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ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: bartolo92 on February 26, 2008, 03:30:15 PM

Title: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: bartolo92 on February 26, 2008, 03:30:15 PM
would it be possible to tow a 90 honda crx on a trailer with a my 92 tintop tracker or will this be toooo heavy?  ???
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: daddyizzle on February 26, 2008, 06:34:47 PM
What kind of a trailer (axle, weight etc.) and how far. Hills?

-Adam ;D
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Indy on February 26, 2008, 09:55:57 PM
It would be ridiculously unsafe.  The tracker has the same tow rating as an ATV.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Carnage on February 26, 2008, 10:09:35 PM
hmmm...

(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y24/jzap/P7040809.jpg)
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Rhinoman on February 27, 2008, 04:55:38 AM
It would be ridiculously unsafe.  The tracker has the same tow rating as an ATV.

I certainly wouldn't want to tow anything as heavy as a CRX for any distance, particularly if there are hills involved. Its not necessarily unsafe, the tow rating for the US seems to be much lower than for other parts of the world. However if its not legal then don't do it.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: beercheck on February 27, 2008, 07:24:12 AM
With my '96, I towed a 25' popup trailer with no worries at all, although I didn't have any mountains to go over.  Gotta plan ahead and take care, but the truck even rode better with the weight back there.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: locjaw on February 27, 2008, 07:48:59 AM
my formula would be this........ never tow something that weighs more than you, trailor included.

it isnt the "get it moving and stay moving safely" it more a " how do you expect something that was designed to stop 2000 lbs to be able stop 5000lbs at all !!!!"

the crv is gonna weigh maybe 3500 lbs the trailor should be at least 1000lbs(if it's not you shouldnt even think of putting the crv on it in the first place) so that is 4500 lbs, twice what your tracker weighs. it would be rediculous to think that the japs designed it to stop anything more than maybe 3500 lbs max(i wouldnt even think it would be 3500, but i'll go out on a limb)
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: ack on February 27, 2008, 03:22:28 PM
Locjaw pretty much nailed it on the head there...

The Tracker and Samurai are suitable for towing nothing more than a 1000 pound trailer - if that.  Trying to tow anything heavier would be flirting with disaster!

I went to the gravel yard last fall and had 1000 pounds of gravel placed on a 1000 pound capacity trailer for a total Gross Trailer Weight of about 1300 pounds. Towing it home on neighborhood streets with a 1.6-equipped Samurai was pretty danged scary!

When you consider that a CRX probably weighs in at 1800-2300 pounds and a trailer big enough to tow that load will weigh another 800-1200 pounds, you have a disaster in the making trying to tow that size load with a Tracker.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: jzap on February 27, 2008, 05:00:04 PM
The picture of the Tracker and camper that GEN-ERIX posted above is my rig.  The camper only weighs about 800 lbs and we carry about 150 lbs of gear in it.  It tows very well in the flatlands, and struggles a bit if there is much of an upgrade.  I would not consider towing anything heavier than this for any distance. 

Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Rhinoman on February 28, 2008, 04:58:32 AM
my formula would be this........ never tow something that weighs more than you, trailor included.

it isnt the "get it moving and stay moving safely" it more a " how do you expect something that was designed to stop 2000 lbs to be able stop 5000lbs at all !!!!"


I'd expect the trailer to have its own brakes, my handbook says 3197lbs max. for a braked trailer. In the UK any trailer rated over 750kg must be braked. I've towed an SJ410 on a fairly heavy trailer and the brakes were adequate, I didn't take it over 50mph though. That said I reckon that "never tow something that weighs more than you, trailor included" is a pretty good guideline.

Towing capacity of a Samurai is much lower than that of a Track/Kick.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: hillbilly2 on February 28, 2008, 07:58:22 PM
Another problem towing with a Zuk is their short wheel base, a heavy trailer or load will dictate pretty much where it wants to go, not you. Thats also why Jeeps are terrible tow vehicles and Suburbans are much better.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: bartolo92 on February 29, 2008, 10:28:20 AM
thanks guys! i kinda figured it out lol, i was checking my brakes yesterday for the first time, just by looking at the front disc's on the tracker, they are so thin!!! me and my buddys were laughing because the trackers disc brakes were the same size and thicknss of my crx rear disc's! that kinda sucks! but i guess i now know that towing my little crx is a no no!  8)
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: jzap on February 29, 2008, 04:11:14 PM
You might be able to put a hitch on the CRX and flat tow the Tracker on a towbar setup...
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: 94tracker on March 03, 2008, 07:50:14 PM
I have pictures of what can happen when you tow close to max. If I can ever figure out how to post them. End result one totalled 4runner and totalled 19' travel trailer. I had 6 stiches and whiplash really dang lucky.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Digger on March 03, 2008, 09:37:50 PM
(http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL72/842221/5455528/88528452.jpg)
(http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL72/842221/5455528/88528447.jpg)

I wouldn't do it regularly or for very long distances, but if it's a manual and you drive very carefully, it can be done...
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Carnage on March 04, 2008, 01:49:54 AM
The picture of the Tracker and camper that GEN-ERIX posted above is my rig.  The camper only weighs about 800 lbs and we carry about 150 lbs of gear in it.  It tows very well in the flatlands, and struggles a bit if there is much of an upgrade.  I would not consider towing anything heavier than this for any distance. 




yeah, i think that setup is awesome
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: sammy88 on March 05, 2008, 05:57:31 PM
I have a '88 tin top and I had to get my motorcycle down to the dealer in Olympia. Renting a van from U-haul for this was more than I wanted to spend again so I set the Samurai up for a trailer and rented one set up for motorcycles. I wish I knew how much it weighed but it seemed pretty stout. My bike weighs about 400lbs. wet. I was real worried about how sammy would handle it but all was well after I calmed down.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Indy on March 07, 2008, 08:17:41 PM
([url]http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL72/842221/5455528/88528452.jpg[/url])
([url]http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL72/842221/5455528/88528447.jpg[/url])

I wouldn't do it regularly or for very long distances, but if it's a manual and you drive very carefully, it can be done...


