RE: [a/s] Towing Question Can-Am

[Chris Bryant <bryantrv@xxxxxxxxxx>]

	I might as well "weigh in" on this subject (beating a dead horse).

	As I've said before- my biggest problems with using these automobiles as
tow vehicles are the unibody construction and the strength of the
transmission.

	1'st- I don't install hitches, though I have taken Reese classes on
installation- and I'm covered by a Reese liability insurance policy. But- I
do install base plates for towing autos behind motor homes.

	The amount of engineering that Automatic Equipment company does to design
and fabricate a base plate is substantial- including in most cases getting
engineering drawings and info from the vehicle manufacturer. These base
plates tend to be *very* substantial, with support plates inserted into the
frame where neccessary- and this is just to pull the weight of the car- not
a 10,000 lb trailer.

	I may very well be wrong (it wouldn't be the first- or last time), but I
just don't see how even a large dealer could afford to put the engineering
into designing a 10K hitch platform for a unibody auto (and pay the
liability insurance).

	Of course I also think that a typical front wheel drive drivetrain
(transmission, differential, and axle/cv joints) is beefy enough to survive
this either.

	Actually- IMHO- the whole thing proves just how good the HA is- that you
can take a terrible tow vehicle, and make a stable rig out of it says
something- but there is more to towing than sway.
________
	
	Chris Bryant
	Bryant RV Services
	DeLand, Florida
	mailto:bryantrv@totcon.com