Anybody tow with a 4 banger 2024

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

You gotta do what you gotta do.

I am sick of being able to go fishing at the availability of my dad's truck. Especially in the spring when he does a lot of traveling. In the past it wasn't so bad because I was pretty busy with school and the only time I really had the time to go was on weekends, but this semester should be a pretty easy cake walk and I should have quite a bit of free time. So of course I would like to as much fishing as possible especially this spring.

So the last few weeks I have contemplated putting a hitch on my '92 Honda Accord. Now I know this is not the ideal tow vehicle, but it's what I have at the moment and I am only towing a utility trailer and two man boat. I estimate that the total weight of the "rig" is around 700 to 800 lbs with all the gear. I have found conflicting information on the internet and the towing capacity of my car is either 1000 or 1500 lbs so my "rig" should be with in the limits.

So, can this be done safely?? My lakes I fish are approximately 20 to 40 miles away on fairly flat ground. My biggest concern is the boat ramp.

Any tips??

My car is also a manual if that makes any difference.

Here's what I will be towing:

guest reply :

you'll be fine. Give yourself a lot of extra stopping room, and use your emergency brake. You may even want to add an external transmission cooler if its and automatic.

HPBB reply :

I don't think there will be a prob.

700-800 pounds that trailer must be heavy?

In high school. I pulled a 12 foot starcraft semi -V with a 6hp johnson and Minkota TM on it with a 1981 Chevy Chevette, 2 door 4 banger, 4 speed stick. It was great. some times I even put a 12 foot sears on the roof. 4 guys 2 boats in a Chevette. wow to be young again.

being a stick will help you in slowing down. If you don't aready, learn to down shift so the motor can help you slow down. Use the gears to your advantage

Since it is a stick. remember always leave your car in gear a use your e-brake on the ramp. don't leave it in nertual on the ramp. beleive me you don't find out the hard way. I had a S-10 pick up 4 banger 5 speed. the e-brake worked great foward, but sucked backward. the weight of the boat would make it roll back. last thing you want is you car going in the water. Your e-brake might work great, but on a car like that the added weight might be to much. here is a trick. cut a wheel chock out of some wood. a 4x4 works good. drill a hole through the side of it and tie a rope to it. Long enough for you to hold onto when in the drivers seat. Put it behind the drivers rear tire when on a ramp. when you start to pull up. pull the chock out and drag it. this way your trailer will not hit it.

Way2slow reply :

Check with the Honda dealer and see what the towing capacity is for your car. I wouild not try to tow in overdrive if automatic or 5th gear if manual and keep your speeds down to a reasonable 55 mph. I would think if you did that, you should be in good shape

samurai361 reply :

You should have no problems at all. Way back in the stone ages (actually it was the 80s) I had a Subaru Justy with a 3-banger and towed my 12' Jon/8hp Johnson and all the stuff all over NC. When I bought my Carolina Skiff (17' center console) 2 years ago, I towed it at first with my Suzuki Samurai, then I got 4 cyl S-10 pickup.

burleytog reply :

1. If you do have OD, do not use it.

2. Consider the brake system on the car. Can it handle an additional 750 lb. of weight?

3. Change your trans fluid and engine oil regularly.

Can it be done? Of course. I know a guy who regularly fishes a local lake. He has a 16' V-bottom with a 40 hp. OB. He pulls it with a Taurus. While traveling some rather mountainous terrain.

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

Thanks guys. I thought it would be alright, I just needed a little reassurance.

Now for the driving in OD???

My cars is a manual, so does that mean not driving in 5th gear on the highway (flat)?? I thought that was just for automatics because of the constant upshifting and downshifting??

BTW - HPBB, that's a good idea. I'll use that. That is the only thing I am real worried about with this whole thing.

Way2slow reply :

In automatic or manual transmissions, overdrive or 5th gear in strickly a cruising gear, they are not built to handle much load or stress. If you did break 5th in your Honda, it's easy enough to fix, just unbolts and bolt another on, only take a few minutes but will cost you approx $300 for the parts. It's much easier on the whole car to just stay out of fifth gear. Even many of your full size pickups with five speed manuals have a very limited towing capacity in 5th gear. Most just say don't tow in 5th.

Tom Bass reply :

5th gear is Overdrive. Tow it in 4th and keep the speed reasonable and you should be okay.

Check with Honda on the tow weight and keep the "tongue" weight of the trailer down (don't overload the boat and trailer with gear) and you should be all right. Put the gear in the car and load the baot when you get there.

cart7t reply :

Don't forget to bring your camera!

