Weighed our 2003 26X today.

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Starscream
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by Starscream »

Yeah the Cherokee is a good looking tow beast, except I needed 7 or 8 passengers, which ruled out pickups and some other nice options.

Nissan Canada had a cash deal discount of $3,500 extra and the dealer threw in winter tires on rims and a 5 year warranty, while the Dodge dealers weren't willing to move much at all. I would have liked the new Durango, but not $8k liked. Actually with taxes and tires it was more like $10k extra, so Pathfinder it was.

Plus, did I mention Hatch Tent? ⛺
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Starscream
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by Starscream »

As I'm sitting here watching football (just watched a 97 yard Pittsburgh touchdown), I was curious and researched more 7 passenger tow vehicles' towing capacities. Separated them into sort-of affordable in comparison with the lower section which are bigger $. Still waiting for the Pathfinder we have on order to show up at the dealer. Looking at the numbers just reinforces my thinking that the Pathfinder was our only real option. Despite the "meh" styling, it's the only 7-passenger that's (kind of) affordable and can legitimately tow a loaded X.


Vehicle Towing Capacity
Nissan Pathfinder 6000
Volkswagen Atlas 5000
Mazda CX 9 3500
Honda Pilot 5000
Chevrolet Traverse 5000
GMC Acadia 4000
Ford Explorer 5000
Dodge Durango 6200 (or 8600 w/the 6.4L V8)
Toyota Highlander 5000
Hyundai Santa Fe 5000
Subaru Ascent 5000
Toyota 4Runner 5000
Volvo XC90 5000
Mitsubishi Outlander 3500
Kia Sorento 5000
Buick Enclave 5000


Audi Q7 7,700
Ford Expedition 9000
Chevrolet Tahoe 8600
GMC Yukon 8100
Acura MDX 3500
Nissan Armada 8500
Infiniti QX80 8500 (same truck as Nissan)
Toyota Sequoia 7100
Plus some Range Rovers and Mercedes models...
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March
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by March »

The Pathfinder is indeed a good option. I used to trailer with a Cherokee, a Dodge Caravan, an Odyssey... etc, and the Pathfinder I've been using for the past 10 years takes the cake. Granted, the vans were more stable since they have a longer base, but the van engine power was marginal. Often enough I could see the temp needle creeping up when towing uphill. Never had that problem with the Pathfinder. The 4 x drive is useful when it comes to slippery ramps, the interior is roomy enough (and classy if you want to drive around while the boat is in the marina)

It even has a good cassette sound system (Bose)!

The poor Pathfinder is beginning to rust... even though the engine is still going as strong as ever. I am thinking of doing some body work myself instead of opting for another towing beast

I love my Pathfinder
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kurz
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by kurz »

I tow my :macm: with a VW Sharan, guess you don't buy it in USA?

Image

It has 150HP, just front WD, and Diesel engine 2L. And guess what? It tows so well... like perfect. It has 2200kg towing weight, so it's just ok.
And even at the ramp it worked fine. And in the rest of the year, so 99.9% of the time, its a very comfortable family car with very very much space, and 7 seats if you want.

If one day the wheels will not have enough grip at the ramp I will put a trailer hitch in front of the car, like this you have much more weight on the front wheels...

Image
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Starscream
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by Starscream »

March wrote: The poor Pathfinder is beginning to rust... even though the engine is still going as strong as ever. I am thinking of doing some body work myself instead of opting for another towing beast
My uncle bought a 1st gen pathfinder in 1988 and I bought it from him in 2002. We drove it for years until it finally rusted out with 404,000km on the odometer. That was a great vehicle with true off-road capability. We still miss it. Your pathfinder, being 10 years old, must be what I call the last "cool" pathfinder...with the boxy, tough look. Now the styling just fades into everything else and I find it has no character at all, and with only just over 7" of ground clearance it's unlikely to ever go far off the concrete. But you're right, it's one of the only SUV's with a 4x4 Lock mode, which was another big plus for the Pathfinder in our decision making process. It's one of those things that normal drivers will never need and boat drivers might only need a couple of times in the life of the vehicle, but but when it's actually needed its very nice to have. Kind of like a life preserver: you never need 4x4 Lock unless you REALLY, REALLY need it. We have launched from a sandy beach a few times with the Durango and without that 4x4 Lock mode, the boat and the trailer would still be there on the beach, I think.
kurz wrote:I tow my :macm: with a VW Sharan, guess you don't buy it in USA?
Nope, nor here in Canada. Here VW doesn't play in the minivan market anymore, although they used to sell an exact copy of the Dodge Caravan, like an EXACT copy, just more expensive, with the Dodge body and a VW engine if I recall correctly. It was called the VW Routan and was rated to tow 3,600 lbs.

