can our truck tow our boat?

[QC]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Between boat and trailer together, according to paperwork from dealer, the weight total is just over 7000lbs. It is a 4x4 truck and we will not be towing long distances nor will we be pulling it out of the water regularly, just at the beginning and end of the year. We should be ok.

#1) Dealers don't know, and even when they do they often lie. Especially the sales staff. If they told you that you can't pull with your truck then maybe you walk . . . This is a 9 - 10K rig as most have posted. BTW, I am a salesman

#2) Define "long distances", as in not . . . If this is from storage, around the corner and to the ramp. No biggee. Axle ratio doesn't matter etc. if you only plan to go 25 MPH for 200 yards and you have 4WD Low for the ramp.

#3) I am into safety too, but not all situations are equal. Pulling this rig with a half ton on my typical haul would be insane. With that said, your truck could be a yard dog for a small trucking firm and probably get it done. At least for a while . . .

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Also what engine does your truck have? Does it have a tow package? if not a tranny cooler might also be a consideration along with a good frame mounted hitch rated for that kind of weight. When I was growing up my dad had a 27' with twin 6 cyl volvos in it and there is NO way a half ton would pull it. We tried one time to load it onto a half ton and it literally put the wheel wells onto the tires. It was best pulled with a 1 ton dually with a built 460 in it. Of course a lot has changed in 30 years, but if it were me I would have the boat loaded up as you would when towing, and put it on your truck and see how it handles it just sitting then go from there. Usually dealer figures are a bit light no fluids, gas, gear, etc taken in. Just filling with gas and the water holding tank can add 1000 lbs depending on tank sizes. I own a 2000 dodge half ton and regularly tow a twenty foot cuddy with it. It does okay but I also installed a few aftermarket parts to help out. I wouldn't even consider towing a 27 footer with it even if it had the power it no way has the suspension to handle it. Hook it up and see just make sure to be safe and have fun.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

7000# would be the absolute minimum dry weight. If that boat has a 100 gallon fuel tank, add 600# for fuel and another #200 punds if it has a 25 gallon water tank. Then add gear and you could be pushing up towards 9000#.

I have a 24' boat which I estimate is close to 7000# fully loaded. I have pulled it with a 1/2T Ford and a Chevy. Both were marginal towing that boat.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

#1) Dealers don't know, and even when they do they often lie. Especially the sales staff. If they told you that you can't pull with your truck then maybe you walk . . . This is a 9 - 10K rig as most have posted. BTW, I am a salesman

#2) Define "long distances", as in not . . . If this is from storage, around the corner and to the ramp. No biggee. Axle ratio doesn't matter etc. if you only plan to go 25 MPH for 200 yards and you have 4WD Low for the ramp.

#3) I am into safety too, but not all situations are equal. Pulling this rig with a half ton on my typical haul would be insane. With that said, your truck could be a yard dog for a small trucking firm and probably get it done. At least for a while . . .

x2 I was looking at a 25-26' Cabin cruiser a few years ago, and at the time had a Jeep Grand Cherokee LTD. The truck was "rated" for 2000 lbs because of the AWD, but had the towing package, and the V8. I would assume 5000 lbs to be the actual tow rating. Needless to say the dealer told me the truck was plenty to tow that boat. I knew better, but still listened to his reasoning. Not sure why he thought a softly sprung jeep could tow a 7000-8000 lb load...

 

[Titanium48]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Check the tow rating of your truck without a weight distribution hitch.

I wouldn't even think about towing an 8000+ lb trailer on the highway with a 1/2 ton without a weight distribution hitch. At the recommended 10% tongue weight you'd be putting about 1200 lb on the rear axle and taking 400 lb off of the front axle without weight distribution, with serious consequences in the steering and braking departments. Weight distribution will prevent the unloading of the front axle so the front tires can maintain traction.

 

[KETELS]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Hi

I dont think you will have a problem towing 2 times a year with short distances.
If you are uncomfortable then do what Ive seen other people do.
Call a tow truck, its cheap and really cheap compared to buying and putting gas in a 250 truck.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

When I bought my 28' Nova with twins, I sold my '98 1500 Chevy and bought a 2001 2500 Suburban (8.1 liter big-block and 4 wheel disc brakes) for my own peace of mind. My BIL still tows his 28' Nova with twins with my old '94 Chev 1500 (350, 4l60e, rear drum brakes and a 8.5" 10-bolt rear with 3.73's) from Easton. Pa to Maryland and back with no problems. Sure it lags a little on the reallly steep hills (he can't hold 70) but other than that it's been fine. 180-some thousand mile on it. I rebuilt the trans at 147,000 and the engine is all original. Both these rigs roll out at 8500 lbs loaded. easy.

