Serious Thoughts About Safe Towing - G-Series Nautiques

[kend]

I think half of the boats on the road are breaking some rule with tires, especially the low profile "fashion" car tires I keep seeing on trailers. I use a single axle trailer (for driveway maneuverability) so it requires beasty real trailer tires. Load rated, 10ply, 90psi, made for weight trailer tires.They look like junk, they are had to find and expensive but since I normally trailer my boat on hot summer days on long highway trips around other cars that don't want an out of control boat to kill their family...so trailer tires.

[NautiqueJeff]

I would agree with that. In fact, I would venture to guess that 75% or more of G-Series boats are being towed illegally in some form. I can honestly say that except for my old 210, I have never in my life seen a weight distribution setup used on a boat trailer. And I have seen a ton of these boats being towed.

[thedude]

Just and FYI: Stock hitches on 2500 GM trucks prior to 2008 were only rated at 7500 lbs if I recall correctly (12,000 lbs with WD hitch). Towed a lot of stuff around that weighed much more than 7500 lbs before realizing that. Upgraded my hitch to a Curt 16,000 lb rated hitch. Also, the receivers and hitch balls readily available are rated pretty low too. I upgraded to a Curt forged steel receiver rated at 18K and matching ball rated at 30K lbs. Some things to add to your list if you plan to trailer a G. About $370 for the upgrade hitch and receiver set up.

[NautiqueJeff]

Great point! I had forgotten about the hitch ball ratings. That's another one I learned a few years ago too. It is quite difficult to find a ball rated for the proper amount, ESPECIALLY if you have a 2" ball. The Ram-Lin trailers for G-Series boats use 2 5/16" and those are easier to find with higher ratings.

[a0128]

This will solve your G-series towing challenges . . .

[NautiqueJeff]

Even that wouldn't legally tow my G23 with the gear I keep in it without weight distribution. The F-450 is limited to 8,500 lbs. without weight distribution.

See page 25 of the Ford Towing Guide.

[wakeskier]

I can honestly say that except for my old 210, I have never in my life seen a weight distribution setup used on a boat trailer. And I have seen a ton of these boats being towed.

I've been using a weight distributing hitch for a few years now on my Grand Cherokee towing a 220... a bit of a pain to use (mostly handling/moving it from the garage) but I believe my setup is completely legal now and it actually drives ok. The surge braking is slightly affected, but works when needed

[a0128]

Even that wouldn't legally tow my G23 with the gear I keep in it without weight distribution. The F-450 is limited to 8,500 lbs. without weight distribution.

See page 25 of the Ford Towing Guide.

Agreed - without WD. With WD your capacity moves up to 18,500lbs.

Not sure how many folks run with 1000lbs of lead in their G. Pull that out and you're legal. You could even step down to a DRW F350 w/ 6.7L and tow up to 8500lbs without WD.

Great post and very informative. Thanks for putting this together. Makes me scratch my head when I see a G23 pulled by a Toyota Tundra.

[NautiqueJeff]

Yep, you're absolutely correct. I am sure I am in the minority towing around that much lead. I should probably switch it to water ballast, but I hate to give up the storage space.

That's a great truck you've got there! One of these years, if my Excursion ever decides to die, I'll probably end up getting a dually. I bought the Excursion new in 2005 and it is pushing 235,000 miles now (many towing boats), and it is still going strong.

[ironj32]

Even that wouldn't legally tow my G23 with the gear I keep in it without weight distribution. The F-450 is limited to 8,500 lbs. without weight distribution.

See page 25 of the Ford Towing Guide.

An F450 only rated for 8500 on a conventional hitch - very surprising. I'm guessing that means it's a gasser? A new Silverado 1500 with a 5.3L is rated for 9,100 with 3.42 gears and 10,800 with the Max Tow Package (3.73 gears), with a conventional hitch. A 6.2L is rated for 11,900 with the Max Tow Package on a conventional hitch. I had one with the Max Tow Package, and didn't feel all that comfortable from a control/breaking perspective (it had plenty of power), so I moved into 2500 Duramax. The difference is night and day. With a conventional hitch it's rated for 13,000.

[NautiqueJeff]

Wow. I was all ready to call you out on that because that sounds very high for a weight-carrying hitch. I did my research though, and of course you're right!

According to Page 4 of this manual, the 5,000 lbs. limit for the weight-carrying hitch does not apply to the 2500HD or the 3500HD! It states that clearly in the footnote.

I might have to take a closer look at those trucks...

[ironj32]

Of course you'd still need to get the proper hitch and ball. As mentioned in the previous post, though the 1/2 ton (w/ 6.2L) had plenty of power, and was still within limits (granted only by a couple 100 pounds) I didn't feel all that safe with the boat behind it. You could definitely feel it back there, and with my lead foot tendencies, I decided the 3/4 ton was a better fit.

[shag]

For over 20 years I have towed boats and driven everything from over the road tractor trailers, to 80,000# Fire trucks (Tower), to Farm equipment. I can say that there is no substitute for your towing platform to be as substantial as possible. That along with (as mentioned in the previous posts) at a minimum, adequately rated towing equipment in every aspect of your rig - in relation to what the heaviest thing you will be towing at any given time - will assure you a great deal more safety and security on the road. Weight distributing hitches work well, just be careful when 'loading' the side bars with tension. always check everything before you leave, then re check it again.... At every stop - do the same thing... Happy towing!

[nyryan2001]

I would agree with that. In fact, I would venture to guess that 75% or more of G-Series boats are being towed illegally in some form. .

Not sure illegal is the correct term here. A driver exceeding manf reccomendations surely assumes LIABILITY for what might happen.... and in the event of a terrible incident with damages could definitly be found negligent...

The other thought I have on this is to proceed slowly with the wholesale advice to start slapping on WDHs onto the current fleet of boat trailers with surge brakes. RamLin, Boatmate, Phoenix and others design their trailers to work in a specific manner with designed weight loads and in specific directions with free and unobstucted movement of the coupler to compress and apply trailer brakes. Chain WDHs absolutely will have an affect and limit the movement on surge brakes when cranked down with torsion bars. I see Equalizer's note that their's uses a bracket that works well with surge couplers... <---- that modification and installation needs coordinated with your specific trailer manfacturer. I'd rather have ~3-400lbs? too much rear tongue weight than a trailer with compromised brakes unable to fully engage as designed. cranking down dual 500-750lb torsion bars will have an affect on the coupler movement... question is if its in an acceptable range. Not saying it cant be done properly... I just see this potentially causing a worse set of problems if it werent coordinated with the trailer manf.

10k pound rated 2" and 2 5/16" ball hitches start at around $100 for a cheapie and for around $240, you can get a nice aluminum one with 3" drop or rise on Etrailer.com.

[GCSuper]

An F450 only rated for 8500 on a conventional hitch - very surprising. I'm guessing that means it's a gasser? A new Silverado 1500 with a 5.3L is rated for 9,100 with 3.42 gears and 10,800 with the Max Tow Package (3.73 gears), with a conventional hitch. A 6.2L is rated for 11,900 with the Max Tow Package on a conventional hitch. I had one with the Max Tow Package, and didn't feel all that comfortable from a control/breaking perspective (it had plenty of power), so I moved into 2500 Duramax. The difference is night and day. With a conventional hitch it's rated for 13,000.

I think the 8,500 lbs towing number us for the bumper type hitch. That truck is rated for a lot more than that using a frame mounted hitch and way more than that with a fifthwheel hitch. Don't think I've ever seen a F450 towing with the bumper type ball.