Question about towing

[singincanary]

I was hoping to bring home a Forester that has a blown engine. I was either going to disconnect the driveshaft and dolly it home or put it on a full trailer. Trip would be about 300 miles.

My mechanic says the engine/power won't be a problem, but he worries about the stress on the trans. I'd be using a factory trailer hitch.

What are your thoughts?

[WAKIZA]

Are you worried about the stress on the Forester or the Beca? I think the Beca would have no problem towing it and if you are using a factory tow hitch you probably have a trans. cooler too.

[singincanary]

Yeah, worried about the tribeca trans. No trans cooler, just the hitch.

Plenty of power from the engine to pull it, but not sure the trans is up to it. Although, I do have an extended warranty, so maybe I'll do it anyway?

[musty_hustla]

I would do it. I would either change the fluid before and after the tow or install a cooler.

[tribeca09]

I wouldn't consider doing it without a trans cooler, and even then you're probably going to exceed the warranty specs. The Forester curb weight is over 3k lbs., without adding the weight of a trailer. Without a cooler, the Tribeca can pull 1k lbs. during hard towing (e.g., no trailer brakes, uphill, etc.) and 2k lbs. during regular towing. With the cooler, it can pull 3.5k lbs. max., and if you go beyond that you're doing it at your own peril. The Tribeca transmissions have been known to have issues as it is (torque converter problems, etc.). I also wonder whether the small factory hitch is up to the task -- they're really for bike racks and such, not towing vehicles, which is what Class III hitches are for. If you need to do it, install the cooler, install a Class III hitch, and use a trailer with trailer brakes.