S60 Towing a boat

Wildman · Post by **Wildman** » 16 Jan 2009, 16:00

I have an S60 2.4T (FWD) and I am trying to figure out if it is feasible to tow a boat, and the most that boat should weigh.

I know the manufacturer trailer weight rating is 3300 lbs - considerable for a car and bests some of the crossover SUVs.

Issues are:
1. Pulling the boat out of the water - the weight will be shifted off of the front wheels and may lose traction on a wet or steep ramp.
2. Stress on the transmission, especially in hot weather (I don't necessarily plan to make very long trips)
3. Accidently submerging the rear axle on the ramp (I may be able to avoid this with a tongue extension if needed)
4. "Bow up" attitude caused by 200-300 lbs downward weight on the hitch (perhaps addressed by some load-leveling shocks?)

I guess the wheel slippage on the ramp is my main concern. It may limit me to a total package somewhat less than the 3300 lbs limit.

Any one have any experience towing with a 2.4? S60? Thoughts?

Volvo s60 24t · Post by **Volvo s60 24t** » 17 Jan 2009, 11:00

You have a lot more to consider... manufacturers usually only look at one of many categories when they recklessly slap tow ratings in a manual. The usually look at what a car has enough power to pull or what it can stop. If you're lucky they look at both. Sometimes with the ratings they include the assumption that you have trailer brakes and don’t need added stopping power. Most boats that you would consider towing with this car probably are so small that they come with trailers that do not have brakes...

So that said lots of times people get hung up on how much the car can PULL versus how much it can STOP. For pulling power on the highway don’t forget to add wind DRAG from boats without a cover or without a rigid cover....

The experts here should be able to provide pretty good insight and tear apart what I say based on how these cars stop – but as a way too general rule of thumb (when I look at what I’m pulling with my truck) I don’t want to tow a boat + trailer + contents (don’t forget to add the ski’s, water in the bilge, that cooler full of ice and drinks too!) that weigh more than 75-85% of the curb weight of the tow vehicle.. The weight you quote seems very HIGH considering how much this car weighs…

You also need to consider the wheel base of the car - the longer the wheel base the more CONTROL or leverage you have over what you’re towing. (If you don’t think this is important stand with your feet next to one another and ask a friend to try and push you over with one hand - I bet they succeed. Then spread your feet apart and see how much more leverage you have when they try). Wheelbase compared to the load is important...

Also the more vertical surface area of the trailer + boat being towed is going to have a huge impact. I don’t know how you could possibly calculate this but consider holding a piece of plywood on a windy day - tough isn’t it? Now try holding a cinder block of the same weight on the same windy day - piece of cake, right? Common objection: It’s not windy today - Consider how much force you feel in your car when a truck passes you on the highway going 20mph faster than you are. Now put that force behind you on a trailer and consider how much that trailer is going to sway.... Objection 2: I'm not going to be on the highway - the same goes for windy (curvy) roads - a heavy trailer will be fighting and sway will be difficult to overcome even with a low surface area and no wind. The S60 has a relatively short wheelbase (its feet are close together) to fight these forces.

I’ve made this mistake in the past towing and passed points of no return before realizing I was in trouble – i.e. on a long stretch of highway. This is NOT a fun position to be in.

A “low profile” type ski boat is light and going to have less vertical surface area and grab less wind than a deeper “V” boat and mean less sway. If I were to tow a shallow “v” bottom boat with my S60 I wouldn’t tow anything longer than maybe 16-17 foot given the wheelbase of the S60 – that’s tongue of the trailer back – Even still I’d be concerned about sway… that would make for a pretty short boat…. I like big boats

Post by **billofdurham** » 17 Jan 2009, 15:42

I have towed many and various trailers over a period of years, albeit in the UK where our legislation may be different, and have always found that the maximum towing weight quoted by the manufacturers is more fantasy than reality. The 3300lbs quoted for your car is just not practicable. I agree with Volvo s60 24t that you should be looking at a maximum trailer weight of 85% of the kerbweight of the car.

The other major factor that has to be considered is the hitch tongue load limit laid down by the car manufacturer. For the S60 it is 165lbs, nowhere near your figure of 200 to 300 lbs. Even load levelling shocks will not overcome this. You wouldn't just have a 'bow up' attitude you would have very little traction even on a level surface. Finally if you were to have an accident towing that sort of weight with the hitch load way over the manufacturer's spec you would never make a successful insurance claim.

Bill.

