Can I do it

[paulgp6022]

Re: Can I do it

I saw a Yugo pulling a two place trailer Jet ski package once. Now THAT was dangerous!

 

[suzuki40]

Re: Can I do it

SS Minnow, you may get away with it time and time again, You dont know the situation of the toyota. It may pull it fine. The fact of the matter is. He could run into someone by accident or run off the side of the rode unrelated to the weight of the boat and trailer. The only fact the insurance is going to look at if it is his fault is: the truck is pulling a load that exceeds the towing weight limits of the vehicle in hand. My brother is a lawyer and is right here with me answering this question. Think about it, listen to JB.<br /><br />Suzuki40

 

[paulgp6022]

Re: Can I do it

I DID think about it. Do you think Toyota or Nissan would offer a truck that can't tow? Come on give me a break! It doesn't require a degree in law to realize that compact trucks CAN tow a boat! I'm not "getting away" with anything. I am within the tow weight rating of my truck and not driving an unsafe tow vehicle by any means. Like I said before, just because a truck isn't a dual axel power stroke diesel quad cab, doesn't mean it can't tow. A 17ft boat and trailer by no means exceeds the 3500lb rating of Toyota. Unless it is filled with rocks!

 

[paulgp6022]

Re: Can I do it

I called my insurance with the question of towing.<br /><br />" As long as I am within limits of my tow vehicle, then coverage will cover any and all accidents that I may encounter".

 

[Somethings_Fishy]

Re: Can I do it

I'm with minnow on this one. Not everyone has big bucks for a fancy tow vehicle. If a compact will tow it, then why go overboard on your tow vehicle?

 

[DJ]

Re: Can I do it

For those of you that want to ignore or just plain don't give a rip about the rating of your vehicle.<br /><br />Do us a favor, let us know when and where you tow so that we can stay out of your way.<br /><br />Better yet, we'll stay behind you, at a safe distance, and call 911 when you skid through the intersection and get T-boned by a garbage truck.

 

[JB]

Re: Can I do it

Nobody is knocking towing with compact vehicles, as long as the load is within the tow rating of the vehicle.<br /><br />If you can find the big bux for the big boat, then find the bux for a vehicle that can tow it safely.<br /><br />What I am knocking is ignoring the opportunity to find out what is safe and settling for childish arguments and guesses.<br /><br />If the manufacturer rates your vehicle, as equipped, to tow your load, then go for it with my blessing, but please knock off the silly "yabut" arguments.

 

[Somethings_Fishy]

Re: Can I do it

Noone is ignoring tow ratings, we are just stating that a compact truck that has a tow rating of 3500lbs, has that rating for a reason. It is meant to tow 3500lbs!<br /><br />As for the "skidding through an intersection", you would have to be speeding or not take care of your vehicle's brakes. In either case, spare us the drama,please.

 

[Spidybot]

Re: Can I do it

Just to squeeze in another angle of view:<br /><br />In other markets the very same vehicles may have different capacities. Local laws may set up limits for this or that and the manufacturer's specs may be altered by importers to suit local rules.<br /><br />Here any trailer with a GW above 1100 lbs MUST have brakes. Towing weights are determined by the vehicle weight +/- whatever the manufacturer stated. Hitches comes in one class only, for normal use, as a standard for all of Europe.<br /><br />Being certified to tow a certain weight is NOT the same as being good at it. You can legally hook a large trailer onto a weak-but-heavy old car and ofcourse it'll be a disaster on the road.<br /><br />Manual 4WDs with low range gearboxes do very well on ramps and even smaller diesels produce sufficient torque to maintain a fair speed while cruising.<br /><br />Plenty of six-bangers are quite lame and have a hard time pulling on ramps. Manual cluthes get burned - the smell is familiar <br /><br />... just 2c from over here

 

[Somethings_Fishy]

Re: Can I do it

Ahh the smell of abspestos in the morning....

