Truck for towing

[Rinker85]

Hello,
I have a 25-foot cruiser that weighs 4300 Lbs and the trailer probably weighs 1000 Lbs. The truck I have now is a 2010 F150 4.6L V8 with a towing capacity of 5500Lbs .
I'm looking for a new to me truck and came across a 2019 GMC Canyon SLT 3.6L V6 with a tow capacity of 7600Lbs. Buying a V6 makes me nervous. I'd rather have a V8. Has engine technology changed that much where a V6 will work just as well?
Here are the specs for the truck. What do you think?

• Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs): 5000
• Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs): 500
• Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs): 7000
• Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs): 700
• Maximum Trailering Capacity (lbs): 7600

 

[Sprig]

Out of curiosity what 25’ boat/model cruiser with engine or engines weighs only 4300lbs? Most 25’ cruisers are in excess of 5000lbs and some are heavier.

 

[tpenfield]

Agreed ^^^^ The stated weight of the boat & trailer seem light. Maybe check on that? Maybe tell us what boat & what trailer . . I'd be thinking you are more towards a dry wieght of 7,000 lbs.

As for the truck . . . I have an F-150 with the EcoBoost 3.5 (V6) and it tows my 14,000 lb rig fine. (just local towing) It is all about gear ratio and the torque that the engine can produce. The torque spec on the GMC seems a bit low, even though the HP rating is up there.

For genrral all-around towing of the rig you probably want to get something that has about 8,500 capacity. Do you really want to go with a WD hitch ?

 

[Rinker85]

Out of curiosity what 25’ boat/model cruiser with engine or engines weighs only 4300lbs? Most 25’ cruisers are in excess of 5000lbs and some are heavier.

It’s a 2001 Glastron GS249 with a Volvo penta 5.7 L

 

[Rinker85]

Agreed ^^^^ The stated weight of the boat & trailer seem light. Maybe check on that? Maybe tell us what boat & what trailer . . I'd be thinking you are more towards a dry wieght of 7,000 lbs.

As for the truck . . . I have an F-150 with the EcoBoost 3.5 (V6) and it tows my 14,000 lb rig fine. (just local towing) It is all about gear ratio and the torque that the engine can produce. The torque spec on the GMC seems a bit low, even though the HP rating is up there.

For genrral all-around towing of the rig you probably want to get something that has about 8,500 capacity. Do you really want to go with a WD hitch ?

No I don’t want a WD hitch. So when the specs of the truck list a WD hitch that’s what they recommend? I didn’t realize I’d that’s the case.

 

[Rinker85]

No I don’t want a WD hitch. So when the specs of the truck list a WD hitch that’s what they recommend? I didn’t realize If that’s the case.

 

[dingbat]

Hello,
I have a 25-foot cruiser that weighs 4300 Lbs and the trailer probably weighs 1000 Lbs. The truck I have now is a 2010 F150 4.6L V8 with a towing capacity of 5500Lbs .
I'm looking for a new to me truck and came across a 2019 GMC Canyon SLT 3.6L V6 with a tow capacity of 7600Lbs. Buying a V6 makes me nervous. I'd rather have a V8. Has engine technology changed that much where a V6 will work just as well?
Here are the specs for the truck. What do you think?

• Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs): 5000
• Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs): 500
• Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs): 7000
• Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs): 700
• Maximum Trailering Capacity (lbs): 7600

Can’t use a WDH on a boat trailer with surge so your maxed at #5,000 not taking into consideration the gross vehicle weight restrictions.

The V6 is = or better that your old V8

 

[tpenfield]

Published spec's for the boat is 4,437 lbs. Dry weight with the 5.0 engine. . . so it is fairly light, and your dry weight will be a bit higher with the 5.7 engine . . . call it 4,500 lbs. Minimal fuel and some gear will add about 500 lbs. so, your boat is about 5,000 lbs on the trailer and the trailer (tandem axle?) should be a bit more than 1,000 lbs

So, call it 6,500 lbs realistic towing weight.

I'm surprised your F-150 is rated so low for towing, and the GMC Canyon is similar to the Ford Ranger (correct?) Might be better to get the 1500 (GM, Dodge) / 150 (Ford) series of truck, if you are in the buying mood.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Agreed. Tandem trailer is #1200-#1250

Fuel is #500

Gear, etc ads another #600-#1000

4500+500+1000+1250 = 7250 towing capacity required

 

[JASinIL2006]

Even worse, using Ted's more realistic towing weight of 6500#, even with an 8% tongue weight of 520#, you'll exceed the hitch capacity.

