Tow Vehicle: V-8 or V-6?

[sirlandsalot]

[quote="sirlandsalot"]I tow my 26M with a Ford Flex, it is rated to 4500lbs and is all wheel drive. It also comes with the same twin turbo engine as the F-150, 365 hp. It tows better than my old 1994 F-150 fire wood truck so I use it instead to enjoy the Limited Edition comforts.

One thing that many people don't think about it the transmission. Towing is very hard on an automatic, I find that renting a truck for distance is better, might as well pay 200 bucks, for unlimited miles and wear out their breaks, transmission and engine.



DEAR BOAT,

I guess I have to dig this up and re post it for you to re-read. Please take note, I said that the ENGINE is the same as an F-150 in the Flex not the Chassis, 365 HP and 350 foot pounds of Torque.

However, more IMPORTANTLY it is rated for 4500 lbs. Which makes a leagal tow vehicle with a bit of weight to spare for a .

I would also like you to re-read if you may, where I stated that even though my Flex will pull, I like to rent a heavier Truck and wear it out rather than mine.

When towing, breaks and transmission are more important than engine, and above all is being safe and staying with'in your vehicles weight limits is the most important. A go-cart can pull your boat, but it is more important how you are going to control and stop it once moving.

For your information, a Peter Built Semi is a 6 cylinder

[taime1]

I used to think that a 4500-5000 pound rated towing capacity would be more than sufficient for towing our boats, but after putting my boat and trailer on a scale and it coming out at 4800 pounds, I think that I would go for something closer to the 6000 pound or more rating. The 4800 pounds did include extras like a spare rudder and rudder posts, an extra boarding ladder, it was cruising ready, had fuel, cutlery and cleaning products, and we were taking it home after purchasing – but we didn’t have food, water, bedding and clothes and whatever else one would take with them.

If you are only towing to the marina and back once or twice a season, without all the gear and travel accessories and want to be within the tow ratings, a 5000 pound rating is fine. But, if you trailer with full gear and crew, luggage, food and extra tools, I’m now convinced that the weight would be greater than 5000 pounds.

It would be interesting to see what kind of actual weights folks are getting with their boats and trailers. I think that most would be at least 4000 pounds when just loaded lightly. I may be wrong though.

For me, I dragged that 4800 pounds of awesome beauty with a 3500 pound rated Dodge mini-van for 500 miles. I took it easy and it felt pretty good, but I have no doubt I took a few years off the tranny. The trailer was a duel-axle, which may have helped a little, but now that I know the actual weight, I’ll get a different tow beast when I get to true trailer sailing. Until then, I’ll make friends with pick-up truck owners for the yearly haul outs.

[Tomfoolery]

It would be interesting to see what kind of actual weights folks are getting with their boats and trailers. I think that most would be at least 4000 pounds when just loaded lightly. I may be wrong though.

I doubt that you're wrong. My original trailer has a 3500 lb GVWR on the plate, and though I haven't weighed it, I guarantee it's over that with a 50 hp OB, mast, boom, sails in bags, and precious little else. I also have a second axle, which itself isn't light, but I routinely hear of these boats being around 4000 lb as equipped for anything other than showroom service. 2350 lb boat (as-published) empty, plus 710 lb trailer, plus 205 lb engine is 3265 right there, and that's the bare bones value as advertised, and nobody uses a boat with nothing in or on it.

Thinking about it, maybe I should weigh it before stripping it for the winter, now that you have me wondering.

[BOAT]

my APOLOGIES sirlandsalot and thank you for pointing out the error of my ways, I really have never heard of people getting killed out on the highway by their MAC boats - so that's why I was getting all bent out of shape about this whole towing thing and getting on people about their tow trucks.

It's stupid - no one has ever been killed towing their MAC and really, how much trouble can you get into if your car can only go 50 miles per hour up a hill anyways because it does not have the horsepower?

It's silly - if the car will get the boat up the launch ramp it's probably going to be fine getting to the marina and back.

I used to have pickup trucks and i would put slide in campers into the bed and it seemed to me those really ripped up my trucks faster than anything I could tow, but still, I guess there is a lot to say about transmissions and rear differential - those seem to take the brunt of the punishment. My camper actually bent the frame on my old Dakota, but the Dakota kept on going for many years. Then I had a brand new RAM quad and it lost a rear end within a year on the same camper! My old Plymouth Station Wagon towed the A23 like FOREVER, but that same boat ruined the rotors, tranny and rear bearings on my Ford Van in only 2 years. I had a old chevy truck but I kept breaking rear springs with the camper. I suppose I could try a Ford F150, but like you said, it's for hauling wood. I think the big motorhomes are great tow trucks because they have real low gears, very strong frames, and they have a lot of weight to counter the toad. But at 2 miles per gallon?

mastreb has a rig that seems to work pretty good - he hauls 3 kids and a boat and gear all the way across the country from the west coast to the east coast. Ask him what he uses to tow a boat. It's surprising. I would not fall into the "truck" mentality all the time - it's not always the best tow if it's gonna break all the time.

In my experience the problems have not been safety, the problems has been costly repairs. Pick a vehicle that's not going to break, that's what I say.

[Max Entropy]

As a one-time commercial operator with experience on logging trucks and such, I've observed that the most critical element of a rig is the driver.

[taime1]

As a one-time commercial operator with experience on logging trucks and such, I've observed that the most critical element of a rig is the driver.

Mechanically speaking; that's the nut behind the wheel, correct?

[BOAT]

The nut that holds the steering wheel can get loose.

