Trailer are brakes needed

matt167

matt167

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

smokingcrater said:
Its a forrester XT... No CVT in that. It has an unbelievably strong auto trans though, there are guys running 600+hp subarus down a drag strip with no mods to the auto trans, other than a high stall torque converter.
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He said 2011 Outback 2.5I, but then gave reference to an XT, which of course is a Forester. So it's either or I guess.. I know Forester XT does not have a CVT.. I know the 4EAT transmissions are plenty strong. Only weak point is the carrier and pinion bearings in the front differential, and the electronic AWD clutch system in the older models.
 
matt167

matt167

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

hall832 said:
oh well i thought it was funny. i just pictured the Subaru at the boat ramp.
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Subaru's are plenty stable for towing boats of the right size.. 15-16' outboard runabout would be no problem with that car, and most Subaru Legacy outbacks for that matter... Once my Custom Craft is done, it will be towed with my '99 Legacy SUS ( Outback sedan ). Boat weighs less than 1,500 lbs loaded on the trailer, and the car is rated to tow 2k lbs.
 
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agallant80

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

I wonder if earlier this year he was towing a 24 foot Yamaha with a G35 coupe.
 
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H20Rat

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

matt167 said:
That wouldn't work out well. For instance if his Cobalt had a 3.0L ( unlikely but possible ), it would still weigh about the same, but the Subaru would have more HP than the boat and still not be able to tow it ( That gen 2.5 has 170hp ).. The 3.6R Subaru which is basically the same car with a true automtic and same towing ratings, has 250hp and could possibly exceed the hp his boat actually has.
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From the OP, its a 2011 FXT. That is more or less an STi engine (250+ hp) and internals.
 
hall832

hall832

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

matt167 said:
Subaru's are plenty stable for towing boats of the right size.. 15-16' outboard runabout would be no problem with that car, and most Subaru Legacy outbacks for that matter... Once my Custom Craft is done, it will be towed with my '99 Legacy SUS ( Outback sedan ). Boat weighs less than 1,500 lbs loaded on the trailer, and the car is rated to tow 2k lbs.
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I like Subaru, they make a high quality compact vehicle.
Ok, but he has a 22 foot cobalt not a 15-16 foot boat. so i still think it is a disaster waiting to happen.
 
matt167

matt167

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

hall832 said:
I like Subaru, they make a high quality compact vehicle.
Ok, but he has a 22 foot cobalt not a 15-16 foot boat. so i still think it is a disaster waiting to happen.
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That's why I said towing boats of the right size.. If I saw that combination running down the highway, I would change routes to avoid it.
 
hall832

hall832

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

I don't know if it's just me or where I live but I have seen more than my fair share of other peoples boat ramp mishaps.
 
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500dollar744ti

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

hall832 said:
Rule of thumb
Make sure you tow vehicle has more HP than your boat.
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That's not a very good rule. It might work with small boats but how are you supposed to tow a 500hp boat? You surely don't need a 500hp truck.

I tow my 5000lb boat/trailer rig with 2 different vehicles, neither of which has more hp than my boat. The boat is 270hp, the Volvo XC90 has a 5-cyl turbo and is 208hp, the F-150 has 225hp, both tow it just fine.
 
Jake007

Jake007

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

+1 You need to add a tandem axle trailer with brakes and then replace your tow vehicle with an appropriate sized tow vehicle or just keep your boat in the water.

Think safety....yours and ours.

Years ago, I had a Ford Explorer with a tandem axle trailer/20' Cobalt/ dual disk brakes and during a 65mph hard avoidance stop it pushed that truck down the road like it wasn't there. That is why I moved up to a full size Tahoe V8.
 
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I`mNotMe

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

dpw-ct said:
I have a 1996 Cobalt 220 - weight approx 3,150 w/o gas . I am looking to buy a used trailer and wondering if brakes are essential I will be trailering <50 miles per year basically in and out of water and to my house. Towing with a 2011 subaru outback 2.5.
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I'm from the new school who doesn't believe in braking "laws". Laws are for folks who don't use common sense. For example, in CA, any trailer above 1,500 lbs needs brakes. Does a little utility trailer weighing 1,520 lbs behind a large V8 Hummer need trailer brakes? CA law says it does. And in my area, the trailer braking law is 3,000 lbs. Can a V6 mini van towing trailer at 2,800 lbs safety stop? My local law says it can. I can tell you NOT. Like I stated above, Trailer braking laws don't make sense to me....

For me, I use a very simple formula of what is the "cargo capacity" of the Vehicle? For my vehicle, it's 1,200 lbs. Anything weighing more that 1,200 lbs is over taxing my Tow Vehicle's factory brakes. More above this number and more over taxing (which is higher risk of danger). My attached boat trailer weighs 2,800 lbs and I installed my own electric brakes under it. My local law says my Tow Vehicle combo doesn't legally need brakes. After towing with trailer brakes, I can vouch that my TV + Trailer combo DOES need trailer brakes. Before and after comparison is like night and day comparison.

Since your 2011 subaru outback 2.5 Tow Vehicle and boat trailer combo is near same cargo capacity as my combo, I highly recommend Trailer brakes. We'll worth the cost in the long run... Safety 1st. Enjoyment 2nd.
 
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lrak

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

Uhh ohh, common sense. :facepalm:

Hope you don't tailgate one of those minivans that can't stop :

Military Humvee - 60-0 distance is about 300'
H1/H2/H3 - 60-0 distance is about 150'
Sienna/Odyssey - 60-0 distance is about 130' (a full size pickup truck shorter)

Also there is the law and there is a good idea :

Honda and Toyota suggest trailer brakes over 1000lbs.
Hummer suggests trailer brakes over 600kg (~1300lbs).
 
dingbat

dingbat

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Re: Trailer are brakes needed

agallant80 said:
This is the rule of thumb I go by. If my truck is rated to carry 2,000Lbs in the bed then I know the breaks on the truck were sized from the factory to stop the extra 2,000LBS.
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God philosophy, not so good theory.
The axle capacity has nothing to do with the tow capacity. The only weight the truck sees from the trailer is the tongue weight. Breaking capacity is an entirely different game, and I mean game literally. How else does a trucks towing capacity increase 30% with no physical changes
 
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