911 as a tow vehicle??

[SC-targa]

I remember a few months back there was a tempest in a teapot when someone asked about using their 911 as a tow vehicle.

Here's a page out of a 1983 911SC ROW owners manual. The Porsche owners manual clearly states that the max towing capacity of the ROW 911SC is 5071 pounds and is acceptable up to a 16% grade if a Porsche towing hitch is used.

That seems like rather a lot, but Porsche said it, not me.



Regards,

Jerry Kroeger

[JP911]

Interesting. Thanks for posting this. So I wonder where one would find an original Porsche hitch? It would at least be helpful to see the design and where it attached to the car.

[charleskieffner]

ask u-haul or penske to whip a hitch up for y'all! LOL! a "CAL-CUSTOM" one! LOL!

[Rick964]

I think the Permissible Towed weight actually means combined vehicle and trailer weight. They show Total Permssible-weight at 3307 for the car and Max. trailer weight with brakes at 1764 -- 3307 + 1764 = 5071.

[lateapex911]

Ohhh boy, here we go again!

What if the trailer had a wing???

[charleskieffner]

i was taught right here on pelican that "bolt on bumper hitches" are SAFE! and you should NEVER WORRY about any damage or UNSAFE TRAILERING!

but please tell me in precise words with 8x10 glossy's just WHAT REALLY HAPPENED when your trailer has a flat at 75MPH. or a bearing fails, or a semi blows by @ mach speed and starts trailer whipping, or you hit road debris etc.

this is why u-haul and penske both have an employee who does nothing all day but build models TO SCALE, to EXACTLY REPLICATE YOUR ACCIDENT IN COURT WHEN YOU TRY AND SUE THEM!

dioramas w/little street signs, crosswalks, traffic lights, bridges, railroad crossings, yellow or white lane stripes, lil telephone poles, fire hydrants, skid marks, ambulances w/bodies on gurneys, cop cars, fire trucks, AND ONE MANGLED PORSCHE 911 THE EXACT COLOR OF THE ONE YOU USED TO OWN, ALL WADDED UP, with a mangled trailer................not attached!

i personally think, that the ONLY PERSON WITH HUEVOS BIG ENOUGH TO TEST THIS THEORY IS MALIBU BOY(execmalibu), since he is a stunt man and is a lawyer!

im sure that he has blown 930 turbos doors in, while towing a trailer with a BUMPER HITCH on numerous occasions!

and off course malibu boy would have an original special modified only for him, 917 WING on both the 911 and the trailer!


of course after learning on pelican that IT IS OK to trailer with a bumper hitch attached to a 911, i am not content with that. instead of trailering w/my 20 year old p-car. I WOULD BE MUCH HAPPIER-COOLER-AND SAFER TOWING WITH A 1957 CABRIOLET!


you guys who want to trailer w/your 911, should someday drive a semi w/a 40ft trailer, or maybe a duallie w/a 36ft toy hauler, and tell all of us here ALL ABOUT TRAILERING!

once again this IS THE PLACE TO LMFAO!

check list........

1)work station seat belt on

2)no coffee in reach

3) towel to clean puter screen

4)u-haul/penske guide to safe trailering

5) big sandwich(i'll be here all day-laughing)

6) pencil/paper to make blueprints for the "ULTIMATE PORSCHE" bumper hitch.

7) jay leno/conan/seinfeld so they can gleam new jokes for all of next years shows.

8)lear jet/cessna citation/ or pilatus(STOL) so i can be johnny on the spot at the wrecking yard if yours is an 1987 911(spare engine/trannies are cool!)

9)tool kit to bring on plane

10) TISSUES SO I CAN WIPE MY EYES FROM CRYING because I AM LAUGHING SO HARD!

[Nostril Cheese]

I saw a guy with a RS clone towing a small parts trailer on the 101 in the valley once...

[JP911]

I sense that you have an opinion on this subject Charles (call me clairvoyant). I'm toying with the idea of using a small trailer to haul track wheels. If done right, the loaded trailer would be at or under 250 lbs. I'm no expert, so I'm looking for thoughts on the subject. Do you think I'll die in a bloody ball of fire with such a small load? Seriously, I'd like to hear your opinion on a small, light trailer behind a 911.

[defcon65]

Slow day at the office. I'm subscribing. Back to you, Charles.

