can our truck tow our boat?

[5fiascos]

We just purchased a 27' Larson and we have a 04' dodge ram 1500. Is it gonna be strong enough?? God I hope so! lol Thanks for your help!

 

[External Combustion]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Real simple. Look on the sticker on the pillar of the front drivers side door. Read the GCVW and if it is less than the truck, the boat the trailer, all of the people, goodies and fuel then you are in the clear.

I don't think so for a half ton.

Get the correct tow vehicle.

I apologise if this seems harsh, but you owe all who share the road with you to be capable of handling your tow. Would you want to be on the road with me coming toward you with a bulldozer on a two axle goose neck trailer with only minimal brakes when a dog runs across the road?

 

[5fiascos]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

YEP, thats why we were inquiring first. We'd certainly not put anyone in danger.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

I just bought a 27' cruiser as well. I would say with your boat or my boat the weight on the trailer will be right around 10K lbs. The previous owner had a 1500 Chevy and towed this boat, but he didn't tow far and the truck was struggling some with it. I personally have an F-250 for it, and it should tow it without issue. 10K lbs is a lot for a 1/2 ton truck. It can do it, but if your towing long distance, or a lot... a 3/4 or better is advised.

 

[J JACKSON]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

i run in to this at least 3 times a week at work i work for a construction rental company the general rule of thumb is 1/2 ton truck = 5000 lbs 3/4 ton truck =7500 lbs 1 ton = 10000. its funny how many people have no idea what they can haul legally. and safely

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

properly operating brakes a MUST.

 

[5fiascos]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Between boat and trailer together, according to paperwork from dealer, the weight total is just over 7000lbs. It is a 4x4 truck and we will not be towing long distances nor will we be pulling it out of the water regularly, just at the beginning and end of the year. We should be ok.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

i run in to this at least 3 times a week at work i work for a construction rental company the general rule of thumb is 1/2 ton truck = 5000 lbs 3/4 ton truck =7500 lbs 1 ton = 10000. its funny how many people have no idea what they can haul legally. and safely

Pretty good rule to go by...For 10,000 i would want the 1 ton to be a dually..
Brakes a MUST on the trailer with those loads..

 

[Silvertip]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Whatever the tow vehicle, it needs an axle ratio that allows the engine to deliver its power efficiently. Although a 3/4 ton will handle the load better than a 1/2 ton, it may not pull it any better if it has the wrong axle ratio. I've been around some one-tons that can tote a heavy load but couldn't pull a sitting hen off her nest.

 

[Titanium48]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Rated towing capacity for an 04 Ram 1500 4x4 is between 8400 and 9000 lbs depending on which submodel. Of course, you need a good braking setup to do that safely. In the old days fully proportional hydraulic-actuated brake controllers (the kind that tied to the brake line) were cheap and plentiful and provided an excellent solution. My dad used to triple tow a 6000 lb 5th wheel and a 2000 lb boat with a 1979 D250. With the controller adjusted properly it would stop like the trailers weren't even there. Turn it up too high and the trailer would gently and evenly pull on the truck. Unfortunately these controllers are now rare and expensive, but worth it if you plan to push the limits of your vehicle. Dropping $300-$400 on a premium brake controller is still cheaper than getting a bigger truck and keeping it full of fuel.

Axle ratio used to be a big deal when trucks came with 3(!) speed transmissions and you only had one gear you could use at highway speeds, but with a modern 5-speed it's not as big an issue. With a 4x4 you also have the option of using 4L to get going up steel hills.

 

[dave11]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Check the tow rating of your truck without a weight distribution hitch. Load up the boat as if you are going out - full tank of gas, all safety and misc equipment, food, booze, toys, etc. Go to a truck stop and weigh the truck and trailer together. Add the weight of any people you will also be hauling to the ramp. Then get another weight of just the boat and trailer. Check that the first weight isn't over your trucks rating. Also check that the boat and trailer weight is less than the tow rating of the truck.

