Transmission wear and tear from towing?

[RyFitz13]

Hey folks,<br /> My wife and I are currently in the research stages of an eventual boat purchase. We're currently thinking something along the lines of a 18-20' cuddy, and planning to trailer it with our Toyota Highlander.<br /> The Highlander is rated to tow 3500lbs, which should be do-able (I think) in this size of boat. I've had a few folks tell me that, as long as we slap a transmission cooler onto it and maybe step up the preventative maintenance schedule a bit, we'll be good to go with no negative long term effects. But I've also been told by a few folks that we'll run the riks of burning out a tranny. The Toyota's just a year old, and we plan to be driving it for quite some time now - is towing the boat with this thing going to give us problems down the road, or would we be better off sinking a little cash into a towing-only rig?<br /> Thanks in advance!

 

[jspitzer]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

If your going to be towing anything at all I would suggest putting a tranny cooler on it. I pull a fithwheel trailer with my Dodge Ram and burned out a tranny, the guy who rebuilt it told me the reason most trannies go out is because they overheat. 1 new tranny and i'm good to go.$1600.00 later. tranny coolers are about $50.00, so is it worth it? I think so....

 

[RyFitz13]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

If that's the case, that's great. The purchase and install of a tranny cooler is already planned... How difficult are they to install? I see Uhaul advertises a couple for under $100, but that's without installation.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

If it's under warantee, you better talk to Toyota and find out what they feel it needs to tow at its limit. If it needs a cooler, I'd use theirs to keep your warantee in effect or else if the trans fails they could try to blame it on an after market cooler or improper installation.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

You'll hit #3500 before you know it. Just remember that the trailer fits into this equation also. My 20’ boat / trailer combo weighs in at 5420 lbs. when all is said and done.

 

[tommays]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

i am 3850# with a maxium 2000 SC which is really a 19 ft cuddy<br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[JB]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

I don't think a truck rated at 3500# can safely tow and stop an 18-19" rig, loaded and ready to be launched. It is likely that you will be in the 3500-4000# range.<br /><br />Check into what Toyota might be able to offer to upgrade you to 5,000# at least.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

I'll echo the last few posts. I have little doubt that a 19 to 20 foot cuddy, full of fuel, on a trailer is going to exceed 3,500 lbs. I think you'll need a bigger tow vehicle for that boat. Even if you find a small cuddy that manages to slip under that weight, you'll be really pushing the max tow capacity of a Highlander, and there will undoubtedly be accellerated wear and tear on engine, trans, suspension, and braking system while towing.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

Most states require trailer brakes (electric or surge) and even if they don't you would be wise to buy a trailer so equipped. I, like the others, think you are going to be well over the tow limit of 3500 pounds. Gas, gear, and people (check your manual carefully) all add to the towing capacity. Tow ratings are established based on average road conditions so if you must do a lot of start/stops, driving in hilly country, or expressway/freeway driving, your truck will be working pretty hard. Imports usually have pretty low axle gearing so the engine will be spinning pretty high revs in direct (don't even think about overdrive). Those high revs suck gas.

 

[tommays]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

also a big reason i stick with a 20 ft boat is NOT wanting to have to own a huge truck to haul it around<br /><br />any bigger than 20 ft and i need a V-8 truck at a lot more dollars and gas for everyday driveing<br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[Lou C]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

same thing here tommays I would like to move up but it is a ripple effect--bigger boat, need a bigger truck, need to add on to driveway to store boat and truck, etc. So for my next one I am going to search for the most sea worthy 20' I can find. That way I can keep the Jeep a few years longer, and don't have to build a new driveway on the other side of the house!<br />BTW don't even try to pull a 19 with no trailer brakes, unless you drive like a grannie it will push that Toyota through a stop sign or traffic light before you know it.

 

[rayjay]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

Might be cheaper just to get a slip.

 

[tomatolord]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

yes you need the tranny cooler<br />and<br />Do the math<br /><br />boat <br />gear <br />gasoline<br />etc <br />all add up - I would be suprised to see a 18-20 cuddy cabin come in under 3500<br /><br />a whaler 21 ft cuddy is at 3250 with no engine<br /><br />but a bayliner 19ft is only 2800 with trailer and engine -<br /><br />I guess that also tells you the better built boat...

 

[BillP]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

I think you have to look at how you are going to tow. Local around town slow speed towing will be easier than fast hiway speeds. Higher loads are going to wear the car faster no matter what you do.<br /><br />I don't use a tranny cooler but don't tow heavy loads for the car either. Whatever though, I talked to my local tranny shop about adding a cooler a long time ago. The owner told me the tranny would stay cool if the OEM cooling system stayed cool. He talked me out of a cooler and said only to add one if water temp ran warmer than normal when towing. My car runs the same temp towing or not.

 

[JRJ]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

Originally posted by RyFitz13:<br /> Hey folks,<br /> My wife and I are currently in the research stages of an eventual boat purchase. We're currently thinking something along the lines of a 18-20' cuddy, and planning to trailer it with our Toyota Highlander.<br /> The Highlander is rated to tow 3500lbs, which should be do-able (I think) in this size of boat. I've had a few folks tell me that, as long as we slap a transmission cooler onto it and maybe step up the preventative maintenance schedule a bit, we'll be good to go with no negative long term effects. But I've also been told by a few folks that we'll run the riks of burning out a tranny. The Toyota's just a year old, and we plan to be driving it for quite some time now - is towing the boat with this thing going to give us problems down the road, or would we be better off sinking a little cash into a towing-only rig?<br /> Thanks in advance!

I own a Highlander and an 18.5' cuddy O/B. I do not tow the boat with the Highlander even though it has the tow package which includes a trans cooler. At 3300lbs. the boat is just too much. Get a Sequoia or Tundra. Good luck.

 

[hcsparks]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

Check this out. In 1992 I bought a 1990 GMC full size pickup. After adding a 11.5 ft camper to it I installed a tektron tranny cooler. I drove that rig from the midwest to Alaska, through the Canadian rockies several times, added a boat to boot. After changing the motor (350) and having the transfer case, front and rear axles rebuilt (rear twice) I currently have 270,000 miles on the truck and the original tranny still shifts solid and I'd jump in and go 600 miles with my 7,000# behind in a heartbeat.

 

[glen f]

Re: Transmission wear and tear from towing?

A cooler is not a fix all for battling heat. It helps dissapate it faster than without one. Its still possible to generate too much heat. Try this approach, buy a rig for towing that is rated for the weight you are towing. Get one rated higher if you will be in stop and go situations or steep inclines. If the truck can safely meet your needs then you can almost bet the tranny bolted to it can handle your needs and may already have a cooler as well. Remember if you can barely pull or stop your boat then how are you going to make it up the wet ramp pulling that boat and trailer outta the h2o. Put as much thought in braking as you have in this tranny thing. You must be a wise person to make this inquiry and I see some good responses here for you. Hope for the best and plan for the worst and youll never have to stress pulling your boat and family to whats supposed to be a relaxing time. I use a 1990 suburban and love it. Was well maintained and I got it for 2 grand. Use it to pull my 19ft aluminum with a Johnson 70. I barely feel it back there. Peace of mind is priceless.