What would you tow?!

[sodamo]

*Slightly more bed area than a Maverick. 5’ bed in the Slate vs 4.5’ in the Maverick. Really size wise the Slate is pretty close to a single cab Maverick.

I would be shocked to see a single cab Maverick

 

[fuzzyweis]

I would be shocked to see a single cab Maverick

When I went to an event last year where they had an open top style one, that’s the size it seemed like to me. Before seeing it in person I didn’t really have an idea of scale, even with the comparisons on the web site, but after seeing it in person and having sat in Mavericks at shows, that’s the best comparison I can give. Which I think is a great size, not a penalty box inside, but relative to what’s out there today fairly small.

 

[GaRailroader]

Isn't there a precedent that tow rating changes with # of motors? Cybertruck RWD had a 7500 pound tow rating while the dual motor and Cyberbeast have 11,000 tow rating. Rivian dual motor has 7700 pound tow rating while the truck and quad motors have a 11,000 pound tow rating. I know a 7500 pound rating is a far cry from 1000 pound but perhaps when Slate offers a dual motor version in a subsequent model year it will offer a more respectable tow rating.

 

[AZFox]

Isn't there a precedent that tow rating changes with # of motors? Cybertruck RWD had a 7500 pound tow rating while the dual motor and Cyberbeast have 11,000 tow rating. Rivian dual motor has 7700 pound tow rating while the truck and quad motors have a 11,000 pound tow rating. I know a 7500 pound rating is a far cry from 1000 pound but perhaps when Slate offers a dual motor version in a subsequent model year it will offer a more respectable tow rating.

Based on those number it seems reasonable that a dual-motor AWD Slate could have a 1,500-pound rating, which would be welcomed by many.

 

[GaRailroader]

Based on those number it seems reasonable that a dual-motor AWD Slate could have a 15,000-pound rating, which would be welcomed by many.

You mean 1500 lb?

 

[AZFox]

You mean 1500 lb?

Ha! Corrected. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Daemoch]

Mean while I'm towing an unbraked 800 pound repurposed boat trailer tomorrow loaded with another 1800+ pounds of sheet rock and lath and plaster debris to the dump....on a class 1 Curtis hitch I attached to my 2008 RWD v6 C300. It did not come with a hitch in the US and therefor has 'no" tow capacity according to many arguments made in this forum. Experience tells us that they will over build and under rate the Slate, like everyone else always does, to try and keep the idiots from hauling semi trailers up mountains with it.

All of these discussions are moot. You tow what you can, and break when you cant. Common sense says the Slate will do at least as well.

 

[AZFox]

Mean while I'm towing an unbraked 800 pound repurposed boat trailer tomorrow loaded with another 1800+ pounds of sheet rock and lath and plaster debris to the dump....on a class 1 Curtis hitch I attached to my 2008 RWD v6 C300. It did not come with a hitch in the US and therefor has 'no" tow capacity according to many arguments made in this forum.

Someone says "no hitch means no towing capacity"? Where?

Did a quick lookup and found this:

The 2008 Mercedes C300 has a towing capacity of approximately 3,968 pounds when properly equipped.​

 

[IamSpotted]

Someone says "no hitch means no towing capacity"? Where?

Did a quick lookup and found this:

The 2008 Mercedes C300 has a towing capacity of approximately 3,968 pounds when properly equipped.​

You will find that a lot of vehicles that are used for towing in Europe don't get rated to tow anything here in the states.

 

[Daemoch]

Someone says "no hitch means no towing capacity"? Where?

Did a quick lookup and found this:

The 2008 Mercedes C300 has a towing capacity of approximately 3,968 pounds when properly equipped.​

https://www.caranddriver.com/merced...benz_c-class_mercedes-benz-c-class-sedan_2008

It helps if you use actual search engines, not AI summaries, list the actual year and model, and limit the responses to the relevant builds (so US in this case). Just the fact that it says "approximately" and "when properly equipped" should have thrown your first red flags.

We've gone over and over and OVER tow capacity standards and calculations of various methods in this forum to the point ill just say go look for the longest threads you can find that mention Honda civics and you probably found them. (edit: Why am I telling YOU this? I could swear you were part of those arguments! lol)

I think limiting what can or cant tow, and how much, to just the US standard is BS, but fine, if we want apples and apples, Ill stick to the US-only-apples to US-only-apples to keep every one happy and then ignore the formula changes that have occurred over the decades. So no, my C300 has 'no' towing capacity. Clearly. While I'm towing with it. So clearly the Slate will have a very accurately and fully assessed towing limit as well. Just like my C300 and every other vehicle I've slapped a tow kit on.

 

[Daemoch]

AFAIK, you could probably get tow packages for the 2008 C300 in EU, but not US. If it follows the usual patterns from around that time, there would be body gussets added and a change to the suspension and transmission. It may only have been offered on the AWD model there, too.

I DO know though that the same body my c300 has was also used for the c63, which was the same platform but a twin turbo v6 producing about 450 horse, so the body's ability to handle a tow load should be pretty good, aside from the shortish wheel base. And my tow hitch is bolted to the rear wheel dif framing and the internal bumper member (which for some reason MB made out of hardened steel - I went through a lot of carbide drill bits!), so that's pretty beefy. All in all, between the brake and suspension upgrades its actually pretty stout now. If I intended to do any extensive towing, Id revisit the transmission and coolant next.

Curtis suggests no more than 1000lbs. Thats a limit they pick so they dont get sued when you do something dumb, sure, but thats also the target they build the tow hitch for too then. Over building it too far would be lost margins or an overly expensive product no one buys.

 

[AZFox]

Slate will have a very accurately and fully assessed towing limit as well. Just like my C300 and every other vehicle I've slapped a tow kit on.

There are a lot of opinions on here about it being reasonable to tow more than the rated capacity, including this one:

I'm gonna predict that people will overload it, and it'll work out just fine as long as they stay on flat ground and drive at moderate speeds.