Towing advice for 2007 Four Winds 180H

[Phobos]

First, I'd like to say thank you to all who had helped me way back in April when I was looking for a used boat and had choices between a few boats. Most people advised to go with the 2007 Four Winds 180H. I did and it's been a great family boat so far. Was pulling 2 135 lb tubers with 4 adult passengers on the boat just last weekend and the little Volvo 3.0 was more than enough to get to 30 mph and whip them around and make 'em fall off (hey, they wanted to fall off). I didn't even get to the 4000 rpm mark and was well below the 4600 - 4900 redline.

I had a question about towing. The boat dealer I bought it from towed it to my home and launched it on my lake (at the public boat launch) and showed me how to use it and what the various controls did. I parked the boat in the lift and he then towed the trailer to my garage and there is has been since May.

Well, winter is coming here in SE WI and it'll be time to take the boat out in a month or so. I am not sure if I want to buy something to tow this, or rely on trying to borrow my sisters Toytoa Sequoia, or rent a U-haul pick up to tow it when I need to.

I am leaning towards getting an old used extended cab pickup truck. This boat is at a summer home we have on the lake and I could use the truck for other things that just towing the boat. Like hauling drywall and what not as I fix the home up.

My question is, would a v6 pickup truck (Assume a 1998 Chevy 1500) with 4x4 be able to pull the 180H. It's about 3000 lbs including the trailer and it has the Four Winds trailer with the surge brakes. I see lots of old pickups in my area but anything in my price range is really rusted out and beat if I look for a V8 and 4x4. Plus I am up against the PLOW CROWD that are getting ready to find some beater to plow with.

If I go with a 2WD with a v8 I can get a bit nicer truck for the money but then I see some V6 trucks with 4X4 and a manual or AT that are in GREAT SHAPE for about the same price as a semi-beat V8 pickup. I wonder if a V6 with the 4X4 would be enough. I am leaning towards the 4x4 because it would be more useful in the winters here with the snow and all.

The boat ramp is paved and does not seem too steep. I would not be towing any great distance. Maybe the 50 miles to the boat place for the winterizing and then back to my garage to store the boat. I have a 200' long driveway that does go down on about a 15 to 20 degree angle. I would have to tow the boat up that in the spring but it's only 200 feet and I guess the V6 pickup I am looking at (1998 Chevy 1500) has a LO setting I could use for that 200 feet.

Other than the driveway, most of the roads are pretty flat here in SE WI.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[oldjeep]

I guess my advice would be -
1) learn to winterize your own boat and save the 100 mile trip
2) If you don't need to make the trip then you can tow a 3000lb boat out of the water with just about anything
3) If you don't need a full sized, look for something like an extended cab ford ranger with the 4.0L

 

[rvaughn704]

I agree on Winterizing your own boat as stated above.
As far as the Truck. A Chevy Full Size 1500 4x4 with a V-6 will be just fine.

 

[ihearth2o]

Suggest borrowing your sister's sequoia and save your money to go towards boat maintenance, water toys, etc. I agree though that a v6 truck with a decent trans cooler and half decent rear axle rating would be just fine for what you're looking to do.

 

[Lou C]

I towed my '88 Horizon 200 which is more than 2 ft longer than the 180 with our '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 six for years before I got the 07 Hemi Jeep. It did fine around town and on the ramp because Jeep's old school manual 4x4 system is superior to the electronic systems used by GM and Ford.
Just be careful, trucks in that age range can have a lot of problems, including rust. Its not easy to find 1st gen Grand Cherokees around here anymore (93-98). Another one I like for your purpose is the old school Jeep Cherokee that was made up to 2001. But if you want to haul stuff, a pick up truck will be a better choice. If you go for the Chev or Ford, see if you can get on with the manual lever for 4x4. Their electronic systems are unreliable and fail at the worst times it seems.

And as above, I agree with learning to winterize the boat yourself. It is really not hard seeing as how you have one of the simplest engines that there is. Just don't take short cuts, like the suck AF up the drive winterizing kits. Drain every drain point by hand poke the hole, make sure water comes out. If you want to add AF to reduce corrosion you can back fill it through the hoses,. I've done it that way for years and my engine still has not rusted through (knock on wood) used in salt water at least 15 years worth....Get the maintenance manual from the engine maker and follow it step by step.

 

[Phobos]

Thanks for the help. I just put winterizing there as an example. One reason I got the 3.0 was for the ease of winterizing and changing the plugs and so on. The drain plugs are easy to see and there is a connection for a hose or something right into the cooling system if I want to flush it. (A blue hose type connection) I fully expect to do the basic maintenance myself but eventually something weird and not so simple will break (possibly outdrive related) and I'll have to bring it in for that and would need something to tow with. Plus, like I said, this home needs work and my newer chevy Impala and my wifes civic can't haul ANY boat ay all nor carry lumber very well. I'd have other uses for the truck besides the boat and a full sized pickup is the best option.

Yeah, the rust on some trucks seems to be a problem. Here in SE WI.. it seems the older... 90 to 98 GM and 90 to 96 Ford, seem to have less rust than the newer ones. Not sure why. The 97 to 2001 fords seem to be the worst for rust. All the dodges seem to be about the same for rust between the model years.. Or maybe just the ones I have been looking at in my price range.... 4x4 v8 ones were maybe more often used as plow trucks with salt spreaders on the back. All that salt flying around as it's being spread could be why they are so rusty. I have seen some GM 2003's that are rusted to death and some GM 1996's that are clean.

The 1998 Silverado I looked at is almost completely rust free. Some surface rust under the truck here and there but really, solid shape for a 1998. Maybe because it's a V6 it was not put through the ringer.

