could I tow this boat with my truck??

my truck:

1999 F150 4x4 with supercharged ford lightning engine swap
lightning engine = 5.4L v8 390hp/390ft-lb stock. no pulley swap, etc

limited slip 8.8" 31spline rear axle and swapped front axle to limited slip as well. upgraded clutch packs for better locking and 3.73 gears front/back.

the truck has the tow package and I added the monroe sensa-trac load adjusting shocks with the helper spring as I tow around loads of rock, etc from time to time.

I'm just wondering if my truck would tow a boat this size up/down a boat ramp? there's one thats actually in my subdivision around the block from me so its not like I'd be towing the boat all over town or anything...

here's some of the boats I'd be looking at...not specifically THESE boats, but boats in this size range/type as even though I'd REALLY want the CC fishers...the wife wants something more comfy to bring the kids along as well sometimes...thats why I'm also looking at the cruisers lol.

http://charleston.craigslist.org/boa/1989248376.html
http://charleston.craigslist.org/boa/1989035856.html
http://charleston.craigslist.org/boa/1988560304.html

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

Should not be an issue with any of these boats. Just watch tongue weight with the longer ones.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

The Aquasport is too heavy for your truck. I looked that one up and the boat alone looks like it weighs upwards oof 9500 pounds. The other 2 would probably be fine. Personally, I really don't care that the ramp is just around the corner. My personal opinion is that if you are going to have a trailer boat, you don't get a boat that exceeds the tow capacity of your vehicle.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

109jb said:

The Aquasport is too heavy for your truck. I looked that one up and the boat alone looks like it weighs upwards oof 9500 pounds. The other 2 would probably be fine. Personally, I really don't care that the ramp is just around the corner. My personal opinion is that if you are going to have a trailer boat, you don't get a boat that exceeds the tow capacity of your vehicle.

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yeah, I figured the aquasport was too heavy. I only showed that one specifically as it was an example of the cuddy cruiser style I've been looking at. If I got one it would be more along the lines of 25-27' anyway. I couldnt fit a 30' boat in my driveway with the tongue length added on lol.

not to mention there's a lot more wood in that boat than what I'm looking for. but the others are fine?? if so, the hunt is on!

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

The real thing to do wouuld be to check the tow rating for the truck as it came from the factory. I know you said that it has an engine swap from a lightning which is fine but the absolute most important thing is the frame and brakes and you didn't mention any changes there. I hope yourr truck isn't really a lightning, because they had dismal tow capacities. Here is a link with the tow capacities of the 99 ford f-150 trucks.

http://www.fordf150.net/specs/99tow.php

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

Does your truck have a manual trans? If so tow rating would be 2000#

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

no, its not a real lightning. started as a 99 5.4L 4x4 supercab stepside with tow package. I wanted a real lightning but wanted 4wd and a little more height clearance as well as the ability to put my kids in the truck with me and my wife comfortably and I didnt like the harley trucks so I just made the best of all worlds for me.

oh and its an automatic. I knew I would be towing a larger boat once I sold my old boat and dont like stick shifts on wet boat ramps.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

looks like a 7700 pound tow capacity but your owner's manual will tell for sure.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

If your're old enough, you might remember the Ford commercials (I think they were Ford) when they had a F150 tow a 747 down a runway.

Who the heck does that with their truck anyway.

Anyway, my point is, if all you're worried about is pulling a boat up the ramp, even the big 10,000 pound+ boats shouldn't be a problem to pull out. You're in first gear, not running at highway speed, not driving a slalom You'll have trailer brakes, if they are in proper order, you won't even notice it when stopping.

You say you have a ramp around the corner? To me that means 25 to 35 mph driving less than 1/2 mile. Flat, easy surface with low speeds should be no problem.

Tongue weight could be an issue though, a good WDH may take care of that.

Taking a boat that big somewhere else could be a big problem though.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

i have a stock 2009 f150. i tow our @8000lb. camper and our @3000lb. boat (not at the same time, of course) and have had no problems.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

Mr Crabbs said:

If your're old enough, you might remember the Ford commercials (I think they were Ford) when they had a F150 tow a 747 down a runway.

Who the heck does that with their truck anyway.

Anyway, my point is, if all you're worried about is pulling a boat up the ramp, even the big 10,000 pound+ boats shouldn't be a problem to pull out. You're in first gear, not running at highway speed, not driving a slalom You'll have trailer brakes, if they are in proper order, you won't even notice it when stopping.

You say you have a ramp around the corner? To me that means 25 to 35 mph driving less than 1/2 mile. Flat, easy surface with low speeds should be no problem.
Tongue weight could be an issue though, a good WDH may take care of that.

Taking a boat that big somewhere else could be a big problem though.

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To me that means on a public road. Therefore the truck should have the same towing capacity as if it were going across the country. Anything less is irresponsible and criminal if something happens.