We sure wouldn't want to miss any "moments" you might have this spring.

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

Quote
Don't forget to bring your camera!
We sure wouldn't want to miss any "moments" you might have this spring.

Aaaaannnnnnndddddd what's that suppose to mean?? : ;D

RatONaStick reply :

On towing in 5th gear.

I'm not disagreeing with the folks that recommended you not tow in 5th, in most situations that is good advice. But there are situations where you can use 5th gear when towing.

A. You are towing on flat ground.

B. You downshift when approaching any sort of grade.

C. You don't lug the engine.

D. You accelerate to the desired speed before shifting into 5th.

I mention this because not only will it save on fuel costs, but it will also reduce wear on the engine by reducing rpms at cruising speeds.

My tow/work vehicle is a 1987 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 5 speed with 269,000 miles. I use this truck to pull either of my boats and my fathers tandem axle car trailer to take junk cars to the scrap yard. I regularly use 5th gear when towing and have had absolutely zero problems, granted I do live on the coast where the land is flat.

Catt reply :

Towing is never the problem, stopping is the problem

Hint: Learn to down shift, this makes it easier on the brakes

Other than that you will be fine

cart7t reply :

Quote

Quote
Don't forget to bring your camera!
We sure wouldn't want to miss any "moments" you might have this spring.

Aaaaannnnnnndddddd what's that suppose to mean?? : ;D

Youtube moments, especially on the ramp.

"Small boat drags Honda Accord into Lake" ;D

Grey Wolf reply :

I towed a 1448 lowes with an escort for 5 years with out any problems .

Way2slow reply :

Back in the 60's I towed a 15' GlassMaster, fiber glass boat with a 80hp Merc on the back using a VolksWagon Karman Gia. Towed it for two years and only had to replace one clutch. The ramp was fairly steep and had to ride the clutch pretty good to get moving up it with the boat on the trailer.

I towed my 18.5" Stratos (over 3,000 lbs) with an 1986 4 cylinder Toyota pickup with over 300,000 miles for a couple of years in very hilly country and made 300 mile trips down to the St Johns river in FL twice a year.

My point is, you can tow just about anything, with just about anything, if you do it smartly. Don't try to run like a bat-out-of-hell, and keep it out of fifth gear. Yes, if you pay attention to how the car feels and how the motor is trying to lug, you might be able to use 5th but my question it "WHY" would you want to. THere is a chance of a hole lot more to loose than to gain doing so. Gas mileage probably won't be as good as in fourth, that extra few rpm dang sure ain't gonna harm anything or shorten the life of anything about the car unless you feel you need to fly with it. As others have mentioned, just be aware it takes a little more to stop so allow a little extra room, and DON"T go backing down the ramp very fast or might just keep right on backing a lot further than you had planned on.

After all, you are not talking that much weight, I've seen Accords with four fat bodies in them with more weight than you're talking about towing.

twors reply :

The only thing I would be concerned about is smoking the clutch pulling the boat out of the water at the ramp. Them FWD cars normally have pretty small clutches in them. I'm currently shopping for a new small boat and was faced with the same situation driving a 5 speed Scion xB and my solution was trading it off a few months back for a new 07 Silverado Classic, 4.8 V8....problem solved

timmyswetarded reply :

i think it also depends on what liter engine you have....i live in the same general area as you, and i drive a 1985 buick centry with a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder and it pulls my 16' alumacraft with a 20hp johnson on it. sure you cant go as fast and need extra stopping distance but thats no biggie....just make sure the hitch isnt attached to the bumper but the frame, and get it done right. see ya out there this spring!

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

Quote
The only thing I would be concerned about is smoking the clutch pulling the boat out of the water at the ramp. Them FWD cars normally have pretty small clutches in them. I'm currently shopping for a new small boat and was faced with the same situation driving a 5 speed Scion xB and my solution was trading it off a few months back for a new 07 Silverado Classic, 4.8 V8....problem solved

I don't submerge my trailer so that should help a bit I would think. I just back it down so the wheels are about the waters edge and then I push the boat off the back with the gear already in it. Park the car and I'm ready to go.

And I would also like to "solve" my problem the way you did, but right now that's just not feasible for me . Maybe in another year or so.

Thanks guys. I just needed a little reassurance as I said before. I have put in my order for the hitch.

RatONaStick reply :

Quote
My point is, you can tow just about anything, with just about anything, if you do it smartly. Don't try to run like a bat-out-of-hell, and keep it out of fifth gear. Yes, if you pay attention to how the car feels and how the motor is trying to lug, you might be able to use 5th but my question it "WHY" would you want to. THere is a chance of a hole lot more to loose than to gain doing so. Gas mileage probably won't be as good as in fourth, that extra few rpm dang sure ain't gonna harm anything or shorten the life of anything about the car unless you feel you need to fly with it.

