People often ask us, at Megatyre North Shore Auckland, “how much does my horse float with 2 horses weigh”? ” how much does my boat weight”? “can my Toyota Corolla tow my 4 metre boat”?
When asked questions like these, the only awnser I can give is “I do not know”. Obviously the weight of any size of boat, caravan or horse float varies wildly according to contents and the materials it is made from.
Anyone wanting to confirm the weight of what they want to tow should either ask the manufacturer/supplier of their boat etc or better still take their boat etc to a public weigh station, like what is found at rubbish tipping stations, and get it weighed there complete with its normal contents, fuel and motor etc. Often the towed object will weigh a lot more than the owner thinks!
There are many legitimate considerations to be taken account off when choosing a boat/caravan/horse float and vehicle combination but the most important factor is selecting a vehicle with sufficent tow capacity to meet your needs; or if you already own the vehicle, choosing a boat etc thats weighs within your vehicles rated tow weight range.
I frequently get asked questions by customers wanting a stronger towbar put on their vehicle so they can tow something beyond its rated towing capacity but there is no legitimate way of doing this.
As important as choosing which boat caravan is for you is choosing which car is best for your boat or caravan. And the decision can’t be rushed.
i have a 1997 toyota surf with a 2500 kg towbar and need to tow a 3000 kg boat. can you alter my tobar to bringit up to a 3000 kg capacity?
sorry, 2500 kg is the maximum towing capacity of your vehicle, there is no legitimate way of exceeding that.
i hardly ever see brakes on trailers, even when a car is towing quite a heavy trailer. why is this, is there some reason why almost no trailers have brakes?
basically i guess it is because brakes are quite expensive to install on a trailer and because there are maintainance issues associated with the immersion of the brakes in salt water. but both these reasons are no excuse if a problem arises due to not having brakes while towing.
our towbar has a unbraked capacity of 650 kgs but our boat probably weighs 1400 kgs and does not have brakes. would this affect our insurance?
Yes, this could affect your insurance status in the event of an accident. The unbraked capacity stated on our towbars is generally based on the vehicle manufacturers specifications meaning there is no legitmate way of exceeding such.
If you intend towing more than your vehicles unbraked capacity, you would be advised to contact your insurance company first to get their ruling on the matter.
Thanks for this advice, we took our boat tp the tip and weighed it, it was 435 kgs more than we were told by the boat shop. e will buy something bigger next time we change cars!
i have got a 2005 toyota rav 4. can you supply me with a towbar that has an unbraked towing capacity of at least 2000 kgs?
I regret that is not possible. According to Toyota, your vehicle has an unbraked towing capacity of 1500 kgs and there is no legitimate means of exceeding that. If you do intend towing more than 1500 kgs, you should discuss it with your insurer first. It is highly likely they would decline you cover if you were towing 2000 kgs.
I have a 20 marine ply boat. how much would that weigh approx.
Sorry, I do not know. I suggest you take it to a weigh station at the rubbish transfer station. Probably best to phone them first to confirm they can help and when.