Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Thalasso

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

If it is any consulation, we don't drive any better down here in Hampton Roads.

I have been down there (NewportNews) when it has snowed. Hardley saw anybody on the roads. Had them all to myself.
 

roscoe

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Current forecast is not good.

Best bet is to spend Saturday and Sunday night resting and waiting out the snow.
Stay in Milw , go to KenDor Marine in Franklin and buy toys, or recreate in Kenosha.
Leave 3am Monday so you are through Chicago before rush hour starts.

Then swing down south, away from the great lakes.

Slow, steady, safe.
 

H20Rat

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Can't really classify this one as special, more like completely different. Not a bunch of clutch packs and bands to burn up, and no actual individual gears (other than reverse and manual mode that simulates gears). Just a big belt and a set of planetary gears for reverse.


Technically probably not a belt, the vehicle CVT's that I know of use a chain with pins sticking out. The pulley only contacts the pins, but with some INSANE clamping pressure. (starting around 15,000 pounds of force)

But either way, there are no gears. The gears are all just chunks of computer code that are inserted into the transmissions programming to make people feel more comfortable with CVT's. There has been hundreds of manhours put into the software to make it act like a regular transmission, even if that is a step backwards for CVT's. (and even when a CVT shifts 'gears', it is always picking a slightly different ratio, just to avoid wear.)


This vid is subaru specific, but it gives a good cutaway view of the chain/cvt in operation.

http://www.subaru.com/engineering/transmission.html
 

etracer68

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Kendor Marine is a great place, they have alot of marine stuff. There not a new retail marine store, they have stuff from 30+ years ago to present. Its like being in a big candy toy marine store. I agree on leaving very early if you want to get through the Chi town area.
 

H20Rat

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

And here's me thinking it's new technology !!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variomatic

yep, not at all... lots of atv's/snowmobiles use that as their only drive method also. The difference in the modern vehicle CVT's is that hydraulic pressure controlled by a computer replaces weights, springs, and vacuum tubing used by previous CVT's.
 

RogersJetboat454

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Technically probably not a belt, the vehicle CVT's that I know of use a chain with pins sticking out.

Nissan's lingo is to call it a belt, but yes its more like a funky looking chain. ;)
 

H20Rat

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Nissan's lingo is to call it a belt, but yes its more like a funky looking chain. ;)

I've even seen the term 'metal belt' thrown around.... umm, isn't that just a different name for a chain! I'm thinking they are either doing it for marketing purposes, people associate chains with noise maybe? Although I guess chains generally drive from the cogs, which a CVT does not do, maybe that is it.
 

rirory

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, if you like trout fishing---the cape is loaded w/ A1 Trout fishing. With all the striper fishing it is overlooked. In wellfleet--Gull pond is incredible--I got an 11 lb brown a few years ago that was released. Ponds like Peters, mashpee-Wakeby, shubel, cliffs are all great and are very deep---70-100 ft. These are holdovers and every one of those mentioned has given up a 10 plus pounder--Brownie or Rainbow to yours truly trolling live bait w/ an electric trolling motor. I have fished them all since the mid 80's.

good luck

ri rory
 

Cannondale

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Thanks to everyone's replies.....I ended putting off the trip until this week, thankfully. While I have little experience driving in snow, I'm not a complete virgin to it. And with the 5-6" we got on the Cape over the past weekend, from the storm I was fretting about driving through, I did managed to get some "practice" in with it Sat. and Sun.---at least until I got thrown out of the parking lot I was "practicing" in. (Guess the cops around here just have no sense of humor about a Southern boy playing in the snow at the Marconi Beach parking lot...huge, empty lot this time of year.)


About the Murano. True, it has a CVT trans and the tranny does choose the best rpm for its current speed/load/etc. Unnerving at first, but kinda neat now. No shifting at all, just high or low rpm's. Kind of weird when you stomp on the gas and the engine zooms up to 6200 rpm and the thing takes off....and no other feeling comes through except just getting faster as it accelerates. Keep your foot on the floor and the engine stays at 6200 rpm or there abouts, until you let off a bit. Then, rpm's drop off to something more appropriate.

