Towing vehicle

[BGBOATER]

HI everyone,I need an opinion about towing 24'' boat & trailer total weight is right around 6500lbs.I have a 2004 grand cherokee V8 4.7 that shows a max. tow capacity 6500lbs. I'm sure it will pull it but on the other hand i'm thinking that the short wheel base and and not .so great suspension will be an issue.Any suggestions?Thank's

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: Towing vehicle

Would Not be the best towing Veh.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Towing vehicle

I tow that same sort of load with a Ford Explorer V8 . . . It was rated for 7K lbs. . . .

If you are not going far and at lower speeds, you may be OK with your vehicle. . . otherwise, maybe a new vehicle is in your future.

 

[BGBOATER]

Re: Towing vehicle

Would Not be the best towing Veh.[/Q



I'm considering getting either 04 tahoe 4x4 or expedition 4x4 still cant decide

 

[BGBOATER]

Re: Towing vehicle

I tow that same sort of load with a Ford Explorer V8 . . . It was rated for 7K lbs. . . .

If you are not going far and at lower speeds, you may be OK with your vehicle. . . otherwise, maybe a new vehicle is in your future.

I live in chicago,il area so the towing will not going to be more than max of 20 mi. each way at around 40mph but i think this will kill my wife's jeep.Considering of buying around 02-04 tahoe ,suburban or expedition.

 

[jcfitzgerald]

Re: Towing vehicle

F-250 or F-350 diesel.

 

[tazrig]

Re: Towing vehicle

Always go with a little more capacity than you need. It'll just be easier on the tow vehicle in the long run. The longer the wheel base the more stable you'll be out on the road but the more difficult to turn with. It's a tradeoff. Also a 4x4 is a big plus. You only have to get stuck on a slippery ramp once to learn that. Also take into consideration how crowded the ramps are that you are taking the boat to. If there isn't a lot of extra space for parking you might want to get something everyone going out with you can ride in rather than having to take multiple vehicles to the ramp. Just my .02 cents worth

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Towing vehicle

Many vehicles today have the horsepower to pull this load. Many just don't have the suspension or brakes to comfortably tow such a vehicle, however. And the short wheel base vehicles like any Jeep just don't want to turn well when at 100% max load.

A minimum would be a 1/2 ton truck with V-8 or EcoBoost engines. But for about the same money, you can go to a 3/4 ton truck that really will handle the weight--even if it's a gas. (I'm pulling with a F250 diesel.)

And on any tow vehicle, spend the $100 plus labor to have an auxillary transmission cooler. Heat is what is responsible for 80% of transmission failures. It's the cheapest insurance you'll ever spend.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Towing vehicle

I used to tow with an '05 Grand Cherokee with the 4.7 and I wasn't that impressed with it even just towing my light 18' aluminum bowrider. We've since upgraded to an '06 with the Hemi and it's better but you still certainly know the boat is back there. I much prefer towing with my old Chevy 1500. In short, no I would not enjoy hauling a 24' boat with a Grand Cherokee.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Towing vehicle

Remember that 6500lbs includes all the weight in the boat, your passengers ect.
You need a few 1000lbs more towing capacity.

 

[tazrig]

Re: Towing vehicle

Remember that 6500lbs includes all the weight in the boat, your passengers ect.
You need a few 1000lbs more towing capacity.

Hopefully you're not towing the boat with your passengers still in it! :lol: But extra capacity is always a good thing. My boat weighs 6,500 lbs dry so I got an 8,500 lb trailer for it. Boat, trailer, fuel and stuff 9,000 lbs. so I got a tow vehicle with 10k capacity just for that extra safety margin. You want to be able to smoothly tow your boat, not constantly be reminded it's back there as it gets real old real fast.

 

[BGBOATER]

Re: Towing vehicle

The dry weight for the boat is 5000 trailer would be around 1000 maybe more then some fuel and gear in the boat probably will go a little over 6500 but still it is going to be a lot for the jeep, i had a 23 footer cuddy which was 4600 on the scale but 2000 extra pounds will make a huge difference.Would a sububrban or expedition be a good idea?

 

[jkust]

Re: Towing vehicle

The dry weight for the boat is 5000 trailer would be around 1000 maybe more then some fuel and gear in the boat probably will go a little over 6500 but still it is going to be a lot for the jeep, i had a 23 footer cuddy which was 4600 on the scale but 2000 extra pounds will make a huge difference.Would a sububrban or expedition be a good idea?

The trailer for my 18 footer is 1000lbs with a single axle...I think your trailer estimated weight is a good bit underestimated. My suv is also rated for 6500lbs even though it has the same engine as a larger suv or full sized truck. As someone above stated, it's not the hp or tq that is the issue. I would feel uncomfortable with zero margin but going only 40 mph, I'd feel a bit more at ease. It's the outliers and emergency maneuvers that can cause the safety issues. They happen every single year I tow my 18 footer (which is actually a 24 foot trailer length).

 

[emilsr]

Re: Towing vehicle

The dry weight for the boat is 5000 trailer would be around 1000 maybe more then some fuel and gear in the boat probably will go a little over 6500 but still it is going to be a lot for the jeep, i had a 23 footer cuddy which was 4600 on the scale but 2000 extra pounds will make a huge difference.Would a sububrban or expedition be a good idea?