 

[Impulsebuyer]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Hi

I dont think you will have a problem towing 2 times a year with short distances.
If you are uncomfortable then do what Ive seen other people do.
Call a tow truck, its cheap and really cheap compared to buying and putting gas in a 250 truck.

5Fiascos: As my login name implies, I bought a boat and trailer last year AND THEN looked at my 02 Tahoe 1500 4x4 (that is a half ton as all of you know, but want to be sure) to see "if" I could pull the boat! It has factory installed towing package and a transmission cooler as well, but was pushing the limit on my load.

My 2002 Cobalt 262 (26'8") and double axle Dorsey trailer with surge brakes combined, weigh in at about 7,800lbs without any fuel or gear, similar to your weight scenario.

I asked on this forum if it would be okay to pull this boat from Seattle over the Cascade Mt. pass to Coeur d' Alene, ID for a family trip and got largely heckled as a moron that "no friggin way" would that be a good idea! So, I did what several posters on this site have suggested to you, I loaded the boat on the trailer and pulled it out of the lake with the Tahoe and drove around Seattle for 10 miles and parked in front of my house.

The Tahoe did ok around town but when I stepped foot out of it at my house, I smelled the unmistakable stench of burning tranny fluid! I then called a buddy who lent me his F250 SuperDuty V-10 in exchange for a case of beer and the use of my worthless Tahoe. I am a chevy guy more than Ford, but the difference that truck made pulling that load was nothing short of amazing.

Moral of the story, if you are using the truck to pull the boat out and drag it 15 miles to storage twice a year, you shoudl be just fine. If you have anywhere else to go, rent something or find a buddy with a 3/4 or 1 ton and buy him a case of his favorite beer.

 

[jljue]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Even though some 1/2 tons are rated for 10k lbs. now, it's really just a numbers game, and that much weight really requires a 3/4 ton or 1 ton vehicle to safely pull for any real distance at any real speed and still keep everyone on the road safely and keep the vehicle from calling it quits. If you are pulling it only a few times a year, rent a vehicle; otherwise plan on getting a heavier truck.

Some people may wonder why I daily drive a Titan that also pulls an 18 ft. bass boat, but lately, I fished everyday last week and I've been going fishing every other day this week. If I keep up this regiment over the next 5 years, sure a Frontier w/o tow package could do it, but over the long haul the Titan should feel so worn down like my dad's '85 S-10 Blazer did back in the day when he had a 16' fiberglass boat. I'm not looking to get rid of this truck anytime soon, so that is why I have the 1/2 ton over the smaller Frontier. This scenario is a smaller scale than what you are asking, but the same rules still apply. People, equipment, and vehicle need to be safe.

 

[dave11]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Titanium

The reason I stated "Without a weight distribution hitch" is because too many times I have had people arbitrarily tell me the max tow weight of a vehicle with the WD hitch. They just didn't say it was with the WD hitch. I was trying to be conservative and on the safe side. A person should be aware of the tow rating with both types of hitch.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

^^^^Fair enough. Class III hitches are usually rated for 5000 lb drawn load and 500 lb tongue weight without weight distribution and twice that with weight distribution. Class IV hitches have higher ratings, but I would guess that if you put a class IV on a 1/2 ton the weakest link would be something other than the hitch.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

The Tahoe did ok around town but when I stepped foot out of it at my house, I smelled the unmistakable stench of burning tranny fluid! I then called a buddy who lent me his F250 SuperDuty V-10 in exchange for a case of beer and the use of my worthless Tahoe. I am a chevy guy more than Ford, but the difference that truck made pulling that load was nothing short of amazing.

I hadn't thought of automatic transmission issues. I prefer manual transmissions and I tend to assume everyone else does too, despite statistics that say otherwise. A good transmission fluid cooler is another must for pushing towing limits with a slushbox, but their effectiveness can be limited at low speeds due to lack of airflow.

