PDA

View Full Version : Tow Vehicle



Andy L
07-14-2010, 11:16 PM
Hi All,
I am still looking for my first moomba, but the wife says I need to put the horse before the cart. I am wondering what you use to tow your boat. I am looking for truck, but an SUV could work. I do not live on a lake so I would make weekday trips of 20 miles and weekend trips of around two hours. Thanks for all your help!

Andy L

you da man
07-14-2010, 11:23 PM
'07 Dodge Mega Cab 5.9L diesel. 19-21 mpg on highway, 15 mpg towing the boat 70-75mph

brain_rinse
07-14-2010, 11:34 PM
What's your budget? Do you care about things like amenities and fuel mileage or are you just looking for a tow beast?

NewmbaTX
07-14-2010, 11:36 PM
I have an '04 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4.7l ho. Pulls hard and get 18 hwy and 16 towing. Stays strong and not weak on hills. Also have an '99 f150 with 4.9l triton, NOT recommended! Is weak on hills and drains tank in one trip!! 20 gallons gone!!! You can watch the gauge fall.

02Outback
07-14-2010, 11:41 PM
I have a 2004 Ford F150 - 4.6l. Mileage isn't the best, but it pulls the boat. Fuel isn't the best, but not the worst. Pulls the boat out of the water just fine.

sandm
07-15-2010, 06:30 AM
'00 ford f-150 heavy half. 5.4 triton. gets around 13 in town and 8-10 when towing. not great, but it has no issues yanking boat around up and down the hills we live around..

moombadaze
07-15-2010, 07:12 AM
06 dodge quad cab 4x4 hemi. no issues at all with it so far.

lewisb13
07-15-2010, 07:57 AM
2004 Silverado 2500HD 6.0 gas engine. Truck only gets about 13.5mpg even when Im not towing, but the nice thing is that it gets about 12.5mpg with the boat back there. Its got a big ole 4.10 in the back for pulling huge loads, so it probably need to put some bigger tires on it to help a tiny bit. 8-)

sailing217
07-15-2010, 09:13 AM
02' Montero Limited V6 18hwy/15city/8tow with 165k miles and bulletproof. Upgraded brakes and old man Emu suspension. Flat ohio it's ok towing. cannot take it to the mountains.

We are getting a denali/escalade with the 6.2l this winter.

Are you looking for a daily driver or just occasional weekend tow hog? Are you towing flat or hills/mts for 2hrs?

MartinCaron
07-15-2010, 10:13 AM
I have a 07 ford explorer Eddie bauer V8 tow package twin transmission cooler
and I'm more than happy...

Last weekend i borrowed a F-350 Larriat supper duty diesel from a Ford dealer for a 250 miles trip to the a lake... No surprise, it rides like your towing nothing.
But ouch, I drove to fast on the rough and I broke a leaf spring on the trailer and had to put a 4x4 wood piece between the trailer frame and the axel...

Guess what ? I'm gonna stick with much smaller tow rigs...

Ian Brantford
07-15-2010, 10:34 AM
Andy, your wife is wise. Selection of tow vehicle comes up fairly often here and on most boating fora. You can bring up a quick selection of past conversations (and arguments) by clicking on "Search", "Advanced Search", enter "Tow Vehicle" in the "Key Word(s)" field and then be sure to change the option from "Search Entire Posts" to "Search Titles Only". I'd make a link for you, but that doesn't seem to work.

What model of Moomba are you planning to buy? This is important if you get a mid-sized truck or SUV. If you get such a vehicle, the Outback would be easily towable while the XLV might not. For the LSV, it's been just 300 lbs shy of the XLV since 2006. Please carefully check the dry weight specifications from Moomba for the model you have in mind.

After that, check the towing capacities of the vehicles under consideration and... laugh them off. You need to check with some actual owners who tow trailers of similar weight to your boat. Some makes/models have towing options that purport to support far in excess of what is realistic for the vehicle to control. For examples, the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma have claimed capacities of well over 5000 lbs, but I wouldn't go notably past 5000 lbs in any mid-size (Tacoma) or past 3500 in any small truck (Ranger).

