Towing with FWD?

[MTboatguy]

Re: Towing with FWD?

The simplest solution seems to be pick up an SUV that has 4wd for towing the boat and hauling the family, around our area, we have quite a few of the older 4WD SUV's for around $1000, that work perfectly for this type of duty...

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Towing with FWD?

I guess I have never heard of that problem. I would think that having front wheel drive would be better that rear wheel drive. Is the car rated for the weight of the boat? I would surely think that new tires would help a lot. LOL Not sure that a hitch on the front would help you out any. Sorry I couldn't be any more help. Maybe someone else with a little more experience with FWD will come and comment. Best of luck.

A trailer hooked to a front wheel drive vehicle "unloads" the front wheels making these vehicles less desirable than rear wheel drive. If you have more adults with you they can obviously sit on the hood to add weight but the better choice is to simply use a vehicle capabable of doing the job. Back in my snowmobile days front drivers were virtually useless trying to get up an incline with a couple of sleds on a trailer. The same principle applies to trailering a boat with front wheel drive.

 

[peter94]

Re: Towing with FWD?

I honestly dont think you should try to "rig" your way around this. Drive both vehicles. Dont have people sit on the hood, dont hang bags of sand off of a custom made front mount trailer hitch.

The concern is the vehicle will not pull the boat up the ramp.

The ROOT cause of the problem is the size of the vehicle and boat. The boat surpasses the rating for the vehicle. Either use your truck which is designed for this, and drive your car seprately, or get a bigger vehicle. Dont be unsafe and "power" your boat up the ramp and push your car.

Its different if by some strange chance you actually get stuck, and need to do it to free yourself as a last resort, than if you are the guy who does not have the right equiptment and just tries to rig his way around it.

I have a 16' aluminum bench seat boat with a 25 HP Johnson, and would be skeptical of towing that with my car. That is why I have a truck.

 

[Sixmark]

Re: Towing with FWD?

Geez...whats the fine for getting stuck in your area?

Just some advise if you get "stuck" Also IMO if it is a good boat ramp there is not much worry of washing it out or even getting stuck. If it is a bad ramp and you get stuck washing out is not as much of my concern then getting out. Obvious another tow would be considered.

Not everyone has a 1 tonne duelly 4wd for thier fishing boat guys!

PBJT

It's a fine for "power loading" and that is what it would be classified as.

It would not be anything regarding getting stuck, if you got stuck because you were using a vehicle that was inappropriate for the boat you were pulling then you were at fault, plain and simple.

There is another thread here on the forum regarding people who put their tow tigs in the lake while trying to load/unload, maybe you should read it as well.

 

[thesledhead]

Re: Towing with FWD?

maybe i should elaborate. i kind of knew i would get all the holier-than-thou-you're-so-unsafe answers, but was actually hoping for a solution to the question that i asked.
1. if i put the baby in the front of the truck, wife sits in the jumpseat for the 1 1/2 hour ride. jumpseat = unsafe + unhappy wife = unhappy me.
2. mazda is rated for 1500 kg towing capacity in europe (given, that's braked). they won't rate it in the u.s. because of the ambulance chasers. the beefy four wheel antilock disks on that car have a lot more stopping power than the non-antilock, rear drums on the truck.
3. i tow it about 1/4 mile from the ramp to my house. 20 mph max, no babies on board, wife at home.
4. i'm not buying a new truck. seriously, that's your solution? i guess i might as well just install a pier with a boat lift. or buy a new house that already has a boat lift, or boat house. or a yacht that i can motor to the Caribbean when the weather gets rough here.
more i think about it, seems that the answer is new tires, plus a come-along winch if i get stuck.

Im gonna have to go with the yacht sounds pretty sweet to me.







but really what kind of truck do ya have? I use to have a dodge ex cab and haulled 2 car seats 2 big dogs a wife and all her crap

 

[BF]

Re: Towing with FWD?

I had prob's pulling my aluminum fishing rig up a slippery ramp gravel with my FWD van (Montana)... I found it best to turn off the traction control... ride the brakes with the left foot instead to nix the wheel spin. (once spinning, i was toast, so don't let it spin in the first place). Deflating the front tires helped (down to about 5 psi... almost flat). It always was a hassle, and about a 50/50 proposition of whether I'd need to find someone to pull me up or not.

When I got my I/O I just knew my Van had no chance to get that boat up that particular ramp (BTW it did fine on nice paved ramps)... So I bit the bullet and bought an older used 4x4 Expedition as a family hauler/tow vehicle. Have not regretted that in the least.

Seems, you've got a second house/cottage that you leave the boat at (?). If so, the idea of leaving some cheapo tow vehicle out there might be the ticket.. Surely an old pickup truck would come in handy for projects etc too? My neighbour at our lake launches and retrieves his boat with a large 4x4 quad... does it on this steep gravel ramp effortlessly. Maybe good justification for a toy (?).

I had a regular cab pickup when the kids started coming along. Eventually I had to admit that it just wasn't practical anymore for a family, and had to switch our primary people mover to something that we all fit in, and could haul/tow all our weekend gear... that's when we started getting vans... that worked until the bigger boat came around, which necessitated the bigger 4x4 tow vehicle. Sounds like you're getting to "vehicle re-evaluation time". That's just part of the grand scheme when you're talking about towing things like boats and have kiddies in the mix. I see a larger vehicle with a built in DVD system looming in the future in the next couple of years. Wait until you've got 2 car seats and a booster filled... been there, done that, have the pictures.

Good luck!

 

[JimS123]

Re: Towing with FWD?

Surely we scared the OP away. He was very clear that he was offended by comments to buy another vehicle, plus all yous guys that are holier than thou.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Towing with FWD?

Surely we scared the OP away. He was very clear that he was offended by comments to buy another vehicle, plus all yous guys that are holier than thou.

You started it. Meanie.

 

[rollo1002]

Re: Towing with FWD?

I've always been successful putting a square peg through a round hole...