Hey again....

Well, my new/used 2000 Chevy Silverado 1500 pickup is a beautiful truck!! I am
very happy with it and it is way better then my old, tired, '87 Ford Ranger.

Anyway, yesterday I was at Boater's World during lunchtime and picked up a new
receiver hitch with a 4" drop (just like my fishing buddy has on his Dodge
Ram). When I was talking to the guys in the store about my new truck, they
immediately got concerned (which when you think about it, is a good thing).

Think of this scenario: 2000 Chevy Silverado, 4.8L V8, 5 speed. Never towed
with it before. Never retrieved a 2100lb boat/trailer with it up the ramp
before either.

The guy in the store was saying, "No offense... but wait a minute here...
you've NEVER pulled a boat with a stick shift? Whoa buddy.... DON'T DO IT YET!
Keep using your friend to tow your boat for a while. You need to go hitch up
your boat to your new Chevy with the stick shift and *PRACTICE*.... If you
don't, well, two things could happen: #1, you could burn out the clutch on the
ramp. #2 (and yes, I've seen it happen...), you could end up with your entire
rig in the drink, boat, trailer, truck, all in 6,7,8 feet of water at the end
of the ramp!!!

Does anyone pull a boat with a 5 speed standard? Any advice? Thanks a bunch.

Butch Ammon

My sister's son-in-law just bought a very nice 2000 Chev truck with a stick
shift.
A friend of the in-laws was a dealerbefore retiring and will now scan the
local auctions for a small fee. You tell him what you want to spend and what
you want...he delivers.
This truck was used by a farmer.
Anyway, it's the only truck with a hitch that can haul my #1
brother-in-law's large tandem dump trailer.
We just took a load out to the debris center this morning from my kitchen
renovation project.
The weight.... 0.97 tons debris cost me $ 94.00 including tax.
His standard truck had no problem at all. The last trip, a couple of
yahoo employees loaded it up with crushed stone
and almost flattened the 4 tires. His clutch did protest that time.

Butch Ammon wrote in message
...
Hey again....

Well, my new/used 2000 Chevy Silverado 1500 pickup is a beautiful truck!!
I am
very happy with it and it is way better then my old, tired, '87 Ford
Ranger.

Anyway, yesterday I was at Boater's World during lunchtime and picked up a
new
receiver hitch with a 4" drop (just like my fishing buddy has on his Dodge
Ram). When I was talking to the guys in the store about my new truck,
they
immediately got concerned (which when you think about it, is a good
thing).

Think of this scenario: 2000 Chevy Silverado, 4.8L V8, 5 speed. Never
towed
with it before. Never retrieved a 2100lb boat/trailer with it up the ramp
before either.

The guy in the store was saying, "No offense... but wait a minute here...
you've NEVER pulled a boat with a stick shift? Whoa buddy.... DON'T DO IT
YET!
Keep using your friend to tow your boat for a while. You need to go
hitch up
your boat to your new Chevy with the stick shift and *PRACTICE*.... If
you
don't, well, two things could happen: #1, you could burn out the clutch
on the
ramp. #2 (and yes, I've seen it happen...), you could end up with your
entire
rig in the drink, boat, trailer, truck, all in 6,7,8 feet of water at the
end
of the ramp!!!

Does anyone pull a boat with a 5 speed standard? Any advice? Thanks a
bunch.

Butch Ammon

"Butch Ammon" wrote in message
...
Hey again....

Well, my new/used 2000 Chevy Silverado 1500 pickup is a beautiful truck!!
I am
very happy with it and it is way better then my old, tired, '87 Ford
Ranger.

Anyway, yesterday I was at Boater's World during lunchtime and picked up a
new
receiver hitch with a 4" drop (just like my fishing buddy has on his Dodge
Ram). When I was talking to the guys in the store about my new truck,
they
immediately got concerned (which when you think about it, is a good
thing).

Think of this scenario: 2000 Chevy Silverado, 4.8L V8, 5 speed. Never
towed
with it before. Never retrieved a 2100lb boat/trailer with it up the ramp
before either.

The guy in the store was saying, "No offense... but wait a minute here...
you've NEVER pulled a boat with a stick shift? Whoa buddy.... DON'T DO IT
YET!
Keep using your friend to tow your boat for a while. You need to go
hitch up
your boat to your new Chevy with the stick shift and *PRACTICE*.... If
you
don't, well, two things could happen: #1, you could burn out the clutch
on the
ramp. #2 (and yes, I've seen it happen...), you could end up with your
entire
rig in the drink, boat, trailer, truck, all in 6,7,8 feet of water at the
end
of the ramp!!!

Does anyone pull a boat with a 5 speed standard? Any advice? Thanks a
bunch.

Butch Ammon

2100lbs ain't gonna kill that truck.

