Front-Wheel Drive and Boat Towing
A buddy of mine was nosing around the Auto Trader the day looking for a used SUV to replace his older beater. He's got a ship, so that he definitely looked for something that would pull it but he didn't need a full-sized SUV. He was really interested in a 2011 Explorer because it has a score and fits the needs of his family with its third-row chairs.
I told him the ideal way to check at this is from the numbers. His ship weighs perhaps somewhat more once the ship was constructed due to the engine, which was not accessible. Depending Insert into a dual-axle preview and on what it's made of, he is likely towing at least 3,750 to 4,000 lbs.
As a guideline, I always suggest getting about 1,500 pounds of capability so that you're not asking everything of your vehicle each time you tow . But there is a million pounds a buffer that is decent, which means that ought to be OK.
His concern was that the 2011 Explorer is front-wheel drive. He wondered if it could pull his boat up a ramp. The answer is that it likely will not have much trouble doing this with all the tongue weight unloading the drive wheels, which generally will be on the slippery segments that arrive with changes rather on the section of the launch ramp.
That said, I generally like rear-wheel drive over a transverse-mounted front-wheel push V6 and a longitudinal engine mounting. The tongue weight will help out with grip instead of diminish it, as can happen with front-wheel drive Whenever you have the trailer hooked up to a rear-wheel-drive vehicle.
I told my friend he may want to think about the Jeep Grand Cherokee -- other vehicles, too, the Toyota 4Runner, or VW's Touareg, all which feature motors and available four- or all-wheel drive. The 4Runner has a towing capacity comparable to the Explorer, along with the Grand and Touareg Cherokee have more.
That is the thing about owning a boat--it affects your life that is automotive . Sure, you may pull a boat but do you really want to?
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