Big trailer, little tow vehicle

[Mark42]

I would love to own a large boat (24 - 26 ft) , but don't want the added expense of a new vehicle to tow it.

I got the idea that if there was a trailer that supported the entire weight of the boat on 2 or 3 axles, then the tow vehicle would not need to have a 7000 tow rating.

Suppose the trailer was designed with two traditional axles in the rear, and one new axle up front with steerable wheels. The tongue would also control the steering of the wheels. Kind of like the handle on a classic "little red wagon".

Suppose also that all 6 wheels had disk brakes.

With this setup, the trailer supports all the weight of the boat, and there is no real "tongue weight" on the trailer hitch. The brakes do 100% of the braking for the trailer load.

I think that the tow vehicle could be a regular SUV or pickup (ala Ford F150) that only needed to address heavy duty cooling for the engine and transmission and proper gear ratio for the engine/load. No special brakes, no special suspension. Just enough horsepower to pull the load at a sustained 60mph.

This way I can get away with a lighter tow vehicle that can double duty as the family hauler too without breaking the bank.

I would assume that the trailer would be expensive, but it has a lot to do. And it saves expense on the tow vehicle.

Anything like this trailer currently available?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

An F-150 can tow a 24 foot 7000 boat. That is the combo I have.

You have to have tounge weight on the trailer hitch or you would have too much sway.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

Ever hear of the cliche about "the tail wagging the dog?" That's what you would have. Load up a farm wagon with about 7000 pounds of anything. Hook it to your truck and try driving 60 MPH. If you haven't wrecked by the time you hit 40 you will have given up on the idea because you would be scared out of your skin. I'm sure you've seen the double-bottom semi's and the second trailer is what gave you the idea. That steering setup is the only practical way to do what you envision. The problem with the entire scheme is the tow vehicle. Semi-trailer tractors have lots of weight over the axle. Your truck has none. The first semi-trailer represents heft. The second trailer therefore has an equal or lesser heft than the first so you don't have the tail wagging dog scenario. Your truck at about 4000 pounds would be at the end of a crack the whip game. Why not just add a weight distributing hitch with spring bars and anti-sway device. Bars are availble in the 500, 750 and 1000 pound varieties and the hitches will take up to a 10,000 pound load. Your investment is about 800 bucks and the only addition to the trailer is the brakes and spring bar brackets. Next time you see a travel trailer in a rest area, check out the hitch.

 

[JB]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

A really, really, really bad idea, Mark.

Tow rating has little or nothing to do with being able to tow at 60mph.

Tow rating has to do with being able to control the tow. It is based on the chassis, suspension, drive train, cooling system and, to some extent, the engine.

With a 7,000lb load the suspension has to tolerate about 700lb on the hitch, the drive train and engine have to be able to accellerate 7,000lb in addition to the vehicle weight without overstressing it and finally, the whole vehicle has to dominate the dynamics of the combined vehicle and tow. Otherwise you would have what DWJ calls the tail wagging the dog. . . until it crashes; and it will.

I wouldn't tow a 7,000lb load with any vehicle rated at less than 10,000lb.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

mark, back in the 70' they made a trailer that had a 2 wheel dolly under the tongue. it had a suspension system, but the tongue connect like a typical trailer. never ask about it, but it was cool to see. i guess it took part of the tongue weight for the heavier boats.

get with the ups engineer that designed their tandem trailer rig, there are a lot of tandems on the road. how do they do that. not many in Florida.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

Ever hear of the cliche about "the tail wagging the dog?" That's what you would have. Load up a farm wagon with about 7000 pounds of anything. Hook it to your truck and try driving 60 MPH. If you haven't wrecked by the time you hit 40 you will have given up on the idea because you would be scared out of your skin. - - - - .

Yeah, I have seen a lot of farm trailers, specifically, the ones you fill with hay bales. I have helped the local farmer pick up the bails that get shot past the trailer when making turns. Anyway - - - those things have a hard time doing 20 let alone 40mph. I figured it was because of the low $$$ to invest in proper maintenance (fix bent axle, balance wheels put same diameter wheel on all axles !!!!! etc)

Well, it was just an idea.

You really think an F-150 can tow a boat like a 24 foot cabin cruiser??? I thought for sure that was over the limit. By the time I add all my "stuff" it will probably weigh over 7000 lbs.

OK, next idea - - - Get a motor home, rip off the "home" part leaving the driver compartment, make the rest a boat trailer. 8)

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

Tash -- I think the deal you mentioned was not a trailer but a trailer add-on. Think of it as a really short trailer with a narrow track. A hitch ball was placed on top of the tongue somewhere between the wheels and the coupler that would hook to the tow vehicle. The trailer coupler then hooked to that hitch ball. The tongue weight of the trailer was now spread between the vehicle and the wheels on the short trailer. These actually worked to a degree but they still were not the safest setups. Short quick turns or sudden maneuvers could roll the small trailer. Some of these had a single wheel, others had two. A current automotive "tow dolly" would come the closest to the concept.

 

[klicknative]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

I think you would be better off geting a good used 3/4 or 1 ton pickup.

 

[cdre]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

How are you going to pull the trailer (assuming there is a boat on it) up a slippery ramp? You may have just enough hp to get it down the road, and trailer brakes may help stop it, but ramps will give you some probs.

 

[tommays]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

mark

The 24 hard top cabin boat i am looking at is #6700 DRY i think it will be in the 8500 range ready to tow

Tommays

 

[DJ]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

tommays,

I've towed a llitle over 8K with an '05' F-150 Super Crew 4X4.

It was within the trucks rating. It towed the load OK. Even though the 150 brakes are hefty, I was glad I had trailer brakes.

I would not want to run that rig everyday. For piece of mind sake, a 250 would have been a better choice.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Big trailer, little tow vehicle

Instead of getting a new half ton why not get a used 3/4 ton. If you get a chevy instead of a ford they still have a lot of life left in them.8) A 3/4 ton suburban w/ a 454 would work perfectly. You would still need a load distributing hitch and sway bar but it would be the cheapest safe setup.