Mine is 4850 dry (according to the spec sheet), and my tandem steel trailer weighs 1760 (shipping weight). Add some gear/gas and is probably over 7k lbs. Up until this year I've been towing with a 1997 Suburban; was fine, even for the 1200 mile tow when we moved, but I wouldn't want to tow any more than that behind a half ton truck. I bought a Silverado 2500 as a replacement; don't think I'd want to go the other direction (i.e. your Jeep) but it would probably be okay for short tows as long as you're double careful.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Towing vehicle

The trailer for my 18 footer is 1000lbs with a single axle...I think your trailer estimated weight is a good bit underestimated.

Yup- happens all the time here. Not sure why.

My 24' had a dry weight of 5250. Bought a Tidewater aluminum tandem axle trailer (6600 lbs. capacity) that weighed in at 1675 lbs. Emilsr noted above that his tandem trailer weighs 1760.

If you don't know your trailer's weight and can't weigh it, at least look up the specs on a similar one.

My .02

 

[BGBOATER]

Re: Towing vehicle

Probably the trailer is more than a 1000 i just bought it and i never had a chance to weigh it, it has very solid iron beams so yeah 7000lbs will be closer estimate maybe more, so at this point i,m considering to buy a dually truck,considering that the boat i purchased is in Rochester,NY and i live in Chicago are i still have to go and pick it up next month 650 mi. each way.Not even sure if i will be using it this summer as i plan to go a full restoration on a boat as far as vinyl,interior,buffing etc.,thinking of doing some modification on the body like replacing the wooden swim platform with fiberglass one adding an arch just for nicer look.

 

[tazrig]

Re: Towing vehicle

Probably the trailer is more than a 1000 i just bought it and i never had a chance to weigh it, it has very solid iron beams so yeah 7000lbs will be closer estimate maybe more, so at this point i,m considering to buy a dually truck,considering that the boat i purchased is in Rochester,NY and i live in Chicago are i still have to go and pick it up next month 650 mi. each way.Not even sure if i will be using it this summer as i plan to go a full restoration on a boat as far as vinyl,interior,buffing etc.,thinking of doing some modification on the body like replacing the wooden swim platform with fiberglass one adding an arch just for nicer look.

Again the more towing capacity you can afford the better. The better it will handle on the road and the better it will stop if your trailer brakes don't always work as they should. Some big trucks have less rated towing capacity than smaller ones so check the rated tow capacity not just the size of the vehicle. My 2003 Silverado 8.1L 2500HD 4X4 crew cab with an 8 foot bed only has a 10,000 lb towing capacity. The new Silverado 1500's can tow up to 12,000lb.

 

[palace]

Re: Towing vehicle

http://forums.iboats.com/trailers-towing/gmc-sierra-1500-ram-1500-who-best-592431.html

Heres what peeps are saying. Some good info for ya.

HI everyone,I need an opinion about towing 24'' boat & trailer total weight is right around 6500lbs.I have a 2004 grand cherokee V8 4.7 that shows a max. tow capacity 6500lbs. I'm sure it will pull it but on the other hand i'm thinking that the short wheel base and and not .so great suspension will be an issue.Any suggestions?Thank's

 

[cjjjdeck]

Re: Towing vehicle

The dry weight for the boat is 5000 trailer would be around 1000 maybe more then some fuel and gear in the boat probably will go a little over 6500 but still it is going to be a lot for the jeep, i had a 23 footer cuddy which was 4600 on the scale but 2000 extra pounds will make a huge difference.Would a sububrban or expedition be a good idea?

To comment on your Suburban/Expedition question I'll share my experience.
I tow my boat (approx. 6000 lbs) with a 2007 Expedition EL 4X4 rated for 8,400 lbs with factory tow package and it handles the load very well. I had a 1999 Chevy Suburban 1500 previously, which I loved, until I got the Expedition. I found the brakes on the Expedition handles loads much better than my Suburban did (the rear drums never seemed to auto adjust, so I had them adjusted on each oil change to try to keep them working their best..... which still was a bit disappointing). The newer Suburbans (or the 2500 series) may have improved brakes. Another point is that the 5.4L V-8 engine takes 6 quarts of oil (with filter), verses 5 quarts on the 5.7L or 5.3L V8 on the Suburban. I felt that the extra quart would help keep the oil temp down a bit more while towing. However both those V8's have great service records. I still have an appreciation for Suburbans, but my current experience puts the Ford ahead.

If you are looking for a late model Expedition, I would recommend finding one with the 5.4L V8 instead of the 4.6L V8 (5.4L became standard eventually). The 5.4L is absolutely the better motor for towing and overall performance. Finding one with the factory tow package will be a big plus as well.

With the Suburban, if it were me, I would look to find a 2500 series. They probably have at least a 6.0L V8 which wouldn't hurt either.

 

[BGBOATER]

Re: Towing vehicle

Thank's for the replay i got my eye on yukon denali xl which has the 6.0l engine and it has 4wd which is a plus when it comes to a slippery ramp.Anyway i,m not going to be towing it for long trips but even if I have to once in a while i think the yukon will do the job just fine.