New (to me) towing vehicle. . And question

jbetzelb

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Apr 28, 2011
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You have to go 1 mile. Is it a mile on the interstate or something? Can you stay under 30 mph? I hooked a 14,000 pound water wagon up to my 2011 F150 S-crew and pulled it 10 miles. It was all back roads and I never went over 20 MPH. I was 4 K pounds over the hitch and truck limit. Didn't hurt the truck or the hitch. Didn't threaten anyone else on the road either. Your SUV would do that load once or twice a year no big deal and be safe if you aren't running down a highway or major traffic area. I know many on this site preach max limit but circumstance is as critical. The max rating has to take into account someone going at higher speed in any situation. Up the ramp and down a back road for a mile go for it. If you need to go 65 down a highway find a friend with a bigger truck.
 

Idlespeedonly

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Jun 30, 2011
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779
I wouldnt worry about it.
It is more than capable of towing it.
The only thing I would worry about is the tongue weight.
Man, if people on here knew some of the thing I towed, I would probably get banned:laugh:.

If you are really concerned about it, do it when there is the least amount of traffic.
 

tpenfield

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yea, we are talking about seasonal launch and pull and then maybe mid-season for power washing or maintenance . . . the occasional hurricane pull. maybe 4 or 6, 1-mile trips per year on a 35 mph stretch of road that runs through a small (don't sneeze, you'll miss it) town.
 

captkevin

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Jun 15, 2009
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For only a mile it should be fine. If you replace tires with awd you need to replace all four. Otherwise you will damage transfer case. AWD does not work good with different diameter tires. Good friend is a service manager @ Ford dealer & they see it all the time.
 

redneck joe

Supreme Mariner
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Mar 18, 2009
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You are fine had a buddy do similar for 5 years a bit farther no issues. Backroads and slow is the key . You hit a highwat the game totally changes
 

tpenfield

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For only a mile it should be fine. If you replace tires with awd you need to replace all four. Otherwise you will damage transfer case. AWD does not work good with different diameter tires. Good friend is a service manager @ Ford dealer & they see it all the time.

Yup, I did get all 4 replaced as the local mechanic said only 1 would pass inspection. My challenge now is to find a decent tri-axle trailer on CL or eBay . . . I saw one locally, but the guy had just sold it.
 

Brian 26

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My challenge now is to find a decent tri-axle trailer on CL or eBay . . . I saw one locally, but the guy had just sold it.

In my area good used trailers are very very rare. I went through this a few years ago and it was a headache. Every now and then a big old boat with a shiny new trailer will come up for sale so maybe you could score a deal on that combo and then dump the boat cheap. Good luck, let us know what happens.
 

thumpar

Admiral
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Jun 21, 2007
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Get an aftermarket hitch if it is the factory hitch. I have the Yukon version. The factory tow package says all over the back 5,000lbs Max. It can tow more but not with that hitch.
 

NHGuy

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May 21, 2009
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Before I got back into boating I had spent a lot of time on the travel trailer site RV.com. I heard a lot of GM truck and SUV folks having issues with that hitch distorting. It's more noticeable with a WD (weight distributing) hitch. But they are known to twist. Get a major brand one from Iboats, Eastern Marine, or etrailer.com and put it on yourself.
If you end up getting a trailer you might be wise to have it set up for your boat at a yard. They can suspend the boat with straps while moving the trailer settings around below the boat. You need it set right or it may tow badly. And worst case, it could cause hull problems. Too much tongue weight will mash the tow vehicle rear suspension and can lift it's front wheels. Too little and the rear of the tow vehicle lifts in some conditions.
I am a manager at a big tire & auto repair place outside Boston, I admit I'm biased. I'd say don't do the tow. I don't care how slow you take it, that will kill the Caddy's air springs pretty quick.
Old POS trucks have the motors we understand from our boats. Wouldn't hurt to have one, you'd be surprised how handy they are for going to the hardware store, lumber yard or dump. And you get to pull your own boat when a hurricane is coming.
That trailer guy in Mashpee is always advertising. What about searching CL in VT, NH, ME, CT? You can use Searchtempest to check multiple areas on CL..
 
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tpenfield

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Yea, I use searchtempest a lot for many things. I will definitely set the trailer up (New or Used) in a yard . . . probably my yard. :D

For new trailers, there are the folks in Mashpee, MA and also I have conversed with folks at Diamond Marine in CT. They have Venture Trailers there and the Mashpee guy is Road King . . . probably not a big deal either way.

Probably will get a new hitch as the OEM one looks very Class III
 

K-2

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Apr 3, 2011
Messages
406
How steep is the launch ramp you use?
Living in rural Alaska I have seen MANY over weight launchings, retrievals .
Things get interesting when there is no brakes on the trailer when backing down the ramp.
Scary looking when the boat & trailer start dragging the F250 down the ramp and the guy has the brake
pedal to the floor.
Boats are towed a very short distance <1 mile, on a back road at 10 mph.
 

smokeonthewater

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Dec 3, 2009
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Ted, I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner.... The gross weight on the road is absolute non issue.... At 1 mile there's no reason to get over 15 or 20 mph... I would not hesitate to do that (like old jeep said) with my 1000 lb tow capacity jeep wrangler... The air suspension will also be fine... Again we're talking low speed... 800 lbs at 15 mph is a LOT easier to handle than 400 at 70 mph and that would be no problem...

The factory hitch would likely be fine at those low speed but replacing it with a class IV would be cheap insurance.

The ramp would be an issue with my jeep but with your caddy you'll be just fine... Especially since it's such a gentle ramp.

Trans cooler is a non issue... You won't be much over idle... No heat there.

There is absolutely no reason to need a big truck for your use....

Now if you were gonna get on the highway and go to another lake or get into heavy city traffic it'd be a whole different situation and you'd need a ton truck.

Btw I HAVE moved my Montecarlo around with my jeep... It's likely heavier than your 330
 

tpenfield

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How steep is the launch ramp you use?
Living in rural Alaska I have seen MANY over weight launchings, retrievals .
Things get interesting when there is no brakes on the trailer when backing down the ramp.
Scary looking when the boat & trailer start dragging the F250 down the ramp and the guy has the brake
pedal to the floor.
Boats are towed a very short distance <1 mile, on a back road at 10 mph.

Here is a pic of the local launching ramp that you can see in the background . . . not steep at all. We refer to it as a road that runs into the water. :)
IMG_2704.jpg

The Admiral vetoed the truck idea in favor of a big SUV that could be used as a 'beach mobile'. Otherwise I would have grabbed an F-250 for this task.
 
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