I have used both an SUV (3rd-generation Toyota 4Runner) and a pick-up truck (Honda Ridgeline) to tow. I prefer the truck because the growing collection of gear can simply be piled higher in the bed. With the SUV, we filled the rear storage and a large cartop carrier.

The 4Runner actually handled pretty well on the road, but it wasn't heavy enough to reliably stop the boat/trailer when launching at the gravel ramp! A 4th-generation 4Runner would have done fine. The Ridgeline handles it well on the road and at the ramp. This is for towing a 2005 XLV (4800 lbs dry weight).

I have done head-to-head comparisons of the handling-while-towing between the 2009 Ridgeline against the 1997 Silverado that usually sits forelornly behind it in my driveway. They are both very good. The Silverado has gotten bad mileage (even unloaded) and been unreliable from Day 1. The Ridgeline doesn't spend any time in the shop, gets far better mileage, and has a far better interior with comfort for five adults. It also has far better/safer handling in bumpy or slippery road conditions, due to its drive system and independent rear suspension.

My typical mileage with the Ridgeline: 16 city, 18-20 mixed, 24 highway. 12 when towing the XLV. You'll feel it on steep hills -- about the same as the 5.x L engines on the full-sized trucks.

If you are a homeowner who does his own renovations, you'll eventually be making those runs to Home Depot for supplies. The Ridgeline is the only mid-sized truck with at least 4 feet between the wheel wells for standard building supplies.

You'll get some fantastically "overkill" recommendations here. 5500-6000 lb truck to tow an outback? Well, if the truck is only for towing the boat, that's fine. My truck is also my everyday vehicle and I wouldn't want to be paying for the fuel consumption of a heavy full-sized truck for daily use. The Ridgeline is right-sized for my use.

MartinCaron
07-15-2010, 10:46 AM
For the ford product line i would recomand:

If your realy near the boat ramp:
-Explorer v8 with tow package
-Ranger (They are uglyééé)
-Lincoln Aviator V8 tow package

For long rides:
-Expedition
-F150
-Lincoln Navigator

brain_rinse
07-15-2010, 11:09 AM
Wow, Ian... you sure love that Ridgeline. I'm not surprised that you like the vehicle, but I am surprised that you're towing an XLV that exceeds your max capacity and doing it with a V6!

MartinCaron
07-15-2010, 11:11 AM
i would be a little concerned about insurance...

pogofx
07-15-2010, 11:18 AM
I have a '06 Toyota 4runner V8 4x4. Best tow vehicle I've owned and the best part is that it fits in the garage next to my other car. Getting both cars in the garage while retaining tow capacity (7500lbs) was a priority to me.

moombabound
07-15-2010, 12:20 PM
Andy, the type of terrain you traverse is paramount. I live on the East side of the Rockies and pull annually to the West side. Need some horsepower/torque to do that. I have a serious pull to the Roger's Pass Summit. Like NewmbaTX, I have an '04 Grand Cherokee w/H.O. 4.7 and it handles it fine. Plus, need to pass the odd motorhome, transport, etc. If on the other hand you are on flat terrain, and have lots of runway to get up to speed, then power isn't a prime consideration.

Secondly, weight, per the prior replies about which Moomba model. You don't want the tow item steering the tow vehicle. I endured some serious wind sheer once, through a river valley, that moved me onto the shoulder. A bigger tow vehicle might have been less affected.

Next, fuel economy. The weekday and weekend commutes you list will take down some serious fuel money. Economy should be a prime consideration.

Lastly, space. You will end up with water toys that likely not all fit in the boat's storage compartments (surfboard or two, wakeboard or two, ski or two, tube, etc). Hence a truck box would be beneficial. I go to great trouble in this regard with my SUV, but only endure that once/yr.

You will be covering alot of highway. Sounds like you need something fairly sturdy, but which will not consume all your beer money at the pumps.

