General towing

[Lucky Penny]

I have a general towing question that I think requires a bit of experience to properlly answer, which I don't have.

I would like to take my boat down to the Keys from NC. Usually I would cruise her down the ICW, but with current fuel cost, I just can't afford it.

Anyway, I have a 2001 GMC Jimmy 4.3L automatic, with a 2" box hitch (not a bumper hitch.) The boat and trailer weigh in at approx 6400# the rating of the vehicle is 6000#

The question is does GM actually factor in a fudge factor? I can see where hill climbing and starting would be a factor, but running level?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: General towing

i run to the keys several times a year from Jacksonville, FL. 5,000 load with 99 surburban 5.0 liter with no problems. i think you will be overloaded, and will definately need anti sway, and load distribution hitch. if not the tail is going to wag the dog. especially if coming down I 95 thru South Carolina. road is horrible.

 

[m&m252]

Re: General towing

dont forget overheating transmission/radiator/oil we have a wonderful traffic system in south florida call unexpected detours road closures road work on all major roads at the same time and the endless bumper to bumper traffic 24/7 oh, by the way we are having a lot of hit-and-runs on the highway best time to travel monday thru thursday 1am-5am seriously not that many drunks or construction ....

 

[Silvertip]

Re: General towing

You would be grossly negligent to hitch up to the boat. Towing it is one thing. Stopping it is another, and handling is an even greater issue. That vehicle is not intended to tow that much weight nor is the 4.3 (even with very rare 4.10:1 axle ratio) up to the task. And NO -- GM nor any of the other manufacturers factor in "wiggle room". In fact they stretch tow capability to the limit just to make a sale. I can assure you that the 4.3 will not be happy with that load. That vehicle has a "maximum" tow rating of 5900 pounds which is an absolute crime to publish. I've used 4.3 powered vehicles as tow vehicles for years and they work well up to about 4000#. The 5900 pound rating requires towing equipment that I would bet you do not have. The most important is the 4.11:1 axle ratio. Most are 3.42 or 3.53. 3.73 is rare (my current S-10 Crew Cab) and 4.11 is virtually non-existent. At 7% tongue weight, the back bumper would be on the ground so a weight distributing hitch would also be required. In short -- you have a serious "tail wagging the dog" scenario. You would put your family and everyone else on the road at risk.

 

[watermellonI]

Re: General towing

Silvertip is right, you ll just about ruin your vehicle on the way down, that s if the boat doesn t try to get away from you and make a very very bad mess.

 

[Lucky Penny]

Re: General towing

I appreciate the responses. As i said, I am trying to investigate options. I have no intention of spending 14 hours at the wheel with the tail wagging the dog.

I travel to the Keys to work the snowbird season, and I have found that living aboard my boat makes the trip affordable. with a slip fee of between $600-$800 per month, I can make ends meet. When I plan my trips fuel cost is a big factor. I figure $3.50 per gal (average) @7.5 GPH x ~100hours = about $2200.00 this does not include marina stops (once ever three days, the others at anchor,) ice, water, PO, etc I figured it might save a buck or two to tow the boat down and launch. Fuel cost for driving would average about $250 or less. Big difference. I checked with a commerical boat hauler and they want $3.00 per mile (about $3400.00)

It would be great if I could just haul her over to AMTRAC and pick her up in Miami.

I guess I will have to start looking at truck rentals.

Again, thank you for your assistance, but I had to ask.



Jon

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: General towing

Bad thing is no rental places will let you use one of their vehicles to tow with either.Buying a bigger tow vehicle is the only option...

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: General towing

My S10 has the 4.3 and is rated to tow 4500 lbs. I am towing 3200 or so and while the truck doesn't complain too much, mileage goes way down while towing. Given my experience with this combo, I would never tow anywhere near 4500 lbs. Even at 3200, the S10 is a little overworked. I can really tell the difference between towing the 3200 pound rig and another boat at around 2000lbs. I'm looking for something a little bigger to manage the trailer a little better.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: General towing

my fuel cost from Jax to Little Torch, which is 25 miles from Key West, averages $200 each way. towing this.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: General towing

As with any vehicle, axle ratio makes a very big difference in how well or how poorly a vehicle tows and how it affects fuel economy. My S-10 crew cab with 3.73 gears tows 3000# just fine in OD. My trips are generally 400 - 500 miles at freeway speeds. The truck does a very respectable 16.5 - 17 mpg provided I'm not running into a 30 MPH headwind. If I need to run the air, then it drops to 15 and I'll need to drop out of OD. Since most of the S-10/Jimmy style vehicles had 3.42 or 3.53 gears It's understandable why towing gets a little more touchy at higher weights. My fishing buddy has an identical vehicle to mine but with the 3.42 gears. He cannot tow in OD period and gets much worse fuel economy. We have the same boats as well.