If either weight is close to the max for your truck, just rent a rental truck. You will only tow it twice a year. If you are involved in an accident, and either weight is over the legal weight for your truck, guess who will be at fault.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Whatever the tow vehicle, it needs an axle ratio that allows the engine to deliver its power efficiently. Although a 3/4 ton will handle the load better than a 1/2 ton, it may not pull it any better if it has the wrong axle ratio. I've been around some one-tons that can tote a heavy load but couldn't pull a sitting hen off her nest.

Just love the hen off the nest comment !!!! LOL

Trailer brakes that work correctly is vital.

 

[5fiascos]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

The boat trailer itself seems to be a big deal as per some of the comments here. It's a triple axle aluminum trailer with brakes and lights and the whole nine yards. I greatly appreciate all your comments they are most insightful.

 

[TBarCYa]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

I have an 04 RAM 1500 4x4 with the factory tow package and regularly tow my Jeep on it's trailer about 200 miles in a weekend. It's a dual axle trailer with brakes on both axles and combined is right around 7000lbs.

If you have the factory tow package you should be able to safely tow the boat as you will be within the rating of the truck. Just be sure to have your tongue weight correct because if the tongue is too light and you start heading up a hill you could lose rear traction and actually spin the rear tires while hauling 7000lbs. I've done this twice towing the Jeep and once towing the boat and it can get you in trouble.

Make sure your tires are rated for the load as well.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Not sure on the year of your boat, but a 27' Larson according to Nada should be about 5800-6500 lbs. Add to that a trailer (even an aluminum) and your approaching 19K. The truck as said is rated for 8400-9000 lbs. That rating is not the max it will tow, but the max recommended. A truck rated to tow 9000 lbs, with a good brake controller, weight distribution hitch, and a smart driver will tow 10000 lbs without being dangerous.

The 1/2 ton = 5000 lbs, 3/4 = 7000 lbs, and 1 ton = 10000 lbs is a good rule of thumb, but far from a maximum. Now talking about someone not keen on towing, or without proper equipment, I say stick to this. But someone who knows what he is doing and has all the safety stuff I say don't be afraid to approach the max load of the truck. It obviousely is less safe in a panic or accident situation, but then again towing anything is.

 

[RubberFrog]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Not sure on the year of your boat, but a 27' Larson according to Nada should be about 5800-6500 lbs. Add to that a trailer (even an aluminum) and your approaching 19K.

I must be missing the math somewhere. How much does the trailer weigh? 13,000 pounds??

 

[25thmustang]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

I must be missing the math somewhere. How much does the trailer weigh? 13,000 pounds??

Sorry, I missed the "0" and hit the "9", meant 10K lbs.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Titanium -- while a vehicle may have a five or six speed tranny, on most of those the top two gears are overdriven and not conducive to towing at or near the vehicle towing limit and third is direct (1:1 ) out of the tranny so axle ratio is still very important. The more gears you have the busier the tranny will be. What you don't want happening is for the tranny to be constantly up/down shifting or the torque converter constantly releasing and locking -- that's when heat builds up. Yes - 4L on a 4x4 is helpful in lugging a very heavy boat up the ramp. Overall gear reduction in 4L is about 60:1 depending on the transfer case ratio and low gear ratio in the tranny so that feature is not useful on the highway. Toyota for example, specs a 4:30 axle ratio with their highest tow rating to prevent the tranny from constantly hunting.

 

[5fiascos]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

These comments are doing a fantastic job of putting my mind at ease. Only thing I'm going to change just to be on the safe side is put a class IV hitch on.

 

[douglee25]

Re: can our truck tow our boat?

Is the 27 Larson an LXI series or a Cabrio series model? If it's the LXI series, you may be OK, but I would no way in hell pull a Cabrio with a 1500 series truck!! In fact, I just purchased a 270 Larson Cabrio 2 weeks ago and my old 1500 series would be dead in the water. My F250 V10 pulls it with ease though And another thing, you will need 4x4 to get up ramps and possibly even backing it into tight spots or driveways.

Doug