Happy hunting...

you da man
07-15-2010, 02:50 PM
Lots of good arguments on tow vehicles. I got my diesel for a couple reasons. It will never struggle up a hill or on a steep ramp, longevity of the engine (I keep my vehicles forever it seems), fuel economy towing, and it's a Dodge mega cab with the most cab room than any other truck for those road trips. I'm fortunate that this truck will fit into my garage but I can see why others would go to SUV to be able to park inside. Vehicle and boat need to be compatible with your terrain.

dru1974
07-15-2010, 03:12 PM
My wife and I bought a new dodge 1/2 ton with the crew cab and hemi a larado or whatever, my dodge diesel wasnt all that great on fuel, neither is this truck but it is when i am not towing, around 25mpg. it has gobs of power though and is very comfy in the back when i kick in a movie and make the wife drive on those long trips.:D

Andy L
07-15-2010, 04:21 PM
Thanks all,
This vehicle will be used only for towing the boat and some hunting trips. I have a long drive into work so I will be keeping both our cars and add the third vehicle to tow. I live in Minnesota so the longer trips will be flat land. As far as the boat goes I am looking for a used outback V or a mobius LSV. Again thanks for all your help!

Andy L

kaneboats
07-15-2010, 04:23 PM
Lots of Tahoes out there from people looking to downsize. If you aren't going to use it all that much you can stand one with a few miles on it and get in real cheap. The Tahoe/Suburban makes a pretty nice tow vehicle.

brain_rinse
07-15-2010, 04:28 PM
Lots of Tahoes out there from people looking to downsize. If you aren't going to use it all that much you can stand one with a few miles on it and get in real cheap. The Tahoe/Suburban makes a pretty nice tow vehicle.
I'll second this. I love my Tahoe and when it finally dies I will happily replace it with another.

JesseC
07-15-2010, 04:29 PM
I tow with a 08 Tahoe 4x4 with the 5.4 V8. To me the 4x4 is a must, I know that no matter what the ramp looks like I can get the boat back out. Dipping the rear tires is not really a concern and pulling the boat out using 4 wheel low is easy and smooth on the entire rig. I would not even consider a 2 wheel drive tow vehicle. I love to go sit at a ramp and watch these guys in 2wd trucks smoking the tires and making a mess. The Tahoe also rides very well going down the road. And gas mileage....please....I use my 15 MPG Tahoe to pull my 4-5 GPH boat....gas mileage....hahahahahahahah!

P.S. 1000 posts!!!!!!!!!!

brain_rinse
07-15-2010, 04:30 PM
Andy, be sure to give Nisswa Marine a chance, new or used. I've been very happy with that place...

clarkro2
07-15-2010, 04:46 PM
I tow with a 08 Tahoe 4x4 with the 5.4 V8. To me the 4x4 is a must, I know that no matter what the ramp looks like I can get the boat back out. Dipping the rear tires is not really a concern and pulling the boat out using 4 wheel low is easy and smooth on the entire rig. I would not even consider a 2 wheel drive tow vehicle. I love to go sit at a ramp and watch these guys in 2wd trucks smoking the tires and making a mess. The Tahoe also rides very well going down the road. And gas mileage....please....I use my 15 MPG Tahoe to pull my 4-5 GPH boat....gas mileage....hahahahahahahah!

P.S. 1000 posts!!!!!!!!!!

07 Chevy Avalanche 4x4 V8. 12.5 MPG. Thinking about putting a gas station in my front yard for the truck and boat.

Ian Brantford
07-15-2010, 05:01 PM
Wow, Ian... you sure love that Ridgeline.

I'm not sure that I "love" any consumer product. For those who don't need rock-crawling off-road capability, it's the best mid-sized truck by a wide margin. I have driven many light trucks, and it's far preferable, especially in winter. Probably the only tow vehicle here that might have a chance at besting it in handling in adverse road conditions would be zegm's Touareg.

Downside: no one makes a levelling kit for the Ridgeline.


I'm not surprised that you like the vehicle, but I am surprised that you're towing an XLV that exceeds your max capacity

Hm... What do you think is the max capacity?


and doing it with a V6!

That surprised me too! I did not purchase until I found other owners who had put on tens of thousands of miles of towing at or near the published limit. It's not a barnburner when towing the XLV, but it's enough to make one think "this is only a V6?" A V8 driver might be uncomfortable with occasionally winding up the RPM, but it's a high RPM engine. Towing the XLV on level ground on the highway, it's usually in 4th gear (out of 5), and about 2400-2800 RPM. When you want to take off, the "fun zone" starts when the VTEC kicks in at 4500 RPM and up. It's really just an emotional block to using that.

brain_rinse
07-15-2010, 05:07 PM
Hm... What do you think is the max capacity?
5000 lbs. Guy at work has one and tows his 3500 lb boat with it.

