towing over rating on vehicle?

[starcentral]

I'm looking at a new boat to upgrade my current one and the dry weight on the boat alone is 3500 lbs. Then there is a trailer to add as well and fuel in the boat tank.

My AWD minivan is rated to tow 3500 lbs.

If I plan to tow the boat 2 times a year 50km (31 miles) one way trip, is this really a problem? I can get a transmission cooler installed no problem but just wondering about how lenient the ratings are by car manufacturers. There's no way my wife will let me replace our already new vehicle with another new one.

 

[gm280]

A much better question would be, would your insurance company cover your idea. I betting NO! And in that 31 miles one way trip, if you have an accident, YOU could be liable for everything at a very very high cost and not your insurance company. And bank on as law suit as well... Reality also says NO! Are you willing to chance it?

 

[starcentral]

True enough. Also talking with a buddy of mine he says he's seen towing vehicles get pushed through intersections when they can't stop as easily.

 

[Starcraft5834]

No question, legally you'd be on the hook big time... that said.... chances are you'll never have a problem..... just like the hundreds of thousands of drivers without car insurance on the roadways... percentage of them having accidents about equal to dying of Covid19.... less than 1%

 

[jbcurt00]

Is the frame of your AWD van up to a 4000lb + tow load? Manufacturer didnt think so....

Is your current tow rating of 3500lbs towed weigh only?

My 3500lb rated tow vehicle isnt. Its 100% of all weigh in or on the tow vehicle except the driver. So gear, gas, passengers, roof luggage rack/bag/box all get deducted from my 3500lb max.

 

[ahicks]

Could this run be accomplished early on a Sunday morning to minimize traffic?

 

[Alumarine]

If the trailer has working surge brakes it won't "push" your van through intersections if you drive sensibly.

For twice a year you could rent a 1/2 ton for half a day and be done with it.
Just make sure you're allowed to tow with it and the trailer has surge brakes.

 

[Scott Danforth]

if the dry weight of your boat is 3500#, the towed weight is about 5200. the tandem axle trailer is 1200# along, then add gear and fuel

Like Marc said, rent a 1/2 ton truck from u-haul

 

[kaulbr]

I second what Marc C said - if it's just a few times per year, rent a tow vehicle. Enterprise has "truck rental" that allows for towing. Uhaul might. Something to look into.

 

[Redrig]

My Fullsize bronco is rated for something like 8k . My Boat and trailer is right at about 4k when fully loaded and the boat KILLS my bronco over mountain passes , I am talking like 35mph , slow lane , downshifting to 2nd gear type of drive when on a steeper grade.

I could tow 8k no problem assuming I was in Kansas , but over mountains or even hills forget about it , and that is with good working trailer brakes.

my point is , I couldnt imagine a minivan towing my boat and having success and safety , especially with any terrain involved. cuz without trailer brakes my boat pushes the tow rig around enough to be a little scary .

 

[JASinIL2006]

I would bet your van will be even shorter on payload (weight of passengers, anything in the van, plus the tongue weight of the trailer) than it will on towing weight. And if the payload is mostly in the rear, that can adversely affect steering as well as braking.

For me, the problem is less 'can I make it 30 miles with this overloaded tow vehicle', but more 'can I stop/maneuver my vehicle if a kid on a bike darts in front of me, or if another car causes me to need to take evasive action'. I personally could not justify the risk.

If you're really only talking twice a year, maybe rent or borrow a 1/2 ton pickup truck for the trip? If it's more than a couple trips, I think you have the wrong tow vehicle...

 

[starcentral]

Yeah rental is way to go, or I will just stick with 20 foot boat I can tow instead of the 21 foot I can't.

 

[gm280]

Seems everyone is tell you the same answer. I know I couldn't take the risk. If anything happens, even if it is not your fault, YOU will be paying for driving an unsafe setup and any mediocre lawyer in court would make YOU the guilty party for whatever happens because you were driving an over-loaded trailer/van and therefore contributed to the accident. Bet on it! Is that really worth it? Percentage wise, it is probably very little chance of anything happening. But it is not ZERO either. And somebody does it and gets into troubles for it not to be zero. I am sure you don't want to be that non-zero percentage. JMHO

 

[flyingscott]

Here is the mystery of towing, It's not about what you can pull, its about what you can stop. You could start it out easy enough, but if somebody hits the brakes in front of you. Or you need to make sudden stop thats when the s##t hits the fan.

 

[roscoe]

Hmmmm, twice a year, 31 miles, I say invite a friend to the lake for a weekend and have him tow the boat with HIS truck.

Or borrow his truck and fill the gas tank for him.

 

[RMClark]

Hmmmm, twice a year, 31 miles, I say invite a friend to the lake for a weekend and have him tow the boat with HIS truck.

Or borrow his truck and fill the gas tank for him.

Ahhh, there's the answer!

It's easy for any vehicle to get 4000 pounds moving, not so easy to stop it.

My P/U truck has a 10K pound rating, but I don't like the way it feels pulling 7K. Look around long enough, and you'll be able to find somebody who'll say, "I use my car to pull my 15K pound dump trailer all the time with no problem." The next thing they say is, "Hold my beer. Watch this!"