 

[Fish n Geer]

Re: General towing

I learned the OD lesson the hard way.When i went to get my camper from the dealership the guy walked me through everything while the mechanic was installing the brake wiring etc.Well to make a long story short never thought to take it out of overdrive while pulling it home.All of sudden next day noticed my van wasnt shifting right,would wind out to much before shifting.Lucky me just getting the van two weeks prior to this it was under warranty plus we purchased a extended 2 year 33.000 mile warranty on it.Well it turned out they had to rebuild the trans and the mechanic told me there was some slop in the rear end as well.They rebuilt that as well.Now whenever i hook to anything i make sure it is not in overdrive.Being a high top van it is not the most fuel efficent "beast" to begin with.Being a "Dodge" it drinks up the gas pretty good going up to mom and dads pulling the camper.They are 150 miles north of us i burn a half tank getting there.I run about 60 thats enough for me!It pulls nice and straight no wagging sway bar installed. Amazes me when some jokers pass you like you are standing still! They to pulling a big camper or big boats.They have to be really sucking up the fuel not to mention the dangers of trailering something large at high speeds.All it takes is one blowout or pothole to cause a big disaster.I drove tractor trailer for 11 years never had a bad mishap so i will stick to my more cautious approach to any trailering of anything.I know years ago doubt if its a law now but towing anything there was a 45mph limit here in Michigan.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: General towing

If you towed anything at 45 MPH (the minimum on a freeway today) you'd get run over, shot, or both. Talk about a traffic hazard. If you can't tow safely faster than that get the heck off the road.

 

[Fish n Geer]

Re: General towing

I agree 100 percent! Equipment has come a long way since those days and that law.My whole point is the ones driving at the high speeds towing are dangerous because there is no damn way they are gonna stop or control it if they or someone in front of them has a blowout or whatever?Seen the aftermath more than a few times.

 

[45Auto]

Re: General towing

Hi Jon,

If you're kind of flexible on pick up and delivery dates you might be able to get it transported much cheaper if you use "USHIP". It's kind of like an Ebay for transporting stuff. I had a boat delivered from Pennsylvania to New Orleans (1250 miles) in July for $960. If you are flexible you can hook up with someone who will give you a deal rather than make an empty run.

Be careful and check out the shippers, make sure you get a licensed transporter with insurance. It's up to you to verify their info.

 

[Jerico]

Re: General towing

My '01 Olds Bravada is sitting at a friend's down by the lake with a blown transmission (see post in non-boating topics). Basically the Bravada is a dressed up Jimmy. Pulling my roughly 4k boat is a strain. I wouldn't recommend it for any real distance.

 

[Lucky Penny]

Re: General towing

I really am at a loss for words, you guys really saved my bacon. Especially "45 AUTO"

As I stated earlier in this thread, I work southern FL during the snowbird season, And the only way to make it workout is for me to live aboard my boat. marina's are about half of what a small apartment runs down there. After putting everything together, I was ready to call down to Marathon and beg off working this season. Thanks to 45AUTO I don't have to do that, thanks.

Anyway I am getting a trucker off of uSHIP to do the job for less than half of what it would cost me to cruise the ICW down there based upon fuel cost alone.

Thanks guys, really.

 

[87mh]

Re: General towing

....At 7% tongue weight....you have a serious "tail wagging the dog" scenario. You would put your family and everyone else on the road at risk.

Silvertip:

I am active on a camping trailer forum, and the general rule of thumb there is 10% to 15% of the weight of the trailer on the tongue - and we generally all use some sort of a weight distributing hitch. Not disputing the Forum Population accepted tongue weight here, just wondering if 7% is normal for boats, and what are the accepted limits...now, I am leading into my REAL question.

I have a late model 15.5' Progator with a 40 horse Merc - about 1500lbs on the trailer. The tongue weight is about 200 lbs. I very seldom pull the boat, and then for only short distances. I would love to get the tongue weight down to about 80 lbs so I could "manhandle" it on level concrete. I have tried pushing the boat to the rear of the trailer, but with about 8" hanging over the back of the trailer the tongue is still over 100 lbs. I hesitate to "lock in" the position of the boat on the trailer with the transom so far to the rear of the support bunks. I really fear for the health of the transom should I try to pull it with the motor unsupported.


I could install longer (and more) bedding bunks (wood) - right now the boat does not load onto the trailer well at all - there is no guide for the bow to track up onto the trailer.

The axle sits all of the way to rear of the trailer. There is no room in the boat to redistribute movable internal objects. Moving the axle forward is not possible - too much stuff in the way on the frame.

What are my options short of a new trailer?

 

[jeeperman]

Re: General towing

welcome to the forum 87mh!
I think Silvertip meant even with only 7% tongue weight the vehicle in question would be dragging tail.

But yes the generally accepted tongue weight here ranges between 10-15%.
But in reality it is whatever it takes to eliminate sway at highway speeds and when passed by an 18 wheeler doing 20mph more than you.

Your 200 lb tongue weight sounds about right. What about a longer tongue so you have more leverage to manhandle it around?

You could also try using a length of square steel tube or even a wood 4x4 to give you that extra lever to manhandle it.

4x4x8' with a ball about 12" from one end and a metal "strap" at the very end so you can slide over and onto the trailer coupler.