I have some questions about towing a rather large boat and Yes I have used the search. I have a 2001 with the 4.0L sohc and 4.10 gears. and the towing package

1.) what is the stock hitch rating that it would have come with from the factory? Mine does not say. The reason I ask this is because I know the truck is rated to tow over 5,000lbs and if the hitch is only rated for 5,000 there is no point in searching for a ball mount rated for 6,000lbs.

2.) What is the rule about towing in overdrive? I ask this because the boat plus trailer is around 5,400 lbs! And no I don't really have another truck i can borrow. So with overdrive towing on something that big should I not even use it on flat ground.

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help

The new boat!

 

Sweet boat!
Seems like the rating on the hitch is 500/5000 without weight distribution, and a little more without. What is the tongue weight with everything loaded up?
The hitch should be fine with a proper ball mount and everything, but you're pushing it with the truck, especially having slightly bigger than stock tires.
Missouri is pretty flat thought, so it shouldn't be a HUGE deal. Don't even try overdrive, with 4.10s and 32" tires you probably won't be able to hold it anyway.
My Sport Trac had a 4.0L auto 4x4, 4.88s and 33s with a bigger trans cooler, and that boat would be about the most I would think about towing.

Get a big transmission cooler and something to monitor temp as well.

 

The highways may be flat , but what's going to happen when he tries to pull that boat out of the water up a wet boat ramp ? I don't think the Ranger will have enough weight to get grip enough.
A good rule-of-thumb is if it needs to be hauled on a tandem axle trailer , it should be pulled with a full-sized truck.

JMHO

 

Yeah I agree. I was thinking about how interesting it might be even trying to pull that thing out in 4low. I've seen in done but I'm not sure I would want to do it.
Really the trailer you pull shouldn't weigh so much more than the truck when you have a small truck.
You should be looking at half tons!

 

i wouldnt really see a problem with pulling it down the road,but i wouldnt wanna pull it out a lake with a ranger

 

i agree about the o/d. gearing is your friend when towing. keep those rpms up. you might have to use 4low to get it outta the water. lol. what are the specs on the boat? how long? weight? the ranger i think is good for 5k lbs for towing with an auto. that might be a strain. brian is right, keep that tranny cool and the rpms up.

 

My friend's f250 diesel with a camper shell spins at the same ramp i use with the same boat (2600lbs).

Did you calculate gas? 100 gallons of gas is almost 1000 lbs.

 

It would actually be more like 600lbs but whatever.

 

actually up to 759lbs depending on where one lives, but who's counting.

 

Thanks for all the help!
I am planning on towing it as close to empty as possible (gas and water).

Yea i have the factory trans cooler that came with the tow package. I have a scan gauge to monitor the trans temps. At what temp should I be weary of or pull over and let it cool down?

 

My sport trac trans with factory cooler was always warm (180ish) driving around empty. With a bigger cooler it dropped 20 degrees. I think the highest I saw pulling a 14x6 enclosed trailer loaded up was 210 climbing mountains from Oregon through Wyoming. It would have been much warmer on the stock cooler and I probably would have had to stop several places.
My f150 with stock cooler sits around 145 most days.
I'm not sure what temp I would get real concerned, but I didn't even like 210. I was pulling steep grades at high altitudes and probably would have caused more heat if I stopped and got moving again.
A bigger aftermarket trans cooler wouldn't cost much and is worth a lot in piece of mind.

 

double axle + Ranger = no

 

I'm gonna say no i own a 20 foot ski boat and its dry weight w/o gas is 2,700 LBS and towing something that small isn't even fun the truck is very sluggish and on a windy day the tail definitely wags the dog...

 

ace i think it's already late to say no lol

 

Yea I agree that its not ideal, but I don't really have any other options. Its not a move that I will be doing frequently. I am traveling about 340 miles to pick it up and don't plan on ever towing it anywhere near that far again.

 

haha ya i might be more convincing since i actually own a boat lol

 

Uhaul rents out F150's to tow stuff i saw one the other day.

340 Miles thats gonna be a really long drive on the truck


in the end it's your call but after towing this boat i know for a fact if i was ever going to tow anything ever again I'll be purchasing a full size

just realized your in St. Louis where is the boat at? im about 340 miles from St. Louis just wondering if its up north.

 

so do i lol...

Brian what's her length and whats she got for a motor

 

oh sorry lol

if i had to guess its prbly a 24 foot with a v8

 

It's going from Somerset, Ky to St Louis. It's a new 2007 Bayliner 245 br.....yes its a new 3yr old boat.
They were called 249sd from 2003-06
Its 24'4" plus a swim platform, 8'6" Beam
4,000lb dry weight, around 5400lbs with the trailer
78 gal gas, 15 gal water
1'7"draft min, 3" draft max

Brand new 2007 Bayliner 245. This boat is powered with a 5.0L MPI (260HP). It is equipped with snap in carpet, bow filler cushion, enclosed head, depth finder, extended swim platform, tandem axle Heritage trailer with surge brakes, bimini top, and an am/fm stereo.

more pics

 

Not bad!
I'd haul it down there for you, for some $$$

 

that thing is nice!

 

Nice Boat 1
I know what you will be seeing, a bud and me pulled a 7000 lb. boat/trail with his 4Runner, scray, the back end was all over the place and he had to start stopping way before where he wanted to turn in off of the hy-way.
Think about the other end of this, stopping, are the brakes up to the task, 5400 + truck ?
Be very careful, the *** end is so lite in the Ranger it will not take much to bring it around with the boat.
IMHO, the vehicle should be rated for more than the weight it is hauling.

Good Luck,

 

Coming from someone who tows for a living, and sells and installs hitches and weight distribution/sway controls, here is my 5 cents...Most of the CIII hitches are rated for 6000 weight carrying with a 600lb tongue weight. Rangers, with the 4.0L and auto, Supercab 4x4 is rated to tow 5580lbs which means a tongue weight of 550 lbs. Your trailer and boat weigh 5400 which means your trailer tongue weight is 540lbs.

I would HIGHLY recommend getting a weight distribution kit. What that kit does is move the tongue weight back into the trailer.

I also would recommend a sway control. That will help keep the trailer safely behind you.

All of these can be had for about $400 bucks.

Hope that helps.

 

I would totally agree. I would use the Equilizer hitch, it has sway control built in with the bars, and has solid bars so it doesn't buck like a torsion WD hitch does on some concrete roads.

Does that have some sort of brake setup? Typically larger boat trailers have hydralic brakes, like a rented uhaul.