I am a lousy driver, so the last thing I need to do is worry about what kind of truck I have. I can sail into a dock better than I can power into a dock – I am a sailor, not a truck driver. I am really lousy at backing into the launch ramp too. My wife is a better driver than me.

Sprinter the Van is 22 feet long, and ‘boat’ is 26 feet and that’s 48 feet and the approach to the ramp at Oceanside Harbor is only about 30 feet longer than that so it does not give you a lot of room to get straight. I see you guys in the big rigs back your trailers into little narrow parking spots right between two other trucks at the Flying J and Pilot all the time (I sleep in the truck stops just like you guys when I travel cross country in Sprinter the Van). Man, I wish I could do that – sure would come in handy at the ramp.

THAT IS the big deal: the nut that holds the steering wheel – if that one is loose, all the heavy equipment in the world does not matter. I’m a lousy driver, I take it real slow, so I really don’t need a big truck, but that’s what I got, so I use it. I think you guys using little SUV’s and cars are probably better off.

[Russ]

The American CRV has a max tow capacity of 680kg. Wouldn't do it with the US branded CRV.

That is very interesting. The European sold CR-V's are produced in GB, actually Swindon, I think. But the CR-V should pretty much be the same everywhere around the world, unlike the Accord that I know for sure will vary depending on built in Japan, USA or Europe.

I think the difference is not in the vehicle, but in the towbar itself. I have seen some ridicolous american-built towbars for sale on ebay from time to time, also claimed to fit on the CR-V. Look like something I would not dare to even mount a Bicycle rack on to. Do you guys really tow With those things? I find that hilarious, really.



http://www.catalogue.bosal.com/pages/to ... &year=2008

Here you can see in catalogue from Bosal, well known supplier, that the CR-V are approved for 2000kg trailerweight and 100kg ballweight. I think you guys need to start ordering Your towbars from Europe, really.

Very interesting. Your towbars are certainly engineered totally different.
I'm not sure the car (Honda CRV) is different, but I suspect it is.

Looking at tow bars alone, this
one is rated for 3500lbs (1587.57kg). I was even more curious, and this tow bar uses 4 total bolts to the car. The diagram of the Bosal bar has 8 total bolts to the car.
So, where are the extra bolts going to? Different chassis?

Makes me think the CR-V is a different frame.

Also, regardless of the 3500lb tow bar rating above, the actual vehicle claims to only have a 1500lb rating.
http://www.edmunds.com/honda/cr-v/2013/ ... =200436017
MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY** 1500 lbs ** When adequately equipped, which may require engine and/or other drivetrain upgrades.

So my guess is the American marketed CR-V is not the same chassis as yours. By American standards, the CR-V is a small car. As my wife often states about fashion, "Just because they make it in your size doesn't mean you can wear it." Just because the tow bar is rated for 3500lbs doesn't mean the car can tow that much.

[sirlandsalot]

All good boat,

What is the total weight rating for a Macgergor 26m trailer? 1906 kg?

Is it different in Canada than the US?


in the helicopter world, the single nut that holds the main rotor system on, called the "JESUS NUT" as in Jesus, that better not come off!

[BOAT]

Is that why there are no gray haired helicopter pilots?

[Russ]

my APOLOGIES sirlandsalot and thank you for pointing out the error of my ways, I really have never heard of people getting killed out on the highway by their MAC boats - so that's why I was getting all bent out of shape about this whole towing thing and getting on people about their tow trucks.

Comon' BOAT, stop goading people for responses. I see you are having fun with this. Sirlandsalot gave an excellent example of how his wife and kids could have been killed by a poor rig. Nobody wants dangerous situations on the highway. I constantly hear trailer related accidents from poorly loaded rigs. Last week here, there was a boat that flipped an RV on the Interstate. Luckily nobody was seriously injured. Poor loading was blamed. I for one don't want to ever see my boat flip over and yank my car upside down like his wife did.

Just yesterday I saw a trailer behind a truck with no safety chains connected. Oh, they were there, but the fool didn't connect them. Mastreb towed his boat across country with a highly engineered Mercedes SUV with sophisticated electronics. Not all of us tow with a $70k SUV. He was grateful for the trailer brakes that saved him from a jack knife situation. Sure, you could probably tow a Mac with a Prius and get the boat off the ramp, but it's not safe on the road at any decent speed.

Oh yea, and secure your boat to the trailer.

[kmclemore]

...in the helicopter world, the single nut that holds the main rotor system on, called the "JESUS NUT" as in Jesus, that better not come off!

In the car world we call those tiny little clips on carburettors (and other components) "Jesus clips", because when you pull them off the spring tension makes them fly across the room to be lost forever, and you end up yelling "Oh, Jesus!"

[Russ]

In the car world we call those tiny little clips on carburettors (and other components) "Jesus clips", because when you pull them off the spring tension makes them fly across the room to be lost forever, and you end up yelling "Oh, Jesus!"

Thank you. I explained that term to the admiral once and she thought I was making it up.

[sirlandsalot]

WOW! what a photo!

That is definitely " the process of natural selection "

[BOAT]

Okay Russ, you caught me trolling again. GEEZE, can't even have a little fun with the new guy for a while? Now I see the gestapo patrol is here now too so i better watch out. You guys never warn the new guys about me, do you?

Okay okay captain kmclemore, I see your patrolling this block now, I will calm down, (who snitched on me this time?) Russ, you need to stay on top of me or things could get out of hand.

Did the guy in the picture try the "Mac Bump"?