6,500 tow to the boat ramp

[BobsTrail]

I had an F150 with one open axle and did fine with the weight of the boat and the drag of the water with a 28" pontoon boat. Go easy on the gas, don't give it enough power to spin a wheel. Creep up the ramp and make the torque converter generate heat, but it won't be for long enough to matter.

Others around me with smaller boats usually used plenty of power and sat there with a one wheel spinning. Not enough sense to go easy on the power.

Go out to the ramp one day and watch others to see what works and what does not.

 

[mike5]

The potential issue with respect to damage is the torque converter, followed by the transmission.

 

[Tuco S.]

Hey guys! My Boat and trailer weigh 6,500lbs. you think i can tow it 2 blocks to the boat ramp and put it in? Do you think i have enough horsepower to get it back out? Thanks!

Horsepower/torque/braking shouldn't be an issue, as long as you keep the speeds low. Having enough traction to pull it up the ramp may be a different story. You're not just pulling a heavier object forward, you're pulling it at an upward angle. And unfortunately your drive wheels are located underneath the lightest area of your vehicle. If you could put a couple hundred pounds directly over the rear axle, it might help. I suspect you'll just spin your wheels.

 

[calcrc]

Try it and if you can't pull the boat back up the ramp call a towing lol !

Or ask the dude with the biggest truck near you to help you

Easy mode if you can put it in the water, have faith in your rig, lets go places they say!

 

[Bayou_Pro]

The potential issue with respect to damage is the torque converter, followed by the transmission.

Heat would be the only thing that could damage those components. He's only pulling 2 blocks so that wouldn't come into play hear. On a long tow then absolutely you are correct.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MossJenks]

It should be clarified that the tow rating on a vehicle is not the max weight a vehicle can tow for 10 feet without breaking. Heck, recently on The Grand Tour they pulled a 13,000 ton ship 20 feet with a little Citroen without breaking it.

Instead the tow rating is an indicator of how much weight a vehicle can safely tow across country, through the mountains, at highway speeds, etc. without running away, being crashed from too much sway on the highway, etc. Any vehicle can tow WAY more than it's tow rating at slow speeds on flat ground.

In our litigious society these ratings have become WAY more conservative over the years. In Europe people tow boats and camping trailers all the time with little cars. My buddy in France tows a sizeable camping trailer with a Renault Clio (a TINY little car).

I once towed a 2500lb trailer with a 2000lb Honda CRX and the fact that I'm typing this proves I survived the experience - so did the Honda: last time I heard it was still running with 340,000 miles on the odometer.

 

[Dillusion]

I didn't see anything on this either nor have I had experience but now a days I can just see a sue job coming to if anything were to happen if you knowingly went over the rating.

Sad to say but everyone is looking to sue someone.

 

[HouseboatRat]

Definitely

But dont plan on stopping too quickly.

 

[fastcat27]

Update

I've been launching and pulling the 6500lb boat and trailer without any problem as well as towing the boat 7 miles to the gas station and back.

 

[mrblah]

im here for the post action video

 

[Toffees]

Hey guys! My Boat and trailer weigh 6,500lbs. you think i can tow it 2 blocks to the boat ramp and put it in? Do you think i have enough horsepower to get it back out? Thanks!

Really disappointed about the answers here. The correct method:

1) Call up a friend who has a truck that fits the tow rating to move your boat 2 blocks
2) Bring beer
3) Bring her out on the lake with you

 

[fastcat27]

In the 2 years i had the boat i never had a problem towing her down the street or launching or recovering.

 

[kwill]

In the 2 years i had the boat i never had a problem towing her down the street or launching or recovering.

So, why did you ask?