Squire
Well-Known Member
The half ton towing thread got me thinking about my set-up with a Tundra Crewmax towing a Campion 682 On an EZ Loader I figured the boat and trailer weighed 7200-7500 lbs so it would be closer to max than I’d be comfortable with which is why I added the airbags for a bit of extra peace of mind. When I downsized from a one-ton diesel in September I planned to mostly moor the boat anyway.
Now that I live on Southern Vancouver Island I’d like to trailer over to Barkley Sound a few times a year and thought I should verify my weight and payload combination.
I had to tow the boat to Duncan the other day to get my helm replaced and a service done so I went over the scales on the way to pick it up empty and the way back loaded. They are axle scales only and not a full platform so I weighed front and back empty then front, back and both trailer axles together loaded. The boat trailer only added 160 kg to my rear axle and some of that came off the front. I confirmed the lack of tongue weight with the fulcrum beam on a bathroom scale in the driveway. I have about 400 lbs on the tongue out of 7200 lbs total so about 5.5% tongue weight.
Everything I’ve learned about towing over the years tells me I should have 10-15% of the total boat and trailer weight on the tongue for safe, stable towing. This probably explains why I can fell every bounce in the trailer with a corresponding ’lurch’ of the truck.
I believe the bracket with outboards puts too much of the weight rear of the axles for safe towing of any distance. I have confirmed over the scales that the CoG is just about centered between the axles and should be moved forward at least a foot to provide a safe tongue weight. Unfortunately, I don’t have that much room on the trailer as the bowsprit is almost all the way forward as it is. (Bowsprit to back of outboard cowling measures 28’2” with motor down)
Total weight confirmed at 7200 lbs less 1500 lbs for the trailer makes the boat 5700 lbs with a half tank of fuel and most of my gear in the garage. The sticker on the trailer says it’s rated for 5800 lbs.
Am I looking at needing a new trailer? I can’t believe how many things I’ve purchased in the last ten years that needed mods over factory before they were safe or suitable for the purpose they were intended
Now that I live on Southern Vancouver Island I’d like to trailer over to Barkley Sound a few times a year and thought I should verify my weight and payload combination.
I had to tow the boat to Duncan the other day to get my helm replaced and a service done so I went over the scales on the way to pick it up empty and the way back loaded. They are axle scales only and not a full platform so I weighed front and back empty then front, back and both trailer axles together loaded. The boat trailer only added 160 kg to my rear axle and some of that came off the front. I confirmed the lack of tongue weight with the fulcrum beam on a bathroom scale in the driveway. I have about 400 lbs on the tongue out of 7200 lbs total so about 5.5% tongue weight.
Everything I’ve learned about towing over the years tells me I should have 10-15% of the total boat and trailer weight on the tongue for safe, stable towing. This probably explains why I can fell every bounce in the trailer with a corresponding ’lurch’ of the truck.
I believe the bracket with outboards puts too much of the weight rear of the axles for safe towing of any distance. I have confirmed over the scales that the CoG is just about centered between the axles and should be moved forward at least a foot to provide a safe tongue weight. Unfortunately, I don’t have that much room on the trailer as the bowsprit is almost all the way forward as it is. (Bowsprit to back of outboard cowling measures 28’2” with motor down)
Total weight confirmed at 7200 lbs less 1500 lbs for the trailer makes the boat 5700 lbs with a half tank of fuel and most of my gear in the garage. The sticker on the trailer says it’s rated for 5800 lbs.
Am I looking at needing a new trailer? I can’t believe how many things I’ve purchased in the last ten years that needed mods over factory before they were safe or suitable for the purpose they were intended