What exactly do you think you are going to hurt in a standard trans by towing in OD?? Aside from the tooth count the OD gearset is no different than the rest of them. The only potential issue would be the clutch. As long as you do not try to tow in OD up a grade then this is a non issue, which is why I recommended to downshift when approaching any sort of grade.

As far as fuel mileage, less throttle opening/rpms equals better fuel mileage in any vehicle. This is assuming you are traveling on flat ground and maintaining a constant speed. Ascending a grade is a different story, using OD could actually require more throttle to climb because of the lack of mechanical advantage.

More rpms equal higher piston and rotating speeds which produces a higher rate of wear. Anything you can do to reduce rpms will reduce wear. Just think about it, if you drive an hour at 2000 rpms the engine will have rotated 120,000 times. At 4000rpms the engine would turn twice that, which is a significant difference. In the muscle/performance car world, where everybody wants low gears for acceleration, it has been found cars/engines with low gears will need to be rebuilt significantly sooner than a car with a standard ratio gear.

All cars and transmissions are different. Some transmissions might have as little as a .90 OD ratio which would only drop the rpms a couple hundred rpms, while other might have as much as a .50 OD ratio which would reduce rpms up to 1500rpms. In some vehicles it may not be beneficial to tow in OD, in others it could be a significant difference in both fuel mileage and reducing wear.

Way2slow reply :

Hey Rat, using your logic, all a Mack truck needs is a one huge clutch and would work just fine with a Honda drive train. Get real, you know so dang much about your stuff, haven't you ever heard of stress loads. I guess as long as the clutch is big enough, the loads placed on the smaller bearings and small diameter shafts, plus the smaller gear faces mean nothing.

I would also like to see a Honda turn 4000 rpm in forth gear at 55 mph, he might get 2,500. Again, you know so much, ever seen what rod bearings and main bearings look like that came out of and engine that was run a lot with it loading down. Guess not.

I thought this post was asking about towing with a Honda Accord, not some cars with this gear ratio and some cars with that gear ratio and nothing was ever mentioned about turning a motor 4000 rpm. I've never seen and OD went from about 1,800 rpm at 55 mph to 4,000 rpm when you droped down to fourth gear. You're the super mechanic, I've only been building motors for about 45 years, that's ciricle track, drag, Aries blown hemi's used in national truck/tractor pull competetions and some pretty badass street rods so I'm sure you know a lot more than me about this stuff. You proved that with the comment, "the only pontential issue would be the clutch.". Just don't understand why all those companies building all those big, expensive drive trains haven't figured that one out yet.

Oh well enough said.

RatONaStick reply :

I was wanting to actually discuss the issue, not turn this into a ticking match which you seem to have turned this into. My comment about the rpms was an example to show the difference in total revolutions an engine would see in an hour at that particular rpms. At what point did I say that a Honda running at 4000 rpms at 55 would drop down to 1800 in 5th???? IT WAS PURELY AN EXAMPLE, which you evidently missed.

We're not talking about a Mack truck, nor the type of stress loads that would hurt a Honda in the situation given. You know, a Honda small boat/trailer running in 5th on flat ground.

I have rebuilt my fair share of engines, including performance engines and both standard and automatic transmissions. I have seen what heavy loads can do to bearings, rods and cranks as well as shift main caps around. But we're not talking about those kind of loads are we? No, we're talking about a Honda, small boat/trailer, 5th gear on flat ground.

Now, with all your infinite wisdom, would you care to answer the question you avoided? What is it going to hurt in a standard trans to tow in OD??? Or can you answer that question? Somehow I doubt it, and you'll just go on about all the stuff you have supposedly built.

And if you can, why not disprove what I said about the clutch instead of trying to belittle me?

From what I see your true colors are showing.

Way2slow reply :

Rat, I have an old saying, "Don't start no crap (mild version) and there want be any"

You apparently was doing selective reading before you started. Rather make make a whole buch of quotes from pervious post, go back and "read" what I posted.

I aknowledged, he can tow in OD if he pays close attention but why would he want to. The 55 mph came in when I suggested he keep his speed down to a reasonable 55 mph. You threw in the 4,000 rpm, making it sound the the addional 400 or so rpm he would be turning was going the make a major wear down of his whole drive line and engine.

