Trailering G23

[RDT-G23]

I concur. There will be folks who get on here and stridently disagree. I pull my Paragon with a 3/4 ton diesel; the whole rig weighs 10K lbs. I'm not pulling that with a 1/2 ton, no way...

[Gtsum2]

I tow mine with a 3500 srw and honestly can’t imagine towing it with a half ton with less than lt tires. I would think it would be all kinds of squishy feeling (no doubt they have the power to pull them though). I actually think my boat mate trailer pulls terrible...even behind my truck. My 17,000lb fifth wheel tows 10 times better than this boat/trailer combo.


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[jjackkrash]

I think the tri-axle likely makes the 1500 a more viable option as the trailer carries more weight and less gets transferred to the truck.(Yes I realize tongue weight is not 10% of the trailer weight. Boatmates website says a tri-axle should be 5-6%).

I think you can safely fudge below 10% with a trip axle, but I personally think 5% is pretty light and would really still prefer to be at 10%. When I was looking at 21k trip axle flatbeds, the dealer told me PJ and Load Trail still recommend loading equipment so there is at least 10% on tongue, and I don't see why boats somehow change trailering physics. 5% sounds like a recipe for the wigs wags when towing on sweeping downhill curves. But, ya, some of the new 1/2 tons are pretty stout, and I'd think the new GM 1/2 tons will probably tow a G safely with the top-level tow package and a trip axle with their 12k tow rating and 1200 lbs. hitch-carry rating.

But I'd still, personally, prefer a 3/4 ton or better, cause half tons just feel a little squishy to me.

[jinverar]

I have read these posts over and decided that I would be best to pull my 2019 G23 with my fathers 2012 Dodge 3500 Diesel Dually. My tow is 720km from Calgary to the Southern Interior BC. So, mountains all the way and some large passes to climb. I did that two times last year as well as this spring. I happen to have a 2019 Dodge 1500 Longhorn Short box 3.92 Rear end and E-torque as my daily driver. The whole story regarding towing capacity is complicated. You need to know what you have for equipment. My 1500 has a towing capacity off the Class IV hitch of 11,300 # or 5125KG here in Canada. I was surprised to learn my fathers 2012 Dually was only rated at 20,000ish #. None the less, his truck hauls the boat like a champ. No concerns whatsoever. I bought a Curt Better Weigh device to see what the hitch weight of the boat was on the diesel. I was surprised to see it was only 660#. This on a Boatmate Tri-axle trailer with surge brakes. My boat needed to go for service to the thruster which never worked from new. The service department finally got the part in and I was already at the lake with the Dually 720km away with my dad. Service department is 270km in the opposite direction of the 3500 but I do have my 1500 here at the lake. I decided I would give it a try. I was somewhat scared by the posts I had read here on this forum so I intended to take my time and go easy. I stopped at a scale with the 1500 and the boat on the trip. Here is the actual numbers from the weigh. Truck Front 1500KG Truck Rear 1420KG Trailer (all three axles) 3720KG. All together well within the capacity of the 1500. I can say without doubt I would not hesitate to tow the boat in the future with the 1500. It was reasonably stable. I had very good stopping ability and I could easily go the 100km/hr speed limit on the flats. She worked hard on the hills but only slowed to about 80 min. Down hill was a non event as I gear down the transmission and occasionally needed to use brakes. (no different than in the 3500). The 3500 is no doubt more stable. It should be as it is heavier and has a wider rear axle and more tires in the back. I will continue to use the 3500 for my long haul back and forth in the spring and summer. It is simply a better more stable drive. I am fortunate to be able to have both trucks available to me. If the 3500 were not available to me for a trip I would not be concerned at all hauling the boat home the 720km trip. I think the tri-axle likely makes the 1500 a more viable option as the trailer carries more weight and less gets transferred to the truck.(Yes I realize tongue weight is not 10% of the trailer weight. Boatmates website says a tri-axle should be 5-6%). I looked at other brands of 1500 in case I needed to tow the boat for short trips. My finding was the Dodge 3.92 rear end was the only truck legally able to do it. Ford needs a weight distributing hitch which is difficult with surge brakes. Chevy is just a bit too light in it's ratings.

I have a class 1 drivers license and own many heavy trucks at work. I still occasionally even drive them. So I've done alot of towing. If you find yourself like I did wanting only to drive a 1500 vs a bigger truck understand that you will be giving up a bit of stability over a 2500 or 3500. Or just plan to drive within the limits of the truck you choose. In my case my Dodge 1500 was definitely adequate at taking the curves in the highway at slightly higher than the recommended safe curve speeds. I was not out to set any records and I'm too old to drive anything scary. This was fine.

[kylant]

nice truck. IMO they screwed up with the multi angle wheel wells and the lights in the fender flares. the chevy is much cleaner.
i wish they did more to updates the interior. The Ram has the best interior by far.
I see a Chevy High Country at my children's school, it looks fantastic.
I really like the Duramax/Allison combo and would like to be back in one, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

anyway, nice truck. congrats

[jjackkrash]

It is amazing to me how Ford and GM copy each other so fast. All of the design language looks like the 17+ Ford Superduty. Anyway, great looking truck. Not controversial at all. Denali HD 3500?

Yup, Denali 3500 DRW with every material option. I will say the new Ford has a lot a great things going on, especially the new engine and some of the interior appointments. But I am a GM truck guy and this is the easily the best truck I have ever been in. I can already tell it is a substantial improvement over the 11-16 and 17-19 iterations.

[Mahnal]

Haha. Ya, I know some of the looks are controversial, but the blue really pops, the 10-speed is ridiculous (in a good way), and I love the camera system. I only have about 10 miles in it so far so I have not had a chance to play with all the goodies yet but so far I really love this truck.

It is amazing to me how Ford and GM copy each other so fast. All of the design language looks like the 17+ Ford Superduty. Anyway, great looking truck. Not controversial at all. Denali HD 3500?

[jjackkrash]

And seriously, anyone towing a big G and has a choice of trucks ought to at least take a look at a new 3/4 GM or Ford with the 10-Speed mated to a diesel. These new engine/tranny combos are a freaking blast to drive and the 3/4 ton short beds don't have much bigger footprint than the 1/2 tons.

[jjackkrash]

Haha. Ya, I know some of the looks are controversial, but the blue really pops, the 10-speed is ridiculous (in a good way), and I love the camera system. I only have about 10 miles in it so far so I have not had a chance to play with all the goodies yet but so far I really love this truck.

[JAppler]

Still too small... I WOULD NEVER TOW with something that small.... (insert caring for family and others quote here)

Looks sweet! The mirrors are growing on me, but solid truck! Congrats!


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[jjackkrash]

I picked up the new tow rig for my 200. (Ok, and a 20K lbs. 5'er).

[ST3]

Would match up nicely towing a Pavati. Come on Scooter you know you want one.




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[ScooterMcgavin]

If you like driving a trapezoid around , yes It’ll pull one.

[ST3]

Here is your answer to trailering these big boats...LOL!

https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/...ck-orig-gr.cnn





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[kylant]

i have a 1 ton truck.
I briefly had a 1/2 GMC Denali with the 6.2L in between my F350 and my current Ram 3500.
The 1/2 ton was a big mistake for towing the boat (GS20). power was ok, I had to work the motor. but the suspension was not up to the task.
I would never tow a G23 with anything less than a 3/4 ton.

All of my future trucks will be 1 tons or higher. (I really like the F450)