Choosing a Tow Vehicle (Newbie)

jbuote

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A little background.
​I have a new to me 1967 Cruisers Inc 1532 Camero Tri-hull (15' 1" LOA) with a 71' Johnson 50 HP on it.
​I bought the boat in August last year. It was a good choice for me as a first time boat owner to get to know boating and the maintenance and care needed. And it was cheap enough.. Under $500.00 US for boat, engine and trailer.

​My 2002 Chevy Blazer doesn't have a tow package on it, but the boat needed some work and a family member has a truck that can tow it, so they offered to do the towing while I worked on it in my yard and finally got to splash it (and fish a little) 15 days ago. All went pretty well!

​With the splash going well, it was time to put a tow package on my Blazer.
​Dropped it off last week for the check over and have it set up..

​There's where the bad news came.. Body mounts are rusted, there's an oil leak in the pan/lower of the engine, Well, a laundry list of things that would need to be fixed.
​Mechanic won't put a tow package on my truck. Says it would be a waste of money. Said it would be about 5K just to fix the obvious, then we'd see what else was needed..
​Pretty refreshing as most mechanics would just do the work and so what if it failed later.. LOL

Ok. Now to today...
​I'm looking at used trucks, SUV's Vans etc..

​Been looking at Chevy Tahoe and Dodge Durango, and even Nissan Titan.. (SUV is a bit better for me as daily driver too..)
​The problem I'm having is that for my budget, (9-12K) It's hard to find a good towing truck with lower miles. Most I've found are 2000 - 2008 and have anywhere from 130 - 240K miles on them... They still want 12 - 18K for the trucks!

​The idea is that yes! I can easily find a truck, SUV, or even some minivans that would tow what I have, but I'm thinking of the future too.

​I'm thinking in a few years, I'll probably upgrade (or add another) boat to a larger boat. Maybe 21' or so.
​Would like to get a truck now that could tow what I have, and what I might have in a few years. Would hate to have to buy yet another tow vehicle when I upgrade the boat...

​Any thoughts from you experienced folks on Tahoe, Titan, Durango, or any other vehicle with high miles?
​I MIGHT be able to push about 15-16K at max for the new tow vehicle, but my budget can't go over that...

​Any and ALL suggestions, help, experience, advice etc... Is very welcome!
​(My boat upgrade budget just became my tow vehicle budget.. Time to start saving for that upgrade again! LOL)
 
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tpenfield

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15 foot boat . . . probably tow it with a VW Bug. :noidea:

I would think that any small SUV or most mini vans would tow it fine. Use the tow rating vs the weight of your rig as a guide. I would think that you are under 2,000 lbs.

Some of the vehicles you mentioned (Tahoe, Titan, etc) would be a good choice it you plan to upgrade to a 20+ footer in the future.
 

Scott Danforth

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go to a salvage yard and spend $25 for a tow hitch for your blazer or spend $125 and have a new one delivered

depending on the gear ratio of your axles, your Blazer has a towing capacity between 4000# and 5800#

I tow my boat with my 2003 blazer which is rated at 5800#.
 

bigdee

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I use to have a 2003 4.3 Blazer. Stuck a $10 2 inch ball on the step bumper and called it good. Pulled a 18' I/O and 20' pontoon for years.
 

H20Rat

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I've pulled heavier loads than that with my Subaru car... Your blazer is fine! With that said, you are intent on finding a new vehicle &/or boat in the near future? Figure out your future plans before setting your course.
 

jbcurt00

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Details buried in the 1st post are important
So Part of spending more time and resources for the NEW (to me lol) boat, was outfitting my Blazer with a tow package so I don't have to rely on the family member to tow the boat...

Well.... Not so good..

Took it to the mechanic for oil change and tow package. He checked it out, and the body mounts are rusting, there's an oil leak, and his opinion is it's not worth putting a tow package on this truck. He won't even do it because it'd be a waste of money..

Dang that was a surprise.. Most mechanics (Auto anyway) would just do the work, collect money and so what if everything fails later

Anyhow, now I'm looking new truck

Also buried in JBs post in the tri-hull topic where I got the quote.
 

ahicks

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Regarding the truck/tow vehicle needed for a bigger boat you might step into later on, there's a good chance that if you purchase that tow vehicle now, it'll be whipped when you actually get around to your upgraded boat. Meanwhile, using a tow vehicle that's twice or 3 times what you really need is costing you gas mileage you're not going to be crazy about, and parking when grocery shopping not much fun either!

I'm with the others. There's not that much involved in setting a Blazer up as a tow vehicle for a 15' boat, even if it's tired. Stay with the minimums. Don't let some tech tell you that it's going to be more than a couple hundred bucks at max to get you going for pulling your boat. For short hops, trans coolers or anything but the hitch itself and the wiring would not be required.
 

briangcc

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Why not lease? Local GMC dealer was running a special on the 1500 Sierra Double Cab 4x4 for $0 down and $285/month. **I didn't inquire as to specifics. I've seen Nissan Pathfinder specials as low as $239/mo and they're rated to pull 6200lbs and you can lock them into 4x4 mode. Honda Pilot, with the AWD V6 AND a dealer added tranny cooler will pull 5000lbs and I've seen similar specials of $240/mo.

I'm looking at downgrading from the Tundra to the 4Runner - need the 3rd row for newest addition to family due in Sept/Oct. Again rated at 5000lbs and true Body On Frame with 4x4.

