Towing Trailers That Weight Much More Than a Vehicle's Tow Rating

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: The Whaler GAM or General Area
  Towing Trailers That Weight Much More Than a Vehicle's Tow Rating

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Towing Trailers That Weight Much More Than a Vehicle's Tow Rating

DaveS posted 12-03-2014 01:56 PM ET (US)
I'm planning to put my boat in a slip next season and have pretty much decided on a marina. Then I had an idea about storing my boat on a trailer and storing it [at a marina] instead of in the water. My current boat is a 1999 17' Boston Whaler Outrage II; it tips the scale at about 1.700-lbs. Throw in the weight of the engine, fuel, outboard, etc., and it is close to 3,000 pounds. I have a 2005 Chevy Malibu Classic. I was thinking about putting a hitch on it and using it to move the boat from the storage lot to the ramp, which is probably a hundred yards or so. Do you think the car has enough guts to pull it off? I'll probably still put it in the water but I was just curious if my little 4 banger could pull it off if I found a deal I couldn't refuse.
Thanks!
Dave
Einar posted 12-03-2014 04:10 PM ET (US)
Doubtful. The towing capacity of that car is 1,000 lbs. Plus, now it's 10 years old.
Al
martyn1075 posted 12-03-2014 05:31 PM ET (US)
The other consideration is the braking. The vehicle is not able to handle that kind of weight if you need to stop. I would be more concerned on the ramp in case you have pull it out for an adjustment. I have seen boats actually pull a car into the water as it didn't have the weight and braking power to handle the load. The cost of a hitch you could probably rent a ford 150 from Uhaul for an hour or two. It would actually be a whole lot cheaper and you wouldn't have to worry about wear and tear cost.
jimh posted 12-03-2014 07:41 PM ET (US)
It is hard to know the outcome of your proposed experiment of towing a trailer and boat that weighs three time more than the tow rating of your vehicle. At slow speed on level ground you can probably manage the tow. The greatest stress is going uphill. On a launch ramp there is often less traction due to wet pavement or debris on the ramp surface, sometimes downright slippery debris.
If you keep the boat in the water in a slip it will be ready anytime. You'll probably use it more.
Also, you forgot the weight of the trailer, which will probably be another 700-lbs.
DaveS posted 12-03-2014 08:59 PM ET (US)
Thanks for the insight, and for not laughing! I didn't think it would work but I wanted other opinions. It was really tempting to give it a shot but it just doesn't seem to be worth it. Better safe than sorry.
Thanks again!
Dave
AZdave posted 12-03-2014 11:24 PM ET (US)
Do you have a friend/neighbor/relative with a pickup that's hardly ever used? This would be perfect if the owner had a fondness for boats, but no wish to buy or maintain one.
jimh posted 12-04-2014 12:44 AM ET (US)
This summer we were at Northport marina. A fellow brings his boat to the ramp. It was a fairly good-sized boat, maybe a 20 or 22-footer. He ties up at the courtesy dock at the ramp, and comes back in a minute or two with his trailer. His tow vehicle is a mid-sized front-wheel drive sedan. My curiosity it peeked. I have to watch what happens when he tries to haul out this big boat with the FWD sedan.
The ramp at Northport has a gentle slope, and it was dry and free of debris. The sedan pulled the boat out. The guy stopped in the tie down area to finish preparing for the road. I had to go over and talk to him. I said something like, "That is a lot of boat to pull out with this front-wheel drive car."
He replied by saying something like, "Well, I only tow it a few blocks to my house. It is good enough for that."
jcdawg83 posted 12-04-2014 11:37 AM ET (US)
I think the only issue would be pulling the boat out of the water. You could pull a 3000 lb boat 100 yards with a decent sized riding lawn mower on flat ground.
Plotman posted 12-07-2014 06:44 PM ET (US)
Oh, good Lord. Just go ahead and do it. You won't hurt anything, and it will work just fine. Vehicle tow ratings are designed to safely the physics of going down the highway at 70mph and having to make evasive maneuvers.
If you are just talking about 100 yards at 10 mph, yes, you can move your boat, launch and retrieve it without any issue with pretty much any car on the market.
For several years, I routinely launched and hauled my 22 outrage with a Volkswagon Jetta. Never once had an issue. Most days I was doing just what you are considering - taking it out of the dry storage lot at my marina and launching and retrieving it. But on occasion I would pull it to our cabin maybe a half mile away if I needed to work on something. The trailer has surge brakes, and handled just fine, but I never got above about 20 with it.