[Joe Bob]

[charleskieffner]

Originally posted by JP911
I sense that you have an opinion on this subject Charles (call me clairvoyant). I'm toying with the idea of using a small trailer to haul track wheels. If done right, the loaded trailer would be at or under 250 lbs. I'm no expert, so I'm looking for thoughts on the subject. Do you think I'll die in a bloody ball of fire with such a small load? Seriously, I'd like to hear your opinion on a small, light trailer behind a 911.

honestly i would NEVER TOW ANYTHING WITH MY 911, LET ALONE PUT A BUMPER HITCH ON ANYTHING I OWN.......EVER! if you want to tow something buy something that offers a towing package ie. receiver bolted (grade 8's)minimum of 3 places on each side preferably 5 places and then welded! a one piece threaded ball w/lock washer and nut then airgunned in place.

i have been told for some of my past comments by the grand wazoo that i was "OUT OF LINE". but i have been called worse and that didnt stop me either.

now where will you mount your receiver on a 911?

a ha........no place to mount!

then we go to plan b. bumper hitch. and how will that mount? on your bumper. in how many places?

a vw thing that is in the stable has a bumper hitch, it was used to tow 2 dirt bikes................until it tore itself off of bumper. then it was reengineered/welded by mr lincoln himself..........and lo and behold was torn off again. with just a bike trailer! now granted the drivers(plural) drove like an idiot, it was combined dirt and street driving.

but the fact remains with "backplating" the bolts you have no meat to ensure the bolts will not tear out. now dont ferget you were a safe kind of trailer guy and hooked up both your safety chains. in the event of any problem, what do you have???????

have seen wayyyyyyyyyyy too many "bumper hitches" fail in my time. and yes i did work for u-haul, and yes i installed hitches. and yes i know the past owners and present owners of u-haul personally. please for giggles, place a call to either mike dilgard at u-haul tech/tempe, az. or better yet get ahold of mark shoen or joe shoen. 12th floor u-haul tower on roanoke ave and central phx. az. ask them how brilliant towing a trailer is with a 911. they own the damn place!

my suggestion..........save up your bucks like i had to, buy a duallie(pick flavor/engine) and a sloan trailer. you will not even know its behind you.

i dont give a rats A$$ what anyone says. the 911 was NEVER DESIGNED TO TOW! it was an add on, after thought(afterbirth) to add market share. "hans the salesmen tells johnny that you can even tow with it"! sure you can stay within weight limits, sure you can do the speed limit, sure you can take every precaution known to man. but when that bumper hitch comes loose or trailer starts whipping...............YOU GOT THE TIGER BY THE TAIL! and i will be the vulture hovering looking for useable parts!

but the bottom line..............if you have to tow w/your 911..................WHY DID YOU BUY A SPORTS CAR IN THE FIRST PLACE!

[Rot 911]

I once towed something with my 911 and I died.

[defcon65]

Originally posted by Kurt V
I once towed something with my 911 and I died.

Oh, the jocularity!


Let's talk Cool Collars.

[dreeves]

Originally posted by SC-targa
[B]I remember a few months back there was a tempest in a teapot when someone asked about using their 911 as a tow vehicle.

Here's a page out of a 1983 911SC ROW owners manual. The Porsche owners manual clearly states that the max towing capacity of the ROW 911SC is 5071 pounds and is acceptable up to a 16% grade if a Porsche towing hitch is used.

No way. That refers to the total weight of the trailer and everything in the porsche. You'll find the tow capacity under max trailer weight.

A 250lb track trailer should be no problem; but the one thing you should be aware of is that when the trailer is attached, it's nearly impossible to back up without the trailer jacknifing. You really just have to get out, detach the trailer and move it around by hand.

I will say that the europeans seem much more adventurous than we are with regards to tow vehicles, though. The rated tow limits there are often much higher than for the same vehicle in the US.

my favorite tow vehicle photo:

[kühn tune]

My 2nd 912 came with a trailer hitch but I never used it. I have seen people tow those little tire trailers to track events behind 911s. In Europe, they tow little travel trailers behind all means of tiny saloons smaller than a 911 and certainly less powerful. I have towed small trailers and other cars behind VW bettles. It may look country as hell, but I can't see any reason it wouldn't work.

[jorian]

Jon,

I see no issue with 250# trailer. Porsche is a robust platform, known for its brakes and it says so in the manual. There will always be people who say the sky is falling and that is their right. I say go for it and report back to us on how you pulled it off.

[Jay Auskin]

Originally posted by mikez

mikez--where does the hitch hook up to? Engine mount? I was thinking of fabricating something for towing gear to the track. I'd much rather just copy something where another guy did all the work.

[air-cool-me]

I dont feel the need to blast around in a f350 long bed just to tow somthing 1000lbs....

i guess thats un american???

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

People tow things with 911s in Europe all the time. It's routine. I grew up on a farm. Learning to back up a trailer without jackknifing it was something you did when you were 12, but then people used to be able to parallel park, too.

[zotman72]

We have several guys pulling trailers with their rides. Here is one for an example. YMMV