As for the OD in a Honda, you apparently have never seen one. I just replaced the one in my nephews 91 Accord. It's not something you want to strain. You was the one saying all he needs to be concerned about was the clutch. I strongly disagreed, knowing what he's dealing with for a 5th gear in the thing. Yes, refering to a Mack truck was the extreme, but like you said about your rpm, I was making a point, everything is built to handle a certain stress load and you make it sound like the clutch is all that maters

In your own words, you stated less throttle opening means more gas milage, I'll bet a dollar to a dougnut, he will not have less throttle opening towing in OD other than when going down hill. I've towed with with many kinds of vehicles and towed in overdrive thinking I would be getting better gas mileage but over the years, with thousands of miles of tracking it, I've found I almost never got better mileage with a small engine vehicle. I had a 73 Ford Bronco that I put a beefed up 460 in with 4:11 gears and 33x12.50's and added an aftermarket overdrive behind the transfer case for rear wheels only so I could afford to drive it on the highway. It got better gas milage in OD towing my boat with that but that was about the only one I've ever truely got better with.

I've debated the issue as far as I care too, so I'm done. He can read and weed through what makes since to him and follow what he feels is right. I only make suggestion, and how I would do something, I never try to tell a man how he should operate his equipment, it's his and he can operate any way he pleases.

HPBB reply :

You guys are getting a bit off topic.

The question is " can I tow with a 4 banger?"

the answere is yes!.

Now can he use 5th or not.? well only he can tell.

I see no problem using 5th in a stick as long as the motor isn't struggling.

If it is then use 4th.

Using overdrive in an automatic that is not made for it, then there is a problem.

I live in western PA. so we have hills, not much flat running.

Like I said I used to tow a 12 footer witha Chevette 4 cylinder 4 speed. It worked

I also towed with a GMC S-15 (same as a S-10) 4 cylinder 5 speed with 4.10 rears

When I towed my 14 footer I could use 5th and run 70mph with it.

Now when I towed my 17 1/2 footer with it I could not use 5th. motor didn't have enough power.

It is ok to tow with your Honda. If you can tow in 5th go ahead, if the motor struggles the use 4th

Also we all want to be able to tow with big trucks and have no problems, But right now

KU_Bassmaster probally doesn't have the $$ to buy a truck, so he has to use what he has.

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

Well although the original post was "Can I tow with my Accord", I'm glad the towing in 5th came up. Although it did get a little unnecessarily heated , it was all good info from both sides. When it comes down to it I will just have to see for myself and I will keep what everyone said in mind.

Great info and thanks to all.

cart7t reply :

My past 4 towing trucks I've owned since 1984 all had OD transmissions. 3 were auto's and one was a stick. I tow in OD all the time and I've never had a transmission problem ever. On light grades I can usually leave it in OD without a problem. Steeper grades I drop down to L2. As for gas mileage? I probably gain a mile or two a gallon in OD vs running all the time in L2 but certainly not the big difference in MPG if I was running the truck empty.

RatONaStick reply :

You did ask about 5th gear and towing, evedently you got what your asked for and quite a bit more. ;D

I'm sorry to the rest of you guys but Way2Slow is so full of "it" his eyes are brown.

I guess by quoting him and contradicting the falacies he mentioned I was the one who started "crap". Rediculous, I wasn't the one who started making snyde remarks like a child. I wasn't the one who couldn't take critisism like an adult.

Falacies like "If you did break 5th in your Honda, it's easy enough to fix, just unbolts and bolt another on, only take a few minutes but will cost you approx $300 for the parts."

The OD in any Honda is not an external unit he makes it seem like. The OD in a Honda is just like the OD in any other vehicle and is just two more gears just like the rest of the gears in the trans. One gear is on the mainshaft, the other is on the countershaft, with one of these gears having a synchronizer assembly. To replace the gears you have to remove the trans and nearly disassemble the entire transmission. I know because I have actually rebuilt standard transmissions.

I seriously doubt he has ever seen inside a Honda trans let alone ANY trans. I can provide a diagram for proof as well. Plus, I think it's awfully convenient that after the fact he supposedly replaced the "OD unit" as he calls it in his nephews Accord. If that were the case why not mention that from the beginning? And if it is "truth" it's only a half truth. I'm willing to bet even IF something did go bad it wasn't the gears themselves it was the synchronizer that went bad, which is from poor shifting. Not heavy loads in 5th or a poor design.

For someone that's built "Aries" hemis you would think that he could actually spell Arias correctly. I doubt he even knows what an Arias hemi is or what it's based on.

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Anybody tow with a 4 banger 2024

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