Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I just bought a ford explorer to pull my 16 foot bass buggy. The boat is only 1000 lbs and the trailer is 800. My question is, would the bumper hitch which is rated at 3500 lbs be sufficient or should I get a 5000 lb hitch installed? Opinions?

Depends a bit on the price difference but if you can afford the 5000# hitch that seems like a no brainer. That way you can upgrade, pull someone else's boat, haul a big load of gravel etc without needing to worry.

jediger wrote:Depends a bit on the price difference but if you can afford the 5000# hitch that seems like a no brainer. That way you can upgrade, pull someone else's boat, haul a big load of gravel etc without needing to worry.

Actually 3500 lbs is the tow rating of the vehicle as well as the bumper hitch so even with the 5000 lb rated hitch, the SUV won't pull any heavier weight. I just wondered if the stock bumper hitch would be sufficient for the job.

I would never use a bumper hitch, but that's just me. Once you add fuel, gear, spare tire, etc. it's going to weigh more than 1800 lbs. Is the motor, albeit 40hp, included in that weight? A receiver hitch will also allow you to fine tune ball height.

RobZ71LM7 wrote:I would never use a bumper hitch, but that's just me.....

X 1000

Yep get the real hitch

RobZ71LM7 wrote:I would never use a bumper hitch, but that's just me. Once you add fuel, gear, spare tire, etc. it's going to weigh more than 1800 lbs. Is the motor, albeit 40hp, included in that weight? A receiver hitch will also allow you to fine tune ball height.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking too but I always ask for a second opinion.
Thanks again to all.

wijames wrote:I just bought a ford explorer to pull my 16 foot bass buggy. The boat is only 1000 lbs and the trailer is 800. My question is, would the bumper hitch which is rated at 3500 lbs be sufficient or should I get a 5000 lb hitch installed? Opinions?

If you are talking about a factory stock step type bumper with the hole to mount a tow ball then that is a class 111 rated hitch and will tow just fine. The stock bumper hitch is rated class 111 cause it bolts directly to the frame. My 98 Explorer,may it rest in peace, pulled my boat and a 26 foot RV with no problems using the stock bumper hitch.