I have a Suburban when I need to tow it any farther than that, but many weekends we would take the Jetta to the cabin when we didn't need the larger vehicle. I never let that stop me from using the boat. You don't need that much torque to pull a boat up a ramp. And don't let anyone tell you that you are going to "overload" the car. The tongue weight on that trailer isn't any greater than what a large guy weighs.
I have also moved and launched the boat with a 30-year old John Deere 317 riding lawnmower. Our marina has a ball mounted on the 3-point hitch on the back and uses it for moving boats all over the place.
Ridge Runner posted 12-07-2014 09:20 PM ET (US)
I agree - this is pretty much a non-issue.
The rating for this car is low mainly because of the braking ability at highway speeds.
Hidden Hitch makes a Class II - 1-1/4" hitch for your 2005 Malibu Classic. The hitch is rated at a maximum gross trailer weight of 3,500 lbs and maximum tongue weight of 300 lbs.
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Chevrolet/Malibu+Classic/2005/ 90131.html?vehicleid=20053794
If you look at the installation pictures the hitch is clearly bolted to the frame with five bolts. Would I tow this combination at 65MPH on the highway...no way.. but a couple hundred yards or even a mile or two at 25MPH I wouldn't think twice about it.

weekendwarrior posted 12-09-2014 01:56 PM ET (US)
Moving the boat a hundred yards or so will probably go fine, my biggest question marks would be number one being able to stop on the ramp, and number two having the traction to pull the boat out. I think the ramp condition will have a significant role in your success.
Marsh posted 12-09-2014 02:15 PM ET (US)
I have towed my Montauk,and my Wave Runner with my John Deere GT325 mower many times. But never more than 100 yards. I only tow on level ground, on my own property.
EJO posted 12-09-2014 02:49 PM ET (US)
Yes you could (stay off public roads) do it as mentioned [here the string of three characters, a capital letter B, hypen, and the Arabic numeral four, was typed] but when in doubt ask the marina to launch it, if they have storage space they have a tractor (garden or not) or a pick-up to shuttle boats around.
I shuttle boats and trailers around with my little Craftsman 19 hp on level ground (sometimes need extra weight on the "grass" rear tires do to slippage)
Cheap $10 or $20 to haul it 200 yards and down and up the ramp.
Liteamorn posted 12-12-2014 06:28 PM ET (US)
I think the big [concern] towing it to and from the ramp is the front wheel drive. You probably would spend a lot of time spinning your wheels and getting people to sit on your front hood.
boatdryver posted 12-13-2014 10:34 AM ET (US)
Those riding lawn mowers do have many applications other than cutting grass.
When my friend took his father's car away as the father reached age 92, the gentleman compensated by riding his lawn mower to Wal-Mart every day for coffee with his buddies.
JimL
boatinpete posted 12-15-2014 06:50 PM ET (US)
Yes it will pull it with ease.I pulled a bassboat all over NY state for two years with a ES300 Lexus because thats all I had, did it for two years, sold it to my buddy 3 years ago.That car was totaled last summer with appr. 250,000 miles. Or make Chevy happy, buy a $45,000 Silveradol. Oh yeah, the big internet lie, front wheel vehicle can't pull a boat up a ramp, from folks who never did it.
swist posted 12-16-2014 10:01 AM ET (US)
Not sure I see the problem with front wheel drive - those wheels are on what's likely to be the dry part of the ramp whereas the rear wheels might be on a slimy wet surface.
Obviously AWD is ideal - I've owned Subarus which to me are the ideal tow vehicle for a smaller Whaler. Deal with steep slippery ramps well, and the car you are left with the 98% of the time you are not towing is not oversized for your needs just because of the boat.
jcdawg83 posted 12-16-2014 10:37 AM ET (US)
Front wheel drive is not a problem at all. The weight of the engine is over the drive wheel and then engine and all the associated stuff under the hood weighs more than the tongue weight of the trailer.