The towing figures you give for the Sharan are exactly why we had to buy a Pathfinder. 2,200kg is 4,850lbs, and that's technically not enough to tow a loaded X. It would be interesting to see the loaded weight of an M, but I just couldn't risk getting caught towing a 5,100 lb boat (most likely real weight for my X, based on the O.P.'s measurements) with a vehicle rated for 5,000 lbs. The legal implications are staggering, especially when we tow in the USA.
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kurz
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by kurz »

@starscream
when I weighted the :macm: on the dual axle trailer I got somewhat of 2150kg (these times I towed with a 30 years old Mercees w124... that had 2100kg...)

So as the :macm: grows like we do... I guess it can stay now in 2250kg, that is ok for me. The trailer (factory alu with EU mods) has paper for 2500kg what is the most important for safety and papers.
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Starscream
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by Starscream »

kurz wrote:@starscream
when I weighted the :macm: on the dual axle trailer I got somewhat of 2150kg (these times I towed with a 30 years old Mercees w124... that had 2100kg...)

So as the :macm: grows like we do... I guess it can stay now in 2250kg, that is ok for me. The trailer (factory alu with EU mods) has paper for 2500kg what is the most important for safety and papers.
Interesting, thanks Kurz. So we are now getting real numbers for the X and the M:

Loaded X: 5,100 lbs including dual axle trailer
Loaded M: 4,740 lbs including dual axle trailer

I suspect that some X boats (@gazmn for example) are a lot heavier than that, and likely the majority are under, especially if towed empty of fluids.

I would have thought the M would be the heavier boat, with the lead ballast and all. Of course there are variances in terms of personal loading, but the numbers suggest the M is a slightly lighter boat overall even though we're working with only one data point. That kind of points to weight reduction as a cost savings measure when the models changed, but that's probably my suspicious mind.

A little caveat though: here in Canada the tow vehicle has to be rated for the LISTED trailer capacity. So if the trailer is rated at 2500kg and the tow vehicle is rated at 2250kg you would not be allowed to tow, regardless of the actual weight on the trailer. If you were stopped for inspection, you would be separated from your trailer immediately and required to come back to pick up the trailer with a vehicle that was appropriately rated...happened to a friend of mine right on the highway in Ontario, along with a hefty ticket.
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kurz
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by kurz »

Hi Starscream
Wow, I always thing we here in Switzerland have the most hardes laws to suffer on the road.

So with a car that can tow 2500kg you are not allowed to get an empty 3500kg trailer that only weghts 500kg? Sounds stuped?

But in my case I could downsize my trailer from 2500kg to just 2200kg in Canada, I guess?!
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Gazmn
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by Gazmn »

Fr. Starscream:
So we are now getting real numbers for the X and the M:

Loaded X: 5,100 lbs including dual axle trailer
Loaded M: 4,740 lbs including dual axle trailer

I suspect that some X boats (@gazmn for example) are a lot heavier than that, and likely the majority are under, especially if towed empty of fluids.
I’d guess Miss Ollie would come in ~ 5K lbs this year -Not including trailer. I ain’t proud - I put on a coupla’ pounds this year :o

& While I didn’t weigh either, my new aluminum tandem trailer is 30’ long, probably 1500 lbs & cost as much as Missy weighs :!: But is good for 6K lbs.

My old Tahoe is rated for 8700lbs. It’s still pulling strong. With hardly an an incident -‘xceptin that one time :|


Congrats on the new ride 8)
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NiceAft
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by NiceAft »

I have a 2011 Acadia to tow my 2005 M. It does it quite well. When we tow the Mac two hundred eighty miles (450 km) to the Adirondack mountains, the Acadia just keeps on going. Before the Acadia, we had a 2002 GMC Envoy. Again, no problems.

I tell you this so you don't get overly concerned about the towing weight. The original brochure for the X and M showed a Ford Taurus towing a Mac. If I remember correctly, at one time, Catigale used a VW Bus to tow his X.

