Jim, wrote:
I have a 23' Chapperalle. and double axle trailer (total weight est 5000
pounds.) I'd like to tow it up a ramp and into a storage yard then
launch once/year. Ramp is about 20% and maybe 20' long, the yard is
less than 100 yards away.

My vehicle is a Chevy Malibu with a wheezy 4, and the trailer has an
electric winch.

Think if I stayed in Low, and went slow I could do it?


While you can usually get away with substantially over the rated towing
capacity for something short like that, I suspect 5,000 lbs is WAY more
than that car should tow, you may well end up with the rear bumper
scraping on the ground or the hitch broken off just from the tongue
weight. If that doesn't happen the trailer and boat could easily pull
the car back into the water, there's no way that car weighs anywhere
near 5,000 lbs, probably more like half that.

With a sufficiently large and sturdy vehicle, a little 4 cylinder could
do it, but power is only a small portion of the equation.

Got any friends with a truck?