towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus

twinsjunkie

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Apr 4, 2009
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Can I pull a deck boat 24', 1996 3700 lbs, with my Taurus, v6 263 horsepower? If I take it easy could I?
 

truckermatt

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Mar 29, 2009
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384
Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus

i wouldnt, that is a large boat for a small car.... it weights more than the car does. you wouldnt have a really hard time getting it out of the water.
 

tashasdaddy

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Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus

NEVER!!!!! the car is rated at 1,000lbs.
 

ebry710

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Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus

Can I pull a deck boat 24', 1996 3700 lbs, with my Taurus, v6 263 horsepower? If I take it easy could I?

Welcome to iboats. Tashasdaddy is correct. Sometimes people only look at the horsepower of the vehicle and not the load or stopping capacity. 3700# is a lot even for a small pick up truck.
 

redone4x4

Lieutenant Commander
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Feb 28, 2009
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Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus

considering the question at hand, please make sure you are prepared and educated to launch and operate your boat safely as well. No, you can not tow that with a taurus.
 

twinsjunkie

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Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus/followup

Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus/followup

Ok, Ok, I didnt think so either. My 08 Town and Country is rated at pulling 3600 lbs, I would think if I took it easy with a 3700 lb, 24' deck boat that I could probably transport it alright. Or am I goofy to think that?
 

bhammer

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Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus/followup

Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus/followup

Ok, Ok, I didnt think so either. My 08 Town and Country is rated at pulling 3600 lbs, I would think if I took it easy with a 3700 lb, 24' deck boat that I could probably transport it alright. Or am I goofy to think that?

You will have problems getting it out of the water. I ended up getting a RWD SUV because our 3500# boat/trailer (fully loaded) was too much for our Mazda CX-9 for even the slightest inclines, especially when wet. Many laughs at the ramp struggling to get it up and twice had to get volunteers to sit on the hood.
 

tashasdaddy

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Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus/followup

Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus/followup

with trailer brakes, maybe equalizer bar, the T & C could be OK. but you are at the limit. choose your ramps.
 

5150abf

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Aug 12, 2007
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5,808
Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus

Back in the good old days when cars had frames you could pull all kinds of stuff with a car but now all cars have unit bodies which is just sheets of metal spot welded together and the rear of the car is not reinforced to take that much weight, you will literally bend the car if you do.

I have towed things at close to rated limit and it is pretty scary and being front wheel drive you are going to have a heck of a time at a ramp, you will need to chose very shallow angle ramps.

Also the max rating is one of the ratings, there is also tongue weight which is just as important, if you exceed that you could really screw up your van.

And as TD said , don't even consider this if it doesn't have properly working trailer brakes, no way are the vans brakes going to stop twice the load they were designed for for long.
 

redone4x4

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Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus/followup

Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus/followup

Ok, Ok, I didnt think so either. My 08 Town and Country is rated at pulling 3600 lbs, I would think if I took it easy with a 3700 lb, 24' deck boat that I could probably transport it alright. Or am I goofy to think that?

dont do it, the brakes and chassis are only handled for so much weight, and it doesnt sound like you are taking into account people, gear, food, water, etc. Did you buy the boat already? sounds like you will be shopping for another tow vehicle soon...just about any 1/2 ton truck with a v8 should do the trick
 

Titanium48

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
303
Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus

NEVER!!!!! the car is rated at 1,000lbs.

Which is Ford's way of trying to get you to buy a new F150 to go with your new Taurus. Nonetheless, I still wouldn't do it. Exceeding the tow rating, no matter how ridiculously conservative, will jeopardize your warranty. I wouldn't tow quite that much when the warranty expires either. You could probably make it stable and stoppable with good trailer brakes and a weight distributing hitch, but hauling it out of the water would be a challenge to say the least. For a boat that needs to be hauled up a ramp and is equipped with surge (rather than electric) brakes, I'd keep it under 2500 lb.
 

ne7800

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jul 10, 2008
Messages
1,195
Re: towing a deck boat with an '08 Taurus

Concider a cheep half ton truck just as a tow vehicle you could probably pick one up for around a $1,000.00 that is in ok shape
 
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