Question about towing long & heavy loads

[Kalwren]

Hi folks,

I'm considering buying a boat next year and I'm wondering how much my Ranger can safely handle.

I don't know much about towing, but I've been doing research. By next year, I'll be proficient with a small trailer (jet ski trailer with two skis on it).

From the research I've done, my Ranger should be able to tow about 3500 lbs.

My question is this:

For towing safely, I know that weight and length matters. What I want to know is this:

If I have a 24' boat that weighs 500 pounds, can I tow that safely? (Yes, I know - 500 pounds is not going to happen - I'm just curious how it would handle or if it would be uncontrollable at freeway speeds of 70mph).

Also, if I have a 15' boat that weighs 3500lbs - how will that handle on the freeway at 70 mph?

My goal is to figure out what the maximum weight and LENGTH I can tow safely.

I really want a boat with a small cuddy cabin. Those are the long ones though and I don't know if my Ranger can safely tow it.

I encourage those with real-world towing knowledge on the matter to reply and let me know.

Thanks in advance!

 

[strvger]

length is the easy one: what ever you can handle easily, backing, turning, etc.
weight is more difficult as it also depends on how the weight is distributed and any towing challenges such as uphill/downhill, road surface conditions, etc. just make sure you get close to having that 10% or so combined trailer/boat weight on the hitch and have good brakes on the trailer.
if you have the bucks, i'd go for an aluminum boat as they are usually lighter than fiberglass. and same for the trailer it sits on. you'll get more (meaning bigger) boat for the weight. but just because you may be able to pull 3500# according to the books, doesn't mean that you should get something that big. there are cuddy cabins out there less than 20' long and 3500# for sure.

 

[Downey]

3500 is a good number to stick too. i have towed almot 5k with my ranger 4.0 4wd 5 spd. you should be able to tow a pretty decent size boat but you have to remember your going to add supplies to the boat plus the people in your truck and all that go into your factor too

 

[racsan]

really your biggest issue is frontal area. my 6x10 trailer has a capacity of 2,000 pounds and only weighs 1,000 empty but is 8' tall and even with a V-nose catches alot of air. most of the time i dont have but 200-400 pounds in it and at highway speeds im getting 10 mpg and the vaccum guage is in the toliet.

 

[Jason]

Don't forget the weight of that boat will be a dry weight and most boats hold quite a bit of fuel.

If it's long get a weight carrying hitch with anti-sway.

 

[Kalwren]

length is the easy one: what ever you can handle easily, backing, turning, etc.
weight is more difficult as it also depends on how the weight is distributed and any towing challenges such as uphill/downhill, road surface conditions, etc. just make sure you get close to having that 10% or so combined trailer/boat weight on the hitch and have good brakes on the trailer.
if you have the bucks, i'd go for an aluminum boat as they are usually lighter than fiberglass. and same for the trailer it sits on. you'll get more (meaning bigger) boat for the weight. but just because you may be able to pull 3500# according to the books, doesn't mean that you should get something that big. there are cuddy cabins out there less than 20' long and 3500# for sure.

Excellent reply, thank you.

Yeah, I certainly do NOT want to be pulling the max weight my truck can handle.

As for the boat, I think I've found what I want. Bayliner makes a small 16' boat with a cuddy cabin. I'm hoping to find one by next year. The weight on the 16' foot is "light" compared to some of the other ones I've been looking at.

Thanks again for the reply, I appreciate it!

 

[Kalwren]

Don't forget the weight of that boat will be a dry weight and most boats hold quite a bit of fuel.

If it's long get a weight carrying hitch with anti-sway.

Good advice, thank you.

Yeah, the dry weight is one thing. Gear and people are additional tonnage. I'm trying to keep it as light and safe as possible.

I plan on buying all the safest stuff for towing.

 

[EnglishDan]

16ft is small with a cuddy!

I have 17ft fish n ski that has a 3.0l I/O. It surprised me how heavy it actually was to tow. I have been pulling with my Murano but this year I will be using my Ranger.

My initial reaction to your post is the fact that you have 2wd! I purposely bought a 4wd because I am going to pull my boat. The pulling isn't the issue but the launching is. Most boat ramps are really slippery below the water line, and you will have your back axle very close if not on the water line when launching your boat. In your case this is your drive axle, if this slips and spins - you have nothing left to pull you up and out! Every boat ramp is a different angle and different trailers need to be further in the water to float the boat etc.
My advice from one boater to another - be very careful!!

 

[EnglishDan]

One other thing - when I was looking for a Ranger I looked at a 2wd but worried about this. My father had the idea to extend the hitch on the trailer so the back wheels on the truck would not be on the water line - just a thought!

 

[02RangerXLT]

One other thing - when I was looking for a Ranger I looked at a 2wd but worried about this. My father had the idea to extend the hitch on the trailer so the back wheels on the truck would not be on the water line - just a thought!

This could be done, except (depending on how far it was extended) this could throw off the balance of the trailer...

 

[ryathis]

Put a hitch on the front bumper too for lauching/recoverig the boat! And it'd make maneuvering the boat a snap in tight quarters.

 

[Will]

Pickups don't like to go backwards up hills in 2wd.