Lots of other options out there too - Chevy Traverse, Kia Sorrento, GMC Acadia, Ford Exploder, Toyota Highlander...
 

bigdee

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I'm with the others. There's not that much involved in setting a Blazer up as a tow vehicle for a 15' boat, even if it's tired. Stay with the minimums. Don't let some tech tell you that it's going to be more than a couple hundred bucks at max to get you going for pulling your boat. For short hops, trans coolers or anything but the hitch itself and the wiring would not be required.

Yes,whats the rush and why are you taking it to a mechanic to put a hitch on it? The bumper is rated for #3500....just put a ball on it.
 
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Maclin

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I pulled a 15.5 glas trihull with a new 1985 K-car wagon, put the bolt-on bumper hitch on myself, can't remember how I wired in the lights now, but it all went well. That was a stopgap for me for one season. I think in your situation I would use the Blazer for a bit and see how it goes. Then trade/sell/donate* when you really need the extra capacity.

*donate - How old are your kids? :)

p.s. I put in an inline tranny cooler too, pretty easy
 

Scott Danforth

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the 2002 blazer should already have an oil cooler and trans cooler. just need a ball in the bumper (cut the rubber cover out for mounting the ball) to pull 3500# and a $18 plug-in trailer wiring harness make the lights work

regarding the body mounts, oil leak, etc. if you turn your own wrenches, thats a weekends worth of work. if you pay a mechanic, it gets pricey. then again, paying a mechanic to work on boats is expensive too
 

jbuote

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Wow guys.. Thanks for the info..

​Yes, the intention WAS to simply set up the Blazer I have for towing, and worry about a different tow vehicle when and if I needed it. I DO plan to upgrade the boat in a few years anyway.. The plan was to cut my teeth on this 15 footer, decide if boating is what I really wanted and expected it to be, and then in a year or 2 get a bigger better boat. The 15 footer is my cheap entry into boating, and so far, it really is fantastic, and I'm LOVING it! haha! And yes... lol.. I am learning and turning my own wrenches on the boat..

​So, I really expect to be getting the bigger boat sooner rather than later..

​Yeah, If I turn my own wrenches on the Blazer, sure I could save some bucks.. The big costs to fix it up isn't just to put the tow package on. That part was only going to be about 200 bucks or so...
​Ultimately, the truck isn't safe to even drive let alone tow. The cost to make it safe to just drive is MORE than the truck is worth. Even turning wrenches myself on what I can do.

​Body is rusting from underside, body mounts are coming apart, parts of the frame are rusting/flaking, radiator tray is about gone, Needs Pitman arm in front right,, needs all new brake lines, rotors etc, and the oil leak seems to be coming from the lower end of the engine. MIGHT be just the oil pan, but won't know till it's torn into.. and that's just what I can remember off the top of my head.
​Laundry list of things to do just to drive it.

​Oh, and it won't pass inspection in August as is, so since I technically need a new(er) truck just to be safe in (not even towing) then I thought I'd look for trucks that can tow not only what I have, but what I expect to have in a few years..

​I guess what I should really be doing, is looking at the biggest boat I expect to get in the near future, find out the average weight with trailer, and then look at vehicles that can tow up to that weight. May not need a Tahoe or anything that big after all...

Hmmm....
 

Maclin

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I had missed the rusting away in some critical areas, you are right to question the safety. And I get the Inspection thing too, living in a State that inspects. I took a chance on a vehicle I really liked but was getting up in the miles once, kept it one year too long! Put off us upgrading that one for a couple of years, was not my tow vehicle. Daughter got it as a free car after all that though :). For just around town we trust it enough now after the expensive revamp.
 

jbuote

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Well.... I may have just gotten a bit lucky! lol

​A family member has apparently been considering upgrading his truck. He was struggling with deciding if he wanted to do it now, or just drive his for the next 2 years or so till it's dead...
​I was just informed, that he's now thinking he'll upgrade now, and basically "Gift" his current truck to me for use over the next 2-3 years it has left in it.

​It's a 2003 Chevy Tahoe that he used to pull his 33' Travel Trailer with.
​That will be MORE than enough for any boat I'll be putting behind it until it dies in a few years, even if I do a boat upgrade before it dies..

​Buys me some time to shop and compare trucks and boats and end up with a good combination in the end..
​The end goal is to end up with a boat than CAN go in the bays of Rhode Island, Cape Cod etc.. Close to shore, NOT offshore, on good weather days, but will mostly be used in local lakes and fresh water.. Again, may keep the 15 footer too, for the smaller lakes around here..
​All of that is to be determined, but this would just give me some time to figure all that out..

Here's to hoping it really works out that way now.. LOL...
 

Bayou Dave

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Looks like your problem is solved. That Tahoe will be so much better than your old Blazer and may last a lot longer than 2-3 years. I am still driving my 1995 Tahoe with 256,000 miles on it every day.
 

ezmobee

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Buys me some time to shop and compare trucks and boats and end up with a good combination in the end. The end goal is to end up with a boat than CAN go in the bays of Rhode Island, Cape Cod etc.. Close to shore, NOT offshore, on good weather days, but will mostly be used in local lakes and fresh water.. Again, may keep the 15 footer too, for the smaller lakes around here.

Take a look at saltwater dual consoles. That's what I looked for an ended up with my Hydra-Sports. I think it's the best of all worlds. It's basically a big bowrider so it's got all the cruising and family bases covered. It has a deep V and a lot of freeboard so it handles rough water well and rides nicely. It has a self-bailing deck which is great for not having to worry about it in rain storms when it's in a slip and also for easily hosing out dirt and fish guts (has a raw water washdown). Most usually have a livewell or baitwell for fishing also. We absolutely love ours.
 
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