Towing 25SC Question

F

Fly-fish

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 20, 2013
Messages
86
Fluid Motion Model
C-288 C
Vessel Name
Stella Maris
I will be towing a 2010 25SC with a 2014 Ford F250, 6.7l diesel with all class IV rated equipment. The EZ Loader trailer has a 2 5/16" ball. I am wondering if I should use the 2" drop or the 4" drop ball mount. I measured 21.5" to the top of the square towing receptacle on the 2014 F250. Any ideas on the right ball mount drop for trailering the 25SC behind an F250? I'd appreciate any insights from this experienced group.
Thank you,
Mike
Camas, WA
 
Hi Mike:

I think the right ball mount drop will depend on exactly how high your truck's hitch is, and exactly how much tongue weight you have on your trailer.

When we got our R27, I was told the trailer ideally should be towed level, but given a choice of slightly tongue high or tongue low, that we should choose tongue high. We had to pull onto level pavement and get out the measuring tape to check trailer.

Right now ours rides about 1/2 inch higher in the front than rear of trailer, and tows pretty well.

Once we did hook up the first time, I had to go and get another trailer ball mount 2 in lower to get it in the ballpark.

Hope this helps.
 
I recently went through this with my 2012 Ford F350 6.7 diesel, 18" wheels.
Etrailer has a tutorial to help you figure it out:
http://www.etrailer.com/faq-ballmount.aspx
Etrailer will tell you that aftermarket ball mounts will not fit newer Fords with factory receivers. Aftermarket mounts are square and the Ford receiver has beveled edges.
Some Reese mounts have the beveled edges, I purchased this one from Amazon and it's a perfect fit,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CP ... UTF8&psc=1
When I called Etrailer I was told that 2" either way is acceptable, I ended up 1/2" high with my setup.
RV dealers are also another good resource if you have any in your area.
 
Flyfish,

Before I took delivery of my previous R27, I had the same question. One concern was how far the rear of the truck would drop once loaded with the trailer tongue weight. While at my brother-in-laws crawfish boil party I got assistance from 7 young guys weighing about 150 to 200 lbs each. I then measured the height of where the top of the ball mount from the ground would be with combinations of these guys standing on the rear edge of the truck bed to simulate tongue weight while I measured again with the truck unloaded. I don't remember the exact drop now but I think it was 2 to 3 inches. They were then paid handsomely in beer and crawfish.
 
As an educated guess [ I had a 2012 F 250 same setup] the 2 " drop will be good with the 15" tires on the trailer.I used Firestone Air Ride suspension on my Ford and it stiffened the rear for the bigger boats , but probably not necessary with a 25SC. But a level frame is always best with torsion axles as others have pointed out .
Marc
 
I want to thank everyone for their great responses. Wish we had a crawfish boil so I could measure the drop too! Anyway, wonderful comments. It sure is great to access the comments and experience of the Tugnuts! What an exceptional group. A hearty thank you...
Mike
 
When you are figuring don't forget you may have passengers and gear on board which will also make some differance. As previously mentioned a couple inches either way will not make a big if any differance.. I passed a lot of really bad set ups as I'm sure we have all seen . I would error on being a bit on the high side in my opinion if you are unsure.
Goood Luck
 
Thank you, Irish mist. Interestingly the 25SC tongue weight had little effect on my Ford F250 set-up..Remained very level. Was nice to see as well as how eager the new Ford 6.7L diesel now is. Thank you.
 
If your tongue weight had "very little" effect on the height of your hitch when the tongue weight was lowered onto the truck, I suggest that you take it to the scale and confirm that you have at least 8% of the trailer weight (some say 10%) on the hitch.
 
What kind of places have scales and what is the best method for weighing?
 
Most truck stops should have a scale or know wher one is. The scale has 3 pads, one for the steering wheels, the middle one for the drive wheels, and the other pad for the trailer. You will get 4 weights steering axel the driver axel, the trailer and the total weight.
 
Great to know. Thank you!
 
