Can I safely tow a bobcat?

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:16 pm

I don't tow
but I don't think any discussion of towing is complete without Danoid's trailer

5600 lb trailer 1000 lb tongue weight
he recommend the Hensley Arrow weight distributing hitch and rear helper airbags
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=264263#p264263

Wobbly · **Posted:** Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:24 pm

The only "hitch" with the Hensley is its price: around $3k, due to its patent. Luckily I found one on Craigslist for $800 and dashed over to get it before other callers got there.

bebey · **Joined:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:08 pm **Posts:** 62

Whoa.... Just, wow.

truckbouy2 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:19 am

Tow it...? Easy.
Stop it in a hurry...? Good Luck :ROTFL:

dieseldoesit · **Posted:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:17 pm

truckbouy2 wrote:

Tow it...? Easy.
Stop it in a hurry...? Good Luck :ROTFL:

?? Isn't that what trailer breaks are for?

bigjimhardy · **Posted:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:41 pm

For what it's worth I have towed my old 642 Bobcat on a 1700# trailer for short distances with my stock 2006 CRD Sport. No problems so far???

bebey · **Joined:** Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:08 pm **Posts:** 62

Well, this weekend will be the test. I have the trailer all prepped, new trailer tires (load class E), trailer brakes, prodigy controller, weight distributing and anti-sway hitch, and an empty wallet after the trailer and bobcat purchase.

If I disappear for a few weeks, my preparations were a bust and I'm dead.

Otherwise, I'll be back with the word. I don't log on everyday so might take a few days.

onthehunt · **Posted:** Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:29 pm

It's been a couple of weeks.............

sota · **Joined:** Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:44 pm **Posts:** 379

guess he died...

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:07 pm

wasn't catastrophic enough to make the news......

(and he did a post about new seats about a week afterwards - so I think he's just ignoring us)

jdorris · **Posted:** Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:48 pm

Maybe when he tried to put the bobcat in the harness it ate him... :mrgreen:

europachris · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 9:45 am

bebey wrote:

I believe that a mostly neutrally centered weight distribution with a 'small' tongue weight is the most stable solution for towing. Bret

I'll agree with that. I pulled a 6x12 U-Haul utility trailer 350 miles on both 2 lane gently rolling road and flat interstate, loaded to almost 10,000# GCVW. I don't know what the tongue weight actually was, but the back end wasn't sagging much (on stock suspension). I have the factory hitch and the trailer had hydraulic surge brakes. I just took it easy and it towed beautifully - stable as a rock and I got a bit over 18mpg.

10% of full tow rating (i.e. 500#) is a LOT of weight sitting on the very back end of such a short vehicle. Furthermore, the back suspension isn't exactly set up to handle loads like a pickup truck. I believe that as long as the weight distribution of the trailer is such that tongue weight is always positive (down) under all driving conditions the trailer will tow properly. Unloading the tongue is bad, and I think overloading it is worse.

onthehunt · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:47 am

I'm sure it towed like a dream.

geordi · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:58 pm

I'm not sure if that was meant as sarcasm or not OnTheHunt, but I'm taking it as not sarcasm. The towing power of these little tractors continues to amaze me, and befuddle the "Ya gots ta have a deezul pikup truk ta tow" crowd.

The mindset in this country that proper towing can only be done with a 25' long enormous V8 diesel truck that has gearing so short that it gets less mileage UNLOADED... Is just wrong. I think the guys on Top Gear said it the best though: How is it that a country can get so LITTLE power out of such BIG engines?

Granted that they were talking about v8 gas engines and horsepower, but the question is the same. If our little 2.8 liter 4-banger diesel can move 11,000 combined and get 18-19mpg doing it on the highway... What is the ACTUAL capability of something like a powerstroke V8? More precisely... Whose head would explode if they shoved our engine into an F-150, and PROVED that it STILL HAD THE SAME CAPABILITIES as the crap gas engine?

