Towing
 

Frank and Ronnie Maier wrote:


The 3500# number was me. The original poster asked about 2700#; and my
assumption was that we were talking about being wet and on the
trailer, so 2700# would put him way below his vehicle's tow limit. If
that's just the empty, dry hull weight, then you're correct that
adding all that stuff is gonna increase the total weight a measurable
amount.

Righto, and I apologize for being inflammatory in my earlier post. Not intentional, just tact impaired.

Many people don't know how much the curb weight is for their rig, and have an exaggerated sense of towing
invulnerability. And published weight/displacement specs for boats is most often understated, sometimes by as
much as 20%. And in the case of outboards, it often does not include an engine.

Example, our small trailerable cruiser weighs 1600# dry weight, but the rolling package on it's way to cruising
weighs 2500# according to certified truck scales. Several people with this same boat have tried to tow it using
cars rated for 2000# and had a variety of not-so-good results.

I bet most trailer boaters would be surprised at the result if they weighed their boat & trailer & assembled
gear. Only costs about $3 and the information is very worthwhile.

Fair Skies- Doug King

towing
 

If you are considering a new rig with an automatic, consider an Allison
transmission. They have a good reputation and are very intelligent at
shifting when appropriate. (i.e. automatically downshifting as you go down
a hill, Tow/Haul mode, etc.)


"Doug Copas" wrote in
:

I have a cabin cruiser with a gross weight of 10000 pounds. What will
make the best tow vehicle?? Can I get away with a 3/4 ton or should I
have a one ton. Also,what about power? Gas vs Diesel How much does
the wheelbase of the tow vehicle matter?? What about the transmission
and rear gear ratio?? Any knowledgable advice will be appreciated.
Thanks,Doug Copas

towing
 

If you are considering a new rig with an automatic, consider an Allison
transmission. They have a good reputation and are very intelligent at
shifting when appropriate. (i.e. automatically downshifting as you go down
a hill, Tow/Haul mode, etc.)


"Doug Copas" wrote in
:

I have a cabin cruiser with a gross weight of 10000 pounds. What will
make the best tow vehicle?? Can I get away with a 3/4 ton or should I
have a one ton. Also,what about power? Gas vs Diesel How much does
the wheelbase of the tow vehicle matter?? What about the transmission
and rear gear ratio?? Any knowledgable advice will be appreciated.
Thanks,Doug Copas

Towing
 

On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 22:13:32 -0400, "Leanne" wrote:

have towed travel trailers for years and stayed within the specs and no
problems.

I saw a monster travel trailer on I-35, not long ago. The twin screw
Kenworth looked capable of handling the job.

Casady

Towing
 

Richard Casady wrote in
:

On Sun, 27 Jul 2003 22:13:32 -0400, "Leanne" wrote:

have towed travel trailers for years and stayed within the specs and
no
problems.

I saw a monster travel trailer on I-35, not long ago. The twin screw
Kenworth looked capable of handling the job.

Casady


I have a friend who used to own a Hatteras 56 FBMY but now lives on
shore in a big house and owns a custom-made RV that has a 48 foot 5th
wheel trailer with THREE power-driven slide outs that turn an 8' RV into
a palace. The trailer even has a powered front porch and electric
roller furler on the full length awning! You press a button and the
jacks automatically go down and lift the trailer off its wheels, and the
coupler on the truck, to a perfect level condition on any reasonably
sloped parking space.

Power to pull this heavy beast is a custom made 5th wheel hauler built
on a Ford F-750 dually diesel chassis, powered by the same dual-
turbocharger 8V92TA diesel engine the Hatteras 56 had two of! There's
an automatically-shifted Allison electronic transmission you can
"trucker" yourself or just let it do its own shifting when the wife is
driving it. The cab interior is exactly the same as the biggest Ford
Expedition built OVER a virtual GARAGE under it big enough to house the
diesel genset and all the "toys" you can imagine except a Harley. The
paint scheme on the custom F750 matches the paint scheme on the
fiberglass 5th wheel and the graphics match where it mates. It's really
beautiful. It should come with a set of slaves and a professionally-
suited bus driver for that much money.

I drove it through Mt Pleasant, SC, and even those damned Hummer 3
drivers get the hell out of its way as you look DOWN on them from
above....(c;] At 60mph, I think we just cleared 1200 RPM! A million
miles before overhaul should be easy!

Don't ask what mileage it gets. My guess is the same as the matching
American LaFrance 8V92TA-powered hook and ladder fire truck on a similar
chassis but with much less fancy crew cab.... Also, Dan's hauler
doesn't have a siren....at least that I've found, yet. I think the
OnStar has a direct line to Blackwater HQ for security.

--
Global Warming and Creationism are to science what storks are to
obstetrics...

Larry