To measure your tongue weight, you'll need to weigh twice. Here's one method, but there are others;

Park with all the trailer wheels on the scale and the truck's rear bumper near the front of the scale. Weigh the trailer wheels. This weight is "X" for your boat. For a typical R-25, this should be around 8700 lbs depending on fuel level, water, options and how much equipment is aboard. If the scale is capable of measuring each axle, they should be roughly even.

Unhitch the trailer and raise the trailer off the ball using the trailer's jack. The weight of the jack is now on the scale as well. Weigh again. This is the total trailer weight or "Y" for your boat. The typical R-25 will be around 9500 lbs.

Your tongue weight equals "Y" minus "X". In the example above, 9500-8700=800lbs.

Percent tongue weight = Tongue Weight divided by Total Weight times 100. In the example above 800/9500 times 100=8.4%.

Recommendations as to tongue weight vary by manufacturer, but in another forum on this site, people have reported sway with less than 6% tongue weight. Nobody has reported sway with greater than 8% tongue weight. If your tongue weight is too low, you'll need to redistribute the load in the boat and/or move the winch stand forward on the trailer.
 
Here's a good thread from another website that I had found and saved awhile ago. The writer goes through the entire process of using the Cat scales. As you scroll through there is a pic of the actual weigh slip.
I'll be doing this myself before the boat is launched. The truck stop in RI charges $12.00 for the initial weigh and $2.00 for any additional weighs within 24 hours.

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/016667.html
 
We will be closing on a 2009 R25 with Marc at Wefings in about 10 days. I am used to towing trailers loaded with large round bales around the area and also towing a 20' Shamrock Pilot House but the R25 will be something new for me. We will be towing the Ranger back to Montana for about 6 months before taking it back to Apalachicola. The truck we will use for towing is a 2014 F350 crew cab, long box with a 373 rear end. The truck has a 12,500# towing package and sway control system and it looks like with the 373 we are good to haul 12,100#. Last night friends were over for dinner, Tim who is the guru of all things towing (actually the guru of all things but that is another story) looked over our truck and recommended that we change out our B&W setup for a weight-distribution system with additional sway control. Is this something that you all routinely use and if so do you have any suggestions on a make and model to use in our application? Thanks for any input you all may have. Jim
 
I bought a tongue weight scale.. Worked great and after I did my set up I used it and cash to pay for use of their travel lift as I don't foresee needing it again. There also is a way to use a bathroom scale if you do a search on line here is what I had
http://www.sherline.com/lm.htm
 
Awesome input. Thank you!
 
Rodeo":jam3fwh6 said:
We will be closing on a 2009 R25 with Marc at Wefings in about 10 days. I am used to towing trailers loaded with large round bales around the area and also towing a 20' Shamrock Pilot House but the R25 will be something new for me. We will be towing the Ranger back to Montana for about 6 months before taking it back to Apalachicola. The truck we will use for towing is a 2014 F350 crew cab, long box with a 373 rear end. The truck has a 12,500# towing package and sway control system and it looks like with the 373 we are good to haul 12,100#. Last night friends were over for dinner, Tim who is the guru of all things towing (actually the guru of all things but that is another story) looked over our truck and recommended that we change out our B&W setup for a weight-distribution system with additional sway control. Is this something that you all routinely use and if so do you have any suggestions on a make and model to use in our application? Thanks for any input you all may have. Jim
Click to expand...

I am using a Chevy 3500 with the factory tow package and it is rated to carry my load. I have had no problems towing with the standard tow package. I have to use cruise control because I forget the boat is behind me. I doubt you need a weight distribution and sway package. I would say take it to Montana and you can decide for yourself if you want to beef up the tow package after the trip. I doubt very much that you will need to. You did not mention if you were gas or diesel.
 
I admit (sheepishly) that the Ranger was not on our list when I bought our new trucks in November. I elected to save $10,000 off the top and a dollar a gallon on fuel and went with the 6.2L gas engine, so far we have not been disappointed. This may change when I start to regularly tow the Ranger but will have to wait and see, the 6.2 coupled with the new six speed automatic seems to have pretty good torque. One thing that I intend to keep track of is the mileage going from sea level to 5500 feet on the trip home and then from 5500 to sea level on the return trip, I imagine that it will be 2-3 mpg difference. Thanks for the information on the weight distributing system. Jim
 
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