Serious Thoughts About Safe Towing - G-Series Nautiques

[DLafont]

For the GMC owners check out the link below, page 4! Lot of discussion in another thread with Yukon (8500lbs) and Yukon XL (8300 lbs). I think these numbers a very conservative for liability reasons but they are what they are

http://www.gmc.com/content/dam/GMC/g...wing-guide.pdf

Thanks for sharing this, it is quite a detailed document and a must read for anyone towing with a GM vehicle.

[shag]

The only thing I want to add here, is that one should consider how things will react/(the weak point) in a panic situation. I think we all know that a lot of trucks will pull and stop under normal conditions and some even more extreme. But think about the worst case, going down hill, panic stop. I just wouldn't chance it. IMO Be safe

[bblueg]

ESPECIALLY if you have a 2" ball. The Ram-Lin trailers for G-Series boats use 2 5/16" and those are easier to find with higher ratings.

+1 for checking your BALL rating AND check the ball mount/draw bar. The one I ended up finding is solid steel. Not the type III tube steel.

Needs to be type V, solid steel and fitted with the correctly rated ball.

[Noahsark]

a0128 I beg to differ with you on that ! My Ford F250 Diesel would easily pull a G23 and it wouldn't break a sweat. I pull a 40' Fifth wheel camper that is well over 16,000 pounds and you can't even hardly tell its behind you. If a Ford 250 diesel isn't going to pull a G23, I'm not sure what would?

[a0128]

a0128 I beg to differ with you on that ! My Ford F250 Diesel would easily pull a G23 and it wouldn't break a sweat. I pull a 40' Fifth wheel camper that is well over 16,000 pounds and you can't even hardly tell its behind you. If a Ford 250 diesel isn't going to pull a G23, I'm not sure what would?

Read the post. Since fifth wheel trailers are towed using a mount that is different than a hitch I can't comment on that. Your F250 is underrated to pull the weight of a G-series according to Ford. Plain and simple.

[Noahsark]

a0128 I'm not going to argue with you. You believe what you want to believe. I'm a Class A contractor building Homes for a living and I pull my bobcat and other equipment almost everyday with the weight distributing hitch I have on my F250 Super Duty. You read what you want, I work in the real world. That's Plain and Simple

By the way its not can I afford to buy gas, its is it really needed? Forgive me for being a "penny pincher" but that's just my nature. I'm not one to just feely spend money, I look and think throughly before I pull the plug on anything.

Also I don't think I will need a 409 if I decide on a 230. But again we all have and are entitled to our own opinions

[cedarcreek216]

For those that believe a F250 is an inadequate tow vehicle for pulling any tow boat that's just crazy. Guess we all need to get a big rig to tow our boats?


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[Noahsark]

Yeah, cedarcreek216, I'm still getting a little laugh out of that myself ! Lol If a F250 super duty Diesel won't pull a tow boat, then what will?? I guess when I'm pulling my bobcat to the jobsite Monday I'll look back in my mirrors in amazement???

And just for the record, it's much heavier than a G23, and yes it will pass the VDOT requirements everytime I take it across the scales. Go Figure?

[Kenv]

Just want to add to a0128s comments above about towing with an F250 or even and F350 single wheel. He is correct when he says you are OVER the limit pulling a G23 if you go by the rating on the frame mounted receiver...which gives you only 6000 pounds with the 2 inch square receiver or 8500 with the 2.5 inch square receiver found on the newer F250s.. You are NOT OVER if you are using a weight distribution hitch with an F250 pulling a G23 or G25 for that matter. It's real simple guys. Just read the numbers. Now will it pull more....Heck YESSSSS. But....If you hit someone and injure them in an accident and you are over the hitch rating...you bet the Texas Hammer (attorney) will be sure to point that out in the courtroom.

[NautiqueJeff]

Thanks Kenv! That's exactly my point in the towing post! There's no doubt that the trucks are capable of moving the weight. The fact is that they are not legally rated to do so without a weight distributing hitch.

[Noahsark]

Well there's a whole lot more than what you read that goes into pulling senario. Tongue weight can be changed many ways with or without a weight distributing hitch. I could go into great detail about the aspects of how to properly pull a lot of different weights, as I do all of the time and one of my best friends runs a Trailer sales and service that deals with weighting issues almost everyday.

Jeff you were spot on when you mentioned the loads on the tires. That is where everyone should really be checking. I've encountered many a time when a "said" tire was at it's max or even over it's load limit, and then add the heat its generating rolling down the road not counting brake heat, and you have some questionable senarios.

This is a boating forum so I'll just keep it to that.

[cedarcreek216]

So why don't the G's come on a goose neck trailer? Seems the trailer manufacturers are fairly exposed if they are designing trailers to be hitch pulled when no hitch vehicle can legal pull it without a WD hitch?


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[Dandy21]

It really depends how the vehicle is equipped. We recently picked up a 2011 Chev 2500 and it is rated to hitch pull up to 13000 lbs. They have a very heavy duty 2.5" receiver installed from factory. It really is simply about the weakest link. Even though the truck/receiver is rated at 13000 my current hitch is only 10000 making my current set up good to 10000 even though the truck is rated higher. There are heavier duty receivers that could be installed on the trucks in question such as the F250. Why they don't have them from the factory is what baffles me.

I think a gooseneck/5'er boat trailer would be great for capacity and maneuverability but could hurt resale by limiting buyers.

[cedarcreek216]

Yea, you would think the vehicle manufacturers that advertise the high tow capacities would equip them with the set up required to legally tow said capacity.

I was somewhat joking about the gooseneck or fifth wheel trailer on these heavy boats, but it's a Nobel idea and can only assume it's just a matter of time.


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[Kenv]

Yes Dandy...that's another point I forgot to mention. Just because Ford might put....and I'm guessing here....a class III or IV receiver on all the trucks, doesn't mean you can't put on a heavier class V or higher if they even make one higher...not sure. Just sucks because Ford/Chevy/Dodge should probably do this in the first place or make it an option to upgrade to the maximum available or allowed for a particular frame. As far as I remember back in 2010 when I got my 250....I didn't have an option. And Dandy...I've got the opposite problem from you. My B&W ball is rated for 10,000....my frame mounted receiver a la Ford is only rated for 6000. I could swear the Ford commercial said I could pull a train engine with the "All new F250 with the most powerful diesel engine in it's class" Don't like that building in your parking spot....just hook up and pull it aside......LOL