You should be using your parking brake on the ramp anyways.

You're not going to end up in the water.

db

On 23 Jul 2003 17:19:47 GMT, 123 (Butch Ammon) wrote:

Hey again....

Well, my new/used 2000 Chevy Silverado 1500 pickup is a beautiful truck!! I am
very happy with it and it is way better then my old, tired, '87 Ford Ranger.

Anyway, yesterday I was at Boater's World during lunchtime and picked up a new
receiver hitch with a 4" drop (just like my fishing buddy has on his Dodge
Ram). When I was talking to the guys in the store about my new truck, they
immediately got concerned (which when you think about it, is a good thing).

Think of this scenario: 2000 Chevy Silverado, 4.8L V8, 5 speed. Never towed
with it before. Never retrieved a 2100lb boat/trailer with it up the ramp
before either.

The guy in the store was saying, "No offense... but wait a minute here...
you've NEVER pulled a boat with a stick shift? Whoa buddy.... DON'T DO IT YET!
Keep using your friend to tow your boat for a while. You need to go hitch up
your boat to your new Chevy with the stick shift and *PRACTICE*.... If you
don't, well, two things could happen: #1, you could burn out the clutch on the
ramp. #2 (and yes, I've seen it happen...), you could end up with your entire
rig in the drink, boat, trailer, truck, all in 6,7,8 feet of water at the end
of the ramp!!!

Does anyone pull a boat with a 5 speed standard? Any advice? Thanks a bunch.

Butch Ammon

A little practice could be a "good thing". Dean also mentioned the
wheel chocks tied to the rear bumper, also a good idea. The chocks
remove the worry about slipping backwards if you muff the clutch.

Years ago I had a Ford F-150 with the "3 speed plus overdrive" on the
floor and a low ratio rear. It got *great* mileage, but was a dog for
towing. Couldn't pull a dead dog into the back yard for a decent
burial. Every third time I went boating, I got to replace the clutch.
(

Your setup will do a much better job of it.

noah


Courtesy of Lee Yeaton,
See the boats of rec.boats
www.TheBayGuide.com/rec.boats

Thanks guys....

I mean, don't get me wrong. I can drive a stick. My old British P.O.S. Austin
was a standard. When my girls were babies, my wife and I had a little Ford
Escort that was a stick. No biggie....

I just have never towed anything with a stick, that's all. I've towed my boat
many times but with automatic trannies.

Anyway, yeah the towing capacity with this Chevy Silverado is awesome! A
2100lb boat/trailer combo ain't nothing for this new/user truck of mine! :-)

Butch Ammon

I expect you will do fine. I have a 2000 F250 SD V10 w/ 5spd. I pulled a
number of people out of ditches last winter during the snow here in
Virginia, and have hauled a Bobcat on a dual-axle trailer out of a muddy
field. Lot's of other miscellaneous towing up to about 6,000 lbs. No
problems. I'd rather have the stick as I feel it gives me more control.

All that said, the bumper-attached wheel chocks idea is interesting,
particularly if the ramp is slippery.

dave

"Dave Skolnick" wrote in message
news:r%PTa.19220$zd4.4529@lakeread02...


All that said, the bumper-attached wheel chocks idea is interesting,
particularly if the ramp is slippery.

Yeah...I'm experiencing a growing fascination with the idea, too. Costs next
to nothing, and it certainly couldn't hurt. There are lakes around here
where I swear the algae on the ramps is manufactured by Turtle Wax Corp. I
have the water-soaked wallet to prove it.

"Doug Kanter" wrote ...
There are lakes around here where I swear the algae
on the ramps is manufactured by Turtle Wax Corp. I
have the water-soaked wallet to prove it.

Yeah, nothing quite like slipping on the algae and then slicing your leg on
the baracles / zebra mussels / whatever that is growing on the side of the
ramp...

"Doug Kanter" wrote ...
There are lakes around here where I swear the algae
on the ramps is manufactured by Turtle Wax Corp. I
have the water-soaked wallet to prove it.

Yeah, nothing quite like slipping on the algae and then slicing your leg on
the baracles / zebra mussels / whatever that is growing on the side of the
ramp...


OUCH!!!!!

The ramp at my marina is real long and gradual. It's a freshwater lake with a
nuke plant on it. Another boat ramp near the public campground is insane -
it's about a 30 degree angle... I mean, even a Ford F-350 dually would
probably need to use 4x4 low to pull a boat up the ramp!

Butch Ammon

The ramp at my marina is real long and gradual. It's a freshwater lake with
a
nuke plant on it. [snip


Does the radiation in the water from the nuke plant kill the algae?

Sandy


Ha ha ha ha..... Actually the lake has some nice sized 3 eyed fish and also
other species that has a certain "glow" to them! :-)

Butch Ammon