Razzman
07-15-2010, 05:14 PM
my '07 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew tows the LSV just fine anywhere i want to go. Had a high of 22 hwy and it tows around 15 mpg. If you don't have hills or mountains to worry about or don't tow over 5K then anything more than that is a waste if you only want it for towing or occasional hauling. Tahoes work just fine as well.

Ian Brantford
07-15-2010, 05:23 PM
5000 lbs. Guy at work has one and tows his 3500 lb boat with it.

Right... and the XLV with trailer (dry) is 4800 lbs. I carry non-trivial gear in the truck (where there is further capacity on top of towing). The couple of times that I filled the fuel tank on the road, I could see it being 5100 lbs, or 5% over. I don't have a convenient scale nearby to verify.

I know that most of us were taught by our dads to never load up with more than 80% of capacity, given the Detroit brands' propensity for marketing-driven figures and the desire for a safety margin using those figures. However, Honda's engineering-driven specifications are written with the margins above what is published. Like I said earlier, I did not buy until I found other owners who had already gone ahead and tested that the handling and durability, even when towing at or near the limit, holds up. Well, one guy complained about a burned-out tail light after 70,000 miles of heavy towing. Hopefully his complaint about that won't tarnish Honda's reputation for reliability. :-)

bcr
07-15-2010, 05:23 PM
good luck on getting the moomba,I tow with an 06 F150 and have had no problems.Also tow a 30ft camper and 24ft car trailer,also with no trouble.

brain_rinse
07-15-2010, 05:48 PM
Right... and the XLV with trailer (dry) is 4800 lbs. I carry non-trivial gear in the truck (where there is further capacity on top of towing). The couple of times that I filled the fuel tank on the road, I could see it being 5100 lbs, or 5% over. I don't have a convenient scale nearby to verify.

Again, glad it's working out for you. I would just encourage you to stop by a scale sometime and prove it to yourself. Don't forget to unhook from your truck to include the tongue weight. Hopefully your estimates are correct. You're in Canada and we all know that things weigh less there because you're so much closer to the moon.


However, Honda's engineering-driven specifications are written... Careful, you're treading dangerously close to Honda Civic fanboy territory here! You already mentioned VTEC once, so this is strike two. ;)

cbboarder
07-15-2010, 06:38 PM
2007 Tundra TRD with i-force 5.7. Can pull the gates off of hell!

maxpower220
07-15-2010, 07:26 PM
I am on my second Chevy Avalanche. First was on 02, 5.3. It got 13.8 city/ 17 hwy, 12 towing. My new 09, 5.3L get 17.5 city and 20 hwy with 14 towing. The Avalanche is a great vehicle for many reasons. It uses the same suspension as the Suburban with is a five link rear instead of leaf springs. This helps with ride quality. 5 adults can comfortably ride long distances in the cab. The covered and locking rear area can carry a lot of stuff, plus you can convert the cab and carry 4'x8' material fully covered. There are very few wake boats made that approach the towing limit of the Avy. Between the 2 Avys that I have owned, I have over 120K trouble free miles. I have never had a failure more than a battery that failed after my 6 month deployment (I accepted that a 5 yr old battery would fail).

Lastly, the truck weighs about 6000 lbs. Even an XLV does not have the mass to push the truck around. Other vehicles will have a weight of 4-5K lbs, and that can lead to issues in emergency stops or other driving situations that arise when your boat and trailer weigh more than the tow vehicle.

There are many factors to consider when looking at a tow vehicle. Most people use their vehicle to tow less than 1% of the total miles that they put on. If your lake is 1 mile or 15 miles, that would make a difference also. I live on a lake, but if I did not I would probably own a diesel truck.

newyear14
07-16-2010, 12:20 AM
I tow with a Mercury Mountaineer V8 AWD. No issues so far.

gcnettl
07-16-2010, 01:19 AM
I have an '04 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4.7l ho. Pulls hard and get 18 hwy and 16 towing. Stays strong and not weak on hills. Also have an '99 f150 with 4.9l triton, NOT recommended! Is weak on hills and drains tank in one trip!! 20 gallons gone!!! You can watch the gauge fall.