Yes, the trans uses a metal "chain" or "belt", and have heard both terms used for it, but I think the preferred term is belt because the belt, while made of what looks like a chain, is wider than a normal chain would be...a single row of links and rollers. The CVT belt, on the other hand, is several rows of links and rollers, hence wider than a normal chain and gives rise to it being called a belt.

When I hear chain, I tend to think of bicycle chains or anchor chains. Metal chain belts make me think of these:

multitronic_belt.jpg




But according to Nissan, the belt, while metal, is somewhat different, if you can see what I mean with this rather simplistic cutaway diagram Nissan shows for their CVT:

cvt-article-img-2.jpg


So I don't know if Nissan's CVT is properly called using a chain within it....more a metal belt.



As for the fishing around the Cape, my father-in-law has been a wealth of info, as he's been here for all his life and has fished darned near every body of wet on the Cape, the Gull pond included. He's trying to get me to get "into" small mouths and rainbows---I've mostly been a large mouth bass and striper fisherman since I lived near a major impoundement most of my life down in GA.....Clark's Hill reservoir. Guess I'm going to have to go through a change in mindset.


But I do appreciate all the replies and answers. I'm tentatively scheduled to pull out Wednesday night and arrive some time Thursday, late. Pick up the boat early Friday AM and head back, trying to keep ahead of the snow scheduled to be hitting WI on Friday. Hopefully, this week will be a little tamer than last week.
 

DuckHunterJon

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Just be glad you're doing it this winter, not last - it's been pretty mild so far.

Good luck with the trip and be safe.
 

Cannondale

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Well, an update.

Picked up the boat Friday morning at 8AM. Left Cape Cod Thursday morning at 1AM, so 31 hours of driving through rain, snow and general crap to get to WI made for a long drive.....that and the 3 hour nap I took in Indiana.

But when I picked up the boat, skies were clear, sun was shining bright, in all a good day. Pulled until I was back in Indiana and just had to stop to grab some shut eye. Awoke to over an inch of snow accumulated and driving snow falling.....and falling.....and falling.

Snowed almost the entire trip, or at least until I was well into New York, around Syracuse. Actually got to see some sun just as it was disappearing behind the hills beyond Syracuse.

As for the Murano, it pulled the boat like a champ. It will have to have its brakes upgraded a tad, which I'd already planned on. Even had a set of Hawk LTS pads delivered to install, but just been too darned cold to do the brakes. As for the trans/engine, it was different pulling with the CVT trans than a conventional trans. I set the cruise at 60-65mph and the truck just kept that speed....no drama, no shifting, no nothing. It even held the speed constant while going up and down the semi-steep grades in NY state between Rochester and Albany. Never missed a beat. Of course, gas mileage sucked, but whatcha gonna do?

Long trip, but successful. Thanks all! Oh, and about the boat....I mistyped the boat's brand. It's a 1991 Sea Sprite Mark I with the 3.0L LX Mercruiser w/Alpha 1 outdrive, bowrider, walk-thru windshield, yada, yada.
 

tpenfield

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Glad to hear that you made it back to "The Cape". Post some pictures when you can.
 

Silver Eagle

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Is there any way you could have it shipped to you. ? Let some one else worry about the weather.
 

NYBo

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Is there any way you could have it shipped to you. ? Let some one else worry about the weather.
Reread post #32.:facepalm:
 

roscoe

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Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Re: Just another "Can I tow it?" thread....or am I going to hate life doing it?

Glad you made it home safe.

Is this the rig you bought?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991...r_Motorboats&hash=item5647f73d62#ht_500wt_743

Looked at it myself, and almost went after it -- for the engine and outdrive, but couldn't see destroying the boat that someone would enjoy. (And I picked up the outdrive I needed for $200 a few days before the auction ended)
 
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