can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

[mcgill]

Hello anyone out there, can you use 21 horsepower sears lawn tractor to move a 3000 pounds in and out of the yard .and if so how do you mount a hitch on the back of it

 

[Silvertip]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

I move my pontoon with the same tractor but you had best have good brakes and no seriously steep grades to go up and down. Here is a hitch I made for mine.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

I wouldn't do it with a belt drive mower, but a hydrostatic should be just fine.

 

[Evinbuck]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Yes. As Silvertip advises......also wet grass can be a problem. I have a large Kubota with a front mount hitch making it very easy to manuever. Take it slow and never do anything you may have doubts about. If it doesn't move easily don't do it.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

I wouldn't do it with a belt drive mower, but a hydrostatic should be just fine.

Actually that may or not be true. Before this Craftsman 20 HP hydrostatic I had an 11 HP MTD with a standard 5 speed tranny that would outpull this new tractor without breaking a sweat. And most all of these riding mowers are belt drive from the engine to the transaxle (hydrostatic or not) so the belt drive is not an issue. No -- there is nothing wrong with the hydro.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Actually that may or not be true. Before this Craftsman 20 HP hydrostatic I had an 11 HP MTD with a standard 5 speed tranny that would outpull this new tractor without breaking a sweat. And most all of these riding mowers are belt drive from the engine to the transaxle (hydrostatic or not) so the belt drive is not an issue. No -- there is nothing wrong with the hydro.

Just had a bad experience ripping up rear diffs in a craftsman belt drive tractor (belt all the way to the diff). It was just too weak a setup to even pull a small trailer full of wood - maybe 600lbs.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Hello anyone out there, can you use 21 horsepower sears lawn tractor to move a 3000 pounds in and out of the yard .and if so how do you mount a hitch on the back of it

You could probably tell us. Let us know how it goes and BE CAREFUL.

 

[Failproof]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Flat surface probably not an issue.! The biggest thing I would be concerned with is tongue weight and braking. I have seen lots of the farmers round here moving very large pieces of equipment with little JD riding mowers.

 

[sschefer]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

I wish I had pic's of my little boat mover. It's an old Jazzi electric wheel chair. It's 24v with it's own built in charger and drives with a joy stick. My tounge weight is around 250lbs and it handles it perfectly. I just removed the seat and welded a frame with a 2" ball dead center. I move mine around on concrete so I don't know how it would do on grass and my steepest incline is about 6 degrees for about 75'.

I guess my point is that if the tractor doesn't work out, there is always this alternative.. You can buy nearly the same thing in a two wheeled version. A lot of the RV storage places use them.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Yes. As Silvertip advises......also wet grass can be a problem. I have a large Kubota with a front mount hitch making it very easy to manuever. Take it slow and never do anything you may have doubts about. If it doesn't move easily don't do it.

pretty sure no implement that starts with 'kubota' is allowed in this discussion! Way too much real actual metal, not enough sheet metal...

 

[jimbo_jwc]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

First garden tractor I bought was set up for moving boats around but was on dry /not hilly or to deep of gravel . 1960's Sears Surban 12 hp H/L rear end and max tong weight 300# would bow its 1" axels . Never pull hay wagon with 150 bales as to much weight to stop always used low gear . Come with lug tires a set of chained turf tires filled with Windsheild fluid that worked best . But I would not move my 1900# boat with any thing less than a light farm tractor smaller than my Case VAC . I had a G-16 Gravely with 60" deck that I didn't try But it might of handled and my neighbors Bolens w/Iske deisel 4w/drive moves his smaller boat around in his yard. Kubota tractors would be of correct size too .

 

[mcgill]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Hello


this mover you used how did you get it . i have a parkit 360 Tailer mover with log weels, but it has not worked . i have a deep graval driveway i was thinking of puting in some crush in run.what do you think abut thaT.

 

[mcgill]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Hello is this a lawn tractor or garden tractor also how much will it pull and have much is the the tugg wight.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

It isn't as much the horsepower as it is the traction. If you are pulling on fairly level hard ground it should handle it. You can pull up a grade that you may not want to go back down due to poor braking ability. I move all sorts of stuff around with a 1950's Bolens 850, 8 1/2 horsepower Wisconsin engine. 3000# trailer on level ground no problem in 1st gear, lo range. I will pull stumps with an 450C John Deere with worn grousers when it isn't wet. Horsepower ratings on modern lawn tractors don't mean much as they are all over rated. The 450 is a diesel and is only rated at 62 horsepower but it weighs 16000 pounds.

 

[Lou C]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

I found that a front hitch is great for this, I have one on my 98 Jeep that I use for moving the trailer around and I just found one for my 07 Jeep so now I can use that one too to easily move the trailer around...best thing for easily moving trailers.....

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

I retired from a major tractor manufacturer, and know a little about getting in trouble with L&G equipment.

If you're on flat land--have at it. If you're pulling the boat up or down a hill--forget it.

A lawn tractor may have the horsepower to pull a boat & trailer, but they don't have the weight or proper brakes (on one axle) to stop you on a hillside. Turf tires also don't have much grip to do the job.

A small compact tractor will often have cleated tires, 4wd and 4 wheel brakes. On a hillside, they can also be a handful.

Riding a lawn tractor down a hill through the woods without ability to stop is not a good feeling. I've done it.

 

[mcgill]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

I only have a town car

 

[mcgill]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Hello


I only need to move it 38 feet .On a flat graval driveway in and out of my yard,will it work.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Hello


I only need to move it 38 feet .On a flat graval driveway in and out of my yard,will it work.

Should work fine with a decent hitch set up. You will notice the first time you go to back it up it takes a lot of head swiveling since I don't imagine your tractor has mirrors. Unless you are an owl your neck does not allow you to look straight back without twisting you body around on the seat. You will also find as you get along in years the body has to do more twisting since the neck will not follow instructions as well as it once did.

 

[jimbo_jwc]

Re: can I move my boat with a lawn tractor

Also hitch has to be mounted low and as I said in gravel once I spun a tire that was it as far as moving wouldn't be able to pull out of hole .