16 towing is pretty amazing. For any automobile. Diesel can't even touch that.


I have pulled with a variety of trucks. 05 F-250 FX4 diesel.... got around 11-13.5.

03 f-150 fx4....5.4L... about 6 maybe... just maybe

07 Sequoia... prob my favorite... it got 9. had the big engine for back then, can not exactly remember the size that it was... had 4.10 gears in the back 2 wheel drive... Could load up a bunch of people and head out! driving around it got about 16-17

08 Tundra, 5.7L. Pulls great. Pulled boat on the interstate 700 miles... avg was 11. Could not be happier. A diesel is lucky to get that at 75 mph.

Now when some people say tows well. They mean they can ease around town or through the country with planned stops and starts and gets 13 mpg @ 50mph.

Towing to me is being capable of handling my load in adverse conditions, being able to get on the interstate and not be pushing my vehicle to its limits, and feeling comfortable while towing.


The f-150 is out of the question. Hands down I dont tow my boat with it. The engine pulls weak and has to tach up to 4k rpm for moderate hills. The stopping power is not up to par as well.


The Sequoia was great, didnt like the mirrors on it. But you could sure pack a lot of people in it and it rode like a dream. the 4.10 gearing gave it ample power and the brakes seemed adequate.

The F-250 was nice but it was a big, cumbersome truck. You cannot take these trucks to the mall without having to back up three times to cram into a parking space. The turning radius is horrible and diesel is not cheap. This truck was loud and everything about it was expensive. (100 bucks for an oil change, and dont think you can save hundreds by changing yourself, it holds an oil tanker full of oil). So unless I buy a bulldozer, 13,000 LB camper, or want to start buying all of BP's oil that they have spilled in the gulf, I will not have another diesel.

The Tundra that I have now is amazing. I can pull at 79 mph at get 11 on the zero. At 55mph I get 13 - 13.5. It handles well and when I am not towing is a great truck. Tight turning radius, easy to maneuver, can outrun a telephone call, gets about 17-19 mph, has towing mirrors that do not take away from the looks of the truck, and it's brakes will knock your teeth out when you apply them. The traction control system is one that you would expect to find on a Porshe. You can not wreck this thing! You can fly around a curve and hit gravel and the traction control kicks in and somehow just works. The ECU automatically adjusts when descending hills with a load and holds your speed so you dont have to "ride" the brakes.

To sum it up:

The Tundra is an all arounder for me. I can use it for anything that I want, as well as pulling my boat. It can haul, pull, go get groceries, and go to the outback on saturday night.

The sequoia could hold a lot of people and gear, rode well, and pulled good. Did not get the fuel mileage that i get with my tundra, and had small towing mirrors, and did not have a bed.

The f-250 was really good for towing or hauling, but to me was too impractical to have sitting around the yard waiting on the one thing it was good at, pulling. It cost more than a gas burner to upkeep and did not like getting around in it. If you buy something just to pull, I would get nothing else but this. If your buying for pulling and/or everything else, then go with something as mentioned above.

As far as the f-150. Lets not go there. I could prob put a different gear ratio in, at a little expense, but I dont think that is needed as I have my Tundra.

From reading the brochures, Tundra has made the other pick-ups step up to the plate. The new Dodge boasts a lot of horsepower as well as the Chevrolet and GMC. I think they have all pretty much upgraded suspension, locking rear differentials standard, and brakes as well.


Being a farmer I have also pulled a cattle trailer with a 4-runner. V-6. It pulled well but was just not beefy enough to handle cattle moving around, wind, etc. But the 4-runner was a nice ride.

NewmbaTX
07-16-2010, 03:21 AM
16 towing is pretty amazing. For any automobile. Diesel can't even touch that.

Ok, maybe a little lie or favorable suggestion on my part. But we drove 225 miles total this past weekend to Austin, includes round trip, around town, grocery pick up, ice, ramp drop, and pick up, dinner out... All with boat on it, except at ramp AND when we blew the tire on the trailer (trying to find a tire or help at 12am) and only used 14.72 gallons!