Towing capacity has as much to do with braking ability as it does pulling ability. What if a kid darts out from behind a car??

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

captkevin said:

Does your truck have a manual trans? If so tow rating would be 2000#

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WTF, where do you come up with this stuff??

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

109jb said:

To me that means on a public road. Therefore the truck should have the same towing capacity as if it were going across the country. Anything less is irresponsible and criminal if something happens.

Towing capacity has as much to do with braking ability as it does pulling ability. What if a kid darts out from behind a car??

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Its all residential. The ramp is in my neighborhood. I can do 5 mph for all I care and there's several routes I can take but that's besides the point. I have a friend with an f350 turbo diesel that can get the boat from purchase location to my house if highway towing is an issue...

Oh yeah. What's a WDH? Not familiar with that acronym lol

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

109jb said:

To me that means on a public road. Therefore the truck should have the same towing capacity as if it were going across the country. Anything less is irresponsible and criminal if something happens.

Towing capacity has as much to do with braking ability as it does pulling ability. What if a kid darts out from behind a car??

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Pay attention to what 109 has told you. You could pull the Queen Mary with a go-cart and enough power.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

dave11 said:

Pay attention to what 109 has told you. You could pull the Queen Mary with a go-cart and enough power.

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so I guess my only remaining question is this...since I now have the low torque rating of a 7.3 turbo diesel due to the 5.4 being roots based supercharged versus centrifugal superchargers or gas turbo setups....

the frame and brakes are the issue.

brakes are no issue. the 150/250/350 all share the same front knuckles on the front axle housing/mounting points and I can easily slip a 9.75" rearend up under the truck using the f350 single wheel (not dually...duh) axle so I can use the 14" rear brakes the 250/350 comes with.

then just use a wilwood brake adjuster to get the front/rear fade corrected properly.

my question is why mention the frame....are the frames thicker or boxed from the f150 versus the 250/350? my dad's 89 350 dually flatbed has a horseshoe frame and it doesnt look any thicker than the one on my 99...I can always pull the bed off and box the frame in if flex is the problem, that doesnt bother me at all...

I'm just trying to understand towing is all?? just now getting fully involved in it due to increasing needs/wants and dont want to over-buy if needed. diesel is expensive and my property isnt super big lol.

hard hard to find a regular/supercab diesel shortbed single tire rearaxle truck that wasnt a service vehicle with a flatbed, etc on the back and spartan interior..for cheap. and I like ford as I know/work on ford...cummins yay, but dont know dont want to know if you know what I mean, etc....

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

The problem with swapping a different axle into a truck (4x4 specific) is matching the gears front and rear. Its not just about having bigger brakes to be able to slow down. Its about having the right tool for the job at hand. The boats posted are FAR TOO BIG for an F-150.

Second, do the right thing and get a bigger truck, the F-150 WAS NOT designed to tow loads of that size, no matter what the adds indicate.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

Many times when you go from 1/2 ton to 3/4 ton to 1 ton, you will see thicker frames, deeper frames, or boxed frames. Was this the case in 1999 with the Ford?? I don't know for sure regarding the F-150 and F-250, but i guarantee you the F-350 was a thicker steel and the rails were wider..

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

109jb said:

Many times when you go from 1/2 ton to 3/4 ton to 1 ton, you will see thicker frames, deeper frames, or boxed frames. Was this the case in 1999 with the Ford?? I don't know for sure regarding the F-150 and F-250, but i guarantee you the F-350 was a thicker steel and the rails were wider..

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The standard 150 & 250 were basically the same truck for 1999. The 250 Super Duty was basically the same as the 350.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

stackz said:

Its all residential. The ramp is in my neighborhood. I can do 5 mph for all I care and there's several routes I can take but that's besides the point. I have a friend with an f350 turbo diesel that can get the boat from purchase location to my house if highway towing is an issue...

Oh yeah. What's a WDH? Not familiar with that acronym lol

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Weight distribution hitch, it spreads the tongue weight among all axles. All residential is no problem. As long as the brakes work properly, you'll gave no problems with emergency stops. Short distance, good roads, low speed, you can do this and not be irresponsible or criminal.

For what it's worth, I'm usually telling people to get more tow vehicle (TV), but few have such an easy trip to their destination like you do. You should be fine.

Re: could I tow this boat with my truck??

109jb said:

To me that means on a public road. Therefore the truck should have the same towing capacity as if it were going across the country. Anything less is irresponsible and criminal if something happens.

Towing capacity has as much to do with braking ability as it does pulling ability. What if a kid darts out from behind a car??

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If a kid darts out good trailer brakes will do the job. Its not criminal or irresponsible to tow as he's suggesting. It's a residential neighborhood for goodness sakes, the ramp is a few blocks away. He doesn't need a new TV for this particular job. I usually encourage people to think more TV, but that's just not needed in his very unique case.