People play russian roulette and don't die.  Until that last game anyways.  No matter how careful you plan on being you have to assume that at some point something horrible is going to happen and you're going to kill someone if you start out with what you already know to be unsafe.  Do the tow 3 times and no incident doesn't make up for the 4th when the little kid steps out in front of you and you run her down.  As has been said above, tow ratings aren't set by what the vehicle can potentially move.  It's what it can control and stop.  If it were based on forward movement even the sammi would have the same rating as a 3/4 ton truck.

The MAX towing capacity according to edmonds is 1000lbs.  MY ATV HAS A HIGHER RATING.  Obviously not a highway tow, but the rating is there.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Digger on March 07, 2008, 11:59:51 PM
Like I said, I wouldn't do it regularly or for long distances...

At the time, Silver was the only thing I had that could tow the Goblin home and the sammy to the shop...
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Rhinoman on March 08, 2008, 07:09:43 AM
The MAX towing capacity according to edmonds is 1000lbs. 

Like I said before.. Suzuki state 3197lbs
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: jzap on March 08, 2008, 09:49:27 AM
The MAX towing capacity according to edmonds is 1000lbs. 

Like I said before.. Suzuki state 3197lbs

Rhinoman is in Europe, where tow ratings are not determined by the fear of LAWYERS...

Over here any fool can install a hitch, hook up a trailer to it and head out down the road (at least in Ohio).  My hitch and wiring for my camper are all off the shelf and home installed. 
 
Rhinoman, aren't towing rigs there more stringently controlled there than they are here?
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: phloop on March 08, 2008, 01:29:54 PM
Any Suzuki is a towed rig not a tow rig. The safest thing's you can tow are riding lawn mower's, bikes and the like on one of those light weight Home Depot fold up trailers.

If you want too tow, get something meant to tow with. I really don't care if you fold up your rig but when you endanger innocent people that is a different subject.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: jzap on March 08, 2008, 09:17:08 PM
Any Suzuki is a towed rig not a tow rig. The safest thing's you can tow are riding lawn mower's, bikes and the like on one of those light weight Home Depot fold up trailers.

If you want too tow, get something meant to tow with. I really don't care if you fold up your rig but when you endanger innocent people that is a different subject.

I know what you mean.  I was riding in a friend's J**p towing a trailer with a J**p body tub in it.  Not all that much weight, but we started down a hill, and the trailer tried to pass us.  He almost lost it.

So, I spent over a year looking for a camper that was within the tow rating of the Tracker.  We have put hundreds of miles on it without incident.  We have not had any problems with sway or instability, even with some really stiff crosswinds.

The Tracker can tow safely, but not the kinds of loads originally proposed in this thread. 
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Rhinoman on March 10, 2008, 05:55:46 AM
Rhinoman is in Europe, where tow ratings are not determined by the fear of LAWYERS...
Rhinoman, aren't towing rigs there more stringently controlled there than they are here?
We have lawyers over here as well but its EU Type Approval that really counts. Suzuki wouldn't be able to claim 3197lbs without proving it was safe.
The law here in the UK is that anything more than 750kgs must be braked. The laws get pretty complicated but as a general rule the max. legal towing weight is about 2/3 the weight of the vehicle. There aren't any regs on towing vehicles other than weights. Tow hitches must be type approved for the vehicle and carry an identification plate, they can be DIY installed. The law on towing changed a few years ago such that newly qualified drivers must take a further test to be allowed to tow anything.

How many of those people saying it isn't safe have actually towed any kind of weight with a Track/Kick. It seems that those of us that have have a different opinion to those that are just speculating. I should also point out that I did my heavy towing with a stock motor on road tyres. I think you'd have to be much more wary if you're lifted.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: phloop on March 10, 2008, 08:45:42 PM
Rhinoman, I think I can post my opinion as I have done a little towing with a sami before. Most with a small utility trailer that is in the weight range of the rig. I have yarded my car trailer around the house before and that thing will take control of the Sami in no time.

And if I want to tow something I will use the proper rig, which in my case is a DRW Dodge 3500.
Title: Re: 92 Tin Top, Can it tow?
Post by: Cuthulu on March 10, 2008, 08:54:29 PM
The MAX towing capacity according to edmonds is 1000lbs. 

Like I said before.. Suzuki state 3197lbs

My shop manual and my owners manual for my 94' tracker clearly state 1000Lbs max.  There is just no way to have control over weight that almost matchs if not exceeds your own unless it is built for towing.  Using the wrong tool in a pinch is one thing but this is a danger to others who had no sayso in your decision.