What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

karl7feet

Cadet
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
9
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 am wondering whether I would have trouble trying to pull a boat up a wet boat ramp with the extra weight of the trailer and also the weight of the trailer pushing down on the rear of the car thereby lifting the front drive wheels.

I am thinking of getting either 1) A basic aluminum V boat with bench seats (Alumacraft V16 or similar), or 2) Getting a family fishing boat, carpeted decks, side console steering, raised bass type seats front and rear (Alumacraft Fisherman 160 or similar). The family fishing boat weighs about 400 lbs more than the basic V boat.

Some towing numbers I pulled from the cars manual and door pillar are: GVWR = 4,684, max. trailer weight 1,100 with 450 lbs in car, max towing capacity = 1,750 lbs, curb weight = 3,306 lbs.

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!

Thank you for your input !
 

roscoe

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
21,753
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

you should be fine with the v16 or similar.

boat, motor, trailer, fuel, gear, all add up fast, but you should be able to stay under the 1000# target. then you can have 2-3 people and some gear in the car,. It should work for you.
 

freeisforme

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Messages
184
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

You may want to back down a wet ramp without a trailer and see how your car feels with no trailer then decide on whether or not you want to use it to tow with.
I've seen a few mini vans having real issues on wet slimy ramps with only small aluminum boats and trailers.
 

Frank Acampora

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
12,004
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

So much depends upon your tires! I have pulled an 18 foot fiberglass runabout up a mud covered concrete ramp with a 4 cylinder Chevy Cavalier. Ramp was neither gentle nor steep. It rose about 4 feet in 40. I fully expected to get stuck but the car just tapped up the ramp easy as can be.
 

johnson89

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
244
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

being FWD most likey your drive wheels will be on the dry part of the ramp, not in the water...years ago I had a small 4 cyl. chev. FWD an it pulled a 16 tri. hull with a 55 hp out of the ramp an never spun a tire.It did better than my v6 truck does now at the ramp (16ft with a 90hp ), on the hwy. it was diffrent story.........
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
8,237
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

Never had a Taurus but have used several similar size vehicles and successfully pulled trailers up to 1500 lbs. As was pointed put, tires are the key. I've had issues with OEM Michelin and Goodrich tires. After switching to any Goodyear premium tire rated for M&S and all the problems went away.

I now run GY Assurance Tripletread on all my cars. I can't believe how good they work, even on a ramp that is wet. One set has 60,000 miles on it now and it looks like I'll get at least another year out of them.
 

rwidman

Lieutenant
Joined
May 27, 2004
Messages
1,396
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

You need to know the factory tow rating for the vehicle. It should be in your owners manual. If you can't find it, you can probably find it online somewhere. If nothing else, take it to your dealer and ask them.

You need to keep the weight of the (loaded) boat and trailer, plus passengers and cargo in the vehicle within that tow rating.

When considering a boat, it doesn't matter what type of boat or if it's made of metal or fiberglass, you need to know the weight of the boat, motor, fuel, and trailer.

As for pulling it up a ramp, that's not the primary concern. The primary concern is - can you tow and stop the boat and trailer safely with the vehicle.
 

4Winns2

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
327
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

Given the numbers on the car and boat with trailer, I would say you'll be fine with that setup.
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
8,237
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

You need to know the factory tow rating for the vehicle. It should be in your owners manual. If you can't find it, you can probably find it online somewhere. If nothing else, take it to your dealer and ask them.

He listed all the specs in his original post. He should be good to go.
 

SigSaurP229

Commander
Joined
Oct 1, 2008
Messages
2,123
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

UPGRADE THE TRANSMISSION COOLER. Sorry to yell but trannies are expensive and the Ford Taurus is not exactly known for the durability of their transmissions.

Good Tires and such keep it under gross and you should be ok we used to tow a 12 aluminum jon boat with a 1988 chevy corsica 4 cyl and that car made it to 265,000 original engine and transmission (we sold the car) the girl made it another 60,000 on original engine and tranny before having an accident and totaling the car.
 

sublauxation

Lieutenant
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
1,317
Re: What can I pull up a ramp with a Taurus?

I second the tranny cooler. It's a great car and engine but the tranny is a little suspect when abused. My brother pulls 2 four wheelers with an 05 Tauraus. He gets lousy gas mileage and struggles on hills. He has a pretty big and heavy trailer that has a big ramp on back, he thinks that ramp acting as a sail is the main problem. I would think a boat would tow much easier than his 4 wheelers.

I towed my light 14 footer with a Dodge Aries and a 2.2 4 banger. Didn't have to many problems on any ramps, even on a couple slimy ones. That Tauraus is a heck of a lot better car than my Dodge was.
 
Top