Wildman · Post by **Wildman** » 17 Jan 2009, 19:29

You both make good points and pretty much in line with what I was thinking. The weight of the S60 with me in it would be approximately 3500 lbs and 80% of that is 2800 lbs which sounds about right for the max trailered weight of a boat. That would be a pretty small boat (17-18ft) and, like S60 2.4T I would prefer a boat with more weight and length. I think a 2800 lb boat would be feasible on a good, long ramp, but I would be more likely to experience wheel spin on a shorter, steeper ramp like I would probably be using.

sony2000 · Post by **sony2000** » 18 Jan 2009, 03:17

To purchase my boat I towed an all up weight of 2600lbs without brakes, a heavy tongue, for 12hours of highway with a 855T (222hp). My conclusions were it's highly not recommended without trailer brakes. All of these trailers can be easily converted to having brakes (use surge brakes). I had the same HP as the Blazer that used to pull it, but don't use your top gear. On hills don't use pedal to the metal, rather let the car slowly slow down, to save your transmission. Just like the trucks. The ramps are easy to go up because the trailer is relatively empty for the first few feet, and when the weight of the boat comes down onto the trailer the engine has enough RPMs, that there isn't any strain.

Wildman · Post by **Wildman** » 18 Jan 2009, 20:05

sony2000 wrote:...The ramps are easy to go up ....

Interesting you didn't have trouble on the ramp with FWD. The Australian fishing forum I looked at also mentioned they had no problem pulling up a ramp. We don't have 855's in the USA, but if it is like an 850 then it weighs about the same as an S60. It is good to hear your story. Still sounds like the max weight I should consider is in the neighborhood of 2600-2800 lbs.

sony2000 · Post by **sony2000** » 22 Jan 2009, 21:58

It was quite the site. The keel of the sailboat when on the trailer was taller than the car. Then above the keel was the long sleek hull deep enough for a cabin inside. (J22) Another forum recommends a transmission cooler.

asummers · Post by **asummers** » 27 Jan 2009, 10:50

"We don't have 855's in the US."

Well, actually we do.
The 855 refers to an 850, 5-door, or wagon.
An 854 is a 4-door sedan.

Good luck on the towing, if you try it that is. I think I would buy a used truck to pull the boat.

rafmarkham · Post by **rafmarkham** » 27 Jan 2009, 18:45

Wildman - Re: Towing out of the water (Issue 1):

Take into consideration: your tire size/profile and condition, the ramp slope, and the type of surface your front tires are trying to get traction on. Any extra weight still relies on a few square inches of rubber for grip, and you never really know how close to the limit you are until you go over it.

I have a 1995 850 Turbowagon ("855") with which I occasionally tow an aluminium I-beam boat trailer, with either our 15 ft run-about or 16 ft. bowrider (mainly at the beginning and end of season), or a 14 ft day-sailer . Our summer cottage is on a lake with several public-access concrete and gravel ramps. These can be tricky to use - the concrete ramp doesn't extend far into the lake and is prone to algal build-up, and the gravel ones are, well, easily-stirred-up gravel. One gravel ramp was stabilized with some chain link fence. No longer.

Boat launchings over a number of years have been reasonably graceful. Boat-and-trailer exits have mostly gone well, but sometimes have been more interesting.

The concrete ramp can end under water not far from shore, and present a step up from a gravel, sandy or rocky bottom; trailer tires may need a tug to get them up onto the ramp. Front tire traction is key. On well-packed gravel, as long as acceleration is gentle, I've had no trouble. Depending on the ramp slope, if gravel is churned up and loose - it's tricky.

One humbling experience was precipitated (I think) by an under-pressured trailer tire. An underwater rock took the tire off the rim (only evident later) as the 15 ft boat came out . When the front car wheels dug into gravel under the load, progress was only downward, until the engine skid plate rested on gravel. Standard ground clearance is not huge going into this. A Landrover waiting to use the ramp winched car and trailer out together, along with 20 feet of chain link fencing caught on the undercarriage.

Truth be known, the deck was stacked against me. It was raining earlier in the day. My Turbo had original tires - 50-profile 16" Michelin Pilots - at the time. Size (width) does matter. A chip takes the 2.3 litre engine from 222 to 275hp. It is front wheel drive. It is a station wagon. The gas tank is full. We're going up hill. There's tongue weight from the trailer at the back end. There's a twit at the wheel who didn't check trailer tire pressures. Enough said. Standard issue for taking boats out now includes a tow strap and scissor jack, and I make sure trailer wheel nuts are easy to remove before a dunking.

If the front end breaks traction on a ramp with algal slime, and goes sideways on you, reversing to straighten up can be exciting with a lake behind. Your Issue 3 - rear axle (and tailpipe) dunking - could become a reality. Does the S60 have that funny plastic-covered protrusion under the front bumper that graces 850's ? The tow hook it hides could come in handy.

Bottom line: Towing up to 16ft boats out of water (or over the road - with a tonneau cover or boat cover) has not been a problem for me or the car, unless something compromises front tire grip.

There's been valuable input from others on towing weight and brake considerations - good luck in adding to your enjoyment of parenting a Volvo.

chriskeeler · Post by **chriskeeler** » 06 Feb 2009, 12:39

I have a 2000 S70, and will be trying to tow/launch/retrieve a 20' deck boat this weekend. I'll post an update on my experience on Monday. Wish me luck!

-CK