Towing Capacity

[Mr. Grumps]

I have a vehicle towing capacity of<br />6000lbs. How close to the maximum should <br />I go before it becomes dangerous. Thinking<br />of buying new 22ft boat with the following.<br /><br />3,800 lbs Dry Weight Boat<br /> 800 lbs Trailer (estimate)<br /> 600 lbs Gas & items in boat<br />-----<br />5,200 lbs <br /><br />Am I too close to the maximum??<br /><br />Any problems with the estimates???<br /><br />I absolutely want to be safe & secure<br /><br />Thanks

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Towing Capacity

You should be fine when you add gear and fuel just remember not to exceed that...

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Towing Capacity

Not enough info provided to say for sure so I'll offer some generic thoughts:<br /><br />Dry weight in sales brochures is a VERY rough guess...I wouldn't rely on that too much. And gas is certainly the heaviest wet stuff (7 lbs per gallon is in my head, not sure though), but don't forget weight of batteries, coolant/lake water in the block, engine oil, hydraulic trim fluid, gear oil, power steering fluid, etc, which is also not included in the dry weight. Some people here with 22 ft boats may be able to help you with their rigs that have actually been weighed. Is this a runabout or a cuddy?<br /><br />What kind of vehicle do you have? Obviously a truck of some sort. Be aware that most manufacturers calculate their towing capacity based on a completely empty tow vehicle WITH NO OPTIONS holding a DRIVER ONLY and no luggage.<br /><br />So unless you're a pretty lonely boater who goes alone, you need to consider the weight of all your passengers in the truck and all the luggage/gear in the truck. Then you need to consider the weight of your power seats, factory sunroof, DVD entertainment systems, running boards, power windows & locks, etc. It sounds ridiculous but it's true.<br /><br />Read the towing section of your vehicle's owner's manual very carefully and look for the fine print. There is a LOT of fine print that will surprise you. You may need various options added to your truck to reach that 6,000 lb rating you think you might have. For example different axle ratio, tranny cooler, larger radiator, etc. I guess I just need to encourage you to NOT rely on dealers or mfr sales literature to determine your 6,000 lb tow rating. Most vehicles as they are purchased and driven do NOT handle the amount of weight the ads say they do. You have to use your owners manual and figure out all the little details to determine towing capacity with any degree of accuracy.<br /><br />Hope that helps!

 

[imported_bjs]

Re: Towing Capacity

i think tow capacity is over rated on all lt.duty trucks.weather its ford gm toy.or nissan.if your going to tow anything real heavy go get a diesel. ford or chevy they tow anything you can put behind the truck.and for sure out tow a gas motor.but in your case you be fine

 

[roscoe]

Re: Towing Capacity

Add the vehicle's cargo, passaengers, and gas to the weight estimate.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Towing Capacity

Dry weight in sales brochures is a VERY rough guess...I wouldn't rely on that too much.

I agree! The weight quoted in the sales brocures and on the Internet for my boat was at least 1,000 lb under the actual weight even when I accounted for fuel, water, user added items, etc. The only way to find the true weight of a boat is to actually weigh it (with the trailer in this case). The next best thing is to find an identical model from the same manufacturer and weigh it.<br /><br />As for towing, if you're towing on relatively level ground and not doing a lot of long distance towing, loading up to the tow rating (accounting for passengers and cargo of course) is fine. I'm towing at or slightly above my vehicle's tow rating because of the misinformation mentioned above and I've been fine for three seaons and close to 10,000 miles. <br /><br />If you're towing in the mountains or plan to take a lot of long distance trips, I would stay under 80% or so of the tow rating for safety and comfort's sake.<br /><br />Make sure the trailer has good brakes and maintain them. The most important thing about towing a trailer is being able to control and stop it.

 

[KCSteve]

Re: Towing Capacity

My 23 1/2 boat had a stated by mfg dry weight of 4200 lbs. When I weghed it at scale fully loaded it weighed 5985 lbs. So it seems you might be okay. But the thing you need to know is your GCWR gross combined weight rating This would be the weight of the boat fully loaded plus truck fully loaded. Example Truck GCWR 10,000 lbs<br />Boat weghs 6000lbs + truck 5900 lbs = 11900 lbs Thus you are 1900 lbs overweight I,ve seen it recommended to limit your towing too 80% of your vehicle rating In other words 80% of 6000lbs would be 4800lbs

 

[imported_bjs]

Re: Towing Capacity

start towing heavy boats with todays sorry transmission your asking for trouble.then the rearend breaks next.i learned this the hard way on my last dodge truck no more dodges for me

 

[SwampNut]

Re: Towing Capacity

What the vehicle CAN tow and what you will WANT to tow with it regularly are two different stories. Two vehicles with the same rating will handle very differently. Many of the SUVs have softened suspension, for example, even if they sit on a truck chassis.<br /><br />After having towed many sizes of boats with many sizes of tow vehicles, I can tell you that it really varies. Also, a dual axle trailer handles better than a single, even if you don't need the capacity.<br /><br />And as others have stated, it could be rough on the drivetrain. Some may be rated to do it, but not really built for doing it regularly.

 

[HeadHunt]

Re: Towing Capacity

How about the engine weight?<br /><br />HH

 

[jlinder]

Re: Towing Capacity

Can you tell us the vehicle model, year, options, etc?

 

[paulie0735]

Re: Towing Capacity

Yep, check the book real close. You may find that the towing capacity is stated at a vehicle weight, and anything over the stated Gross Vehicle Mass must be deducted from the towing capacity. Consider this as an example, your truck is rated at 6000'bs towing capacity with a GVM of the truck not exceeding 3000lb's (example only) anything over 3000lb's must be deducted from the 6000lb’s towing capacity. To be safe you may have to load up the truck with all the usual gear and bodies and go to your local weight bridge and get the whole lot weighed. Than do the math again!! Also check the capacity of the hitch and also make sure you don’t have more than 10% of the ‘total weight of what your towing’ on the ball, another trip to the weight bridge with the boat loaded with all your normal gear will be required. <br />Nice to see somebody who is concerned about their safety and that of other road users. Good luck.

 

[Dead Eye]

Re: Towing Capacity

I don't recommend it but I towed my 25' Pro Line (over 6000lb loaded with GMC Serria rated 5000lb) 140 miles from Philly To Oc. Md. Kept the trans in 3rd all the way. It towed fine, Wouldn't tow more than one trip in the beginning of the season and home after the season