Towing the R31

J

jcarrdive

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2014
Messages
151
Fluid Motion Model
C-302 SC
Vessel Name
Wallowa
Hi Tugnuts, we are looking at purchasing a new R31 in the next year, and our Jeep will not tow it, I am certain of that. Do you think we need a dually or will a regular diesel pick-up work well enough? Any towing advice is appreciated. We intend to use the truck and trailer to go (from mid-Oregon) from California to Canada.
jc
 
Hi JC. You'll should get a lot of advice on the truck question. We have an R27 and tow it with a GMC HD 2500 Duramax diesel, 4x4 crew cab, HD trailering towing package and it works just fine for us. We've been from Seatte to Key West, up to Michigan, back to the PNW in the last 2 years and our truck has served us well. With that said and you considering an R31 I would suggest going with dual rear wheels in a ton diesel of your choice. Lets see what others say.

Jim
 
Thanks Jim. WHat kind of mileage did you get on long pulls with the truck?
jc
 
Dually one ton diesel of your choice with that kind of load for sure! Should be some 2013's around on sale right now... My Cutwater 28 pulls well with my 1 ton diesel but I would definitely add the duals with your significant increase in trailered weight and volume/cross wind profile. Good luck!
 
The 31 is a big chunk of boat.
You will need a one ton dually for that.
You will have the issues of wide load permits and each state has it's own required signage on the vehicle and load.
 
JC, my mileage towing ranges between 11 and 13 mpg, depending on geography and we've got 34,000 miles on the truck so far.
 
I think if you are towing an R-31 a one ton truck, like a Ford F-350 4x4 or equivalent would work well and the decision about duallys would depend on tongue weight and whether or not you use it to launch the boat on ramps. We don't even have a truck large enough to tow our R-29 which lives in the water.
Bob
 
Dual rear tires are not great on a slippery ramp. Duallies serve a purpose: to allow more weight on the rear axle. That same spread of weight on the tires is what can be problematic on a ramp.

Best to know the actual tongue weight, weight of the tow, and combined vehicle/tow gross weight. If the truck can handle the weight with single rear wheels, you will get a better ride (unladen) and better fuel mileage. If you need the extra weight capacity, then go with the duallies.

Good luck with the decisions,
Jim B.
 
Don't forget the 4X4. You will need it on slippery ramps, wet grass, mud, snow, sand, etc.
 
I agree with the 4x4 for added traction. I tow with a dually 1 ton. A lot of lighter trucks will tow the 31 down the road however a one ton dually has 40% more brakes, and it take a lot of brake to stop a 31.
I have a 2008 Duramax 4x4 crew cab 18mpg hyway 11-13mpg towing. In this case, bigger is better.
RJM
 
I spent a lot of time on this and did some digging and made a decision I will know soon if it was the right one . I do think a dually would be best for towing no question. I need to use my truck every day and think I will only tow one trip a year of any distance. I went with a 2013 4x4 dodge diesel 2500 non dually with towing package and built in controler for the traer. The dodge had the highest towing capacity and the Cummings seems to be the best diesel. The newer diesels have a built in feature that gives engine braking on the hills. I have a 29 and feel this will work for me. If you are in a position you can get a truck dedicated to boat towing I would opt for the dually I unfortunately need dual purpose so opted not to get the extra wheels as they get less milage and another set of tires to replace and not great in the snow even with 4x4 . Most single rear wheel trucks will not be rated any more for towing in a one ton then a 3/4 ton. And watch ratings as the advertised rating is usually for a fifth wheel type trailer. The dodge 3/4 diesel will tow 16,000 lbs so I will be close to the max with the 29.. I may tow the boat and find I do not want to do that any more after the first trip Or it may go great and will tow more . I am still working and not in a great financial spot so I had to base my decisions on that. You can expect 8 mi per gal towing your boat .. Best of luck and I will be filing a report in March with my findings as I plan on going from Orillia Ontario to Fort Myers Beach if all goes well.
I would recommend 4x4 in what ever you choose..
Mark
 
when you add up the costs associated with sourcing, maintaining, and running a one ton tow vehicle using a professional boat shipper starts to look attractive... esp if one tows only a few times a year.
 
Amazing how fast the replies came in on this one, I'll add my comments and experience. Been towing all kinds of loads for over 50 years. I have the R29 / Dodge 3500 Cummings, Single rear wheel, 4X4 combo. It works OK for the 29. Duel rear wheels give you a lot more tire side wall which will help stabilize a load and prevent sway. This becomes more apparent when hauling a heavy or large load on the truck. Large 5th wheel trailers put a lot of weight on the truck as do big campers which also get a lot of wind sway. The R29 only adds about 1500 lbs. to the truck at the hitch which can be handled easily with the single wheel trucks.

With that said it will be a lot more important to make sure your trailer is properly rated for the boat and Range seams to undersize the trailers. My 15,000 lb. trailer is maxed out with the 29 and if I were doing it over I would try to find a higher capacity trailer. I would rather have a trailer designed to carry and more importantly stop a larger load. Any truck can get it going, its stopping that I worry about and would like a trailer with larger breaks. I would look to find a trailer that can handle at least 25% more than I expect to carry, including the boat, and all the extra stuff which will be in the boat like full fuel, water, clothes and supplies.

My truck / trailer combo has a combined GVW of 25,100 lbs. which is just under the limit for needing any special license. I would guess the R31 will be a bit over the limit. not a problem, just something to consider as you may have to provide your drivers license info for the over width permit applications.
 
This is all excellent advice and I really appreciate it!
When we order, we will get a trailer with a larger load capacity! Jury is still out on the single or dual rear wheels, but I am leaning towards the duals. I still have some time to decide.
 
