Towing boats and truck limits

[Sir Reel]

The weigh scales should have a voluntary day where you can get your rigged weighed and checked out. Kind of like a Coast guard event when they check your safety gear. I mean the purpose would be to prevent accidents.

 

[JAC]

If your boat weight it over 6100lbs you must have elec over hydraulic brakes. The law states that over 6100lbs the driver must be able to control the trailer brakes manually

 

[Fisherman Rob]

In Victoria, the weigh scale off the highway at Elk Lake is always left on, even when it's closed. So you can weigh for free pretty much any time.

 

[bones]

You can also weight you rig at a landscape supply. They or the one closest to doesn't care, least mine doesn't.

 

[gungadin]

Try to use a government certified scale, the ones at landfills are all certified as far as I know.

 

[ZENYO]

I tow my trophy 2509 with my 2015 F150. I use the ball mount/ball that i use for my trailer (2 5/16", came with the trailer), they are both the same dry weight at roughly 5500Lbs. The trophy has no where near the tongue weight that my trailer has so it doesn't sink the back of the truck as much. I don't use the equalizing bars for the boat but I probably will when I take it for long trips. Anyone have any experience with airbags? is it worth it?

 

[Gear'n'beer!]

Airbags are great.....pretty much every modern big rig has an air ride suspension for a reason. You can usually take enough weight off the truck with the equalizer springs though so the truck isn't carrying load it's just towing, with appropriate tongue weight.

Question, a 27' trophy on a trailer only weighs 5500???

 

[ZENYO]

It's officially 25' and yes, the dry weight on the boat is 4400 and the trailer is 1200. I haven't put it on a scale yet, I've only owned it for about 6 months and now it's moored. I'll put it on a scale when I bring it up to Shuswap this summer.

 

[cracked_ribs]

To add to this thread you need to determine the correct tongue weight or your rig will not tow right. I believe Albernifisher found this out the hard way.
I used a bathroom scale to figure mine out and I did have to move the boat forward a foot to get the right tongue weight. This link shows you how to determine it on truck scale too.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx

Boy is that ever the truth. Scariest drive of my life was one with insufficient tongue weight because of a poorly distributed load.

I'm sure most people have seen this but if you haven't:

 

[Sr SQ]

Inspection requires you to retorque with pipe wrench on the ball and cresent spanner with a pipe extending the handle for more torque on the nut .This procedure blemishes the ball with score marks ,breaks lockwashers and streches the threads . Remove and replace of ball yearly will give you sound mind that if you needed to replace ball at some point thoughout the year you will have a new spare ball and it can come apart,aswell as a new ball and parts will have shine again on your truck,remember there not stainless steel parts.Throw the old ball away so it is never used again.

Hugh???????
Can you please expand on why you don't use a torque wrench and just do it right, once?
If your not torquing with torque wrench your playing with fire.

 

[eriks]

Inspection requires you to retorque with pipe wrench on the ball and cresent spanner with a pipe extending the handle for more torque on the nut .This procedure blemishes the ball with score marks ,breaks lockwashers and streches the threads . Remove and replace of ball yearly will give you sound mind that if you needed to replace ball at some point thoughout the year you will have a new spare ball and it can come apart,aswell as a new ball and parts will have shine again on your truck,remember there not stainless steel parts.Throw the old ball away so it is never used again.

This sounds like a crock to me. This ball has been properly torqued because it has sufficient score marks?? I worked in structural steel, and I understand it is necessary to torque to stretch threads, but structures under dynamically loaded conditions (bridges for example), don't have their bolts replaced annually, or ever for that matter. Keep threads out of the shear plane, and you're good for life.

 

[Birdsnest]

x2 on the airbags. Once you have them they'll become mediatory on every truck you own however- I just went from a 2500 ram to a new 3500 duramax and i don't seem to need them but neither my boat or cargo/camping trailer are over 4000 lbs.

 

[Reel Gone]

Try to use a government certified scale, the ones at landfills are all certified as far as I know.

Any landscape mart that sells supplies by scaled weight has to be government certified by law

 

[bpsuls]

JAC, interesting about the over 6100lbs you need an in-cab controller capability. I have seen tons of rigs that for sure do not comply with this rule, where did you find this information? In fact just at the boat show on the weekend, pretty sure that some of those rigs with surge brakes had to be over 6100 wet!

 

[Redfisher]

Scales at north end of Parksville are on at night. I establish my tongue weights there as well as overall boat on trailer weight. 10 minutes of time and you know exactly where your weights are at.

 

[ryanb]

It's officially 25' and yes, the dry weight on the boat is 4400 and the trailer is 1200. I haven't put it on a scale yet, I've only owned it for about 6 months and now it's moored. I'll put it on a scale when I bring it up to Shuswap this summer.

The dry weight does not include motors, gas, batteries, gear etc etc. That boat is realistically probably 6-7000 plus the weight of trailer.

 

[finaddict]

My 23 striper officially weighs in "dry" at about 3550 lbs. dry according to the manufacturers specs. and 1260 for the trailer for a total weight of 4810 lbs. Reality is the actual weight with all the crap loaded on my boat and a full (800 lbs.) tank of fuel on the trailer is nearly 7100 lbs. I cannot imagine trying to tow it with a 1/2 ton pick up to Fair harbour, Winter harbour or Ukie. I have a 1 ton diesel and with airbags, spring extensions, 10,000 lb. class V hitch, with 2 5/16" 12,000 lb. ball set up on 10,000 lb. solid (not tube) hitch. I am very confident in my towing configuration.

I am disgusted by the number of stories I hear about salesman who spew complete crap about the towing capabilities of half ton trucks. The very best you can do with a half ton when towing that kind of weight without torsion bars is just ask the trailer where IT wants to go. It will certainly tell you......

 

[Sir Reel]

Here's another good video

 

[Gunsmith]

My thoughts are, yes it can pull it, but can it stop it?

 

[gunnerlove]

I towed a friend's enclosed car trailer last summer, it was near the max for my half ton but had good serviced and adjusted electric brakes and an equalizer hitch. It towed very nicely from Victoria to Campbell River and back (empty on the way back).
I have also towed a 6k unbraked "trailer" with a 10 year old one ton from Yakima to Chilliwack. I am hard pressed to think of when I had less fun on the highway.

My point is that when properly equipped max can be reasonable and safe. However when set up wrong even less than 25% can be unsafe.