Trailering laws

dramsey50 · #1 (**permalink**) 08-09-2008

A friend of mine is looking at purchasing a 26 foot Hunter water ballast for use at a local sail club but will trailer it to the Chesapeake and possibly Lake Michigan a couple of times a year.

The web page states the beam is 8'11" but most states have 8'6" as the maximum width. Also what size/type vehicles are being used? The weight is around 5000 lbs.

hellosailor · #2 (**permalink**) 08-10-2008

You're probably looking at a full size SUV or pickup truck.

Pick any brand you have faith in. GMC, Toyota, Jeep, whatever. Call any dealer and ask "What do you make that can tow a 5000 pound trailer load all day? What option package do I need to do that?"

The good news is, sales of those big bruisers have tanked and you can get a great deal on them, new or used. Gas mileage isn't so pretty though.

brak · #3 (**permalink**) 08-10-2008

I am looking right now at something that can tow about this much and it isn't as easy as it seems. I expected sale prices of used towing vehicles to be significantly down - but lo-and-behold, they are not and I am yet to get a decent deal on anything.

I selected older Durango for my purposes - it can town up to 8000+lbs in some configurations (though I probably only need about 5000).

Towing a lot of weight requires appropriate trailer (with brakes) and appropriate weight-distributing hitch.