The other option of borrowing my sisters car is a last resort. Her husband does not take the best care of his things and ignores routine maintenance more often than not. The truck may die on me half way home and then they would blame me. Just 3 weeks ago my sister asked me to fix their snowblower and when I got there I could not pull the handle. I then took the head off the engine and found the piston was seized and the engine had NO OIL. Yeah.. her hubby was running it and it just burned itself out and he is clueless. He told me "It just stopped". Yeah, that happens when there is no oil. DUH.

 

[four winns 214]

Any 2WD Silverado will pull that boat just fine. You don't need 4WD unless you want it for WI winter. The only advantage to the smaller pickup trucks like the S-10 and Ranger is their smaller footprint for garage and parking. If don't absolutely need a truck of your own, borrow your sister's, but I like having my own for sure. As others have mentioned, it is easy, easy,easy to winterize your boat. If you have any mechanical aptitude at all, DIY. I'll bet the manuals that came with your boat describes how.

 

[Silvertip]

I've owned a number of GM 4.3 V6 powered vehicles used for towing and the two best were an ASTRO with AWD and a 2002 S-10 crew cab pickup. Both of those vehicles pulled like mules. The S-10 was fitted with 3.73 gears and towed a 20 foot pontoon just fine and gas mileage was on par or better than anything on the road. You should also be able to find a number of high mile Chevy TAhoe/GMC Yukon (short version) at reasonable prices. They are roomy, ride nice, equipped well, will have AWD. My current Yukon has a 136,000 trouble free miles.

 

[jkust]

I'll second the fact that you can pull 3000lbs out of the steepest ramp anywhere with very little HP or TQ. Traction is the difference maker and even a 2wd drive truck or SUV with a locking differential not just a limited slip (GM's use a G80 Eaton Locker if the glove box rpo sticker denotes 'G80') will do the job most times. Quite honestly I towed my 4000lb boat with a old pos minivan with fwd many years ago for a season with really little ramp related issue. Given you are in Wisconsin, I'd buy a 4x4 for winter purposes if for example you ever tow a snowmobile trailer anyway and if it is like MN, most of the ones for sale are 4x4 unless they were brought up from the south or were specifically ordered to exclude 4x4. That said, my little trick for buying rust free used cars a few year old is to buy them from southern states. The prices are always less than we pay at least in high price MN and they don't have even the start of rust after many years. I've seen 600 day old vehicles here in MN already rusting under the door seems. Stuff rusts so fast here and so many vehicles have their one spot that seems to rust faster than they should. I don't borrow or use anybody else's stuff and for that reason, the sisters Sequoya is out.

 

[Phobos]

Thanks. Yeah, I figured a 2WD would pull it fine. It was the V6 part I was mostly concerned about. The 4x4 was for other uses and so I can drive in the winter easier AND tackle my long downhill driveway when it's got snow on it. I have considered minivans and the like but SUV's and vans are height limited in the cargo area. As for space to keep the vehicle. Space is not a problem.

Also, around here, it seems the Ford Rangers and S10's run about the same as a regular pickup, and they are fewer and farther between. Less selection and many are 4 bangers. Plus the extended cab in the S10 and ranger is just too small for my family and dog.

So, thanks. I think I got the answer I need regarding my boat. The V6 is not a problem and not to worry about 4x4 for towing.

 

[jkust]

I think the old school 4.3 liter has like 262lbs of tq (vs the new one with 303lbs) which is way more than enough. On my lake it is common to buy an old truck specifically for putting the boat in and out in the spring and fall and for work purposes. Some pretty shoddy looking trucks sitting in front of some nice places. You don't need much.

 

[redmen62]

When GM developed the 4.3 V6, they just took the 350 and chopped off a cylinder. Great engine in just about anything it's put in... Car, truck, SUV, boat

Unfortunately for anyone looking for a truck like you (and me a month or so ago), the Cash For Clunkers program a few years ago took A LOT of trucks off the road and sent them to junkyards all across the country

 

[rsmitty814]

Rent a u-haul. Gives you more time to look for that "right" truck.

 

[drrpm]

Borrow the Sequoia for now, but make sure there is oil in it . Search for the truck at your leisure. Late model V6 Tacomas are pretty nice and can easily pull a small boat like that. Mine is 7 years old and has been trouble free.

 

[Saline Marina]

A pushrod V6 has plenty of torque to do what you want. The trans coolers in my opinion are not needed for pulling a boat from home to the lake. Just take your time and go slow. The vehicle is engineered from the factory to tow the gross combined weight up one of the mountain passes in Death Valley in August and not suffer any permanent damage. If using the S10/Ranger sized vehicles note the chassis and brakes are smaller, I would say it can be easily done if you keep speeds down. Full size would be a walk in the park. I owned an S-truck w 4.3 for around 20 years, I was OK up to about 4000 lbs of towing although I believe its rated for more. Eventually the chassis can't keep up.

 

[Saline Marina]

A pushrod V6 has plenty of torque to do what you want. The trans coolers in my opinion are not needed for pulling a boat from home to the lake. Just take your time and go slow. The vehicle is engineered from the factory to tow the gross combined weight up one of the mountain passes in Death Valley in August and not suffer any permanent damage. If using the S10/Ranger sized vehicles note the chassis and brakes are smaller, I would say it can be easily done if you keep speeds down. Full size would be a walk in the park. I owned an S-truck w 4.3 for around 20 years, I was OK up to about 4000 lbs of towing although I believe its rated for more. Eventually the chassis can't keep up.