tow vehicle

L

Lummisailor

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 30, 2017
Messages
69
Fluid Motion Model
C-248 C
Vessel Name
synergy
does any one tow a R25 with a ford F150 with the max tow package it is rated at 11200 lbs. with 3.73 axel ratio
 
Also check the rear GAWR and GVWR with the anticipated tongue weight, passengers, cargo and fuel included. The consensus on this Board seems to be that a half-ton will do for short distances, but for over-the-road travel it's on the edge.

CN
 
If you do a search on "tow vehicle" on this site you will get a lot of info and opinions. Here's one viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2499&hilit=Search%E2%80%A6tow+vehicle
I tow my 25 with a 2012 F-350 diesel 4x4., a 250 would do the job also. For long distance you need a substantial truck to handle situations as they arise. I'm sure I could tow the boat with a Toyota, but could I stop it in an emergency?
 
The top rated tow capacity is dependent on type of hitch; the max capacity with the stock hitch is usually rated for weight distributing tow equipment.

Crawl under the truck and you should see a sticker like this attached to the hitch somewhere:

stockhitchwt.jpg


You might also want to check the Ford Fleet Towing Guide for your model year truck and read the fine print about towing capacities.

I ended up getting an after-market hitch that was rated for 12000 pounds conventional (weight carrying) towing.

A worthwhile investment in peace of mind.
 
45 years in the towing business and all I can say is an f150 is way to light to haul a 25 for any kind of distance.that boat will own you on the hiway. :shock:
 
Ditto on the 150 being way too light unless you are going from storage to the ramp. Then make sure your 150 is four wheel drive. 250 is a better match for general towing around the country. You aren't gong to ever be towing within limits because of wind, emergency stopping and maneuvering. Also if you are towing at any more than 60% of rating, the wear and tear on the tow vehicle will guarantee a short drive train life. Towing is all about margins for braking and handling in emergency and wear and tear on the drive train. Going up a steep pass in second or first gear at 25 mph with the engine screaming is not my idea of fun. MPG also suffers when pushing the limits of six cylinder or smaller V8 engines. If you shop just a little bit you can find nice diesel 3/4 ton truck used for the price of a lighter gasser truck. When it comes to towing, size , torque and hp does matter.
 
Captain Nice":ig3ovet7 said:
Also check the rear GAWR and GVWR with the anticipated tongue weight, passengers, cargo and fuel included. The consensus on this Board seems to be that a half-ton will do for short distances, but for over-the-road travel it's on the edge.

CN
Click to expand...

To the OP:

For example, towing my 21EC (4300lbs on the trailer) with my F150 Supercrew, two passengers and ordinary cargo, I am 85-90% of the front & rear GAWR and GVWR, even though the maximum stated towing capacity is 11,900lbs.

CN
 
But if you are only going to tow from your driveway on Lummi Island to the Village Point Marina launch ramp and back and there are no steep mountain passes in between it might work if you are slow and careful!
 
Along this line, we have a 1 ton dually Chev and are wondering about the prospects of towing a R29 - I understand it is a "wide load" , but what are the restrictions ? What should be our concerns, or is it best done by a commercial hauler?
Thanks, Mark & Jane
 
Thanks to all for the info on the ford F150 the factory printed specs. tend to be confusing. We are shopping for a F250 diesel or 6.2 L gas.
So Vicki and Al I was surprised you know about our ramp at Village Point on Lummi , it would be a challenge to launch the 25 there. We use it for our Arima 17 ft outboard and it best done at high tide slack.
As we just put Synergy our R25 on her Easyloader trailer with bunks for the first time I was surprised at lack of ground clearance for the rudder and prop, it is only about a foot which could be a problem on a steep driveway. Also the bunks end about two feet from the transom. How does this condition compare to your set up.
Pura Vita Larry and Joanie
 
Larry and Joanie,
We start and end all our summer cruises out of Squalicum so we have been around all sides of Lummi a number of times. That Lummi ramp looked ok at high tide but I wouldn't use it at low tide.
Our Journey is on a custom built Tuff Trailer so not the same as yours. I did just measure the end of bunk to transom distance as 2.5" so a lot different than yours.
The prop clearance with trailer level is just under 12". That's ok since there is a big trailer cross member just forward of that which hopefully acts to protect the rudder and prop from any debris/bumps on the roadway. You want the center of gravity low on boat+trailer for towing so not having the boat high in the air on your trailer is a good thing!
 
Lummisailor":igf19b7n said:
We are shopping for a F250 diesel or 6.2 L gas.
Click to expand...
You really, really want a diesel if you plan to tow beyond local trips. A gas engine will be worked to death. According to the Ford website, their 6.7 diesel produces 860 ft. lbs. torque (what actually pulls the trailer) at less than 2,000 RPM. A 6.2L gas will make its max torque of 405 ft. lbs. at 3,500-4,000 RPM- so it's twice the revs for half the pulling power.

And for F250s, pay attention to hitch tow ratings. Some I looked at needed a weight-distribution hitch above 8,500 pounds trailer weight. I bought a Chevy Silverado.
 
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