 

[DJ]

Re: Can I do it

The point is this.<br /><br />If your vehicle maker says it will tow 3500, that statement comes with exceptions. Those might be:<br /><br />1. As long as GCWR is not exceeded. If you do not know what that is, you are probably exceeding it. <br /><br />GCWR example.<br /><br />GCWR rating: 6500 lbs.<br /><br />Veh. weight 3000 lbs.<br /><br />Trailer weight 3500 lbs.<br />____________________________<br /><br />Total GCW 6500 lbs.<br /><br />Guess what? You're at your combined weight rating without any gas in the truck, or you in the drivers seat. Not to mention your buddy, his and your tackle boxes, fishing rods, coolers, etc, etc, etc..<br /><br />2. Vehicle is properly equipped. Not your opinion, the makers opinion.<br /><br />3. Hitch type and trailer equipment prerequisites are met.<br /><br />I won't cut the drama when someone may be putting innocent people in danger because they're ignorant as to what they are towing or simply don't care.

 

[L Christopher]

Re: Can I do it

This subject comes up about once a month, usually after someone buys, inherits, wins, or is given a boat then thinks about towing it. Capacities are give to cars and trucks for a reason and tow capacities should be given a 15% buffer. I don't think anybody here cares if you can pull the load unless the your tower gives out in the middle of the road or you block a ramp. The issue is stopping the rig safetly and controlling it once you get it moving. Age, size, cost, make, shiny rims, or color of the tower don't really matter. However, I think if you truck matches your boat it will tow it better.

 

[JB]

Re: Can I do it

Some folks have forgotten the question.<br /><br />Bill wants to know if HIS '93 Toy 4X4 can safely tow a load of 1700 to 2400lb.<br /><br />There is only one answer and only the Toyota dealer or his owner's manual has it, and only when equipment is specified. <br /><br />If your rating exceeds your tow I could care less. That is your rating, not his. That is your tow, not his.

 

[Somethings_Fishy]

Re: Can I do it

I called a co-worker that just so happens to have that same truck. And his rating is 3500lbs with a class two hitch. No trans cooler, stabilizer, brake package, nothing. Just a Class two hitch. So with Bill's 2400lb package, and a class two hitch he will be fine. So I guess this post has been beaten like a dead horse. The moderator midas well close it.

 

[paulgp6022]

Re: Can I do it

I agree with what Storm said, For a 16 foot fishing boat or 17 foot fishing boat, a compact truck matches perfectly. I tow my boat everywhere with no "crash and burn" scary moments, starting or braking.<br /><br />The guys with the dually diesel overkill tow trucks are the one who get on the highway in the fast lane and go 70-80 mph- trust me I see it all the time. Probably because they forgot they are towing a boat! Seems to me that when you know there is a boat back there, you tend to drive safer and more aware, such as myself.

 

[DJ]

Re: Can I do it

 

[tylerin]

Re: Can I do it

I have a 99 chevy p/u I buy one every 10 years whether I need one or not. I ain't a dually and it doesn't run on deisel! I stay out of the fast lane and I'm as aware there's a boat behind me as anyone. I've done brake jobs on my vehicles and compacts like a toyota truck. Thats all I need to see.Thats only my opinion. Somehow this thread got turned around from "can I do it" to watch out for the guy who can. As for Bill I'm sure he went an bought himself a motorcycle or something

 

[n0ukf]

Re: Can I do it

Not boat trailer related, but on topic (tow ratings) Several years ago I pulled a Datsun trailer (converted from pickup) next door to the rock quarry with my little Aries stationwagon (4 cyl., manual tranny) to get some crushed granite. After I got it loaded almost even with the sides (somewhere around 1/2 to 1 yard) I pulled it back home <1/4 mile. Once I got it almost where I wanted to unload it, I started smelling the clutch and had to stop. Later I even had trouble with it not disengaging. When I finally replaced the clutch, I found that the coil springs (dampers?) had broken and lodged in the clutch. <br />Wasn't I smart to pull with that little thing?

 

[roscoe]

Re: Can I do it

I pulled the QE2 with my lawn tractor.<br />The only problem I had was in making sharp turns, braking, starting, overheating, clutch slipping, unweighting the steering axle, broken drive axle, and crew on the deck kept on hitting golf balls at the back of my head.

 

[gewf631]

Re: Can I do it

I'm surprised that no one mentioned the references over at the Trailer Boats Magazine site <br /><br />A Google search turned-up a few sites...<br /> Toyota Tow Specs (only back to 1996) <br /> Edmund's Toyota Truck discussion board <br /><br /> ETrailer recommends this hitch (5000# capacity)