Trailering A Pontoon Distances

[keninaz]

I have as kayak that is fun in the local lake but would like to spend some time on the bigger lakes of AZ.
But that means a longer trip for me and the wife would like to go along.
It's just not worth going for the day so we would spend several days there at a time fishing and enjoying lakes like Powell.
I did some investigation on leaving the boat on the lake or in dry storage but that limits you to the one place of course and the fees at Powell at least are over $10 a ft. to keep it in the water. On the other hand it's a pretty high speed tow at freeway speeds to get to Havasu or Powell from central AZ and I am worried about trailering.
I have been told there are different types of trailers. The lonely ones I have seen under the units at the local shop (only one here) are very small tires, like 12"???
That is pretty hard on bearings I am thinking.
I am thinking of getting an 18-24' pontoon and towing it with our GMC Yukon which is rated easily for the weight.
Any advice on towing or trailer style choices?

 

[kjsAZ]

as more diameter the tires have as better the trailer will handle and the bearings will wear out less. The stability of the trailer is also better with larger and wider tires. Disadvantage is that the boat will sit higher by a few inches and may be a tad more difficult to launch and retrieve.
Toons have a lot more frontal and side surface area and even if the load rating of a single axle trailer may barely be sufficient I would always go with a tandem axle trailer with disc brakes on all wheels. Tandems are better if you get hit by these wind gusts we have quite often around here in AZ.

Make sure that you get spindles with SureLube or EZ-lube spindles if you trailer often and for long distances! Much easier to keep them well greased then always re-packing the bearings.

 

[ahicks]

First, if the bearings are well maintained (cleaned and packed yearly), the tires are properly rated for the load and inflated properly, don't worry about them. They will not be an issue even if they are of the 8" variety. Pontoons pull like a big parachute, so it's not like you'll be spending much time at 80+ with it....

Though they aren't as popular, I prefer the scissor type trailer because I find it handier. Yes, it can be tippy if you aren't used to it, but the boat rides MUCH lower. I can also pull it out from under the boat at will to service either it or the boat.

 

[MaPaHa]

I would agree with several comments based on my trailering my 23 footer. I wouldn't worry about the small tire models. Mine are small and fat and do fine. Just keep the bearings in good shape. Tandem axle for sure unless it's a real short boat. I like the bunk style trailer. My biggest suggestion is to get a sturdy one that doesn't flop too much in the middle.

 

[crb478]

The smaller trailer tires come in different load ratings, make sure you use the higher load rated tires. Being short and fat also helps distribute the load better. I would also look for dual axle trailers and keep a spare hub and bearings, jack and tire with the trailer. Pontoons don't weigh that much so the load on the bearings and spindles is not that bad as long as they are properly greased. Pontoons catch a lot of wind so make sure it is strapped down to the trailer good and tow at reasonable speeds. Bunk and scissor trailers both work fine. If you are not going to be on especially steep or curvy roads I would go with the scissor.

 

[lncoop]

My understanding is pontoon trailers are typically fitted with that type of tire to reduce the rig's height. Not sure whether that's true but it sounds reasonable. In any case, there's no reason to be concerned about it as long as the load rating is correct. I agree that an EZ or Sure Lube hub is the way to go but I think for regular towing a bunk trailer would be a better choice than a scissor style.

 

[OK Toon]

Don't go cheap on your straps especially if you trailer over rough roads. We originally had 2 normal 2" wide transom straps at the stern and a single 1" wide strap at the bow. But after snapping the bow strap on rough highways, I switched the bow to 2 of the 2" wide transom straps and added eye-bolts to the trailer frame to secure them. The boat rides much more securely now. We have the short fat tires too which helps on our shallow-launch ramp.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Before you leave on your trip one thing to remember is open the front door. ,it cuts the wind drag..I tow a 24ft pontoon boat,and you can really feel the difference.

 

[ggpostal]

Hi, I have a 24' pontoon on a 30' trailer that had 10" tires load range D just replaced them with 205/75-14" mainly because I've heard the 10" don't work well above 60mph no problems so far in towing or launching here in AZ.

 

[ahicks]

Next time you hear somebody saying those smaller tire don't work? Ignore them. They do - as long as they're the proper load range and maintained properly.

 

[Silver Eagle]

I tow a 24 ft trailer, it has 10 inch wheels load range D so far no problems I've had it since 2009.