Towing capacity

Anyone know the tow rating on a 1984 pontiac parisienne wagon? Should be the same as a buick estate or chevy caprice up to 89 i believe

 

This information used to be in the owners manual and on some vehicles on a sticker on the drivers door or glove box. It will vary depending on the engine, tranny, shocks, springs, and other things from vehicle to vehicle.
It also depends on the type of hitch you use.

 

A lot if you have one of these, lol.

 

yeah stickman,i gotta get one of those yet! I don't care for the little bumper mount that's on it now!

 

I agree with ModelT1; check your owner's manual and especially any stickers that may still be on the car. Even within the Parisienne model line for your model year, towing capacity may vary from car to car depending on options installed (e.g. heavier duty brakes, cooling system, suspension, engine size, tranny, etc). Your VIN can also be decoded to reveal these details.

 

Here's the info on my '81 with the 307 Olds engine. Yours should be fairly similar, perhaps a bit higher limit if you have the Chevy 305 (slightly stronger engine)

On door sticker:
GVWR: 2637 lbs
GAWR (frt): 2440 lbs
GAWR (rear): 3197 lbs

Max load: 1200 lbs

Towing information in manual: (page 1-14)

Quote:
The maximum loaded trailer weight you can pull with your car depends on what special equipment has been installed on it. We do not recommend towing any trailer more than 450 kilograms (1,100 pounds) gross trailer weight unless your car has the required equipment.

(Following section is highlighted in the manual)
CAUTION: Do not try to tow any trailer more than 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds) gross trailer weight with a 4.3 Liter (Engine Code S) V8 gasoline engine or a diesel engine, or more than 1,800 kilograms (4,000 pounds) with a 5.0 Liter (Engine Code Y) V8 engine or a V6 engine, or more than 2,250 kilograms (5,000 pounds) with a 5.0 Liter (Engine Code Y) V8 engine equipped with a 3.08 axle, no matter what trailer towing equipment is installed. Trailers over these maximum limits could seriously affect your car's performance, durability or handling, which could result in personal injury.

 

Actually Krash I think you have that backwards. The 307 which I am pretty sure is the Y code engine is the stronger of the 2. I am fairly certain the 307 has more torque.

 

I'm just going by my 'seat-of-my-pants feel'. Remembering my '83 G20 Chevy van conversion, the 305 in that seemed a lot peppier than my 307. Maybe i ought to have the engine checked out by a good mechanic. (not me )

 

The hitch pictured is not made to haul much weight at all. I forget all of the ratings but I'd class that as a medium duty hitch.
Most RV suppliers can recommend a hitch and equalizer depending on the trailer. I recommend personally a sway control and electric brakes also.
I also feel by the seat of my dirty pants that the GM 305 is stronger than the 307. But your seat and your pants may vary!
Also if you don't mind getting dirty most salvage yards are loaded with heavy duty trailer hitches cheap. Also most are universal. Just measure between your rear frame rails, remember how things look under there, and compare as you crawl around among the snakes, bugs, and sand burrs.
The same vehicle that has the hitch will have the electric brake controller thingie and the seven wire plug at the bumper area.
RV dealers and trailer hitch companies are there to make money. Many U-Pull-Its sell by the pound.

 

And Mike's(81X11) Dad might just paint it up for you!

 

Not sure how you can say this is a medium duty hitch ModelT1. This thing is seriously heavy duty. It mounts to 4 individual places on the frame all the way up to and under the tank. It weighs a ton. It does not mount to the bumper but like I said directly to the frame.

 

That's just my observation. The second cross piece seems to be just thin material looking much like an old spare tire mount and the square tube goes down to a much smaller diameter than the draw bar part. I'm sure it's fine for a trailer in the #1500 range but I am not an expert. I just go by the many hitches I've owned and seen.

 

Ok that cross piece is a 1/4 inch thick. The receiver is a 2 inch opening. The hitch is 41 inches long with the front brackets wrapping up and around the frame to better distribute the weight. Take a look at this site. It rates most all 2 inch receivers as a Class III which are rated at up to 6000 lbs. But some as 3500 lbs. But certainly not a Class I which is even rated at 2000 lbs. Hardly your 1500 lbs figure.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-hitchclasses.aspx

 

I've seen my share of people make mistakes about towing. many are about braking. Just because you can get your car to pull it, doesn'r mean you can stop it. Had a neighbor who hauled a load of water 250 gallons in his Ranchero. Came to a stop sign behind another car. He tried to stop, but the water pushed the tank into the back window and his Ranchero into the car in front of him.
Saw another guy build a home made trailer with what looked like a rear axle from a Cavalier. He put a 500 gallon tank on it, and tested it by pulling it around empty. Convinced this was safe, he filled it. He didn't make it home with that load.
Watched a guy come down the ramp onto the freeway, after getting a load (several pallets) of blocks. They were loaded at the back of his trailer. I pointed that out to my wife and immediately slowed down, which caused others to do the same. I knew this wouldn't be good. As he started to merge with traffic, the trailer started coming around, unloading blocks as it went, and it jackknifed around and hit his truck, pushing him into the ditch off the shoulder of the road.
My point is, know the limits of your vehicle, your trailer, and learn towing skills. I'm always cautious when I have my trailer behind me, even though way under the towing limit, even with good trailer brakes...........it still won't stop in as short a distance, and people in these little jellybean cars who like to cut in front of me and hit the brakes force me to pay much closer attention to what I (and they) are doing.
Be safe out there.

 

Every instance you describe is that of a shifting load. When a load shifts all bets are off. When hauling liquids of any kinds one must be extra cautious.