I have a 2001 F-150 SuperCrew Lariant 4x2 without the towing package. My step brother wants me to help him tow his sail boat about 20 miles. I think the boat is right near the towing weight of my truck, at about 7500 pounds. Here are my questions.

What level of hitch should I get, Class 3/4/5?

What happens if I tow the boat and it is over the towing weight?

Will I damage my truck?

Should I tell him to jump in the lake that he wants me to tow the boat out of?

Any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for you help.

John

 

Get the heaviest hitch you can (class 5) because most boats don't have weight distribution and will need the extra beef. The difference in cost is minimal.

If you don't have the trailer package, you will also probably need a tranny cooler and an electric brake controller (unless the trailer has surge brakes) and 4 or 7 pin wiring.

It would probably be cheaper to get a pro to do it if you are only ever going to do once because it will probably cost $500 to get all of this installed.

On the other hand, if you can get your step brother to pay for it, it will be a nice upgrade to your truck.

Ian

 

If cost isn't a factor, consider changing your phone number or moving.

 

I replaced my OEM class III with a Putnam class IV. It wa about $110 from truckperformance believe it or not.

The class IV is rated at 8000# carrying weight. Make sure you get an appropriatly rated ball mount and ball as well. That'll run another $50-$75 depending on where you get it. I've bought from etrailer.com. I think you'll just bolt right up with the putnam. However, that's not all....... I tow over 7000# with the towing package. I assume you've got a 3.55 rear. You should be fine for 20 miles especailly if you don't have any hills. If you were to do more than that, without fail, add a tranny cooler at least.

If you were to do all that, it should be more than $300 or so I would think. You might also want to doubel check the tow rating as well.

Oh, if the tralier doesn't have surge brakes, reconsider or pass!! Depending on how well the weight is distributed on the trailer, it'll be one thing dealing with possible sway and porposing, you don't want to deal with stopping problems and I would not truxt 7500# to the trucks brakes alone!

Other than that, for what good the comparisoon is, my Expy tows my boat great!!! See the pic in my sig for an idea of size.

 

Get a class 5 hitch. After that, if you are only towing 20 miles, you don't need anything else... just don't go fast. I haul a 7000 to 7500 lb tractor and trailer 20 to 30 miles every once in a while... never over 30... no trailer brakes... no leveler... just go easy and it works fine.

 

for 20-30 miles and considering that you are not set up from the beginning this is what i would do.

if you are not ever going to tow again, then i would just go rend a u-haul truck, ryder or whatever and make sure to take the insurance and tear their truck up instead of your own

just my opinion

 

John,

I just traded my 01 SuperCrew 5.4 4X2, without the towing package, because of towing issues. Without the tow package your springs are not really set up to handle that type of tongue weight ( 10-15% of total weight). A one time 20 mile trip probably won't harm anything. Even so the suggestion to rent a truck is the best one listed. I would think the marina would charge less for deliver than you will pay to get set up to do it. BTW most boat trailers I've seen use surge brakes so you would not need electric brakes or a 7 pin connector if you decide to do it...

HTH

 

I wouldn't spend any time worrying about a 20 mile tow. Boats, by nature, are pretty 'slippery' -- so wind-load is not a factor -- weight is.

If you feel that you're straining things, simply reduce your speed. 45 is the minimum here on the interstate -- and at that speed, you could pull a boxcar.

The only place you'll have an issue is if you are required to pull the boat out of the water -- where you'll probably find that you don't have enough 'grunt-n-gearing'. That's the place where 4x4 Low earns it's place in your checkbook.

Be sure that you have surge (or other competent) brakes, or you'll need a large roll of TP when you hit the light at the end of the off-ramp.

 

LOL, you'd be surprised how many safety options can be substituted with a large roll of TP. I passed up brakes, safety chains, extended mirrors, correct size ball, trailer lights, professional hitch installation and backing up skills, all for twelve pack of TP and saved a ton of dough!

 

One load that is too heavy can cause damge to your leaf springs. One or both of the springs can sag after an over load on the rear end.

 

That much tongue weight better not damage a spring. Maybe a Chevy S-10 short with a 28# payload rating.

Also, the class of hitch won't make the difference you might think. I went form a class III OEM to a Class IV Putnam for 2 reasons. I tow often and will long distance so IF somehting were to happen, I don't want the liability of being over the rater capacity. And the other is that the OEN hitch's look like crap after they get wet once and start to fade and rust.

From a Class III to a Class IV some of the material is a little heavier, but that's it. A Class V you may not even be able to get for you're truck. They are usually only avalaible for long wheel base also. They will mount further up on the frame so you need more frame to distribute the weight more. Also a Class V is rated so far beyond what you're truck it rated, there is no reason to make it for them. I could be wrong though. Even a Class IV is hard to find aftermarket for a short wheel base truck like my Expy. Putnam is the only on that I could find. Although they are cheal enough as about $100.

I was told that my Class III would probably do fine towing up to about 14000#. However, the truck might have a different opinion.

Remember that hooking up to a trailer is the easy part! The concerns come when you need to control the load. Stopping, swaying, porposing etc. are where problems come in.

A one time short drive, shouldn't be a big deal at all. I WOULD advise making sure you have brakes that work. Even if the weight of the load isn't ideal, if you compensate by driving the appropriate speed, you should be fine, as long as you can stop. You may have to drive 25 MPH to compensate but like what was already said, must boats and boat trailers are really forgiving to tow.