I have a 2000 Bonneville and just bought a trailer that weighs 975lbs. I need to tow around a zero turn mower that weighs 950lbs.
Has anyone towed that much LBS and did it cause problems. I know the manual only says 1000lbs.
Thanks
Carl
Towing greater than 1000 lbs
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00Beast
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Re: Towing greater than 1000 lbs
Buy a truck. There is no way I'd trust sheet-metal to hold a hitch carrying 1900 lbs up and trying to move it forward. It will also kill your transmission in short order. How often do you expect to tow this? Would you be able to get away with borrowing a truck? If you plan on pulling this more than once a year, there is no way I'd pull it with a Bonneville. You will literally rip the bolts out of the sheetmetal that will be holding the hitch onto the car.
I can tell you from LOTS of towing experience that a small trailer w/ a Zero-Turn lawnmower pulls harder in someways than a large trailer with almost 10x the weight, due to the short wheelbase and high tongue weight to trailer weight ratio. At the minimum you're going to want a S10/Colorado/Ranger sized truck or SUV, but something 1/2 ton would be best, especially if you're towing this daily for a lawn service.
I can tell you from LOTS of towing experience that a small trailer w/ a Zero-Turn lawnmower pulls harder in someways than a large trailer with almost 10x the weight, due to the short wheelbase and high tongue weight to trailer weight ratio. At the minimum you're going to want a S10/Colorado/Ranger sized truck or SUV, but something 1/2 ton would be best, especially if you're towing this daily for a lawn service.
Last edited by 00Beast on Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Merrillspontiac
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Re: Towing greater than 1000 lbs
I agree
2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE
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Jrs3800
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Re: Towing greater than 1000 lbs
I agree.... Towing will overheat the trans in a bad way....
Even my van that was set up to tow had HD cooling, and Dual trans Coolers from the factory... The trans still burned up... But keep in mind that even tho my van is a unibody, there is some serious metal to support towing... Its also considered a Medium Truck Platform..
So no, I would not recommend this for any 87-05 Bonneville..
Even my van that was set up to tow had HD cooling, and Dual trans Coolers from the factory... The trans still burned up... But keep in mind that even tho my van is a unibody, there is some serious metal to support towing... Its also considered a Medium Truck Platform..
So no, I would not recommend this for any 87-05 Bonneville..
Last edited by Jrs3800 on Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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rynmcdonald
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Re: Towing greater than 1000 lbs
What about hauling a tow dolly with nothing on it?Jrs3800 wrote:I agree.... Towing will overheat the trans in a bad way....
Even my van that was set up to tow had HD cooling, and Dual trans Coolers from the factory... The trans still burned up... But keep in mind that even tho my van is a unibody, there is some serious metal to support towing... Its also considered a Medium Truck Platform..
So no, I would not recommend this for any 87-05 Bonneville..
My plan is to drive to California and then use the truck given to me to haul the car i drove there with back
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harofreak00
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Re: Towing greater than 1000 lbs
An empty tow dolly is no problem.
Andrew - owner/operator of Bonnevilles Unlimited
2004 Bonneville GXP | 60k | White Gold Tricoat | custom built supercharged 3800 hot rod | garage queen
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2004 Bonneville GXP | 60k | White Gold Tricoat | custom built supercharged 3800 hot rod | garage queen
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