We have experience in both trailering our tug and using a professional. We trailered our Ranger 25 for nearly 6 years, 6,000 miles, and across many states. The expense of the truck and the trailer maintenance, and upgrades, was considerable but worth it for what we did: lots of different places over a short period of time. Plus, we kept the tug in our driveway.

Now, we have a Ranger 29, Andiamo, that we keep in the marina. We elected to not get the bigger truck or buy the triple axle trailer because we decided to do 99% of our boating in the PNW. Instead, we are using the shipper that the factory uses to move their boats around the country when we want to do the other 1%. In two weeks, Andiamo is being trailered from Everett, WA to Tarpon Springs, Florida where we will start the 6,000 mile Great Loop adventure that is common for boaters in that part of the country. We plan on being on the Loop for the next 11 months. We will pay about $8,000 for a one-way trip. This makes sense to us for the kind of adventures that we are doing and that we can boat year-round in the PNW where moorage rates can be pretty reasonable.

My advice: look at the whole picture, decide on the kind of adventures you are comfortable with, and those dictate your decisions.

See our website to follow our blog and photos: www.andiamo-Ranger29.com
 
John and Laurie, that is very exciting! I will look forward to reading about your time on the Loop!

At some point, hauling a boat around can become more work than adventure. Knowing when you've reached that point AND having the boat professionally moved is a great choice. (From a guy who has done a LOT of boat hauling 😉 )

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
I have been driving my Dually for 6 years. These are not your Fathers 1 tons. Go drive the big three, they drive like Cadillac's.
RJM
"Sunshine"
 
Hi There

We're also looking at a R31 in the next year, but since we are also RVers, we may be a little ahead of you on the truck.

I nearly didn't post this message, for two reasons. First, there are "brand wars" that get started with respect to trucks, and I want to steer clear of that. Second, although I am a long-time boater (see http://www.ourseaspirit.com) and a long-time motor homer and fifth wheel trailer owner, I'm not currently a Ranger Tugs or Cutwater Boats owner, so I want to be a little careful about shouting out info when I'm still only a TugNut wannabe.

Having said that, we tow our 38 foot long Teton Homes fifth wheel trailer with a 2013 Ram 3500 crew cab long bed dually with the Cummins diesel engine and Aisin transmission. Our trailer weighs about 16k lbs, which frankly is probably quite similar to what a loaded R31 and trailer will weigh (10.5k lbs dry, plus options such as genset, plus trailer, plus fluids, plus belongings). The fifth wheel trailer will have more air resistance though, since it's literally a box on wheels.

If I were looking for a truck to pull a 15k+ lb load such as a R31 or big fifth wheel, my concerns would be:

1) Ability for the truck to keep the combo from accelerating down a long grade, preferably without stepping on the brakes. This requires an engine/exhaust brake. The one ton pickups all have them, but they don't all work as well as each other. We are incredibly pleased with the RAM's exhaust brake, and it was one of two reasons we chose the RAM over the Ford.

2) Ability for the truck to stop the combo in an emergency, even when the trailer's brakes fail. Note that this is all about brake size and wheel/tire size, and nothing to do with engine braking. All the one tons have good brakes, though none are as good/big as our old RV-hauler, which was a Volvo VNL-780. Still, our RAM pulls and stops the 16k lb load with ease, and handles it well on the highway too (winds, etc.). I suspect the other leading one tons would do so too, especially the duallys.

3) Having enough oomph to get going from a standing start. These days, they all do.

4) Having an engine/tranny combo that keeps the revs fairly low in top gear, for fuel economy and quietness. This is especially important if you use your truck as a daily driver around town when not towing. The RAM really shines here, since its widely-spaced tranny (the Aisin, not the base-level tranny) allows the use of a 3.72 rear end instead of the Ford's 4.10 or higher rear end. This means the RAM does 1600 rpm at 65mph versus the Ford's/Chevy's 2000rpm. And if the RAM needs to gear down from 6th to 5th because we're going uphill all of a sudden, it can do that with no trouble, and then it looks/feels/sounds like the Ford/Chevy in top gear. This was the second of the two main reasons we chose the RAM over the Ford.

5) DO get 4WD. It only takes one time for you to be stuck pulling something through slippery grass or up a slimy ramp, to teach that lesson.

6) They don't all turn the same. The Ford F-450 turns slightly better than the RAM 3500, which turns slightly better than the Ford F-350, which turns somewhat better than the Chevy/GMC. It's all to do with the amount of "wheel cramp" allowed. With its very wide front axle, the F-450 outdoes the rest. Also, shorter wheelbase will make for tighter turns. But very few people ever say "gee, I wish I'd got the shorter bed length because I have too much storage room on the truck". 🙂

7) Beyond that, it's all about comfort, looks, price, and so on.

One final thing: We got our RAM because we felt it was the best of all the compromises. But it is absolutely fair to say that because the Ford's chassis/boxes have remained the same for a decade or more, there are a lot more aftermarket accessories for Ford than for RAM. Still, we had no trouble finding tonneau covers, hitches, and so on, for our RAM.

Ok, final final thing: Dually's are best for safety and stability, but are a pain around town, making for a very wide truck. We have them, and would not tow without them. But many people do tow without them, and they seem to do just fine. Still, we're sticking with our dually.

Dan Freedman
 
Another thought on the duly verses single topic. Using the truck when you are not towing.

I live in the Hudson valley a bit north of NY City. We have several roads that are designated "FOR PASSENGER VEHICLES ONLY", which includes small pickups of 6500 gvw or less. Although my Dodge 3500, 10,100 gvw is not legal on these roads, I drive on them all the time without problems. My friends with the dulies all get tickets and escorted off the roads. I also ordered my truck without cab roof lights. That way at night I don't advertise that I am a truck coming down the road. Don't know if that will influence your decision but it may be something to consider.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top