boat seems to tow hard

[dmoriarty51]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

just broke out the bathroom scale to get a tongue weight to save a step at the tractor trailer scale... 279lbs

DISCLAIMER

this is measured on the dolly wheel not the coupler cuz i dont have a stand handy and its one of those digital you gotta step on me at just the right time deals..... so even at the coupler it should still be 200lbs i would think?

gonna head to a scale and get a trailer weight then go attempt to measure toe,

a method described by a friend that worked on tractor trailers for a while to get close to drive to the alignment shop. they would jack the axle get the tire spinning and use chalk to mark a line on the tread, and would then measure front and back at spindle level, apparently its fairly accurate

 

[sschefer]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

Rule of thumb is 2" of drop at the ball when that coupler is fully seated. Tongue weight seems a little heavy to me but if it's not swaying on you, you're probably pretty close to being right. That 2" rule is based on the vehicles suspension being correct for the load. Obvioulsy my setup doesn't drop the ball at all so I go for being able to lift the tounge just barely enough to ensure it's locked in. That seems to work for me no matter what I'm towing.

 

[j_martin]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

One item that will seriously add drag to towing is trailer wheel alignment. If it is bad enough to cause trouble, you should see uneven tire wear or tread cupping within a couple of hundred miles.

I borrowed a small 2 wheel trailer once, put a pair of almost new 14" tires on it, and had one blow off from lack of rubber about 1100 miles from home. Didn't notice till then that the wheel alignment was bad. Towing with a 1 ton 15 passenger van with 9 kids and the Admiral in it, so it would have had to have wheels locked up to notice.

A boat does tow like a parachute most of the time. When I'm going some distance, I put a tight cover on mine to improve the aerodynamics. Once up to highway speed, I hardly notice that it's behind me. Getting to speed takes some fuel.

just my 02
John

 

[sschefer]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

Ahh, you're very right John. My assumption was that this was checked. Toe in or toe out from hitting the axel on a ramp edge or big old rock will cause all of these symptoms. Crab walking would indicate an alignment problem. You can solve that mystery by having someone follow you, they'll see what you cant. You can have axels straightened at any good frame shop. Alternatively, they aren't all that expensive through Pacific Trailer.

 

[NYBo]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

Those 303 horses should tow that rig without breaking a sweat. It sounds like you've eliminated any problems with the trailer. Now it's time to see if all 303 ponies are present and accounted for in the Dakota.

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

well, i didnt hook a different trailer to my truck but i did put mine on a different truck.... see my dad has a dakota also, same year same drivetrain only difference is my quad cab vs his extended cab. it basically pulled the same.

unfortunately i never made it to the scale as the only place with a scale that was open was having trouble with it, so we hit the river instead..

as for trailer alignment, i measured and came up with less than 1/16 toe in. measured at spindle level with the trailer hooked to the truck. this may or may not be accurate the method was as i described earlier

jack trailer by axle,
chalk a section of tread while spinning the tire,
use pointed object to scribe a line in the chalk again while tire is spinning
and measure

when i raised the trailer and grabbed the tire to give it a spin for that i noticed a bit of slop in bearings, so i re adjusted them made no difference at all.

at this point im not sure what to think other than its much heavier than advertised....

and nybo i wish the truck was rocking 303hp, its the 4.7liter v8 not a hemi. when i searched i see 230-240hp with later year HO versions closer to 300 either way it pulls way hard...

last straw i have at this point is the trailer tires look pretty soft even at the 50 psi max... upon inspection they appear to be date coded in late 1994...? they have plenty of tread and show no signs of dry cracking i have only had this rig a year, although from the sunbaked condition things were in when i got it and the fact it came from a marina owners family. the boat likely was in a slip and the trailer was who knows where possibly a barn?

 

[mrchev]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

is this the first year for towing with the dakota. it possible that the gear ratio is different causing it to feel that way.does it feel heavy only on the highway or at all speeds. if on the highway make sure its not in o/d. if the rpm are to low it will make it feel like a house boat.probably not a problem with scrap cars because the sheer weight keeps it in a lower gear and rpm up.that would be my guess if both dakotas pulled the same and trailer checks out ok. the 4.7l shouldn't have a problem with that load. i have pulled alot heaver with one with out even noticing it back their. just a thought.

 

[handirifle]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

That dakota ought to tow it fine. My 06 Tundra has a 4.7 in it and tows my 29ft 5th wheel just fine (5400 lbs dry) mine is rated 290hp. I would also ssuggest a cover. Use the old one with it cross lashed to keep it snug, for a test run. Wind resistance can be huge on boats especially if your Dakota is dumping the air in the bow of the boat.

 

[NYBo]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

What year is your Dak and what axle ratio does it have? BTW, my mistake: the 4.7L in the Dakota since 2008 is rated at 302 HP, not 303. The first iteration of the motor in the Dakota had only 230 HP. But even the older truck shouldn't be having a bad time with such a light rig.

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

truck is 2003 4x4 auto and 3.55 gears, i do have a soft tonneau cover and i think just for kicks im gonna roll it up next time i tow the boat.

my dad has a large popup camper that he pulls with ease dry weight is approx 2200lbs and his truck is same year same drivetrain as me. as i posted above his truck acts the same way with the boat on... just feels super heavy

still havent gotten a weight on the boat tried going to farm services place today but they were closed.. im out of town this next weekend but after that i think im gonna hook up to dads camper and take it for a ride.

 

[rbh]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

Maybe, your truck needs a tune up??????

 

[Charlie in TX]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

I have a 17ft cc. It tows like the anchor is out. I have a 2010 Dodge 1500 with a hemi and 3.92 gears. It pulls it. The mileage drops from 19 hwy to 10.

I pulled it with a 5.4l in a F150. Same thing. Felt like an anchor and 15 to 10 drop.

In the end, I just tow it.

 

[NYBo]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

truck is 2003 4x4 auto and 3.55 gears

I think we have found the problem. My '99 Dakota only has the 3.9L V6 (175 HP), but it has 3.92 axles, which gives me almost 5000# towing capacity. Try locking out overdrive to keep the engine revs up in the power band.

 

[dmoriarty51]

Re: boat seems to tow hard

i agree the gear ratio really cripples the truck nybo, and yeah at this point overdrive is not an option at 65.

it tows in drive at 65 but the thing still feels heavy.

tuneup on the truck is pretty fresh 6k miles ago it got air filter, plugs trans fluid/filter and synthetic gear oil front and rear. no check engine light so i feel the truck is good to go.


reality is that most of the time i only tow about 10-15 miles round trip, however there are a couple places that i would like to try out that are in excess of 100miles one way. i wanna make sure everything is as good as can be for that.

as i mentioned i plan to roll up the soft bed cover next time for kicks, reason being it bubbles up at the back of the cab and sucks down towards the tailgate. wonder if the normal swirl of air in the bed is happening behind the truck where the boat is??? its a stretch but what have i got to lose?

that said, i am curious to hear of people who noticed more resistance after adding a bed cover of some sort to a pickup, not a topper just a cover hard or soft. i've seen the mythbusters prove that there is little advantage mpg wise, i do find it convenient to keep things out of sight out of mind and i like the look of it.