Pulled most of time with OD off, rpm at 2500. And yes pulls good, none of the 4000 junk the F150 does (i was disappionted when I found the Ford pulled so weak, that was the truck I uses to pick up boat when I bought it, STOOD on the pedal the whole time, d**n near!)

Now in favor of the rest, this is rolling hills, no mountains, but hilly! I love my Jeep V8 HO..dont forget the "HO= high output"...I've been impressed myself how well it does, and the power!

patrick232
07-16-2010, 10:34 AM
Again, glad it's working out for you. I would just encourage you to stop by a scale sometime and prove it to yourself. Don't forget to unhook from your truck to include the tongue weight. Hopefully your estimates are correct. You're in Canada and we all know that things weigh less there because you're so much closer to the moon.

Careful, you're treading dangerously close to Honda Civic fanboy territory here! You already mentioned VTEC once, so this is strike two. ;)

So is there a big difference in a 05 vs 07 Moomba XLV?
I have towed out to Norris Lake from Ohio up and down I75 twice this year. In April I got 11.5 for both tanks. In July I got 8.4, not happy, but understand.

April trip temp in the upper 70's and 2 guys and 2 duffel bags of clothes

July trip temp in the upper 90's when not raining 3 adults, 2 kids, bed filles with a weeks worth of clothes, 2 full coolers.

For the first 100 miles it rained buckets, even with the drain plug out the boat filled with water. Carpet soaked every place, playpen area filled with over a foot of water. Note to self pull the center bag out before towing the the rain, it formed a nice seal for the drain. Even the foam in the seats filled with water.

I bet the boat and trailer would have tipped the scales at close to 6,500 or more being wet if not more.

What would have happen to the Ridgeline? I bet it would not have been very happy or getting 12 mpg.

FYI I do tow in the fast lane and could improve the mpg, but time is limited.

JesseC
07-17-2010, 12:35 AM
This always cracks me up.

Next time your on the Highway and you fill up think how long ago it was that you filled it up. 5 hours?

Yea your sweet little gas burning trucks suck 4 to 6 gallons an hour also LOL.

300 miles at 60 mph getting 15 mpg = 5 gallons an hour.

The reason you dont complain is you can drive all week on a tank of fuel in your truck and only 1 or 2 days in a boat. Lets also remember a car has a 4 to 6 speed trans and a boat is 1 gear forward..

I just think talking about gas mileage and tow vehicles is comical. If I was worried about gas mileage I would have bought a 4 cylinder I/O and pulled it with a 4 cylinder tacoma. I wanted a tow boat that could pull the house...this takes lots of fuel. I also wanted a tow vehicle that could pull in any situation...this also takes lots of fuel.

zegm
07-19-2010, 01:18 PM
A good bet is a 5900lb AWD SUV with a V-10 - 5.0L Diesel with self leveling all independent suspension and 550ft-lbs of torque.
About 14mpg towing at 70mph and 18.5mpg around town (ok I drive her hard!)

JesseC
07-20-2010, 11:06 AM
My F350 is 8800Lbs and i can tell you for a fact, the LSV cant man handle that truck.

Does your F350 even know it is towing a boat?!?! My buddy pulled my boat with his F350 Super Duty twin turbo and i was not pulling anything. I could not keep up with him giong up hills!!!!!!

Salyers
07-20-2010, 11:45 AM
I towed my 09 LS with a 2004 V6 toyota 4runner. It did fine except for hills but I never had any problems with stopping or being pushed around by the boat.
Now my new 2010 tundra Crewmax 4x4 doesn't have any problems. It loves the boat as much as I do. Love my 5.7v8. Great gas mileage considering what I am doing with it!

zegm
07-20-2010, 11:02 PM
I towed my 09 LS with a 2004 V6 toyota 4runner. It did fine except for hills but I never had any problems with stopping or being pushed around by the boat.
Now my new 2010 tundra Crewmax 4x4 doesn't have any problems. It loves the boat as much as I do. Love my 5.7v8. Great gas mileage considering what I am doing with it!