Ray
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Gazmn
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by Gazmn »

Please excuse my following rant:

I Love driving my Chevys!... Or, at least I did :x

I drive & tow my toys with an old dependable Tahoe, & I recently bought a loaded 2017 Chevy Volt EV Hybrid, to ease my emissions, wallet & conscience. [Can’t forget the HOV lane solo access :wink: ] Great commuter with Lots of incentives & give backs. It’s the only auto I’ve EVER driven - that actually Gives me money back + savings, not just once, but Monthly :!:

I just heard that GM is discontinuing their under advertised wonder car The Volt, as collateral damage to the now defunct Chevy Cruze :| :x :x :evil:

This is not a back room rant. It’s related to us because I brag about my old tow monster Tahoe.
I’ve tacitly implied, buy a dated but faithful & reliable tow monster. Same mpg &tech+ less co$t. This is my second Chevy. My first was a short loved ‘97 1500 Turbo Diesel. But my Tahoe got legs & lungs!! & is cheaper /mpg & tow capacity than many new contenders/pretenders.
& personally, I was glad to ‘buy American’ & support the, still going on, “Comeback”... I feel betrayed & pray for the 14K to be soon laid off :cry:

We’ve bailed these clowns out & now I feel kicked in the nuts :!: :| :| ...

While I still hope things change for the better. I can’t help but feel we’ve been Took!...
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dlandersson
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by dlandersson »

Yeah, I tend to buy used tow beasts made in the USA too. It's sorta multi=purpose, got three rows of seatrs to haul the kids and thier friends. :)

Not real happy with GM moving jobs out of the US.
DownSouth
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by DownSouth »

And so the measured weights for a 26X or M make a mockery of the standard steel Mac trailer.......

It is likely to be overweight (illegal) on any real 26 out there, adding an axle of course makes things worse legally as you have just added more weight to the trailer and not increased its legal capacity (ie you have just loaded the two wheels, axle and springs to the cabin roof in effect - even though it may 'carry' the boat better).

We should all stop kidding ourselves the stock steel trailer is likely illegal in single or tandem form unless its capacity has been legally assessed again.

And to rub salt in the wounds here in Australia you can not have cable override breaks on a trailer/boat combination that weigh over 2000kg (4409lbs) so you need electric/hydraulic breaks with a breakaway system.

My original steel Mac trailer was rated at 1600kg - not even close in Australia.........Is the Al trailer any better?

Unless you have an empty boat and want to chance it :)

(let the abuse begin)
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kurz
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by kurz »

DownSouth wrote:s here in Australia you can not have cable override breaks on a trailer/boat combination that weigh over 2000kg (4409lbs) so you need electric/hydraulic breaks with a breakaway system.
Interesting. With the cable override breaks you have no breakaway system? Here in Europa every trailer with brakes have a brakeaway system. It is very cheap to make it with cable breaks...

Interesting rules...
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mallardjusted
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Re: Weighed our 2003 26X today.

Post by mallardjusted »

Starscream ........ "So we are now getting real numbers for the X and the M:
Loaded X: 5,100 lbs including dual axle trailer
Loaded M: 4,740 lbs including dual axle trailer

I suspect that some X boats (@gazmn for example) are a lot heavier than that, and likely the majority are under, especially if towed empty of fluids. I would have thought the M would be the heavier boat, with the lead ballast and all. Of course there are variances in terms of personal loading, but the numbers suggest the M is a slightly lighter boat overall even though we're working with only one data point."


The advertised dry weights of the X is 2350 lbs, and for the M 2550 lbs. So the M is just slightly heavier if loaded the same. I'm not sure if the "dry weights" include mast and sails?

My loaded 2001 X weight is about 4280 lbs. That is with a 70hp O/B, a 9.9 kicker, and a dual axle trailer. I don't have the mast and sails onboard, as I use my X only as a powerboat:

Tow weight
Boat weight, empty 2350 --- Trailer weight w/spare 990 --- motor (inc prop) 263 --- fuel (21.5 ga) + butane 140 --- kicker motor 94 --- water (9 ga) 75, generator 54 --- batteries (2) 54 --- portapotty w/water 15 --- microwave 20 --- food, ice, coolers, pop 50 --- clothing, bedding 40 --- plates/silverware/pots 15 --- Anchor & lines 30 ---tools, misc gear 90

Total, including trailer 4280
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