat ramp with my 2005 Ford Taurus, 3.0L, V6, FWD SEL.

I posted approximately this same message last September but am now about to buy the boat and know its approximate weight. I am wondering whether I would have trouble trying to pull an Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS that weighs about 1260 pounds (with all the stuff I can think that will be in it) boat up a wet boat ramp and be able to stop safely.

The total weight that the car can pull (passengers plus trailer) is 1550 lbs from the manual. Some other towing numbers I pulled from the cars manual and door pillar are: GVWR = 4,684, max., max towing capacity = 1,750 lbs, curb weight = 3,306 lbs. I have installed a transmission cooler in preparation for towing and the tires are in very good shape.

If someone could tell me if the Taurus would work as a tow vehicle at the ramp and on the highway I would greatly appreciate it! Hate to spend so much money on a new boat and then have to spend even more money to get a 4WD truck or similar.

Thank you for your input !

 

[JB]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

Howdy, Karl.

You will be right at the limit of what I would tow with that car, but still safe. I would be leery of steep and/or slick ramps.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

I'd say it's marginal, but depending on how often and how far you're pulling the boat. The trans cooler was a good move. Leave yourself some extra braking/stopping room. Good Luck!

 

[nlain]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

Front wheel vehicles sometimes drive strange with weight on the rear. When you load the rear down you take weight off of the front axle that can affect traction for pulling and steering at highway speeds, so be sure you can balance that out for safe driving.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

The 3.0L motors are notorious for blowing head gaskets when overheated even once. I hope you're in flat country.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

how far are you pulling? Taursus'es went through quite a few years with very poor transmissions. You looked at them wrong and you needed to replace the trans. Not sure when they improved them though, so you might be ok.

 

[karl7feet]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

So I tried calling some local boat dealers to see if I could rent a boat/trailer of similar weight to try pulling the boat/trailer up a local boat ramp and nobody rents boats.

What I think I will do is get a U-haul utility trailer this weekend that weighs about 1000 lbs and then take it down to the local boat ramps and put some weight in the trailer to get it up to about 1300 lbs or so, get the front wheels/concrete ramp wet, and see how the car pulls up the ramp. After we feel comfortable with that I will then take the car on an open road and see how it handles when I put the brakes on hard. I have driven other cars with a trailer on them and am familiar with what the weight of the trailer does to the handling. The best approach is to just take it easy and be cautious when towing.

I will also drive the car over Snoqualmie Pass, the only real mountain to climb, on the way to Eastern Washington, and keep a watchful eye on the temperature gauge. If the temperature starts going up, I pull over and say a few cuss words.

The area around my home is relatively flat, and about 90% of the time when we would be using the boat we would be just driving about 10 miles to either Lake Washington or Lake Sammamish here in Seattle. We might drive over to Eastern Washington a few times in the Summer so I will test driving over the pass and see what the temperature gauge says.

Hopefully these tests will turn out OK and I can put an order in for the boat this weekend.

If anybody has any thoughts on the above I would be glad to hear them.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

Hate to spend so much money on a new boat and then have to spend even more money to get a 4WD truck or similar.

Thank you for your input !

I think that even if it will tow it will be marginal and you will end up with a truck in fairly short order. Is it a new boat, or new to you? If it were me I'd get a used that is several years old and spend the remaining on a used tow rig.

At 1260lbs and assuming a properly set up trailer your tongue weight should be no more than 150lbs. I know I have had more weight than that in the trunk of my car and it handled fine so the suspension wouldn't bother me. And you can pretty much tow anything with any vehicle, the biggest problem is usually stopping it. What would bother me is the brakes and tranny are probably not designed to tow.

 

[JBow]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

I would think you could find something else to tow with for about the same price as a rebuilt trans. Ask the guys at a local transmission shop what they think about towing with an 05 taurus. Installing a trans cooler will certainly help but I still dont think its a good idea long term. I work for a used car dealer that sells a lot of these cars and we replace a couple of these transmissions a week. As far as traction on boat ramp or stopping it goes I think you would not have a problem but the trans would be your weak link. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[wifisher]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

I will also drive the car over Snoqualmie Pass,

I thought you would be OK until I saw this. That is a BAD idea.
Just my opinion, but I would say it is OK to go around town and home to the lake or other short trips, but snoqualmie is a little much.

Good luck if you decide to try it.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

Does the weight you quoted include the trailer? If not, you'll be at or over the limit.

The 3.0L motors are notorious for blowing head gaskets when overheated even once. I hope you're in flat country.

It was the 3.8L, and in earlier years that had this problem, IIRC. But you are still right about flat country.

 

[dlngr]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

I thought you would be OK until I saw this. That is a BAD idea.
Just my opinion, but I would say it is OK to go around town and home to the lake or other short trips, but snoqualmie is a little much.

Good luck if you decide to try it.

Burn up the tranny going up,burn up the brakes going down!

 

[karl7feet]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

Well everyone I ended up purchasing the Alumacraft Fisherman 145 CS that weighs approximately 137 lbs less (motor, boat & trailer) than the 160 CS I was originally talking about. We have had the boat about two months and there has been no problems going over Snoqualmie Pass (3,200 feet) and the pass on the way to Wenatchee (Hwy 970) and the engine temperature never moves from where it always is, just a hair below half-way on the dial. My mechanic, that I trust, thinks I should be fine as long as we just take it easy and keep local with our towing. Pulling the boat up the Mercer Island concrete ramp has also been easy. When I back up the boat down the ramp I end up cover the rear tires up to the bottom of the rims and there is not much extra room from where the water comes up to, just below the bumper. A truck would be nice, just for the increased clearance above the water. We will see how everything turns out, so far so good. Thanks to everyone that has contributed to this thread.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

When I back up the boat down the ramp I end up cover the rear tires up to the bottom of the rims and there is not much extra room from where the water comes up to, just below the bumper. A truck would be nice, just for the increased clearance above the water.

This was my exact experience when I towed my 16' with my FWD Buick Regal. It towed and stopped fine but was kinda a pain on the ramp. After a season or two I ended up getting and older full-size truck and the difference was night and day. Pretty handy to have a truck around also. Thanks for posting back with the results.

 

[paul40269]

Re: Can I use a 2005 Taurus to pull a 1260 pound Alumacraft Fisherman 160 CS?

I use a 99 Maxima with a U-Haul installed hitch to tow a 14ft Bass Tracker SuperV that weighs about 1300 pounds. It's fine for short drives on smooth roads (10-15 minutes to the lake), but I would not recommend it for long hauls or use over the longterm. My rear springs, shocks, and brakes are taking a beating for sure, but then again, my car has 155k on it and is almost out the door. I also go to lakes that have nice cement ramps and it pulls the boat out just fine. I would never make it in the mud.


I would say don't let the lack of a truck stop you from enjoying yourself now, but be careful. As soon as you hook up a 1300lb boat to a car, the rear end will sink. Make sure you have good tire pressure, shocks, and springs.