Towing Capacity/Vehicle Help?

bnhbutts wrote: with a class III hitch rated for 5500 pounds.

Bob - Are you sure about the 5500#? I don't have time to look it up right now, bit I am pretty sure a class 3 hitch is rated for 3500#. Your boat may even exceed that depending on what you throw in it during towing.

I towed our 89SN (2001 Model) with a minivan & class 3 hitch - the hitch would flex excessively & cause a 'chucking action' with the trailer brakes whenever I hit a bump - not tolerable - bought a truck as the solution to this problem. Tows great now.

I pull with a 2004 Pacifica..keep in mind North East Ohio is flat for the most part......all I have to say is bravo for the odnr for putting angles slits in all of the new ramps....

Our lead boat driver for our show ski team here in iowa pulls his triple rig with his toyota sienna. His previous tow vehicle was the chevy lumina mini van...interesting choices. He claims he can get 26 mpg with the mini vans? ya...

Triple rig:
3 150HP evinrude etecs = 1,200lbs +/-
3 batteries = 180lbs +/-
40 gallon fuel tank = 300 lbs +/-
Duel axle trailer = 1,500lbs?
Added weight in front under bow to keep it down on the water = 900 lbs
20 ft hyrdodyne = 1,500 lbs?

Total = Heavy ass boat!

Is this a matter of V8 vs. V6? or will a Ford Explorer Sport Trac V6 work?

Unfortunately, you are asking a simple question, which I am afraid does not have a simple answer. There are numerous questions which go into whether a vehicle will be "good" or "adequate" as a tow vehicle.

Horsepower is only one factor. A lot of small 4 and 6 cylinder motors have lots of horse power, but they aren't designed to pull big loads. The engines and transmissions have to work hard to pull the loads. Can they do it, probably. Will you put more wear and tear on the vehicle, probably.

I don't think anyone would dispute that in general, higher vehicle weight, more cylinders, more horsepower, beefier transmissions, lower gearing, longer wheelbase, beefier suspensions, and beefier brakes make for "better" tow vehicles.

The question really becomes, how much is enough. There are guys in Europe pulling boats with 4 and six cylinder station wagons. Necessity is the mother of invention. There are guys in the U.S. pulling 12 foot aluminum fishing boats with F350 diesels - overkill.

Based on your questions you seem to want to steer away from a full sized V-8, and instead are looking at mid sized 6 cyclinder vehicles.
In my opinion, the best thing to do in that case, is to ask around and see what kind of success folks have had with the vehicle as a tow vehicle, and go from there. Find out if and how they have augmented the transmission cooling, suspensions, etc. Find out what kind of terrain they were pulling on when they deemed the vehicle adequate as a tow vehicle. I wouldn't trust the auto salesman.

Personally, I don't have any experience with the explorer pickup. I've seen boats successfully towed with Chevy and Chrysler minivans, 6 cylinder Toyotas, 6 cylinder explorers, 6 cylinder Dakotas.

As I said in an early post, I have a 2000 Yukon XL (suburban). It has only the 5.3L (327 cu. inch engine). It has lots of room for passengers and gear. It gets 15 mpg around town, 18 mpg on the highway with no trailer. When I tow the boat, I get about 13 mpg when I drive a reasonable speed. I towed the boat from California to Wisconsin, across the Sierra Nevadas and Rocky Mountains and across the desert. I averaged in excess of 70 mph and got about 11 mpg under these tough conditions. The Burb now has 165K miles on it and is still going strong. I have found it to be a more than adequate tow vehicle.

BKH

So how much torque is enough to pull a nautique/or super sport nautique?

I pull the '90 SN with my '97 Ford Explorer with the 5.0 in it. Get's a little sketchy if you need to stop really really fast since it does have little breaks, but it does a pretty good job. Has the towing package so that helps...

You can pick one of those up for pretty cheap...

mdvalant wrote: Our lead boat driver for our show ski team here in iowa pulls his triple rig with his toyota sienna. His previous tow vehicle was the chevy lumina mini van...interesting choices. He claims he can get 26 mpg with the mini vans? ya... Triple rig: 3 150HP evinrude etecs = 1,200lbs +/- 3 batteries = 180lbs +/- 40 gallon fuel tank = 300 lbs +/- Duel axle trailer = 1,500lbs? Added weight in front under bow to keep it down on the water = 900 lbs 20 ft hyrdodyne = 1,500 lbs? Total = Heavy ass boat!

Do you have his #?
Did he use HDW or Air bags?
What type hitch?

Not sure what a SN weighs but hauling a 74 Southwind with a 2007 Honda AWD Pilot is just fine; fairly effortless on the ramp, and on the road you can almost forget it's back there.   

I was towing the cuda with a Lincoln and it did a decent job but when I bought the Resorter I was not too comfy on the highway so I started looking for pickup or SUV.I was never happy with power with the 01 gmc p/u I had before that. Sollution 94-96 Buick Roadmaster with factory tow package.The last three years of production they were equipped with 260hp-335lb ft of torque LT1 corvette inspired V8.They have huge swawbars H/D cooling,posi and get unbelievable fuel milage.6000 lb towing cap and if you can find a nice wagon you will never want for comfort or storage.My last trip to New Hampshire last fall I got 19-20 mpg towing 3000 lbs and barely knew it was there.The LT1 roadmasters kind of have a cult following the power and reliability are top notch.When you are done laughing go on line and check them out maybe find one in classified section and test drive one you won't believe the power.Just make sure it is 94-96 towpac model with the mechanical fan and H/D susp.

The suspension modification are available, easy, and affordable for the B/D bodies. If you want to get serious and tow your G23 there are off the shelf limo/hearse parts to bump that number up to 10k+. My Fleetwood Brougham has all the basic tow-package stuff except the mechanical fan, but it has 2 electrics. Unfortunately posi wasn't an option on the Cadillacs.

Took the air shocks and silly little springs out for the HD wagon variable rate springs and yellow Monroes. She still has her 500# of winter ballast onboard here.

Not the best from a seating capacity standpoint, but it'll get to the lake in a hurry!

Forget the roadmaster, lets see some photos of the Resorter!

Keuka wrote: I've seen many a boat towed with a Durango. You should be fine with that, especially with the V8 model. I believe it's basically a Dakota chassis. Personally I have a Suburban. I waited a long time to get it but I couldn't ask for a better tow vehicle. David

Hey Keuka! Small world! My family's been on west bluff for 8 generations, my brother (72 Southwind) lives up near the park, and my mother lives by the college. How long you been around Keuka?