Re: Is my truck big enough?
It sounds to me like your going to fall pretty close to the borderline as far as rated tow capacity. A few things come to mind right away, the first is the condition of the boat and trailer. If the boat is 1979, there's a good chance it's carrying some water weight, (water absorbed to whatever degree by hidden flotation foam below deck), and second, the balance and condition of the trailer. Are the trailer brakes in perfect condition? Is the wiring all reliable, and is the boat properly set on the trailer.
Next, since your truck is 11 years old, is it and it's brakes in good order?
Does it have a transmission cooler installed, and if so is it large enough?
Has the transmission been kept serviced and in good working order?
When both were new or in new condition, I'd probably not be too concerned but when towing that kind of weight, you want everything to be up to snuff.
I would venture to guess that so long as you can hitch up that boat, and the tongue weight is sufficient so as to tow with out swaying all over the road, and the truck has enough rear spring capacity to handle that tongue weight, you have a pretty good chance of being OK on the road provided that the brakes are all in good order.
Rear springs can be changed and upgraded if needed, within reason, the boat or axles can be moved to obtain an ideal 60/40 weight ratio, and a transmission cooler can be added.
The next thing to look at is your tires, both on the truck and the trailer, your not getting buy with passenger tires in this case, the trailer will need proper tires, each tire needs to be rated to well handle 1/2 of the total load, (keep in mind the weight transfer that will occur when braking and what would happen if you were to lose one tire and the second tire on that side couldn't handle the load). The truck will need proper rated tires as well. Having the right truck tires will make a huge difference in how it feels and tows.
Last, but probably of the least concern is engine size. Too small of an engine won't stop you from towing, it'll just make the rig slow, and with a load like that, your not out to win any races anyhow. I would say that either one of GM's V8 engines that year should be fine. I owned a 4.8L 1500 4x2 truck for a few years and it did fine towing up to 6500lbs but I also added an aftermarket trans cooler and heavier factory rear leaf springs, as well as an electric brake controller.
One big aspect you have to consider is the ability to pull that boat up a launch ramp, which may be your biggest challenge. That boat gets a lot heavier on a 15% or better grade on a wet concrete ramp. You can also lose rear traction as the weight of the boat on the trailer shifts rearward which in effect will lighten the load on your rear tires.
I've had vehicles that tow just fine on the highway, yet were worthless when trying to launch a boat on a ramp.
Your best bet if your not mechanically inclined or at least somewhat knowledgeable about trucks and trailers, is to take that to someone who sets up vehicles for towing on a regular basis. Most RV or trailer centers are good for this. I'd say try the GM dealer but from having worked in dealers for many years, I'd say that's a hit or miss proposition. Not all mechanics are knowledgeable about trailer towing, most won't be unless they do it themselves.
Definitely not road safe. Yet anway. We're getting quotes and it needs alot of work. When we get it road ready, I'll take it to the scales. It has brakes, but they're broken and rusted (you can see the cut cable in the picture), we'll get them replaced. Tires definitely need to be swapped out. The tongue is rusted out... and more Man... I didn't know it would be this hard to get it in the water for the first time.... aggh. Thanks again!
