Towing weight Cobra 7.55 and Verado 250

[adams1x]

Hi..

I have just purchased a 2007 Cobra 7.55 and Verado 250 and am very excited! The only problem is that I need to get the boat about 130 miles home, as you may see from previous threads I have a Frontera Sport 2.0 Short Wheel Base. Would this be too heavy for the car to tow. It has handled very well with My Ribeye 600 but I am aware the weights involved in the new boat are significantly more...

Does anyone actually know what the weight of my new set up would be? I cannot find out anywhere and the picton website is down....

Thanks so much in advance...
Andrew

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by adams1x

Would this be too heavy for the car to tow.

Quite possibly-the towing weight on the Fronty is about 2500kg. (i's actually on a plate under the bonnet)You need to get the boat to a weighbridge.

[Mollers]

Guessing a bit, but I reckon your rig would be around 1900kg, mine is 1800 depending on fuel etc. The Vauxhall Frontbum towing capacity is 2400kg SWB, 2600-2800kg- LWB.

[adams1x]

Thanks for the advice...looks like I will be ok with this one :-)

[TangoTango]

I have a Cobra 7.55 with the 4 cyl 200HP Verado. When I was buying my Airberth the company contacted Picton and was told that the weight would be 1500-1600Kg but with fuel and gear this could rise to 1800kg. Your engine is 57kg heavier and you also have the weight of the trailer. So long as you take out all your gear you should come in at under 2 tonnes.

[Paul Beaurain]

The only way to do this is as follows:

Go to weighbridge and see what it weighs.
If within weight get a certificate and carry it with you when towing.Although out of date immediately it would show any 'officer' that you have considered the weight and are responsible.

If overweight when at the weigh bridge - decide what you will take off, and then go back again for said certificate.

I believe you will be well above the weights people have quoted.
Please update us all when you have had it measured.
our weighbridge charge £7.50
cheers
Paul

[C2 RIBS]

Andrew, I had my smaller Ribeye checked on its trailer with fuel and engine and it was 1880kg- that was a Ribeye 650 with double axle bunked trailer and Yam 150 four stroke with full fuel. I had no other extras on board at that time, hope this is a good indication for your new one.

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by C2 RIBS

Andrew, I had my smaller Ribeye checked on its trailer with fuel and engine and it was 1880kg- that was a Ribeye 650 with double axle bunked trailer and Yam 150 four stroke with full fuel. I had no other extras on board at that time, hope this is a good indication for your new one.

This guy still has another 500kg of towing capacity to play with.

[Jim Robinson]

Thought i would share some rather surprising info i came across last week.
We have been towing Shearwaters around the country with a L200 4x4 pick up for the last four years without problem, unfortunately the big end went on the way back from Devon recently, so we have just changed for an 03 Ford ranger 4x4. I prepared a info sheet to leave in the cab for the drivers.
I went onto the ford web site and found the following from memory)
Kerb weight 1775kg ( truck empty, full tank and fluids no driver passengers)
Towing 750 kg unbraked ,2800kg braked - (100 kg more then the L200)
gross vehicle mass 5650kg ( weight of total maximum load on the truck: IE Kerb weight, driver, passenger, load in the truck and any towed weight.
But the towed weight cant be more than the weight of the towing vehicle.
EG: Our Shearwaters are approximately 2400kg on the trailer all up, so kerb weight of the Ford Ranger 1775kg driver 100kg? 1885kg which means we will have to add 515 kg into the back of the pick up to make it equal to the weight of the shearwater ( up to the GVM). The recommended towing weight is 85% of the towing vehicle. I have checked this applies to all vehicles !!. if we had of crashed our insurance would have been void.

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by Jim Robinson

But the towed weight cant be more than the weight of the towing vehicle.

Where is that documented or defined?

Originally Posted by Jim Robinson

The recommended towing weight is 85% of the towing vehicle. I have checked this applies to all vehicles !!. if we had of crashed our insurance would have been void.

Recommended by whom? This cannot apply to all vehicles.... think about it!

[codprawn]

"recommended" is the key word!!!

An articulated lorry would be in serious trouble if it could only tow 85% of the tractor unit's weight!!!

A landrover can tow 3500kgs legally - a 90 weighs 1880 kgs - it's gross weight is 2550kgs - going by the 85% rule that is only 1500kgs!!!

[Jono]

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehi...ntsfortrailers

..and of interest for those who tow with "commercial" vehicles and aren't aware..this one too...

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety...vanspeedlimits

..and those who tow boats in connection with any employment/trade..

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/freight/ro...hoursgoods.pdf

[bedajim]

Originally Posted by Jono

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehi...ntsfortrailers

..and of interest for those who tow with "commercial" vehicles and aren't aware..this one too...

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety...vanspeedlimits

..and those who tow boats in connection with any employment/trade..

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/freight/ro...hoursgoods.pdf

Does that change if you have air brakes on the trailer?

The Nissan in the link has a 2600 kg towing limit normally but they are quoting a 3000kg payload or is it just down to the fithwheel towing
setup

http://www.easier.com/view/News/Moto...cle-50263.html

[Jono]

Originally Posted by bedajim

Does that change if you have air brakes on the trailer?

The Nissan in the link has a 2600 kg towing limit normally but they are quoting a 3000kg payload or is it just down to the fithwheel towing
setup

http://www.easier.com/view/News/Moto...cle-50263.html

Over run brakes are permitted ONLY up to 3,500KG after that the system must be directly coupled.

Don't have any knowledge of Nissan, but my Defender LR is 3,500 with over run and 4,000 with coupled brakes.

[C2 RIBS]

So if I have read it correctly your links show that my Hiace van has a lower national speed limit!!. (not even looking at towing speeds) Ahh

[Jono]

Originally Posted by C2 RIBS

So if I have read it correctly your links show that my Hiace van has a lower national speed limit!!. (not even looking at towing speeds) Ahh

for single and dual carriageways..not on motorways.

[codprawn]

I vaguely remembering hearing about this before for vans but didn't believe it.

"Whilst a car may travel at up to 60 mph on single carriageways and 70 mph on dual carriageways vans are only allowed to travel up to 50 mph on single carriageway roads and 60 mph on dual carriageway roads."

Does anyopne know if anyone has been booked for this stupid rule? What about speed cameras - do they flash at a different speed for vans and cars? I doubt it somehow.

I have NEVER heard of a van stopped for speeding - nor driven one - that has been because of this law.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Jono

for single and dual carriageways..not on motorways.

It doesn't actually say that in the link provided does it?

[Richard B]

Yep. My brother-in-law was stopped many years ago in his Morris van under this rule.

If I remember correctly, he cut windows in the side panels and fitted rear seats after the incident in an attmept to get "Alf" (yes the van had a name!) re-classified as a car because he was so cheesed off.

Did you also know that you should not attach any item to the roof without using a roof rack or crossways roof bars? A work colleague of mine was prosecuted for carrying an unsafe load because he attached a ladder directly to the longitudinal roof bars on a vehicle.

[m chappelow]

as i said in an earlier post you can only tow weight for weight with a braked trailer unless the towing vehicle is classified as a duel purporse one such as a landrover ,and not all 4x4 come intro this .with the van ruling i think the law was changed about 20 years ago as it was more to do with the road tax on private or commercial , was if the the body of van was car derived ,ie estate car with panels insted of windows,or a transit type van . and from what i remember trailers over 2 .5 tons have to have a pin coupling and not a ball one . on vehicle laws up to a few years ago you could drive certain hgv types on a normal car licence such as concrete pumps and telescopic platform trucks and even mobile cranes as they went heavy goods , ie were plant and dident carry goods ,