Back in the early 80's, we pulled a 17' bass boat with a four cylinder Plymouth Horizon and it did fine.
jimh posted 12-17-2014 12:25 AM ET (US)
[Deleted two sidebar discussions on brands and makes of 1980's automobiles and abbreviations used by telegraphers since the 1850's.--jimh]
deepwater posted 12-17-2014 06:21 PM ET (US)
Well if its something you want to try,,just let the yard guy know and have him or her nearby to help if you lose traction going in or out ,,if it works your good if not than you have the answer we all have just been Talking about ^@^

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Towing Trailers That Weight Much More Than a Vehicle's Tow Rating
DaveS	posted 12-03-2014 01:56 PM ET (US) I'm planning to put my boat in a slip next season and have pretty much decided on a marina. Then I had an idea about storing my boat on a trailer and storing it [at a marina] instead of in the water. My current boat is a 1999 17' Boston Whaler Outrage II; it tips the scale at about 1.700-lbs. Throw in the weight of the engine, fuel, outboard, etc., and it is close to 3,000 pounds. I have a 2005 Chevy Malibu Classic. I was thinking about putting a hitch on it and using it to move the boat from the storage lot to the ramp, which is probably a hundred yards or so. Do you think the car has enough guts to pull it off? I'll probably still put it in the water but I was just curious if my little 4 banger could pull it off if I found a deal I couldn't refuse. Thanks! Dave
Einar	posted 12-03-2014 04:10 PM ET (US) Doubtful. The towing capacity of that car is 1,000 lbs. Plus, now it's 10 years old. Al
martyn1075	posted 12-03-2014 05:31 PM ET (US) The other consideration is the braking. The vehicle is not able to handle that kind of weight if you need to stop. I would be more concerned on the ramp in case you have pull it out for an adjustment. I have seen boats actually pull a car into the water as it didn't have the weight and braking power to handle the load. The cost of a hitch you could probably rent a ford 150 from Uhaul for an hour or two. It would actually be a whole lot cheaper and you wouldn't have to worry about wear and tear cost.
jimh	posted 12-03-2014 07:41 PM ET (US) It is hard to know the outcome of your proposed experiment of towing a trailer and boat that weighs three time more than the tow rating of your vehicle. At slow speed on level ground you can probably manage the tow. The greatest stress is going uphill. On a launch ramp there is often less traction due to wet pavement or debris on the ramp surface, sometimes downright slippery debris. If you keep the boat in the water in a slip it will be ready anytime. You'll probably use it more. Also, you forgot the weight of the trailer, which will probably be another 700-lbs.
DaveS	posted 12-03-2014 08:59 PM ET (US) Thanks for the insight, and for not laughing! I didn't think it would work but I wanted other opinions. It was really tempting to give it a shot but it just doesn't seem to be worth it. Better safe than sorry. Thanks again! Dave
AZdave	posted 12-03-2014 11:24 PM ET (US) Do you have a friend/neighbor/relative with a pickup that's hardly ever used? This would be perfect if the owner had a fondness for boats, but no wish to buy or maintain one.
jimh	posted 12-04-2014 12:44 AM ET (US) This summer we were at Northport marina. A fellow brings his boat to the ramp. It was a fairly good-sized boat, maybe a 20 or 22-footer. He ties up at the courtesy dock at the ramp, and comes back in a minute or two with his trailer. His tow vehicle is a mid-sized front-wheel drive sedan. My curiosity it peeked. I have to watch what happens when he tries to haul out this big boat with the FWD sedan. The ramp at Northport has a gentle slope, and it was dry and free of debris. The sedan pulled the boat out. The guy stopped in the tie down area to finish preparing for the road. I had to go over and talk to him. I said something like, "That is a lot of boat to pull out with this front-wheel drive car." He replied by saying something like, "Well, I only tow it a few blocks to my house. It is good enough for that."
jcdawg83	posted 12-04-2014 11:37 AM ET (US) I think the only issue would be pulling the boat out of the water. You could pull a 3000 lb boat 100 yards with a decent sized riding lawn mower on flat ground.
Plotman	posted 12-07-2014 06:44 PM ET (US) Oh, good Lord. Just go ahead and do it. You won't hurt anything, and it will work just fine. Vehicle tow ratings are designed to safely the physics of going down the highway at 70mph and having to make evasive maneuvers. If you are just talking about 100 yards at 10 mph, yes, you can move your boat, launch and retrieve it without any issue with pretty much any car on the market. For several years, I routinely launched and hauled my 22 outrage with a Volkswagon Jetta. Never once had an issue. Most days I was doing just what you are considering - taking it out of the dry storage lot at my marina and launching and retrieving it. But on occasion I would pull it to our cabin maybe a half mile away if I needed to work on something. The trailer has surge brakes, and handled just fine, but I never got above about 20 with it. I have a Suburban when I need to tow it any farther than that, but many weekends we would take the Jetta to the cabin when we didn't need the larger vehicle. I never let that stop me from using the boat. You don't need that much torque to pull a boat up a ramp. And don't let anyone tell you that you are going to "overload" the car. The tongue weight on that trailer isn't any greater than what a large guy weighs. I have also moved and launched the boat with a 30-year old John Deere 317 riding lawnmower. Our marina has a ball mounted on the 3-point hitch on the back and uses it for moving boats all over the place.
