Volvo RWD 200 Forum

Hey,

I'm thinking about buying a sailing dinghy, figure about 1500 pounds including trailer. Can the 245 handle towing it (no mountains, I'm in Minnesota).

Thanks

Thaddeus

You shouldn't have any trouble towing a boat+trailer of that weight, or even more. I tow even heavier boats, but always add a transmission cooler, use synthetic ATF (and engine oil), and have a Nissen 3-row (50% larger) radiator, all to deal with the possible effects of the additional heat to be expected (especially with summertime driving).

But sailboats (I have both a sail and a (heavier) power boat) may present a particular problem, depending on its design. You mentioned a "dinghy", and I'm assuming you'll have a retracting centerboard, etc. But unlike power boats which almost always have a planing hull (flat bottom), sailboats often have a deeper hull (round), which while facilitating stability when they heel (necessary in a sailboat) also require a taller trailer, and this means deeper immersion of the trailer, and farther descent of the car down the ramp, into the water to launch and recover.

So depending on the length of your trailer's tongue, and the slope (steepness) of the ramp (which is very variable from one ramp to another), you may have marginal "reach" for your wagon to launch your boat. Obviously, longer trailer tongues are better*, and so are steeper ramps. Be sure your tailpipe is positioned as high (close to the bumper) as possible -- I've encountered ramps where my tailpipe's mouth is dipping in the water and "gurgling" -- and don't shut your engine off at the bottom of the ramp if the tailpipe is dipping into the water!
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* Don't be tempted to reposition your boat farther back on the trailer -- this will unload the tongue and make the trailer unstable as it reduces tongue weight, whereas you want at least 5-10% (the more the better) of the total trailer's weight on the tongue!
If you find that you have a problem with tongue length, there are kits to extend its length, but are to be used only at the ramp, not on the road.
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The good news, viz your 245, is that it's generally great for this: the greater rear weight, together with RWD, means less slip on the slippery ramp (better than FWD, whose drive wheels are lifted when you pull up the trailer :-).

Have fun.

Towing 1500lbs would be no problem. I have towed trailers well over the 3500lb limit with my 240 and not had any problems. I even towed a 5800lb wood chipper a few years ago(not recommended).

The only problem I have had with boat trailers is pulling boats out of the water. As long as you have a good launch you won't have a problem, but if the trailer wheel drops in a rut or off the ramp 240s don't have enough power to pull the boat out.

I have towed equal-sized Volvos with my Volvo, and towed an Amazon from TX to MN.

Doesn't your owner's manual suggest 3,500 pounds is the maximum to tow?
(with caveats, and using good judgment about traffic, etc.)

Has your owner's manual ever mislead you? ;-) If so, when? I'd like to know, admiring the manual greatly since the day I read both a Volvo manual and a Geo Prizm (yuck!) manual.

I've towed my 19' Lightning (all wood) behind my '83 245 GLT (manual M46). I never sensed any problems. Terrain was flat, distances short (usually 30 miles one way).

Mike
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'83 245 GLT, '92 245DL, '90 760 GLT

There seem to be mixed thought on towing with a 240. You will not have any issues but you should add a transmission cooler. That would be a smart thing weather you tow or not. I have never towed anything with my 244 any have a 19,000 GVW stack plate cooler on it. On my 245 I have a factory hitch no cooler yet but have a Factory 740 Turbo transmission cooler that is going on it & I'm going to tow a car trailer. Don't know the GVW rating of the factory cooler but it is much less than the B&M Cooler on my 245. Add the cooler and tow away. Greg

No problem, but I agree that 1500 lbs. is maybe a lead dingy.
My Holder 14 weighed 385 +250 for the trailer; I towed that, filled with gear, all over the mountains of northern CA. with 2 different 245s.
I also agree the a transmission cooler is a good idea.
Realistically, I wouldn't go over ~2K lbs, mostly due to lack of power.
The 765T pulls my Prindle 16 much more smartly.

I'm thinking about a Mirage 5.5, which is a little bit big to call a dinghy but it's still pretty small....

What kinda dinghy weighs in at 1500lbs? :-)

-Ryan
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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces, Draco Wheels
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars

Volvo rated the 200 series to be able to tow 3500 pounds. I'm assuming that your 245 is equipped with the auto trans. I'd reccomend installing an auxiliary transmission cooler. I don't see any problem towing the boat that you described. Most of the people that I know who have had towing problems were towing with a manual gearbox. I don't know any who have had any problems towing with the 200 with the auto.

After towing my dirt bike around for awhile, I advise you NOT to tow with your 245, unless it is a beater and on it's last leg anyway. After I bought a used Jeep[ GC for towing my bike, I realized how hard it was on my 245 to tow with it. MAYBE, if you get the IPD overload springs it wouldn't be so bad, but I would not do it. And, my dirt bike and trailer are super light, and I could still tell it was not good for it. Just my .02