First time tower - just bought boat
03-12-2019, 08:23 PM
#41
Senior Member
Forgot to mention - what cover (if any) will you be using for the long distance tow?
Our snap on covers will handle an in-town quick trip, but anything more and they blow off.
I'd run it by your selling dealer and see what they recommend. Running without a cover, and making sure everything in the boat is secured is likely best. But your dealer should be able to make a recommendation.
Some places even heat-shrink with a secure frame for long distance tows. Takes some of the stress out of it (damage, weather, theft, etc).
Also, tons and tons of tips on boating sites, and someone else mentioned The Hull Truth - a very useful site.
Our snap on covers will handle an in-town quick trip, but anything more and they blow off.
I'd run it by your selling dealer and see what they recommend. Running without a cover, and making sure everything in the boat is secured is likely best. But your dealer should be able to make a recommendation.
Some places even heat-shrink with a secure frame for long distance tows. Takes some of the stress out of it (damage, weather, theft, etc).
Also, tons and tons of tips on boating sites, and someone else mentioned The Hull Truth - a very useful site.
03-12-2019, 10:50 PM
#42
Junior Member
Back up tip: place one hand at six o'clock on the steering wheel, turn steering wheel with said hand in either direction and the trailer will turn accordingly in that direction. Only make steering wheel adjustments when your physically rolling not standing still. Important: Make sure your rig is all set up and ready to go before you even think about getting on the ramp, I'm going into my third year of towing, it only gets easier.
I used to tow a 23' Rinker cuddy cabin all of the time with my F-250. When I sold it, I purchased a 28' cruiser. I towed her from Baltimore to Pittsburgh with my F-250. The key, like others stated above, is take your time on the tow. Spare tires are great to have. Also consider getting a BoatUS membership. The membership, along with their insurance, will give you some tow help if you run into trouble on the trip home. I have them for my boat insurance and I added the towing coverage for my long trip. In case of a break down, they would send out a truck to tow the boat off the interstate. Since I sold my F-250, I only tow my boat from the ramp to the parking spot in the boat yard, which is about 600'. My truck does pull her just fine, but it squats a little. Good luck with your tow.
04-09-2019, 07:09 PM
#43
Tips
I tow a trailer of some sort almost every day.
1) If the boat you are buying is used, find out tire size and lug pattern and bring at least two spares. Also bring at least one spare hub (pre-packed with bearing and grease is best). If trailer is new make sure to have at least one spare.
2) Take corners wide! Easiest way to blow a tire or tear something up is turning too tight.
3) Plan on having problems and prepare. Bring a hydraulic jack, universal lug wrench, crescent wrench, and other assorted tools.
4) Leave plenty of extra space to stop. You are likely doubling the total weight of your truck.
5) Good luck! Congratulations! Be safe!
1) If the boat you are buying is used, find out tire size and lug pattern and bring at least two spares. Also bring at least one spare hub (pre-packed with bearing and grease is best). If trailer is new make sure to have at least one spare.
2) Take corners wide! Easiest way to blow a tire or tear something up is turning too tight.
3) Plan on having problems and prepare. Bring a hydraulic jack, universal lug wrench, crescent wrench, and other assorted tools.
4) Leave plenty of extra space to stop. You are likely doubling the total weight of your truck.
5) Good luck! Congratulations! Be safe!
04-09-2019, 08:33 PM
#44
You been given a lot of sound advice, and here are my suggestions.
1. With a dual axle trailer, you want the hitch adjusted so the trailer is level and the load is evenly distributed between the 2 axles. You don’t want excessive weight placed on either axle.
2. If you don’t have the correct tongue weight you WILL have problems. Too much weight will squat the rear and lift the front, causing steering problems. Too little tongue weight will cause excessive sway and is very dangerous.
3. Make sure the trailer lights work.
4. Trailer tires only last about 4 or 5 years regardless of how many miles they are used. Dry rot is the problem. The date of manufacture is coded on the sidewall, ex: (3516) = tire was manufactured in the 35th week of 2016. If the tire shows any evidence dry rot cracks or is 4 or 5 years old, I would replace it. Changing blown tires on the side of the interstate is not fun and dangerous.
5. Most trailer tires are only rated for a max speed of 65mph.
6. The load rating of the tires will also be on the sidewall. The sum of the load capacity for all 4 tires should be at least 20% greater than the combined weight of the trailer, boat, engine and EVERYTHING (cooler, gear, anchor, chain, etc, etc) in the boat. A 21 ft boat probably has a gas tank of 80-100 gallons and if a 100 gal tank is full, the gas weighs about 620lbs. The only way to KNOW what you rig weighs is to weigh it on a DOT or truck scale. Most people grossly underestimate how much the trailer, boat and gear weighs.
7. Inflate the tires to the specified pressure on the sidewall when tires are cold. Under inflation of tires is a major cause of blowouts.