Ridge Runner	posted 12-07-2014 09:20 PM ET (US) I agree - this is pretty much a non-issue. The rating for this car is low mainly because of the braking ability at highway speeds. Hidden Hitch makes a Class II - 1-1/4" hitch for your 2005 Malibu Classic. The hitch is rated at a maximum gross trailer weight of 3,500 lbs and maximum tongue weight of 300 lbs. http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Chevrolet/Malibu+Classic/2005/ 90131.html?vehicleid=20053794 If you look at the installation pictures the hitch is clearly bolted to the frame with five bolts. Would I tow this combination at 65MPH on the highway...no way.. but a couple hundred yards or even a mile or two at 25MPH I wouldn't think twice about it.
weekendwarrior	posted 12-09-2014 01:56 PM ET (US) Moving the boat a hundred yards or so will probably go fine, my biggest question marks would be number one being able to stop on the ramp, and number two having the traction to pull the boat out. I think the ramp condition will have a significant role in your success.
Marsh	posted 12-09-2014 02:15 PM ET (US) I have towed my Montauk,and my Wave Runner with my John Deere GT325 mower many times. But never more than 100 yards. I only tow on level ground, on my own property.
EJO	posted 12-09-2014 02:49 PM ET (US) Yes you could (stay off public roads) do it as mentioned [here the string of three characters, a capital letter B, hypen, and the Arabic numeral four, was typed] but when in doubt ask the marina to launch it, if they have storage space they have a tractor (garden or not) or a pick-up to shuttle boats around. I shuttle boats and trailers around with my little Craftsman 19 hp on level ground (sometimes need extra weight on the "grass" rear tires do to slippage) Cheap $10 or $20 to haul it 200 yards and down and up the ramp.
Liteamorn	posted 12-12-2014 06:28 PM ET (US) I think the big [concern] towing it to and from the ramp is the front wheel drive. You probably would spend a lot of time spinning your wheels and getting people to sit on your front hood.
boatdryver	posted 12-13-2014 10:34 AM ET (US) Those riding lawn mowers do have many applications other than cutting grass. When my friend took his father's car away as the father reached age 92, the gentleman compensated by riding his lawn mower to Wal-Mart every day for coffee with his buddies. JimL
boatinpete	posted 12-15-2014 06:50 PM ET (US) Yes it will pull it with ease.I pulled a bassboat all over NY state for two years with a ES300 Lexus because thats all I had, did it for two years, sold it to my buddy 3 years ago.That car was totaled last summer with appr. 250,000 miles. Or make Chevy happy, buy a $45,000 Silveradol. Oh yeah, the big internet lie, front wheel vehicle can't pull a boat up a ramp, from folks who never did it.
swist	posted 12-16-2014 10:01 AM ET (US) Not sure I see the problem with front wheel drive - those wheels are on what's likely to be the dry part of the ramp whereas the rear wheels might be on a slimy wet surface. Obviously AWD is ideal - I've owned Subarus which to me are the ideal tow vehicle for a smaller Whaler. Deal with steep slippery ramps well, and the car you are left with the 98% of the time you are not towing is not oversized for your needs just because of the boat.
jcdawg83	posted 12-16-2014 10:37 AM ET (US) Front wheel drive is not a problem at all. The weight of the engine is over the drive wheel and then engine and all the associated stuff under the hood weighs more than the tongue weight of the trailer. Back in the early 80's, we pulled a 17' bass boat with a four cylinder Plymouth Horizon and it did fine.
jimh	posted 12-17-2014 12:25 AM ET (US) [Deleted two sidebar discussions on brands and makes of 1980's automobiles and abbreviations used by telegraphers since the 1850's.--jimh]
deepwater	posted 12-17-2014 06:21 PM ET (US) Well if its something you want to try,,just let the yard guy know and have him or her nearby to help if you lose traction going in or out ,,if it works your good if not than you have the answer we all have just been Talking about ^@^