Also that truck's payload is approximately 1500-1600#, and you'll be using about a third of that for the trailer's tongue weight. That means you have 1000# or less for you, your passengers, and whatever you're carrying in the truck.

For very short, occasional hops you could probably get away with it, but if you tow frequently and/or for any distance, you need more truck.

 

[Rinker85]

Even worse, using Ted's more realistic towing weight of 6500#, even with an 8% tongue weight of 520#, you'll exceed the hitch capacity.

Also that truck's payload is approximately 1500-1600#, and you'll be using about a third of that for the trailer's tongue weight. That means you have 1000# or less for you, your passengers, and whatever you're carrying in the truck.

For very short, occasional hops you could probably get away with it, but if you tow frequently and/or for any distance, you need more truck.

So when looking for trucks, if the specs say weight distribution hitch, I need to stay away from that. And to look for something with at least 7500lb towing capacity.

 

[Sprig]

The 4300lbs is dry weight but dry weight does not always include engine weight. In your case 4300lbs. sounds light to me for that size boat. I’m doubting the engine is included. In any event you want to use wet weight when determining what tow vehicle you need. The wet weight includes everything, the boat, engine, all fluids including full tank of gas and equipment etc. plus add the trailer to it. Before deciding on a tow vehicle get your boat and trailer weighed, you maybe in for a surprise weight wise. Knowing the actual weight enables you to select the best tow vehicle to fit your needs.

 

[JASinIL2006]

So when looking for trucks, if the specs say weight distribution hitch, I need to stay away from that. And to look for something with at least 7500lb towing capacity.

It's pretty rare that you see anyone using a weight distribution hitch for a boat. I think a WDH would cause all sorts of problems when launching and retrieving as the trailer is unloaded and loaded with weight.

A truck with more towing capacity and a bit more payload capacity would give you a much better towing experience, I think.

 

[dingbat]

So when looking for trucks, if the specs say weight distribution hitch, I need to stay away from that. And to look for something with at least 7500lb towing capacity.

Not necessarily........ but you would need a Class 4 hitch and a truck with sufficient load capacity to carry the weight.

 

[KD4UPL]

Towing isn't about how many cylinders the engine has. That "little V6" makes 308 HP and 275 lb ft of torque. That's more HP than a Duramax diesel made from 2001 thru 2005. The 350 cu in V8 engine in a 1999 Chevy 3500 truck only made 255 HP and 330 lb ft.
I think your weights are way off. I have a 23' 2004 Rinker 232 bow rider. Full of fuel and gear on the tandem axle trailer it weighs 6,500 on a CAT scale. Your boat's 2 feet longer and a cruiser.
Any truck that needs a WDH for over 5,000 pounds probably just needs a stronger hitch upgrade. Using a WDH on a boat trailer with surge brakes would be a royal pain if you could even get it to work right.

 

[tpenfield]

Guys . . the published spec's is 4,437 WITH the 5.0 I/O engine, so it is a fair bet that the engine is included in the dry weight. Outboard boats are often spec'd without engine.

wicked light boat though . . .

 

[Scott Danforth]

Guys . . the published spec's is 4,437 WITH the 5.0 I/O engine, so it is a fair bet that the engine is included in the dry weight. Outboard boats are often spec'd without engine.

wicked light boat though . . .

my 1988 cruisers Rogue 2420 cuddy is 3600# dry weight not that light of a boat.

 

[tpenfield]

My 24 foot Formula 242 was 4750 lbs. dry weight.

 

[Silvertip]

Here are my thoughts on this. 1) The combined weight of the boat, all the gear you put in or on it, added to the truck bed for the trip, as well as fuel, water and people, you will have stretched the "advertised" capability of the truck and it's power plant. 2) Although 308 hp and 275 lb/ft torque may seem impressive, believe me it is not . Torque gets the load moving and HP keeps it moving. Differential gearing is crucial when maxing out tow capacity. This engine needs to spin up considerably to provide adequate performance wth max load. Selecting lower tranny gears when towing is not a solution as that makes heat -- lots of it. 3) Maxed out trailer loads means the handling of the tow vehicle is also maxed out. Nothing is worse for safety of yourself and others than an tow vehicle with marginal handling performance, marginal load performance, and marginal braking performance. Consider stepping up to a full size truck with V8 power. Chances are fuel economy will not be significantly different and you will have a safer rig.

 

[jhande]

Can’t use a WDH on a boat trailer with surge so your maxed at #5,000 not taking into consideration the gross vehicle weight restrictions.

The V6 is = or better that your old V8

I'm confused.

https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Weight_Distribution_Hitch-pc-Surge_Brake_Compatible.aspx