8. Carry at least one preluded hub packed with the correct size bearings. The dealer should have those items. You will need a grease gun with a cartridge.
9. I would carry 2 spare tires and check the air pressure in the spares.
10.A laser temperature gauge is great to check bearing temps. 130-140° at highway speed is OK, but if it climbs to the 180-200° range or higher, a bearing set is going bad. Change the hub/bearings before it fails and possibly damages the axle spindle.
11.Check to make sure you have a lug wrench and jack that will allow you to change a tire before heading out. Check the lug nuts tightness before starting out and after about 40 miles.
12.You will find a couple pieces of 2x6 lumber to place under jacks, block tires helpful.
13.The boat MUST have enough straps to hold it onto the trailer during an emergency stop/crash. The 2 rear straps hold the rear of the boat on the trailer. Forward straps from the bow ring to the trailer frame will hold the bow down and keep the boat from sliding forward if there is a rapid deceleration. The winch stand WILL NOT stop the boat from sliding forward in a crash. There are plenty of sad pictures of boats on the net that slid off the trailer onto the cab of the tow vehicle during a crash.
14.Anything placed in the boat must be securely fastened or it will fly out at highway speed.
15.Keep your head on swivel. People see a boat coming and will turn into your lane to keep from being caught behind you.
I don’t mind towing my 9,000 lb, 28 ft boat 500 miles a day, but I prepare beforehand, have the need tools and replacement parts to take care of most problems and don’t be in a hurry.
1. With a dual axle trailer, you want the hitch adjusted so the trailer is level and the load is evenly distributed between the 2 axles. You don’t want excessive weight placed on either axle.
2. If you don’t have the correct tongue weight you WILL have problems. Too much weight will squat the rear and lift the front, causing steering problems. Too little tongue weight will cause excessive sway and is very dangerous.
3. Make sure the trailer lights work.
4. Trailer tires only last about 4 or 5 years regardless of how many miles they are used. Dry rot is the problem. The date of manufacture is coded on the sidewall, ex: (3516) = tire was manufactured in the 35th week of 2016. If the tire shows any evidence dry rot cracks or is 4 or 5 years old, I would replace it. Changing blown tires on the side of the interstate is not fun and dangerous.
5. Most trailer tires are only rated for a max speed of 65mph.
6. The load rating of the tires will also be on the sidewall. The sum of the load capacity for all 4 tires should be at least 20% greater than the combined weight of the trailer, boat, engine and EVERYTHING (cooler, gear, anchor, chain, etc, etc) in the boat. A 21 ft boat probably has a gas tank of 80-100 gallons and if a 100 gal tank is full, the gas weighs about 620lbs. The only way to KNOW what you rig weighs is to weigh it on a DOT or truck scale. Most people grossly underestimate how much the trailer, boat and gear weighs.
7. Inflate the tires to the specified pressure on the sidewall when tires are cold. Under inflation of tires is a major cause of blowouts.
8. Carry at least one preluded hub packed with the correct size bearings. The dealer should have those items. You will need a grease gun with a cartridge.
9. I would carry 2 spare tires and check the air pressure in the spares.
10.A laser temperature gauge is great to check bearing temps. 130-140° at highway speed is OK, but if it climbs to the 180-200° range or higher, a bearing set is going bad. Change the hub/bearings before it fails and possibly damages the axle spindle.
11.Check to make sure you have a lug wrench and jack that will allow you to change a tire before heading out. Check the lug nuts tightness before starting out and after about 40 miles.
12.You will find a couple pieces of 2x6 lumber to place under jacks, block tires helpful.
13.The boat MUST have enough straps to hold it onto the trailer during an emergency stop/crash. The 2 rear straps hold the rear of the boat on the trailer. Forward straps from the bow ring to the trailer frame will hold the bow down and keep the boat from sliding forward if there is a rapid deceleration. The winch stand WILL NOT stop the boat from sliding forward in a crash. There are plenty of sad pictures of boats on the net that slid off the trailer onto the cab of the tow vehicle during a crash.
14.Anything placed in the boat must be securely fastened or it will fly out at highway speed.
15.Keep your head on swivel. People see a boat coming and will turn into your lane to keep from being caught behind you.
I don’t mind towing my 9,000 lb, 28 ft boat 500 miles a day, but I prepare beforehand, have the need tools and replacement parts to take care of most problems and don’t be in a hurry.
Last edited by ADM1953; 04-10-2019 at 04:38 PM. Reason: typos
04-09-2019, 09:00 PM
#45
My biggest suggestion is.....Be efficient in backing a trailer. The longer the trailer the easier it is to back.....Short *** trailers are twitchy to back.
I pull a rig that when hooked up to my F150.... I'm 55ft long.
I work with boats and trailers all the time....
