towing a large boat

   / towing a large boat #1  

deere755

Platinum Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
944
Location
central Illinois near Lake Shelbyville
Tractor
Case 2090 Massey Ferguson 4233 John Deere 4700
I know this is a tractor web site but I always get good advice on here so here is my question. We are thinking about buying a boat that weighs about 5800 lbs. I have a 2004 Chevy 1500 4x4 with the towing package. We live roughly 7 mile from the ramp we always use on the lake. Is my truck enough to handle a load like this or will I need to trade for a 2500? There is always a chance we may pull it to Kentucky lake which is about 3 hours from our house or to my brother in-laws which is 4 hours from here.
 
   / towing a large boat
  • Thread Starter
#2  
I know this is a tractor web site but I always get good advice on here so here is my question. We are thinking about buying a boat that weighs about 5800 lbs. I have a 2004 Chevy 1500 4x4 with the towing package. We live roughly 7 mile from the ramp we always use on the lake. Is my truck enough to handle a load like this or will I need to trade for a 2500? There is always a chance we may pull it to Kentucky lake which is about 3 hours from our house or to my brother in-laws which is 4 hours from here.
 
   / towing a large boat #3  
My own personal feelings would be to move up to a larger pickup. If your brakes on the trailer fail, your life will be depending on your little truck brake system.
 
   / towing a large boat #4  
My own personal feelings would be to move up to a larger pickup. If your brakes on the trailer fail, your life will be depending on your little truck brake system.
 
   / towing a large boat #5  
About 5800# makes me nervous. Is that the advertised DRY weight of the boat or the weight fully loaded with gear, fuel and trailer? There is a huge difference between the two. By the time you add mandatory safety gear, 50-200 gallons of gas at 6# per gallon, a trailer and personal junk, you can quickly add another 2000#. You have two problems to consider. The first is the trucks ability to haul the load over highways. The other is the ability to get the boat OUT OF THE WATER at the end of the day. We had boats for about 20 years. I have seen just about every horror story possible at a boat ramp including the ugly smell of burned out trannies in a small pickup or van trying to haul a big boat up a slippery ramp. Boat ramps can run the gamut from excellent to horrible. The worst kind are the ones where the ramp itself extends into the water only 10-15' and then drops off several feet. If your trailer wheels drop off and the water is low and you need every inch, you are totally screwed. Your trailer frame may actually fall onto the ramp. You are now talking about lots of physics to overcome. The burning smell you sense will be tires, clutch or tranny. You need to find out exactly what your launching weight will be. Add in the trailer, gas, etc.
 
   / towing a large boat #6  
About 5800# makes me nervous. Is that the advertised DRY weight of the boat or the weight fully loaded with gear, fuel and trailer? There is a huge difference between the two. By the time you add mandatory safety gear, 50-200 gallons of gas at 6# per gallon, a trailer and personal junk, you can quickly add another 2000#. You have two problems to consider. The first is the trucks ability to haul the load over highways. The other is the ability to get the boat OUT OF THE WATER at the end of the day. We had boats for about 20 years. I have seen just about every horror story possible at a boat ramp including the ugly smell of burned out trannies in a small pickup or van trying to haul a big boat up a slippery ramp. Boat ramps can run the gamut from excellent to horrible. The worst kind are the ones where the ramp itself extends into the water only 10-15' and then drops off several feet. If your trailer wheels drop off and the water is low and you need every inch, you are totally screwed. Your trailer frame may actually fall onto the ramp. You are now talking about lots of physics to overcome. The burning smell you sense will be tires, clutch or tranny. You need to find out exactly what your launching weight will be. Add in the trailer, gas, etc.
 
   / towing a large boat #7  
To be legal, you need to be under your GCVWR which is the total weight of everything...truck and boat and trailer and everything inside. This info should be posted on the sticker inside the door.

If you are not under that weight then don't do it. And if you are under that weight then you may be legal but still pushing the envelope on a boat ramp. Boat ramps can be hard on your truck (and your marriage).

I used to live near a park with a boat ramp into Puget Sound and me and the wife would go walk the dogs on Saturday mornings and stop off and sit on park bench near the ramp and watch the "boat ramp circus" for hours. Lots of screaming and yelling. Lots of undersized vehicles with bald tires and front wheel drive. Lots of embarassment and hurt egos.

And when I visit my family in south Florida we would visit this bar on the Intercoastal waterway and they had this huge deck with seating that overlooks a boat ramp and each table had a stack of scoring cards (1-10) and after each launch all the bar customers hold up their score cards and yell and jeer at the poor people down there trying to launch their boats. Talk about pressure.

Anyway, sorry about the rambling but there is a reason boat launches are so entertaining...lots of dumb people out there.
 
   / towing a large boat #8  
To be legal, you need to be under your GCVWR which is the total weight of everything...truck and boat and trailer and everything inside. This info should be posted on the sticker inside the door.

If you are not under that weight then don't do it. And if you are under that weight then you may be legal but still pushing the envelope on a boat ramp. Boat ramps can be hard on your truck (and your marriage).

I used to live near a park with a boat ramp into Puget Sound and me and the wife would go walk the dogs on Saturday mornings and stop off and sit on park bench near the ramp and watch the "boat ramp circus" for hours. Lots of screaming and yelling. Lots of undersized vehicles with bald tires and front wheel drive. Lots of embarassment and hurt egos.

And when I visit my family in south Florida we would visit this bar on the Intercoastal waterway and they had this huge deck with seating that overlooks a boat ramp and each table had a stack of scoring cards (1-10) and after each launch all the bar customers hold up their score cards and yell and jeer at the poor people down there trying to launch their boats. Talk about pressure.

Anyway, sorry about the rambling but there is a reason boat launches are so entertaining...lots of dumb people out there.
 
   / towing a large boat #9  
A 2004 1500 4X4 can have a towing capacity of 8600 lbs. Check the owners manual and equipment list to see what your tow limit is.
When I was launching a boat every weekend. The one accessory that I found to help with loading a boat on a trailer was an electric wench. When you learn how to load with the wench you will get the high 5's every time you leave the launch ramp. Especially from family members.
 
   / towing a large boat #10  
A 2004 1500 4X4 can have a towing capacity of 8600 lbs. Check the owners manual and equipment list to see what your tow limit is.
When I was launching a boat every weekend. The one accessory that I found to help with loading a boat on a trailer was an electric wench. When you learn how to load with the wench you will get the high 5's every time you leave the launch ramp. Especially from family members.
 

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