Towing R27ob

[Comet]

Need input on towing a R27ob on double axle a long distance . Have towed R25 to Florida several times . Is there much difference ? Will be towing with a Chev 2500 gas truck. Any info would be helpful.

 

[TexasEye]

I'd like some post about tow vehicles and recommendations for the 25 thru 29...

 

[BB marine]

I'd like some post about tow vehicles and recommendations for the 25 thru 29...

This subject has been brought up several times here on Tugnuts. Do a search "Tow vehicles you will see all the opinions. Most agree on 3/4 ton or larger, most prefer Diesel over Gas. I personally would not tow with less then a HD 3/4, I would prefer a Diesel but $$$... I Tow with a 6.0 gas 4.10 rear end, HD2500, tri-axel trailer and pull comfortably at 60 to 65 mph. Do your homework on a tow vehicle , a little common sense, have fun.

 

[ixlr8]

Make sure you have the proper tongue weight. I noticed that Ranger stopped selling the dual axle trailer and went to a tri-axle trailer for the 27OB. I asked Ranger about that and I was told that they had difficulties getting the boat forward enough on the trailer to get the proper tongue weight with the dual axle setup. I was also told that a fully loaded 27OB weighed in at the upper limit of a dual axle trailer. Based on what the factory told me, ensure your boat is loaded on the trailer properly to get the correct tongue weight, tow with minimum fuel/water on board, put what stuff you can in the truck rather than in the boat. Or at least move it forward in the boat to help get the tongue weight up if you need to. Keep your speeds down, trailer tires are speed rated to 65mph, ensure trailer tires are properly inflated. Be careful and have fun.

 

[stwendl]

Has anyone changed considered converting a dual axel trailer to triple. Or are there so many differences that it is not worth doing so

 

[ixlr8]

Has anyone changed considered converting a dual axel trailer to triple. Or are there so many differences that it is not worth doing so

I have read about it being done so I know it has been done, but I have no idea what is involved. The two questions I would have, is the main I beam up to it, does the elect/hydraulic brake pump have the capacity for another axle set of brakes?

 

[NewMoon]

Our 26-footer came out a good bit heavier than expected. 10K lb dual-axle Pacific Trailer was not quite up to the job. Way heavy tongue weight, and more than reasonable wear on the bearings.

Contacted Pacific Trailer, and sure enough it was pretty easy to add a third axle. Apparently the trailer frame could easily handle some more weight - the limitation was the axles.

After weighing several times on truck scales, and sliding the carriage the axles are attached to back and forth, got the tongue weight just right (900-950lb out of 11,000-11,750 lb). Changed the ball carrier so that the trailer was exactly level, and voila. Heavy trailer tows perfectly with Ram/Cummins 2500 quad cab long bed. Also, less trauma if a tire fails. Some 80,000 miles on the trailer so far.

 

[jagizzi]

I have to admit that when I read this I thought that someone was using the R27 as a dinghy and wanted information on how to tow it behind their boat 😀

 

[scross]

One obscure benefit of having an outboard is that is the engine poops out and you need the boat to be towed back to port, you don't need to worry about forgetting to close the seacock before being towed like you do with an inboard.

 

[dclagett]

Don’t forget about securing the engine. That is a lot of weight hanging out there and if not secured properly could cause structural issues with the boat. I would talk to both the Ranger Tug factory and Yamaha to get their recommendation. There is much data on the web but in my opinion it is mostly opinion. I used a Yamaha device that secured the engine at about a 45 degree angle up on my Honda outboard and did not have any issues over thousands of miles towing.

Good luck and enjoy the boat.

 

[ixlr8]

Don’t forget about securing the engine. That is a lot of weight hanging out there and if not secured properly could cause structural issues with the boat. I would talk to both the Ranger Tug factory and Yamaha to get their recommendation. There is much data on the web but in my opinion it is mostly opinion. I used a Yamaha device that secured the engine at about a 45 degree angle up on my Honda outboard and did not have any issues over thousands of miles towing.

Securing the engine is a good idea. I talked to my local Yamaha Master mechanic, he was not so worried about transom damage from the motor hanging out the back. His concern was, as the engine bounced that it was bouncing the hydraulic pistons that hold the engine up and it would wear the bore in that one spot and cause leaks. He felt the brace was cheap insurance for a motor that expensive. My dealer told me the Yamaha brace was about $200.

 

[YukonRon]

I've seen outboard boats getting towed down the highway with the motor bouncing up and down...not good.
I used to add a ratchet strap over the motor to hold it down.
The support takes the weight and the strap stops the bounce.