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

i wouldent hesitate to use your truck to pull it out of the watter and a few blocks up the road to a storage unit, but any trips on the interstate, no way. for one thing the suspension on the 1/2ton chevys are made for comfort not load handling. for another the transmission wont hold up, iv towed 10,000lbs with a half ton chevy meany times, and the dead tyranny's to say its not a good idea. 10,000 is the most i would do for a very short trip at low speeds in a half ton. now i have a 3/4 ton ford powerstroke rides harsh as hell but you cant squat that thing for anything, iv hauled 18,k goosneak with it but handled the weight better than an half ton chevy will haul 8000 lbs. the long and short of it is, if you only going a few blocks 2ce a year your probably ok, dont get on the freeway with that thing, for one thing you would be a danger, a strong wind hitting the side of that big boat and only a half ton truck would be a danger as well as sudden stops. or swerving to avoid something. let alone if a dot officer sees you

 

[dave11]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

I agree with EZrider

 

[5fiascos]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Is the 27 Larson an LXI series or a Cabrio series model? If it's the LXI series, you may be OK, but I would no way in hell pull a Cabrio with a 1500 series truck!! In fact, I just purchased a 270 Larson Cabrio 2 weeks ago and my old 1500 series would be dead in the water.

Doug

Just an update (and no offense Doug but I had to quote you) Our 1500 towed the boat with flying colors! We actually spoke with the tech at the dealership where we bought it. He told us HELL YES it will be fine and it did GREAT. We had zero problems! He said 4x4 and a V8 is all we'd need. OH.. and yes Doug ours is the exact same boat. Larson Cabrio... 27'. Guess our 1500 had more balls ..?? hehe.

 

[pjb0422]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

I have a 2007 Silverado 1500 4x4 CrewCab truck with the 5.3L and 4-sp automatic. The truck has the towing package also. I just towed a 2002 Cobalt 262 from Atlanta to St. Louis, and then to Lake of the Ozarks. Other than my gas mileage going down, I had no problems whatsoever. I did 70-75mph in KY and TN, and 60 in IL. I would periodically check the transmission temp and it was fine the entire trip. The truck is rated to tow 7500# with a WD hitch. I figured that the boat was around 5200# - 5500#, and the trailer (MTI dual axle with surge drum brakes) was approx 1500#. That put me around 7000#. I figured I was on the edge of the trucks limit. I didn't have a WD hitch, but I did upgrade the ball mount from a 500# tongue wt to a 600# one. I had no problems. The truck labored going uphill in the mountains but drove fine on the level sections in KY and IL. The boat will be staying at LOZ so I have no plans on towing it anymore unless necessary. (I sold the trailer back to the original owner because he found another boat that didn't have a trailer) If I were going to tow the 262 more often, I would consider upgrading the truck to a 3/4 ton or get a WD hitch.

Phil

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

i just noticed you have a dodge ram not a chevy i dont know where i got that from, i dont have any experiance with dodges, but most everything should still hold true, check and find out what weight your truck is rated for im willing to bet that you will be overloaded most 1/2 ton's are rated between 5-7k your probably pushing 10k when fuel tanks are full and added gear are loaded. also check your beam width anything over 8'6" requires wide load permits. again if your only towing a few blocks twice a year your probably fine. anything more than that i would seriously look into a bigger truck. also when it comes to legalitys if you get pulled over by a dot officer and your boat trailer is rated to carry 10k lbs it does not matter what the actual weight is, if you can legally tow 7k but your towing an empty trailer rated for 10k then you are legally overweight.

 

[douglee25]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Just an update (and no offense Doug but I had to quote you) Our 1500 towed the boat with flying colors! We actually spoke with the tech at the dealership where we bought it. He told us HELL YES it will be fine and it did GREAT. We had zero problems! He said 4x4 and a V8 is all we'd need. OH.. and yes Doug ours is the exact same boat. Larson Cabrio... 27'. Guess our 1500 had more balls ..?? hehe.

Will a 1500 tow it? Yes, it will tow it. Will it tow it as safely and better than my F250 V10? Not even close.

Doug

Edit: Post some pics of the truck and boat!!

Edit X2: I sent you a PM. Let me know if you don't get it.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Will a 1500 tow it? Yes, it will tow it. Will it tow it as safely and better than my F250 V10? Not even close.

Doug

Edit: Post some pics of the truck and boat!!

Edit X2: I sent you a PM. Let me know if you don't get it.

Of course it wont tow it as well as a 3/4 ton, but I doubt that was what he wanted to know. A 1 ton would be better and safer than a 3/4 ton and so on and so on. Sounds like the OP had no issues with it, which sounds perfect to me. Good work on getting it done.

 

[dave11]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

I don't know what your boat weighs, but I would guess that a 27' boat, motor, trailer, gas, equipment, etc, is going to be real close to 10,000#. I tow with an F250 with the V10, I have LOTS (decades) of experience towing trailers, my truck is rated for that much weight, but I doubt I would use it to haul a boat that heavy very far. Weigh your boat at a truck stop and find out what it does weigh. I would not tow that boat with a 1/2 ton truck.