Tow weight 08 210 on Ramlin trailer?

[Bevan]

Can anyone tell me what the total weight of this rig is? Looking at a new new tow wagon but want to make sure it will be suitable before pulling the trigger. Thanks!

[Nautiquehunter]

Fully equipped and full of fuel 5500-6000 lbs.

[Bevan]

Thanks, is this correct? my dealer today told me around 4700lb??

[shonuff]

My Ramlin tandem axle trailer weighs 1340 lbs, the dry weight of your 210 is around 3800 lbs, that's 5140 lbs already not counting fuel. With a full tank of gas and gear I'd say Nautiquehunter is dead on.

[BKinSoCal]

Can anyone tell me what the total weight of this rig is? Looking at a new new tow wagon but want to make sure it will be suitable before pulling the trigger. Thanks!

That's an awesome tow cover you have. Where'd you get it? Was it custom made? I see a couple logos on it so I'm figuring it must be.

[swancer]

I have an 05 SANTE with a Ram-lin Tandem axle trailer that I weighed at the end of the summer. Boat trailer and a 1/2 tank of gas was 5600lbs.

[Bevan]

That's an awesome tow cover you have. Where'd you get it? Was it custom made? I see a couple logos on it so I'm figuring it must be.

Hey Brian, yes it's a custom tow cover made for my 210 down here in New Zealand. If you would like some more detailed pics let me know.

And thanks all for you feedback on the weight of my rig..looks like I will have to re-think my next vehicle purchase.

Bevan

[horkn]

What were you looking at buying for a hauler?

I see that you are located in NZ, and the vehicles and tow ratings are not the same as in the states.

Heck, my Audi is rated to tow only 3300 lbs here in the US, but in Europe it is rated over twice that amount. Same car, but no big 'Merican pick ups there, so the rating goes up significantly.

[Bevan]

What were you looking at buying for a hauler?

I see that you are located in NZ, and the vehicles and tow ratings are not the same as in the states.

Heck, my Audi is rated to tow only 3300 lbs here in the US, but in Europe it is rated over twice that amount. Same car, but no big 'Merican pick ups there, so the rating goes up significantly.

How Ironic lol! I'm looking at an Audi A4 3.0 liter V6 Quattro..tow rating here in NZ 4400lbs ??

What model is your Audi and is it your tow vehicle?

[horkn]

How Ironic lol! I'm looking at an Audi A4 3.0 liter V6 Quattro..tow rating here in NZ 4400lbs ??

What model is your Audi and is it your tow vehicle?

LOL, that is ironic.

Mine is an Allroad 4.2 V8 though. So its the A6 based vehicle. I think it's rated at like 8000 lbs tow rating in anywhere but the US.

I have not towed anything with it yet, but it does have a hitch on it. I just picked it up in September. The hitch on it is a 1.25" one, only rated for 1250 lbs, but I will get a westfalia or similar Euro HD hitch. Audi USA discontinued their HD 2" hitch in the states, but I work for a German company and will be sent to Germany for a week or so in the next few months. I can source one then and have it sent back here. Or I can have one of my German cohorts ship it back to me.

I do plan on towing the nautique with it, but my nautique is not as big or heavy as the one you have. Its a 78 Martinique (SN hull) that weighs around 3000 lbs. I've been towing it with my fiance's 04 v8 4runner, and have towed it with my parent's 02 4.6l v8 explorer as well with no issues. Both of those vehicles are body on frame truck based mid sized SUV's.

One thing to worry about is the weight of the vehicle compared to the weight of the towed trailer. My Allroad weighs 4000lbs, the a4's while getting bigger and bigger, are still less weight than what I have. I don't know if I would tow a boat as big as you have with my audi, but then again I am used to big gas guzzling trucks and full size SUV's. LOL

I have a feeling many people's ideas about towing in relation to the weight of the tow vehicle will change when stalwart vehicles like the suburban go from truck based body on frame big utes to the crossover based lighter chassis. GM has already dictated that the next suburban will be on the traverse (non truck unibody based) chassis. I'm sure many will complain loudly when that happens.

[NautiDave07]

Horkn,
You may want reconsider changing that hitch for liability purposes. If your car has the 1250lb hitch and it does not state anywhere in your owners manuals or car specs that it can tow more than that then you are asking to get your a$$ sued off. Especially in the society we live in. If you had an accident towing that boat even on a bigger hitch and your car is not rated to pull the amount you had on board a lawyer would have a field day with it. You could even find yourself in a situation where your insurance refuses to pay such a claim then you would be screwed.

[horkn]

Horkn,
You may want reconsider changing that hitch for liability purposes. If your car has the 1250lb hitch and it does not state anywhere in your owners manuals or car specs that it can tow more than that then you are asking to get your a$$ sued off. Especially in the society we live in. If you had an accident towing that boat even on a bigger hitch and your car is not rated to pull the amount you had on board a lawyer would have a field day with it. You could even find yourself in a situation where your insurance refuses to pay such a claim then you would be screwed.

There are a couple of things I guess I need to clear up regarding this.
The car is rated to tow more than the hitch that is on it can. The owners manual backs that up too. In the US, the allroad is rated to to 3300 lbs with either the twin turbo 2.7 v6, or the 4.2 V8 I have. Since the car weighs over 4000 lbs, even conventional logic clears that weight, once I have the proper hitch for towing heavier loads on it. My boat is under even the lower rated tow eight in the US, so that is not an issue. The car was built in Germany where in Europe, it is a large car and as such designed to pull a lot of weight if need be. I just checked and the Allroads are rated for 4600-4950 lbs of tow rating as they are built, and nothing mechanically has changed on it from how it was made in Germany. Heck the car's wiring harness has provisions for trailer brakes and such.
I doubt any lawyer worth anything would attempt to touch a possible lawsuit even if the load I would tow would be over the 3300lbs, but within the 4600 lb load as described by Audi AG. Even if they did, it's more likely that the judge would throw out the case due to lack of evidence, even if the vehicle towing were the cause of the accident. A good lawyer would certainly help too. Many people have bought these cars in Germany, and shipped them over to the US. As such, their manual would state 4600 lbs of tow capacity. Anyone can buy a European copy of the manual if need be.

Would anyone even think of questioning a ford flex rated at towing 4500 lbs to tow a boat at or under the tow rating? I doubt it. The Flex AWD weighs in at pretty much the same weight as my AR.


All of this is irrelevant, because my nautique at ~3000 lbs is under the tow rating, and I won't tow anything more than my 4 x 8 4 wheeler/ single place snowmobile trailer with it until I get the HD hitch. When I get the HD hitch, I will tow my boat to local lakes , but will still use the 4runner for the 3+ hour haul up north to the cabin and back with the boat. The 4 runner handles the boat quite nicely and can tow 7000 lbs.


For Bevan, here is a UK tow rating chart of all models. http://www.uktow.com/towing%20capacity.asp#tab1
The a4 avant (wagon for the 'Mericans) with the 3.2 has a rating of 4400 lbs.
While I have seen euro ratings for towing as high as 4950 for my allroad, I would not ever tow that much with it.

In any case, that boat is too much for any A4 to tow.