Towing your 25 foot tug

[knotflying]

Well my wife and I are currently C-Dory owners and we are looking to move up and get a 25 or 27 foot Ranger Tug. We love being able to tow our C-Dory around to different places and when you look at this boat out of the water it looks BIG! I was wondering if anyone could give me insight on what they recommend for a vehicle to tow, we currently have a Toyota 4runner, and how your experience has been towing it. Would sacrificing length for towing easier be worth it?
Also being in the northeast we use heat and A/C on the C-Dory. When you use heat the interior tends to sweat. The Ranger has the interior with carpet and slight insulation under the leatherette and I was wondering what anyone's experience has been with their tug.
Thank you all for your responses in advance and we will hopefully be Ranger Tug owners in the near future!

 

[bluebayou]

Based on my experience towing an R-25 all over the West, I would recommend a Ford F-350 Super Duty, which is always a diesel. Easily pulls 5-6 tons on the trailer, which is what you're dealing with, fueled up and with water and personal effects aboard. My Ford F-350 made towing the R-25 almost effortless. I think it would tow an R-27 or R-29 well, also.

 

[Levitation]

I am towing Levitation with an 08 Silverado 2500HD diesel...
We towed 700 miles in 24 hours, including through the mountains of Virginia, without any problems...

 

[sportner]

We tow our Ranger 27 with a 3/4 ton Chev with the Duramax diesel. It weighed 10,100 lbs on the two axle aluminum trailer, loaded for cruising. It is not a problem for the Duramax or the 3/4 ton pickup.

 

[rt11002003]

I had a 4Runner. Nice vehicle. Towed a number of boats with it, including a J80. That rig weighed about 5000 lbs, pretty much the max for the vehicle.

I have a LandCruiser. Wanted a R25, but it meant buying a tow vehicle, too. So, I have a R21EC.

Listen to these folks; you need a serious tow vehicle to move those R25s, R27s and R29s around.

gene

 

[bbrh842]

knotflying
On a cold day the windows and hatches will sweat.
However the fuzzy stuff on the walls and overhead pervents these areas from sweating.
The inside of the windshield can be kept clear with a 12 volt fan plugged into the 12 volt outlet.

 

[norbhat]

Ditto on the 3/4 ton Chevy. We have GMC (same thing) with diesel and Allison tranny. 20 mpg on highway without 25' Ranger Tug behind. With it, from Seattle to Lake Powell we averaged 11 with lots of ups and downs.

"Two If By Sea"
Norb and Ruth

 

[starr]

towed our r25 with a few vehicles and settled on a ford 350 super duty deisel.excels in all categories. starr

 

[bluebayou]

While there is little apparent difference between an F-250 and an F-350 Ford diesel pickup, or a 2500 or 3500 GM Duramax, for that matter (all of them good rigs to tow an R-25, R-27, or R29), there IS a difference in the way an F-350 is designed to pack more weight. Primarily the leaf springs over the wheels, but the whole rig is designed to pack more weight in either the pickup bed (rear end) AND/OR the towing capacity.
Make no mistake, when you're pulling a heavy Ranger Tug, loaded, the weight is on the rear end of the truck. This shows up particularly on curving mountain highways, or when suddenly braking.
So while a "3/4 Ton" pickup (read: F250) is adequate, a 1-Ton pickup (read: F-350) is even better. The price difference is negligible.
A construction superintendent, repsonsible for a fleet of heavy trucks moving heavy loads, told me always to have a lot more muscle than I needed, when pulling a heavy load. Not for the everyday challenges, but for that once or twice when the situation on the road is overwhelming---that's when you'll need the extra muscle. In the meantime, all these pickups are just fine.
A Final Note: I actually paid an extra $600. to have an After Market towing frame bolted onto my F-350, because the factory-installed towing frame, it turned out, was rated to tow 7500 lbs, whereas the pickup itself was rated to tow 13,000 lbs. Go figure. BUT, carefully check the specifications on YOUR Towing Frame and tongue.
You can easily obtain a towing frame rated at 13,000 lbs, but be sure you have one.

 

[BILLR]

Curious as to the tongue weight of a loaded R-25.
I'm guessing around 900 to 1000#'s.
Sure would be nice if a trailer was availalbe for a gooseneck hitch to put the tonguw weight over the axel.
My truck is equipped to haul either a fifth wheel or gooseneck.
Bill

 

[Stella Maris]

Bill,
You are correct on the tongue weight. You can also special order a goose neck hitch. Its just a matter of money....

Boat= Break Out Another Thousand......

 

[BILLR]

Boat= Hole in the water you pour money into.
Thanks for the info.
Still gathering all the info I can.