Tow Vehicle Question and Background.

[SigSaurP229]

Rig to be Pulled 1993 Lowe Toon 28' Empty weight 1950 lbs
Motor 70 hp Johnson Dry weight 275 pounds.
Double bunk toon trailer 300 pounds.

NO Gear it will all be pulled out and put into a separate vehicle
Gas Tanks will be VERY Close to dry (maybe 5 gallons) 40 lbs.

Pulling Vehicle

2003 Nissan Frontier 4x4 Factory Tow Capacity of 3500 lbs. With Manual Transmission. 5000 lbs With Auto Trans.

I have the manual I have added an additional Tranny Cooler and upgraded suspension on my truck. I have a Class 3 Towing hitch on the truck.

It is ALOT of boat for this truck but will not be a common thing to pull once in the Spring and Once in the fall. Will be Slipped all summer coming home for the winter.

I have pulled ALOT of heavy loads with this truck Several times I have pulled cars on a car hauler for the same amount of distance i am going (25 miles) I will have a lead and follow vehicle.
I yanked an F250 Diesel and a trailer full of logs about two miles up the road with a tow chain before (about 12,000 lbs) The Frontier didn't like it but she did it. I have pulled several vehicles out of ditches with this truck as well. Brand new F150 SuperCrew 4x4.

My question is the total weight I figure is going to be around
2850
or Roughly 83% (trying to round up)
Is this a doable thing?

I have driven semi trucks otr. I know how to pull and handle trailers and such but this just seems like ALOT of boat for this truck weight wise should be fine my grandad pulled this boat with his V6 Dakota. Just seems like alot of boat for the rig if I could get my hands on anything bigger I would but this is what I have to work with so what do you all think.

FWIW This Frontier pulls my 15' Trihull and 50 hp Merc fully loaded with gear and gas all the time and doesn't have any problems.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question and Background.

Pulling Vehicle

2003 Nissan Frontier 4x4 Factory Tow Capacity of 3500 lbs. With Manual Transmission. 5000 lbs With Auto Trans.

I have the manual I have added an additional Tranny Cooler

Am I missing something here ???

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question and Background.

Am I missing something here ???

Yeah, not quite sure about that.
I know the M50D Ford/Mazda based tranny that my F-150 has, does in fact have a small oil pump built into the front shaft, but it doesn't have any form of external cooling. Thats a new one on me, but possible none the less.

Anyway, if the weight your pulling is at or below the rated tow capacity, then by all means tow it. Of course you want to be cautious about it. It may be in your best interest to see if you can swing the rig by a set of scales to find out exactly how much it weighs. Since the auto version of your truck can pull 1500 more lbs than your truck, you know at least the brakes and the frame should be up to snuff for the job. When it comes down to it, the limiting factor that makes your truck not able to tow as much as the auto trans is the clutch it self. The holding power of the clutch is limited to a certain amount. Plus the torque converter in the automatic acts as a bit of torque multiplication.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question and Background.

I have the Nissan Titan, amazingly both trucks have the same front brake setup. That is a weak link. I tow well under my capacity and it pulls fine, One 6% winding down grade and I can warp the the disks on one trip (this was before the rotor fix they did on the Titans). So i would say that you will alright pulling it even though it may struggle a bit, but stopping it will be the issue. I think trailer brakes are a must for safety and prevent you from changing rotors every trip. This is a known issue with newer Nissans. They attempted a fix on the Titans with bigger/thicker rotors which helped but still isn't perfect. They have lasted for 3 years of towing since the bigger rotors were put on but they are due for new ones again.

The tow ratings are a big farce that are not explained well by manufacturers, and touted on commercials as a rating of a vehicles HP. Within reason you can "pull" almost anything with almost any vehicle and probably get away with it. In reality you could double the weight of your toon and your Frontier could pull it. The problem is stopping that much weight safely.

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question and Background.

I screwed the pooch on that one guys sorry. Obviously being manual transmission it doesn't have an additional cooler. DOH don't know what I was thinking.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question and Background.

Yes very doable.

If for any reason you are not comfortable with the load, borrow a big truck.
It's only twice a year, someone should be willing to pull it home for you.

 

[supr_fly03]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question and Background.

I dont think it would be a problem. I pull a 20ft Starcraft 2010gt w/double axle trailer with my wife's 09 Rubicon Unlimited (rated for 3500lbs towing). It is on a 3.5 lift with 35's and 4.88 gears. It dosent go fast, but who needs to pull their boat faster than 65mph anyways? I have towed up to 350 miles in a single trip. You have a stronger V-6 so it should pull your boat better than my wife's jeep.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question and Background.

Somebody has to post it...........................

In order to pull that boat you need a real tow vehicle.
At least a 1-ton dually with diesel and optional trailer towing package.
Then upgrade the tires to the highest load range you can fit.
Power chip the computer.
Changed the axle R & P to a much lower ratio.
Add electric over hydraulic brakes to the trailer.

Most accidents happen within a few miles from home. Since it is 25 miles one way, that is like five trips close to home so your chances of an accident are now five times more likely.

But I would do what your planning to do anyways.

 

[jkust]

Re: Tow Vehicle Question and Background.

Before I owned an SUV I frequently towed 4000lbs with a minivan with a tiny v6 and over 100k miles of all things. As mentioned above moving it isn't a problem but stopping can be where the problems lie. Towing long distances was much easier than intown where maneuvering and a lot of stop and go had to take place. That is where I noticed the inadequacies most. The difference between the minivan and the SUV is like a horse versus a car and I only thought my minivan towed ok until I hooked up to the suv. Twice a year...just be careful and my bet is your rig will be OK.