bearnupe1 Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 I am about to put a hitch on my 98 Concours with 135K to tow a small boat weighing 2000 total pounds with it fully loaded. I have a few questions???? will I have any problems at the ramp? Can I get up the ramp when the boat is on the trailer? any prep I should do before I tow? Any other advice, I have never towed anything with this car???? Thanks Bear Nupe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fred Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 I'd also like to know more about why the Northstar is so limited when it comes to towing.. it is limited to 2000lbs or 1000lbs? I don't think it is because of the motor so I'd like to know how you would go about modifying the "frame" to haul more. MerryChristmas Be a Capitalist or work for one. Work for a Capitalist or be one. MerryChristmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 I think the limit on towing with Cadillacs has to do with the transmission cooling. The tranny temperature and fluid life indicator are monitored by the PCM but I don't know how to display these without an expensive OBD II reader and terminal. I would consider a beater for boat-towing duties. An older van can be cleaned up and detailed, look quite nice next to the Caddy, and provide lots of other hauling and people-carrying advantages when going somewhere with the boat -- and be rated to tow a lot of weight. You can park the van outside if you don't have garage space. -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fred Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 So you're saying that perhaps if one would upgrade to a better transmission cooler it would be possible to tow more? MerryChristmas Be a Capitalist or work for one. Work for a Capitalist or be one. MerryChristmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 I am about to put a hitch on my 98 Concours with 135K to tow a small boat weighing 2000 total pounds with it fully loaded. I have a few questions???? will I have any problems at the ramp? Can I get up the ramp when the boat is on the trailer? any prep I should do before I tow? Any other advice, I have never towed anything with this car???? Thanks Bear Nupe. You can expect traction control to be your friend on a wet launching ramp. Stay within the trailer weight limit in your Owner's Manual and the GCVW displayed on the driver's door. You cannot load the car with 5 people at the same time you have 200 pounds of tongue weight without exceeding the GCVW. Pay attention to tire pressure also. On the road, keep the gear selector in 3 at all times to help prevent excessive heat build up in the transmission fluid. And monitor the XX% TRANS FLUID LIFE display (temperature driven count-down). Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick7997 Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 Be very careful of slimy slippery boat launch ramps.... particularly anywhere below the waterline.... I almost cracked my skull open, slipping and falling on one of those darn things... I tend to agree with Jim's 97 ETC... a 98 Blazer LT (loaded) can be had for around $6000.... a 98 Tahoe LT can be had for around $8000..... When you tear up your sweet Cadillac trying to tow with it, the repair bills could be that big...... full size van prices really vary, but 98 used conversion vans are in the 7 to 8 ballpark..... stripped ones are less..... I personally like the idea of a 4x4, because you can pretty much forget about being stuck, or of not getting the boat back up the ramp....and you have some ground clearance, too, which is real nice in mud or snow..... This spring, my buddy went to launch his boat... I was there for moral support and beer drinking assistance! Anyway, He's got his sweet Yukon backed so far down, the FRONT wheels are halfway submerged before the boat was in deep enough water to launch.... the ramp had a really gradual slope. I mean, you're gonna try that with your sweet Deville, or Seville??? I wouldn't. I wouldn't try that with YOUR Seville, let alone mine... unless I had a tow truck right there, standing by.... Obviously, the Yukon pulls itself out of the lake no problem.... sometimes it's nice to have the right tool for the right job.... And of course, this post would not be complete without this bit of wisdom: the 2 happiest days in a man's life are the day he buys his new boat, and the day he sells his boat.... they can be a real pain in the *smurf*.... a Harley Davidson Motorcycle does not need launching, or a slip, or any of that. It just needs to be rolled out of the garage and enjoyed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 the 2 happiest days in a man's life are the day he buys his new boat, and the day he sells his boat.... they can be a real pain in the *smurf*.... Here, Here! I couldn't agree more. Although my kids are now trying to con me into another one. They want one of those little mini 4 seat Seadoo jet boats. I would change (not flush) the tranny fluid in whichever vehicle you use to trailor a boat. After launching your boat, I would try to get your brakes warm to evaporate the water from your brake rotors. My mother just bought an Explorer that was used to trailor a boat, I could tell because her rear rotors were pitted all to heck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 So you're saying that perhaps if one would upgrade to a better transmission cooler it would be possible to tow more? Fred: That may seem to be a reasonable inferrence. What I said was I think the limit on towing with Cadillacs has to do with the transmission cooling.I think it's a bad idea to use a luxury car or sport sedan for towing; a backpack and hiking boots don't go well with the Armani suit, and the hiking experience will likely ruin the suit. Speaking less allegorically, I would go by the owner's manual. Mods like a different transmission cooler may or may not be a good idea. The radiator tank heat exchanger stresses the radiator in return for really good temperature control of the transmission fluid: it heats to near 200 F quickly with the engine heat, and it doesn't get much above that. If you somehow substitute or add a low temperature cooler so that the return line to the transmission runs, say, 40 F cooler, then you might think that the transmission could handle a lot more towing load. This may or may not be true (what about the fluid temperature coming out of the transmission being 40 F higher...), and I would not run that experiment on my car. Your best bet would be to talk to people who have some experience based on going through several expendable cars and developing something that they know works through a reasonable amount of experience. You might have a hard time finding somebody who tries to make a heavy towing machine out of a Cadillac when experienced Suburbans, Tahoes and Trailblazers are there waiting to do the job at a fraction of the cost. -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 If you do decide to tow with your Cadillac, make sure to install an auxiliary transmission oil cooler. What does your owner's manual state on the towing capacity of your '98 Concours? Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearnupe1 Posted September 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 I don't have any room to have a second car so I will have to use the Caddy. I am planning on getting a new car next year and it may be a SRX, or Torrent or Murano or pacifica. Thanks for he advise. Bear Nupe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve6 Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 I tend to agree with Jim's 97 ETC... a 98 Blazer LT (loaded) can be had for around $6000.... a 98 Tahoe LT can be had for around $8000..... When you tear up your sweet Cadillac trying to tow with it, the repair bills could be that big...... full size van prices really vary, but 98 used conversion vans are in the 7 to 8 ballpark..... stripped ones are less..... For some this is easy to do , but in some places Insurance will be a nightmare for this, expecially if they make you insure it all year, it just seems like a waste of money. You have to waste money on plate stickers every year, and maintence for that car. And if he really had 6000$ to spend on a second car to just sit there for this soul purpose, he can just use his current car and if anything major does go wrong, buy another 98 concour! They really arnt worth much more than that with the miles he has. Most ramps you dont have to deal with launching issues, most are at good angles. Its nice these caddy's being FWD for the handling for towing... and getting up boat launches I have a 99 sts, and I have towed boats ( 16 footer with 70 hp evenrude ), I dont know how heavy it was but it didnt have any issue at all. I have also towed snowmobiles and other cars for long distances(one car was about 3100 pounds). The car really should have no issue with it, if its for long distances just dont push it. The obvious still applies, if the launch is all sand for example, well of course you might have issues, -steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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