Truck needed to tow?

[oldcoot]

We pull with a Trailblazer V6 4x4...pulls fine...except the 40degree hill I have to come up...then it's just 2nd gear to the top....

[MacToon]

A half-ton truck/SUV should get the job done nicely, but a 3/4 ton is better yet. I agree that 4x4 is a nice thing to have for slimy ramps. I towed my old boat (19' runabout, which was actually slightly heavier than my 'toon) with an F-150 and it did fine, but I could sure feel the boat back there. I now tow with an F-250 4x4 (gasser, not diesel) and it's definitely better suited for the job.

[hinklecrew]

roland, i would not be bitchin about 17 1/2 miles to the gallon towing the toon! i have a 03 supercrew with the tow package and 33" tires on it and i get about 13-14 empty. towing im lucky to get 9 or 10 whether towing the boat, the camper, the utility trailer or the stock trailer! fords suck (gas)! but its paid for!

GET A 4X4 ANYTHING! its just nicer, less stress, when you are pulling up out of the ramps with a wet boat dragging you back.

[badmoonrising]

GET A 4X4 ANYTHING! its just nicer, less stress, when you are pulling up out of the ramps with a wet boat dragging you back.

Yep. I've pulled out several guys using 2WD around here, one who drove off the ramp and and my best, they guy trying to launch a sailboat with a minivan

[ronb]

The other day my boss told me a story about a time he launched a boat using a 2wd ranger, this happened in his much younger days. Boat launch was just fine, however getting the boat back out of the water was a different story. The tires were wet, the ramp was steep, he lost traction on the one wheel wonder and started sliding backward into the water. A guy in a 4wd waiting to launch saw them slipping back into the water and when the box of the ranger was in the water almost up to the doors, he offered to pull them out for $30 and mad them pay first.

The guy took their money, unhooked his boat, pulled them out and my boss never used his 2wd ranger for launching again.

-ron

[badmoonrising]

I'd never charge to help anyone. The guy with the sailboat was backing up traffic at the ramp.

[waterlab]

Tow with a Ford F350,6.0 Lariat, or the Ford Excursion, V10 Limited

[ROLAND]

My boat is light enough that I never thought I needed brakes.

Same here... our toon is light enough that it's pretty easy for me to pick up the front of the trailer and put if over the ball...... funny how much difference there is between our 20 footer and my sons 22 foot benny.... my trailer with the boat on it is easy to handle manually.... but my son's rig is one heavy s.o.b....

[Doctordeere]

My tow vehicle is a Chrysler minivan. A short wheelbase with the little 3.3

Before you start doubling over in laughter I need to clarify that my "towing" is about 300 yards, from the marina's covered storage to the ramps. Our ramps are three, side-by-side, loooong and gently sloping... and never a wait (it's a gated marina, members only at the ramps). Even if I need to tow to the dealer, it's only a ten mile jaunt from the marina, all back roads.

[Bamby]

My boat is light enough that I never thought I needed brakes.

Same here... our toon is light enough that it's pretty easy for me to pick up the front of the trailer and put if over the ball...... funny how much difference there is between our 20 footer and my sons 22 foot benny.... my trailer with the boat on it is easy to handle manually.... but my son's rig is one heavy s.o.b....

Roland this just ain't a fair comparison.... I'm willing to bet the real wight difference between the two is rather insignificant if it were put to a truck scale.. The difference is in how the trailer is set up to the boats. With just a bit of tweaking a person can adjust the tongue weight of virtually any boat down to nothing which in reality isn't in anybody's best interest. Fact is that if your trailer lacks brakes it is far better to have it rigged where the tongue weight is somewhat on the heavy side of the spectrum because it will allow the tow vehicles to work more effectively to bring the rig to a stop especially in a panic situation. But then again when I'm pulling anything I'm always far more concerned about stopping the rig rather than just how fast I can pull it down the road..

[Bamaman]

DoctorDeere: Properly maintain your 4 stroke yourself, and you'll be okay. You'll seldom have to take your boat and trailer out on the open road. Enterprise Truck Rentals and other car rental outfits rent pickups with bumper hitches in larger cities--if needed.

My 24' boat is on a trailer for the 3rd time in 26 years--for maintenance. I couldn't get over how heavy the nose of a quality 24' trailer is. I had to use a floor jack to lift it off the ground, before I could jack the nose wheel down. I cannot move it an inch by hand. From the ground to the top of my aluminum top looks like 15'. Time to get out ladders to clean'er up.

[oldcoot]

We pull with a Trailblazer V6 4x4...pulls fine...except the 40degree hill I have to come up...then it's just 2nd gear to the top....

Now that I said that...if you see my signature...I now have a 2007 Chevy Silverado with 5.3l and tow pkg..

[Bamaman]

Congratulations, Jim. I'm glad you've seen the light. And, that truck/engine combo does very well on mileage--all things relative. Your truck should really do the job for you.

I've been hauling my new Bennie around the last 3 weeks, and I'm kind'a getting used to trailering it. We did get the boat on it's new rack in the boathouse last week. With the boat/trailer and truck pushing 50' long, I had difficulties just getting the boat out of my yard--too many trees. A 24' tritoon on a bunk style trailer is just a very large thing to tow--for 4000 pounds. I'm not going to bring it into my yard again.

[kryptonite]

We pull with a Trailblazer V6 4x4...pulls fine...except the 40degree hill I have to come up...then it's just 2nd gear to the top....

Now that I said that...if you see my signature...I now have a 2007 Chevy Silverado with 5.3l and tow pkg..

I noticed that, was wonderin til I saw this post. lol

I used to have a 02 trailblazer with a 4.2 inline 6, it was ok for local stuff, but I wouldn't attempt long distances with it.

Traded that in for a 04 Suburban with a 5.3. Pulls it well, but if I pulled hills or any distance I would own a 3/4 ton with a diesel.

We pulled down to LOTO last year, took my Dad's 2500 with a 6.0L. I really wasn't impressed by it much. The suburban does almost as well, I think it blocks the wind better than a pickup.

[Bryden24shp]

2003 GMC Sierra 5.3ltr with Pace long tubes And Equalizer, S/S dual exhaust, no cats or rear O2's, Competition Cams RV/Towing Cam, VaraRam Air Induction, Fully functional Cowl Induction hood, Polished Throttle Body w/1" spacer. Custom Programmed Diablo Predator, 435 horsepower, to go. Dual Trans coolers. 5" ReadyLift, lift kit with Electric Adjustable shocks. 36" BFG All Terrains, to keep me on the road. Baer Slotted and Drilled Rotors, Caliper and pads, to stop me.
Stock 17mpg highway/8 towing Struggled badly towing up steep grades.
Now 22mpg/12.5 towing, 65 to 75mph all day and passes Fed TP Emissions
Cost involved... $5500.00 vs $52,000 for new 2500HD Sierra. Worth it??? UH HUH!!!