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Re: [Mgs] MG, how heavy art thou? cont.

To: <cyberemp@comcast.net>, "MG LIST" <mgs@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Mgs] MG, how heavy art thou? cont.
From: "Dodd, Kelvin" <doddk@mossmotors.com>
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 12:51:16 -0700
If you are planning on towing with a Nissan SUV, take a look at rear air
bags which are installed inside the springs. This is a recommended
upgrade that we are planning on doing soon to my wife's Pathfinder.

The Nissan has a lot of rear suspension travel which makes it unsuitable
for any kind of tongue weight without additional spring support. Every
time the trailer goes over a bump it's going to compress and extend the
rear suspension pretty dramatically. The air bags are reasonably priced
and give additional load support.

Just 'cos the factory says you can tow a certain weight doesn't mean
it's going to be comfortable.

On the trailer issue. I've towed lots of British sports cars on a single
axle utility trailer. Mine has a couple of holes in the tongue that I
can bolt an electric winch to which makes loading and unloading a one
person job.

A tandem axle with brakes is nice and lots safer, but is a bit overkill
if it is only to be used once in a while.

I love my tandem axle enclosed trailer, but the last three tows I've
made have been my TR8 and to pick up an MGA coupe and a GT6+, all of
which were on the single axle. I towed the TR8 with my wife's Pathfinder
quite happily across town.



Kelvin Dodd



> -----Original Message-----
> From: mgs-bounces@autox.team.net [mailto:mgs-bounces@autox.team.net]
On
> Behalf Of cyberemp@comcast.net
> Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2007 1:29 PM
> To: MG LIST
> Subject: [Mgs] MG, how heavy art thou? cont.
>
> Hello list.
> Thank all of you for your responses.
> Concensus seems to be the weight of car is near 2,500lbs.  I'll have
to go
> with
> the 280Xlbs number.
>      Trailer advice points towards a dual axle, elect. brake flat
> bed.(because
> car will be stripped down and illegal for even touching the sacred
streets
> of
> California without license, lights, windshield). Aluminum trailer
> preferred, but
> the cheapest I could find one in this area was $4850.00. Ouch!
> I also hear the horror stories of Uhauls. I will seek used aluminum
and
> steel
> trailers. I can overhaul the bearings, brakes , lights, tires  before
I
> use.
> Hopefully not surpassing the price of a new trailer as I do so.
> My Mig welder says it will weld aluminum.(reverse polarity, aluminum
wire)
> I
> wonder if I can build a trailer from a kit?
> My Nissan towing capacity is 3500 lbs unladen for manual, 5000 lbs
unladen
> for
> an automatic .It doesn't say what the average wing velocity is for an
> unladen
> swallow.
> African or European.
> I suspect that Nissans lower weight capacity is for clutch
> warantee, but I don't think the highway parol will give me a break on
> that,
> since mine is a manual transmission, But I'll check, since even an
> aluminum
> trailer with MG would put me over 3500lbs, though I'm not calculating
> stripped
> down weight. No engine, transmission, interior,
windshield,Gigantibumpers
> on
> 74.5, Lights, spare, jack, fuel.
> I plan on setting up electric winch to pull car onto trailer, since it
> won't
> drive up.
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