Tow Vechicles

[jov]

My current truck is starting get pretty high mileage and I am considering getting another one. I was wondering what everyone is towing there boats with.

[Todd j]

Hi there, I'm currently using a 07 ram with the 5.9 diesel.  Before that I used a 78 F250 crew cab with a sporty 429BB.  I was discussing with another member some potential issues with tow vehicles.  2024 f series super duty trucks in particular.  while any of these rigs can certainly tow the GA in any length/form, manufacturers disagree.  I have found that the tow specs for a bumper pull is 500lbs. on the tongue and 5000 lbs. tow.  I am unaware of anyone who thinks their tow vehicle is inadequate.  Tundra and maybe a forerunner are doing the job, I think.
  The only reason I bring up the puny tow weights is because if anyone will get bit by this it'll be me.  Just my luck.  I am concerned, albeit a very tiny bit that insurance company could say I was overloaded and pay a claim if I was to file.

[Brian.Dixon]

Hi there, I'm currently using a 07 ram with the 5.9 diesel.  Before that I used a 78 F250 crew cab with a sporty 429BB.  I was discussing with another member some potential issues with tow vehicles.  2024 f series super duty trucks in particular.  while any of these rigs can certainly tow the GA in any length/form, manufacturers disagree.  I have found that the tow specs for a bumper pull is 500lbs. on the tongue and 5000 lbs. tow.  I am unaware of anyone who thinks their tow vehicle is inadequate.  Tundra and maybe a forerunner are doing the job, I think.
  The only reason I bring up the puny tow weights is because if anyone will get bit by this it'll be me.  Just my luck.  I am concerned, albeit a very tiny bit that insurance company could say I was overloaded and pay a claim if I was to file.

And the truck configuration matters.  For example, some of the heavy duty (or super duty) rigs are designed to carry equivalent weight as the next level up, e.g. a 2500HD has the weight capacity of a 1-ton.  But the payload is reduced by truck options ... for example, a full-size 4x4 system typically weighs 500-700# and the truck's payload rating is reduced by this amount ... check the labels on the truck or look up its VIN online to see what any particular truck's capacity is.  And similarly, the type of tow system on the rig makes a difference too, e.g. various load equalizing hitches versus not.  My truck is a long cab, long box, GMC 2500HD that has a 496ci (8.1L) gasser in it, the Allison transmission (same as on a diesel), equalizing hitch, full tow package, and electric brakes. <-- built for towing.

[json]

I am towing with a 2022 f350 gasser with the 7.3 liter pushrod v8. It has no problem towing my boat, which has a tongue weight that is right around 1k lbs. I verified that the hitch on the truck is rated for more than that, I believe somewhere in the park of 2k lbs, so it's sufficient. I bought the truck really to haul a northern lite truck camper, of which it does quite well, but it also tows my boat great. I previously had a Tundra and, combined with my last trailer which had a tongue weight of approx 1200 lbs, my Tundra couldn't hack it. I think my current trailer is quite tongue heavy compared to most though, so you could probably address that concern when getting your trailer fitted or built and hopefully get it in the 500lb ballpark. The boat and trailer combo are around 6500 lb weight for me so doable with a 1/2 ton from a purely towing perspective, but not from a tongue weight perspective. I added some suspension mods for the camper that make a positive difference with the boat also, which are bags and torqlift stable loads. I also did not really give any concern to weight reduction in my build, I used hydrotek and aquatek which are typically on the heavier side for build material. Hope this helps.

[Djeffrey]

2019 ram 2500 with hemi . Tows my boat at 70 in I want. I like 65 mph.

[Dan Boccia]

I've learned a lot about tow and cargo weights and also tongue weight of trailers since I'm the one with a 2004 4Runner - one of the few years they had a small V8 and super strong transmission with towing capacity of 7000 lb and all wheel drive all the time. My trailer is aluminum and as such several hundred pounds lighter than equivalent steel trailer, and it has disc brakes on all 4 wheels which makes a huge difference along with a good brake controller.

You want tongue weight between 10-15% of overall trailer load weight. My weight of trailer/boat loaded for the road is around 6500 lb, weighed at the local sand and gravel scales. My tongue weight is 670 lb (weighed with a tongue weight scale on a flat parking lot), so just over 10%. That means my 4Runner's cargo capacity is well within its 1200 lb limit as long as I only have one other passenger and our personal gear is on the boat rather than in the truck.

Cargo capacity is what often kills the deal on tow vehicles in my experience helping clients get this right. The other thing is that people buy trailers that are too light - check the weight rating on the trailer tag and make sure you actually weigh your outfit somewhere - what you "think or calculate" vs what it actually is is usually quite different. The weight rating on the trailer is the weight of trailer + load, not just the load!

The final thing with dual axle trailers is you have to get the load equalized between front/rear axles by having the hitch height dialed in such that the trailer is relatively level. I made the mistake of having too low of a hitch height, which quickly wore out the tires on the front axle and I got to replace all 4 trailer tires way before they should have needed replaced. That got me to dial in the hitch height which made a big difference in how the trailer felt and now the wear appears much more even on all the tires.

Despite the relatively light weight of my 4Runner, I have never felt unsafe towing unless there is a severe crosswind which I check weather for and try to avoid. If I didn't already own the 4Runner I would have purchased a heavier tow vehicle such as a Dodge Diesel - there's no point in pushing things so close unless you already own the rig and plan to keep it as I do.