heavy boat towing

dhay13 · Jun 6, 2015

may be picking up a new to me 25' Sea Ray boat this week. i have a 2013 Ram Express QC 4x4 hemi with 3.55s and tow package with 6 speed trans. the boat is a 25' sea ray 250 sundancer. according to the current owner the boat is about 6500lbs and the trailer about another 1500lbs (tri-axle). i will only tow the boat occasionally as it will be docked at a marina all summer but i do need to get it there then home at the end of summer. i do not have tow mirrors yet so that concerns me. but other than that i assume i would use tow/haul mode? even on the highway at 65 or 70 mph?
the current owner towed it with what looks to be about a mid 2000s chevy 2500 6.0 with 4.10s. he said it was 350 hp. he said it pulled it fine but did struggle a little on bigger hills.

so my main concerns are the lack of tow mirrors and whether to use tow/haul on the highway?

drittal · Jun 6, 2015

Can you see around the boat with the mirrors you have?

Will you be towing or hauling?

KarL45 · Jun 6, 2015

My thought, especially with the 6 speed, your going to be maxed out for towing. Don't know what the Sea Ray and trailer combined weight is, but if it requires 3 axles, suspect running 12k or better?? As for tow haul mode, guess if you are on a flat level surface and not bucking winds and seem to be pulling easily, would try without the T/H mode. Suspect though, you may find overall the T/H will be the mode of choice. All you can do is try and also watch engine and trans temps.

drittal · Jun 6, 2015

Probably 3500# axles since he stated the weight was 6500.

mtofell · Jun 6, 2015

Sounds like too much trailer. Even though the past owner's truck is underpowered it is an HD which makes a world of difference. First thing is to get an accurate weight on the boat + trailer and go from there. Until you know exactly what it weighs your just guessing and hoping.

As for tow/haul mode absolutely... that's what it's for.

Mirrors? You just have to hook up and see what you can see. Even short term you can just get a set of clamp-on type if needed.

dhay13 · Jun 6, 2015

total weight should be about 8000 but that is going off his numbers. i did hear from another guy that has a sea ray 268 that weighs a total of just over 10,000 confirmed by him. so i should be under that easily. my tow from home to the marina is mostly flat and about 10 miles. only towing a few times a year so i should be ok. i have plenty of experience towing just not with this combo. i used to tow my 6000lb car trailer (with car) weekly for about 10 years. worst case my step-father has a 2014 with 8 speed 3.92s and tow mirrors so if i can't see around the mirrors i will have him haul it home until i get the mirrors. and i think for the sake of my trans i will go ahead and use tow/haul all the time

14hemiexpress · Jun 6, 2015

if you beleive his numbers to be accurate I say go for it don't worry, tow Mirrors will be nice with that sized boat they are normally as wide as they can get it. Definitely run in tow haul. I pulled about 8k worth of lumber and flat I was good not pushing it very hard to keep 60 on hills I had to let it strech out and rev some but the 10-15 miles trip was no issues and I have the same setup as you 6 speed 3.55 express.

River19 · Jun 6, 2015

Well a 260 Sundancer weighs in dry at 6200lbs.....so assuming your new boat is 25 foot vs. the 260 being 26 foot and assuming some additional gear and fuel etc. I think the 6500lbs might be a safe estimate to work with.

An aluminum tri-axle trailer for at 26-29' boat is about 900lbs alone.....but that is aluminum......so if his is steel then again 1500lbs he gave you might be a decent estimate as well.

What will the tongue weight be for you? How much will the rig squat?

dhay13 · Jun 6, 2015

he said with the tri-axle the tongue weight was only 300lbs. but he is also including the weight distributing hitch

14hemiexpress · Jun 6, 2015

dhay13 said:
he said with the tri-axle the tongue weight was only 300lbs. but he is also including the weight distributing hitch

That's nothing! 300 seems supriseiny light but it is a tri axle and boat I would images aren't very nose heavy.

Is it on a 2in or a 2 5/16 ball?

Andy578 · Jun 6, 2015

14hemiexpress said:
That's nothing! 300 seems supriseiny light but it is a tri axle and boat I would images aren't very nose heavy.

Is it on a 2in or a 2 5/16 ball?

yep boats are tail heavy. not usually much in the front at all actually a lot of empty space but the rear has the engine(s) and the fuel usually sits in the middle or towards the back

dhay13 · Jun 6, 2015

2 5/16. thats how he decided to give me his. i lost mine (actually it was rusted in my last truck and i couldn't get it out so left it) and mentioned it to him so he agreed to throw his in on the deal

14hemiexpress · Jun 6, 2015

dhay13 said:
2 5/16. thats how he decided to give me his. i lost mine (actually it was rusted in my last truck and i couldn't get it out so left it) and mentioned it to him so he agreed to throw his in on the deal

Gotcha I was trying to get a idea on the gtw, if it was 2 in I knew it probably wasent anymore than 8k but with 2 5/16 there no telling it can be way up there just depending on the axle rateings.

dhay13 · Jun 9, 2015

well just got back with the boat. about 60 miles of mostly flat highway driving. the truck barely knew it was pulling anything. i used tow/haul ad was turning about 2300 RPM at about 65mph (ballpark). the engine temp stayed under 210, trans under 170 and oil under 230. i did turn tow/haul off and the trans temp dropped but then i got to a small grade and the trans temp creeped up slightly so i put it back in tow/haul
the factory mirrors were fine. i could see perfectly. i was only getting about 10 MPG though.

saintsreturn · Jun 9, 2015

Thanks for the update! I will be moving home to Florida and looking at 23-26ft center consoles. Its something I am concerned with since its 2WD and a 1500. I am more worried about the ramps than I am the driving....

dhay13 · Jun 9, 2015

i do think i slightly spun the tires a little pulling out with an empty trailer but i did back down until the tires were slightly in the water.

14hemiexpress · Jun 9, 2015

saintsreturn said:
Thanks for the update! I will be moving home to Florida and looking at 23-26ft center consoles. Its something I am concerned with since its 2WD and a 1500. I am more worried about the ramps than I am the driving....

My boss pulls his boat.. Not sure how big but I say no less than 24ft and he has no problems with his 2wd Yukon I know they are heavier over the tires than a truck but once the boat is on the trailer you'll have some weight back there.

clh1220 · Jun 10, 2015

I wouldn't worry about that at all , as few and as far as your towing.

River19 · Jun 10, 2015

dhay13 said:
well just got back with the boat. about 60 miles of mostly flat highway driving. the truck barely knew it was pulling anything. i used tow/haul ad was turning about 2300 RPM at about 65mph (ballpark). the engine temp stayed under 210, trans under 170 and oil under 230. i did turn tow/haul off and the trans temp dropped but then i got to a small grade and the trans temp creeped up slightly so i put it back in tow/haul
the factory mirrors were fine. i could see perfectly. i was only getting about 10 MPG though.

I'd say 10mpg is right about where you would expect to be.

DannyMK2 · Jun 10, 2015

i had an older 23ft sea ray with a dual axle trailer. i believe it weighed around the same as yours, maybe a tad heavier. my 02 ram with the 4.7/4spd/3.55's towed it without any trouble. youll be fine with your truck. i would say you probably dont need tow mirrors either. your call though. i prefer the regular mirrors.

heavy boat towing

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