What is this????? :D
Nope I am not really a Japanese kind of car person (come one Honda, 56 vacume lines) but YES another LS owner!!!! GREAT!!!!!
Always remember there is only 1 ski boat and that is a DD! All others have VD! :D
Glad to see another LS owner!!!!

you da man
07-20-2010, 11:26 PM
Does your F350 even know it is towing a boat?!?! My buddy pulled my boat with his F350 Super Duty twin turbo and i was not pulling anything. I could not keep up with him giong up hills!!!!!!

That's what I love about my Cummins diesel. Going uphill the rpm's stay the same but the boost on my turbo goes up a few. Also, nice to accelerate faster than cars not pulling anything.

baller40
07-21-2010, 06:29 PM
I have a v-8 dodge dakota with a towing package. We wouldn't haul much. We leave our boat on the lift most of the summer. Would this work ok for an outback or ooutback v?

skiyaker
07-21-2010, 08:47 PM
I have a v-8 dodge dakota with a towing package. We wouldn't haul much. We leave our boat on the lift most of the summer. Would this work ok for an outback or ooutback v?

baller I tow my OBV with a Nissan Frontier 4x4 quad cab V6 260 hp rated to tow 6100 #. It does fine, not great. I tow mostly in flat Indiana and for that it's no problem; when we went to Kentucky the hills challenged it for sure. If I were towing a lot in hilly or mountainous areas I'd want a full size but if your not towing a lot I'm sure your dakota would yank an outback or obv no problem.

baller40
07-22-2010, 12:37 PM
baller I tow my OBV with a Nissan Frontier 4x4 quad cab V6 260 hp rated to tow 6100 #. It does fine, not great. I tow mostly in flat Indiana and for that it's no problem; when we went to Kentucky the hills challenged it for sure. If I were towing a lot in hilly or mountainous areas I'd want a full size but if your not towing a lot I'm sure your dakota would yank an outback or obv no problem.

Thanks skiyaker. Glad to hear it should work. We can afford a truck or a boat, but we can't do both right now. Maybe a new truck is a couple years off yet!

zegm
07-22-2010, 01:13 PM
I have a v-8 dodge dakota with a towing package. We wouldn't haul much. We leave our boat on the lift most of the summer. Would this work ok for an outback or ooutback v?

With a V-8 you should have no problem and I would have to image that with that motor the chasis and suspension is going to be up to the task also.
I had a 2 wheel drive 2002 Chevy Silverado with the 5.7 and I am pretty sure that its gross weight was 4200lbs and it towed fine. I just couldn't get over the fact that at 65mph the "Tow Mode" would fight with the "Knock sensor" and it would jump in and out of 4th gear way too much for me. It seemed like the computer was always confused. As far as the chasis and suspension it was just OK but when I installed some new Bilsteins shocks on it from the Z71's Chevy's it behaved very well.

baller40
07-22-2010, 01:24 PM
With a V-8 you should have no problem and I would have to image that with that motor the chasis and suspension is going to be up to the task also.
I had a 2 wheel drive 2002 Chevy Silverado with the 5.7 and I am pretty sure that its gross weight was 4200lbs and it towed fine. I just couldn't get over the fact that at 65mph the "Tow Mode" would fight with the "Knock sensor" and it would jump in and out of 4th gear way too much for me. It seemed like the computer was always confused. As far as the chasis and suspension it was just OK but when I installed some new Bilsteins shocks on it from the Z71's Chevy's it behaved very well.

I live on a river and have friends with their own private boat landing. This is only about 8 blocks away, the longest towing we would be doing is to store it in winter (about 50 miles to the cabin). Our only public landing is way too shallow to comfortably bring the boat through, even when the water is up, so they put their obv in there. For this reason, I was more worried about getting out of steep ramps than highway stuff. Thanks for your post.

skiyaker
07-22-2010, 02:33 PM
you'll be in good shape in your circumstance with a dakota esp if you get an outback or outback V. I put mine in a "neighborhood" ramp on lake barkley which I can best describe as going offroading with a boat; definitely needed 4x4 but it went fine. I might add that I towed my neighbor's 24 ft Supra once and I wouldn't want to make a habit of it, but if I were just towing that 50 mile jaunt once a year it could be done.

BWeber
07-23-2010, 07:45 AM
Just picked up a used '08 2500HD Chevy Duramax CrewCab LTZ. I am looking forward to hauling the LSV with this.