Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

[tazrig]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

The only problem with going diesel for the OP is the limited number of miles he's going to be using it. Diesels like and need to be driven. The more you drive them the less problems you have. Plus when they break they break hard and expensive.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

You can't win.
If I knew I was going to buy t a 2500 Diesel than I would have gotten a bigger boat
If I knew I was going to buy a 25 foot cruiser boat then I would have gotten a bigger truck the first time.

 

[grey2112]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

The only problem with going diesel for the OP is the limited number of miles he's going to be using it. Diesels like and need to be driven. The more you drive them the less problems you have. Plus when they break they break hard and expensive.

That is exactly my thinking. I put on less than 5000 miles a year on the truck for goodness sakes. If we limit our Keys trips to once a year (pretty likely) I'll definitely be under 5000 a year.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

what I posted is NOT incorrect... my class V ( I have never seen a class V as standard on a pickup) is rated at 18,000 but ONLY with a weight distributing hitch.....

O/P you have already gained size and haven't even bought the boat or truck... A 25' cruiser is doable but pushing it now saying 25-27' is pushing harder.

In my experience a used 3/4 or even 1 ton is quite often CHEAPER to buy than a 1/2 ton because the demand isn't there as much as it is for the 1/2 ton........ Example, see how hard everyone in the thread is fighting to keep you in a 1/2 ton truck? The 3/4 will drive the same, look the same, and be the same EXCEPT it's just better at doing what you will be doing with it.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

My 07 Tundra is rated at 10800lbs. no mention of a WD or fifth wheel
The thing the op is going to need to pull 6500lbs is some horsepower. If not the transmission will be constantly shifting

2013 Ford F-150 | View Towing Specifications | Ford.com



2013 Ford F-150 | View Towing Specifications | Ford.com Nothing mentioned here about needing a WD or fifth wheel other then tow package required. Conventional/Fifth-Wheel Towing is the same

Crawl under your tundra and look at the capacity plate or sticker on the hitch.....

When they state the maximum tow capicity of a truck the stated the highest number for a sales brochure ... weight carrying, weight distributing and 5th wheel towing is NOT the same..... never have been and never will be.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

smokeonthewater,

Who kows, it seams every year the big three change how and what you need to tow something. My manual says nothing about needing a WDH for the 17,800lbs its rated at. That does not mean its a good idea to not use one though. But lets get real. I will never tow that much with my truck and the poster of this thread never will. As much as I would love to I just can't afford that much boat

I think the original poster of this thread will end up with a rig clocking in at more than he thinks when its all said and done. Can you pull that much with a 1500/150 truck? Sure, I did a few times until I upgraded. The difference is night and day between the 1500 and the 2500 with just the stopping and control never mind the power of the Diesel. With that said the thing I would keep in mind if you get a 1500/150 truck is what the payload is. The stifer the rear springs the less you will get pushed around when the boat/traler starte to rock over bumps. I think Ford takes the cake on payload.

You could always upgrade the boat first then make it a requirment that in order to buy the truck the dealer has to let you hook your boat up to it. I did this to both the Ford and Chevy dealer, they did not have an issue with it. The Ford dealer offered me the same truck just a used 2012 ecoboost to try with that they had on the lot and the chevy dealer did not have an issue at all and even offered to let me use the truck I was test driving but I passed on the chance knowing that a 2500 Diesel would do the job.

Also if you are gonig to finance the boat I would buy the boat first then the truck. Boat loans are harder to get than a car loan. The bank financing your boat may take issue with you just taking out a car loan where the car loan bank won't really care. Also keep in mind the financing. I had a set payment in mind where I wanted to be and because of the 0% GM does I could buy alot more truck with my $650/mont budget than paying 3.99% from Ford.

Lets say if your payment is $0 down a $500/month for 60 month

0% is $30,000 truck
3.99% is a $27.250 truck

 

[emilsr]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

( I have never seen a class V as standard on a pickup)

My 2013 Silverado HD came with a factory installed class V hitch; came with the towing package. It's about time the hitches caught up with the trucks.

On the weight thing:

I actually put my last boat on the scale as there was one across the street from my office. The manufacturer listed the weight of the boat as 3,000 lbs (20' bowrider, 5.0, alpha drive). On a steel tandem trailer, loaded with gas, gear, and everything but the cooler the scale said it weighed just under 5100lbs (5080 if I remember right....was a few years ago).....the point being it was more than I expected for a 3,000 lb boat. That's probably the norm.

