Towing Track Car Behind Ba?

[No Crust Racing]

I know many of you tow your track cars to events and I was considering towing my S13 down to DECA in a few weeks just in case something goes wrong with it and I'm stuck 2hrs from home (the car is road reg'd but will have semi's on it and is starting to look a little track only)

Thing is, I'm not sure if I should risk it. My BA has a 1600kg tow pack (with an Auto) and the trailer weight plus the car would be closer to 1900kg's plus me, the missus, and some tools and so forth all on board. The car trailer in question is braked.

What are other peoples thoughts on this?

Dave I know you tow that datto behind a BA fairmont too but I didn't know if you had the 2300kg pack or not + the datto is a fair bit lighter than my Sil.

Cheers

[racin8]

If the trailer has brakes and it is duel axel....you should have no problems at all. Just be gentle with the auto box ie :avoid kickdown

[No Crust Racing]

is this from personal experience or a guess?

Yep dual axle and braked. Hand book says to stay in third and I have the most gentle right foot ever when I'm in my daily.

[adznight]

You'll be fine I tow with my EL or whatever the thing is. That sort of weight difference would be negligible I believe.

[racin8]

Experience... 4wd style 10's of 1000's of towing km's in different vehicles with different weighted boats over different terrain. And the big no no ..using tow balls and bars to snatch recover vehicles oooops.. did i admit that.

It is not recommended and the manufacturer will not compensate you for any loss but in my experience you should have no problems at all as all these products are over engineered to avoid warranty claims etc..

Obviously you should pre check you tow bar attachments before you leave and ensure that the bolts to the chassis have no play in them.

Just keep in mind that what you are asking of the equipment and drive accordingly.

Lastly, maybe consider putting your missus up front in the BA with you instead of in the trailer etc...then that weight is not added on to the tow weight

[Phatboy]

Lastly, maybe consider putting your missus up front in the BA with you instead of in the trailer etc...then that weight is not added on to the tow weight

Better yet, leave her at home

[No Crust Racing]

Adz: did/does it have any special gear? Heavy duty tow pack or trans cooler?

racin8: yeah fair point about the weight diff, just dont wanna stuff the BA, those boxes aren't cheap =\

racin8 and Phatboy: hah ok ok you know I meant she'll be up front with me, just saying there will be more weight for the car to lug around

Anyone else wanna wade in on this?

[adznight]

No special tow gear on mine, just a tow ball I've used a double axel quite a few times to tow my C110's and not had any issues that I'm aware of. It's only the take off that's going to put strain on your car and for the most part of the drive you'll be sitting on 100-110 with no lights.

[No Crust Racing]

Any idea what your C110 + trailer weighs?

[Swiper the Fox]

We used to tow the race GTR to Sydney with our BA wagon...no dramas.

[No Crust Racing]

Aren't BA wagons leaf springs out back though?

[racin8]

If it is dual axle I cant imagine that there is much ball weight and thus leaf or coil should not make much difference. Not on tarmac anyway.

[adznight]

Any idea what your C110 + trailer weighs?

Nah the trailer was a huge one from Mobil hire and the C110 is at last 1000kg. Sorry I can't be more specific.

[No Crust Racing]

Right o guys, appreciate the input.

I think I might give it a go this time and see how the BA handles it.

I tend to play things safe so I like to at least have some idea of the risks etc.

I know that doesn't rule out the box breaking or something going wrong but at least I've done some ground work. Had the aut oserviced recently and the guy said it was in good nick so that's a good start.

Will check the tow pack component bolts as suggested also.

If you guys are heading to deca I'll see you there I'll be the guy nervously driving the BA Fairmont into town with the slow s13 on the back

[racin8]

Good luck and Dont let the stress ruin your weekend ......and by the third tow trip you will feel comfortable that the setup will cope.

[Ruffels]

i have on several occasions used my brothers AU falcon 4.0L with std tow pack to tow my S12 Gazelle and dual axle car trailor.

it's fine, but perhalps invest in a trans cooler if your car isnt fitted with one already!

[tets]

last time to winton i had mine towed up with a ba ute.

should be fine.

we had to roll the guards a bit while it was all hooked up because it was lowered and had 18x10 +20 vs-xx on it.

but then most of you guys wouldnt have that problem.

LOL jdm ute ftw.

[THR34T]

my mate tows with her VK 6cyl commodore lol. -100kw loss

[R31Nismoid]

Given the brakes and so on with the VK - IMO that's rather dangerous.

[dave1200]

Sorry I missed this for so long Dan.

Yeah the BA tows no worries. At a guess I'd say my Datto would be ~200kg lighter than the S13 but that's stuff all really. I've only got the 1600kg tow bar as well. I give the towbar and associated bits a once over ever time a use it which I know you'd do anyway.

You just need to give some thought how you position the car on the trailer, the trailer can pretty much take the entire weight of the car if you balance it right in the middle but they tend to tow better if you put a bit more weight on the back of the tow car. Towing cars is stressful business, you spend your entire trip checking mirrors and trailer tyres or loose tie downs etc. You'll be fine though.