Detroit obviously has infected the rest of the country with their lack of confidence in their design. Either that, or we just have FAR too many lawyers making everyone afraid. Probably both.

The envelope is meant to be pushed. Obviously, the Europeans haven't forgotten that like Detroit has. I wonder how they are going to solve this upcoming CAFE problem if they are so convinced that towing a small amount requires 600 lb-ft of torque and a 6000 lb truck.

papaindigo · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 3:26 pm

I've commented before. 1993 Dodge D250 12valve Cummins 160hp 400ft lbs torque; 1,200lbs engine weight counting the extra battery, actual 17-18 town and 22-24mpg hwy with the non-towing (3.73 or so) rear end and rated for 5,000 lbs towing with step bumper hitch. If I recall it would tow 10,000 lbs with a frame hitch. Our CRDs 160hp 300 ft lbs torque pre-F37 (260 post) from a just under 500 lbs engine; BUT GDE tune figures Eco 180/318; full torque 183/333; Hot 195/360; and with their turbo 215/395; actual 22-24 town and 30-34mpg hwy with EcoTune and rated for 5,000 lbs towing (more accurate Europe rating 7,000).

Of course the 2.8 would fit in any "150" series truck (e.g. 1/2 ton) and provide nearly the performance of my old 1993 3/5 ton with better mpg in a lighter vehicle and those of us that work on engines could probably square dance in the leftover room in the engine bay.

And the best Ford can do is the silly Eco-Boost gasser for a "150" series truck that just manages to get mpg equal to my old 1993. That's pathetic.

Now trying to sell those truck buyers on a 4 cylinder engine and a diesel at that would be a challenge.

onthehunt · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:22 pm

I do not question the ability of the engine.

I question the light duty coil springs and brakes,unibody construction, and very short wheelbase. Not exactly your ideal tow vehicle. There is more to tow ratings than power. Bigger springs,brakes,axles ect. I didn't notice the original poster coming back and braging about how he proved us wrong and it towed like a dream. I'll stand by my previous post.
Can you tow it? YES
Can you tow it safely? NO

sota · **Joined:** Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:44 pm **Posts:** 379

bigger springs: only if you're going really heavy on the tongue.
brakes: so put on some better heavy duty pads. it's not a bad idea anyways.
axles: you do know that the rear in the liberty is the same as in the durango, right? and depending on the engine and rear ratio it could tow anywhere from 5900# to over 8950#

also it's more of a uni-frame construction than uni-body... so closer to a body-on-frame type construction.

as for the short wheelbase comment... that's far more a matter of choice and comfort than anything else. look at the big over-the-road trucks. they have VERY short wheelbases for the tractor as compared to the trailer.

jinstall · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 9:33 pm

Thank you for the short WB comment. Oh and in Europe the big trucks have even shorter WB for manuverability. Most have only single rear axles.

boilermaker2 · **Posted:** Thu Aug 18, 2011 9:59 pm

Where is he. We must know...

??????????? :dead:

????????????

onthehunt · **Posted:** Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:33 am

bigger springs: only if you're going really heavy on the tongue.
He is, no matter how he loads it.

brakes: so put on some better heavy duty pads. it's not a bad idea anyways.
I guess the only difference between the brakes on a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton are the"Heavy Duty" pads??

axles: you do know that the rear in the liberty is the same as in the durango, right? and depending on the engine and rear ratio it could tow anywhere from 5900# to over 8950#
Same as the brakes...

also it's more of a uni-frame construction than uni-body... so closer to a body-on-frame type construction.
Not really. It's stronger than uni-body but formed sheet metal does not equal a frame.

as for the short wheelbase comment... that's far more a matter of choice and comfort than anything else. look at the big over-the-road trucks. they have VERY short wheelbases for the tractor as compared to the trailer
It is a matter of choice and comfort. You forgot common sense but so did the original poster. As for comparing semi's to CRD's, I won't go there.

Can I safely tow a bobcat?

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