From what the OP posted he'll be fine with a 1/2 ton truck so long as he doesn't load up the truck with beer and babes, AND he doesn't get 3' itis again. 1/2 ton will ride better for daily driver duties and will get better mileage, it just won't have the margin of error that a 3/4 ton (or larger) truck will have.

 

[slag]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

In that size/weight range you can get away with a properly equipped 1/2 ton truck.....I did for several years with no problems. Be advised though that you're going to be up against the truck's limitations (if not over) once you load it up with gas, gear, coolers, tent, dogs, etc. A full gas tank alone weighs 750 lbs, so the weight adds up quickly. I bit the bullet late last year and bought a 3/4 ton gasser. Better to have more towing capacity than you need (rather than just enough), and IF I wind up with 3 foot-itis I won't have to get a different truck.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :lol:

A full gas tank weighs 750 lbs? A gallon of gas weighs around 6.2 lbs at 20 degrees C. My 1/2 ton truck (Titan) has a 28 gallon tank which is pretty average size. 6.2 lbs X 28 gallons is only 173.6 lbs. You would need a gas tank that holds 121 gallons of gas to reach 750 lbs in fuel weight. Do a lot of boats in the 25 foot range have 120 gallon tanks?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

But he won't be using it for daily driver duties.... he has nothing to gain by stayinf 1/2 ton and everything to gain going 3/4

I DON'T however, recommend a diesel for him.... He won't be driving it enough to warrant it and in the long run the gas truck will cost him less..... Personally I would look for a 10 year old 1 ton with low miles in immaculate condition.

It's like why cram your butt into a size 34 waistband if you would be soooo much more comfortable in a 36....... or 40 for me LOL

 

[emilsr]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

But he won't be using it for daily driver duties.... he has nothing to gain by stayinf 1/2 ton and everything to gain going 3/4

I DON'T however, recommend a diesel for him.... He won't be driving it enough to warrant it and in the long run the gas truck will cost him less..... Personally I would look for a 10 year old 1 ton with low miles in immaculate condition.

It's like why cram your butt into a size 34 waistband if you would be soooo much more comfortable in a 36....... or 40 for me LOL

That's exactly where I was at, and I went with the gasser. Empty mileage isn't quite what I had anticipated, but we've got 75 and 80mph speed limits out here (along with occasional 50mph wind gusts) so that tends to burn more fuel.

A full gas tank weighs 750 lbs? A gallon of gas weighs around 6.2 lbs at 20 degrees C. My 1/2 ton truck (Titan) has a 28 gallon tank which is pretty average size. 6.2 lbs X 28 gallons is only 173.6 lbs. You would need a gas tank that holds 121 gallons of gas to reach 750 lbs in fuel weight.

This was in the original post: "We are now wanting a bigger boat - a 25 foot boat with one motor, 125 gallon fuel tank - probably a total weight to pull of 6000-6500 pounds." I assume he's talking about the boat's tank, not the truck's.

 

[slag]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

Sorry, you are right. Thats what I get for skimming and not paying attention.

 

[grey2112]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

Well, I think for right now I'm going to punt and try very hard to just keep the status quo (i.e. keep the 19 foot boat and current F150) and just learn to stay within our limitations. This allows me to pay off the truck by the end of the year, keep the car dealers trying hard to give me a great deal as the year comes to a close (hoping for a manager or salesman who needs just one more sale before the end of December) - if I'm going to do this I want to do it right - we are NOT going to get a bigger boat than a 25 footer - that is our limit. One motor only on it. So I think realistically 6500-7000 pounds is the limit even with a full 100 gallon tank and all equipment and the trailer.

So unless I can find a killer deal on an F250, maybe a 3.73 Ecoboost with max trailer tow package or a 3.55 Ecoboost will fit the ticket, but only if a good deal is achieved. Or hell, maybe just wait till next year and see if a 5.0L v8 Ecoboost comes out

 

[agallant80]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

Just as an FYI My 25 foot boat is 7K dry and my trailer is 1.5K. I think an ecoboost will be fine, though after adding in people and gear you may be twards the upper end of the tow rating. The ecoboost that is rated for 11K has a 3.73 rear end in it so make sure you pay attention to that and just not grab any ecoboost off of the lot. It was tough to find one. The Ford dealer I went to had about 100 F150s on the lot and we could only find 3 with the 3.73 rear end in it. Most were 3.55 which knocks a few thousand pounds off of the tow rating.