Inflate the tires to the specified pressure on the sidewall when tires are cold. Under inflation of tires is a major cause of blowouts.
I suspect a dual.....It's important that it is level....This keeps the load equal on all tires....Tilting to the front will load the front axle extra.
Last edited by Warthog5; 04-09-2019 at 09:05 PM.
04-09-2019, 10:09 PM
#46
You been given a lot of sound advice, and here are my suggestions.
10.A laser temperature gauge is great to check bearing temps. 130-140° at highway speed is OK, but if it climbs to the 180-200° range or higher, a bearing set is going bad. Change the hub/bearings before it fails and possibly damages the axle spindle.
10.A laser temperature gauge is great to check bearing temps. 130-140° at highway speed is OK, but if it climbs to the 180-200° range or higher, a bearing set is going bad. Change the hub/bearings before it fails and possibly damages the axle spindle.
04-09-2019, 10:14 PM
#47
Boat trailers do NOT have electric brakes...They would not last 30 day. Now ...There is electric over hyd. But most.....If they have brakes it will be surge brakes.
My biggest suggestion is.....Be efficient in backing a trailer. The longer the trailer the easier it is to back.....Short *** trailers are twitchy to back.
I pull a rig that when hooked up to my F150.... I'm 55ft long.
I work with boats and trailers all the time....
What he says is true.....That rig needs 50PSI in the tires.....You have not said......Single.....or dual axle trailer?
I suspect a dual.....It's important that it is level....This keeps the load equal on all tires....Tilting to the front will load the front axle extra.
My biggest suggestion is.....Be efficient in backing a trailer. The longer the trailer the easier it is to back.....Short *** trailers are twitchy to back.
I pull a rig that when hooked up to my F150.... I'm 55ft long.
I work with boats and trailers all the time....
What he says is true.....That rig needs 50PSI in the tires.....You have not said......Single.....or dual axle trailer?
I suspect a dual.....It's important that it is level....This keeps the load equal on all tires....Tilting to the front will load the front axle extra.
04-10-2019, 08:45 AM
#48
Senior Member
Syppo mirrors suck, but you may want tow mirrors depending on the profile of the boat. Mine was a deep v cuddy and unless you wanted to see just the hull or backed in at a constant angle the tow mirrors helped a lot. Have who ever is selling the trailer measure the coupler height to help you get the right shank and ball. If the trailer is a bunk make sure the bunks are not rotten, carpet can hide a lot of damage. Bring a grease gun and hit the bearings if it had buddies or at least zerks. Not a bad idea to lift each tire and spin it to see if the bearing has any rough spots or if the brakes are dragging. Verify the brakes actually work, if the boat is close to water a lot of people don't bother.
04-10-2019, 09:46 AM
#49
Senior Member
Optimally we would all have temp scanners when we tow, but for those that don't, putting your hand on the bearing or as close as you can get it is to check the temp is a good idea. If you have been towing on the highway for a bit and you pull over just put you hand near it, if it is warm, that is too be expected, if it feels hot, like your hand on a hot kettle of water, that is bad. It's a good idea to tow at speed for a few miles and pull over and check early in the tow.
b) if you're going to use a feel test, remember to start with the back of your hand towards the possibly-hot item. If your bearings are hot enough to burn you, you've probably got other issues anyhow, but no reason to add a burnt hand to the list.
c) if you have a non-contact thermometer, you can also check tire temps as another point of data; they may vary side-to-side (particularly on a crowned road or sunny vs shady side), but if the two wheels on the same side have drastically different temps, again, you've got an issue to resolve (tire pressure being the most obvious guess, but if you have a leak of some sort...)
04-10-2019, 12:31 PM
#50
a) non-contact thermometers are now silly-cheap and are nice to have for lots of automotive uses, so if you've got time, I'd recommend buying one (just be aware of the limitations, particularly with respect to range and its effect on readings)
b) if you're going to use a feel test, remember to start with the back of your hand towards the possibly-hot item. If your bearings are hot enough to burn you, you've probably got other issues anyhow, but no reason to add a burnt hand to the list.
c) if you have a non-contact thermometer, you can also check tire temps as another point of data; they may vary side-to-side (particularly on a crowned road or sunny vs shady side), but if the two wheels on the same side have drastically different temps, again, you've got an issue to resolve (tire pressure being the most obvious guess, but if you have a leak of some sort...)
b) if you're going to use a feel test, remember to start with the back of your hand towards the possibly-hot item. If your bearings are hot enough to burn you, you've probably got other issues anyhow, but no reason to add a burnt hand to the list.
c) if you have a non-contact thermometer, you can also check tire temps as another point of data; they may vary side-to-side (particularly on a crowned road or sunny vs shady side), but if the two wheels on the same side have drastically different temps, again, you've got an issue to resolve (tire pressure being the most obvious guess, but if you have a leak of some sort...)