The one thing I will say about having a 2500 is before with my 1500 it was a long drive, there was alot of sway, the rear suspention was too soft for the toung weight of the trailer which made the whole rig bounce around. Now with the 2500 I just set the cruse at 67 and its like driving to the beach. Much easier ride which makes us want to head down to the coast with the boat more often. If you do get the F150 and the rig bounces around then I would consider getting some helper springs for the rear to stiffen things up.

As for any ideas of pulling the rig with an under powered truck. I learned two things.
1. You burn a tonne of fuel. It cost $210 in Gas when I took the boat to the coast with the 1500 it costs $120 in Diesel with teh 2500
2. Because my silverado had the 3.08 rear end it was rated for only 6,800Lbs I was pulling closer to 10K and my transmission started to develope a really bad wine. It was not an old truck it was a 2012 with 21K miles on it so you will kill your truck if you go over the rating.


Good luck!

 

[emilsr]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

Well, I think for right now I'm going to punt and try very hard to just keep the status quo (i.e. keep the 19 foot boat and current F150) and just learn to stay within our limitations.

That's not a bad idea. Over the years I've seen lots and lots of boaters basically "upgrade" themselves out of boating, and/or use their boat less and less the bigger it gets. A 19' boat and a half ton pickup is a good, manageable size and "affordable" rig. When we made the jump from there to a 26' single, the gas costs almost doubled. "Everyone" said they wouldn't....but they did. As long as you work it into the budget, no problem, but keep in mind it's better to be on the water with a tinny than be at the dock with a yacht.

Now....with all that said.....a big, single engine boat fits our needs/wants pretty well and I don't have any particular desire to go bigger. It's just on the limit of what you can comfortably tow without an HD truck so you've got a tough decision to make.

 

[grey2112]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

So, what about 4x4 ? I think I've decided to go with an F250 for various reasons - should I go ahead and go all out and get a 4WD for those occasions I might really need it, or will a 2WD F250 do the job on a 7000 pound boat/trailer combo at normal, well-maintained ramps?

Reason I ask is I'm looking at these two trucks and didn't know if it made sense to pay less for a 4x4 F250 with 48k miles on it vs. the under 8k mileage F250 with 2WD?

Cars for Sale: 2011 Ford F250 4x4 Crew Cab Super Duty in Tampa, FL 33619: Truck Details - 343392134 - AutoTrader.com

Cars for Sale: 2011 Ford F250 2WD SuperCab Super Duty in Tampa, FL 33619: Truck Details - 342132241 - AutoTrader.com

 

[emilsr]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

A 2wd F150 would do the job if it has a limited slip differential. I never spun a tire with my half ton Suburban on paved ramps, but I almost got it stuck in a dirt parking lot a few times. The problem is, when you need 4wd you really need it, and it does come in handy in certain circumstances. I went 4wd with this new truck.

 

[BobGinCO]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

I would definitely go 4WD. I've seen some very slippery concrete ramps. We always put the Galactica in 4WD when launching and retrieving.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

2wd will likely get the job done BUT about 15 years ago I decided I would never again own a 2wd pickup unless it was a lowered classic hot rod..... A truck is a work machine... 4x4 is a LIFESAVER when you need it....
IE back in a foot too far and get the back tires on the moss... OH NO what ever will I do? ... Oh yeah put it in 4x4 and drive away... WHEW that coulda been bad....

 

[Mason78]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

I would never buy a 2wd truck. If you explore different lakes then you never know when you will encounter a slippery ramp. Plus its great to have available for many other situations.

Plus I have heard that it is difficult to sell a 2wd truck. There is a limited market.

 

[grey2112]

Re: Newbie needs some towing/trailering advice

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/detail.jsp?car_id=343392134&dealer_id=1152458&result_car_id=342953158&ct=u

Well, looks like the sales people at the dealership realize it is the end of the month - they really want me in to check out the 2011 F250 4x4 - say they can go $26,500 on it. My 2011 F150 XLT with 8500 miles on it is coming in on KBB for a trade value of about $22,000


See Link Above






So, what do you guys think? If I got $22k for my trade, do you think I could get the $26,500 price down any more?



It has 48k miles on it, but is a Certified Pre-Owned, which means it comes with a 7 year/100,000 mile (from original date of purchase) power train warranty - which means it has 52k miles or 5 more years of powertrain warranty left.



Truck has new tires on it as well.