[fred1diver]

hey everyone, I'm starting to look at changing my vehicle and I need to tow my boat, what do you recommend ???
so far my list consists of the F-150 and the wrangler rubicon unlimited,
I'm open to your suggestions
my boat weighs only 2200#
thanks on advance
FRED

 

[Sal Paradise]

Hey fred lots of vehicles can tow up to 3500 lbs which should cover you. I used a Ford minivan for 10 years, as it was rated for it - and no problems. Your final choice might depend moreso on your other specific needs and preferences.

 

[kd3pc]

If both are new, go for the F150, the jeep will be no where near the tow vehicle that the ford is. Jeep has a very short wheelbase, light brakes and less weight than the F150.

 

[nccouple]

Keep the older vehicle you have now. Buy a bigger boat on the water. Have you seen the price on a new f-150. You could buy a lot of boat for $45k

 

[CatMan22]

I currently tow my Catalina 22 with an F150 that came from the factory with a tow package and has a fiberglass bedcover and bedliner. The covered bed allows to place a large number of items back there to keep out of the weather and the locking tailgate and bedcover help me relax a little more while I'm actually on the water. This is my truck with my son's AF 16 attached.

 

[MarkSF]

My experience is that 4-wheel drive is useful, on the odd day that you're launching at low tide and the ramp is super-slippery.

If the Wrangler is the long-wheel base version it would be fine. It sounds like you want one because it's a cool vehicle, not just for it's towing ability. There is nothing wrong with that!

If you just want hauling ability, I'd get an old Chevy pickup with the 5.7.

I just bought a Land Rover Discovery to tow my inflatable dinghy. Ridiculous overkill? Of course. I just like the Discovery.

 

[Philzy3985]

Used Toyota Tundra... around the 2002 -2006 era. torquey V8, solid dependability, low clearance in the back (because it's a pickup) which helps if you have a mast overhanging. And bed storage.

Definitely don't go with a Jeep if all you want to do is tow a sailboat.

 

[SailingJackson]

I currently tow my Catalina 22 with an F150 that came from the factory with a tow package and has a fiberglass bedcover and bedliner. The covered bed allows to place a large number of items back there to keep out of the weather and the locking tailgate and bedcover help me relax a little more while I'm actually on the water. This is my truck with my son's AF 16 attached.

Be sure you know what is in the "factory tow package". I know someone who burned out the transmission on his new Suburban and was not covered under warranty. The dealership told him that his "factory tow package" consisted of the hitch and an electrical plug. In order to tow his size boat (Capri 26) he should have had a transmission cooler. The C22 is not a lot of weight, perhaps not an issue.

GJ

 

[miatapaul]

If it is only going to be used for towing, then I would get a beater used truck, or SUV. Really I would be concerned more about how it would suite your other needs first, unless it is just a beater truck. I would imagine that in QC you might have trouble finding an older truck as they are likely all used for plowing. That is an issue here in New York, most beater trucks have had snow plows on them and are shot.

I do like the Wrangler though. It is due to have a diesel and that would be my pick. It may be available in Canada already, not sure I know you guys got the common rail diesel in the Liberty for longer than we did here in the US, and I don't think it was ever available in New York.

 

[ABH3 Boyer]

My 2010 F-150 does an excellent job of towing around my 26'er. no need for 4x4 as long as you have a little weight in the back over the tires if your pulling on slimy ramps. I am on a lake that stays at the same level year round so I don't even have weight in the back when I put in or pull out. Ford is the #1 selling truck in America for a reason. Hang around a lumber yard and count how many Fords come through vs. all other trucks. If you want to look cool and pick up chicks go for the Jeep. I hear skinny jeans help too. That's what the Hipsters wear.

 

[MarkSF]

Lakes might be fine, but my experience of boat ramps in SF Bay is that at low tide the ramp is covered in a layer of slime that makes it extremely slippery. I've struggled to get a 500lb boat up the ramp with 2WD, and on one occasion I couldn't even walk around on the ramp without holding on to the trailer!

 

[benesailor]

This is outside the norm; but everyone has heard before.

I pulled a 3000 lb (3500lb ttl) 22ft boat from Chicago to Syracuse NY back in November thru a blizzard with a 2013 Subaru Outback. No issues. None. I'm glad i had the subaru or i would have been stuck. Was i little scared; yes. The subaru is rated for 2750 from the factory. I was a little over. Pulling with a CVT tranny was weird. 15 MPG.
I pulled a certified weighed load of 5600 lbs from Minot, ND to Syracuse (31 hours) with a 2001 Subaru Outback. No issues. I traded that care at 186k with little issues.

Is any of this recommended; NO. But; i can't say enough about what a Subaru can do. A Subaru has REAL all wheel drive unlike most 4 X 4's. All 4 wheels on a subaru pull. American (Ford,Chevy) AWD is NOT the same. This comes in handy on a slippery ramp.
I have more stories of 4 wheeling in a subaru and pulling out stuck trucks (F350, F150,Dodge) when i go out hunting. The only thing a subaru lacks is ground clearance. Which is about the same as a Ford explorer.

You can pick a used outback for about $5K.

 

[Minnesail]

I pulled a 3000 lb (3500lb ttl) 22ft boat from Chicago to Syracuse NY back in November thru a blizzard with a 2013 Subaru Outback. No issues. None. I'm glad i had the subaru or i would have been stuck. Was i little scared; yes. The subaru is rated for 2750 from the factory. I was a little over. Pulling with a CVT tranny was weird. 15 MPG.
I pulled a certified weighed load of 5600 lbs from Minot, ND to Syracuse (31 hours) with a 2001 Subaru Outback. No issues. I traded that care at 186k with little issues.

Really? That is excellent news!

I currently don't have a tow vehicle for my Catalina 22 and will have to borrow or rent a truck every time I want to move it. I have no desire to own a truck or other large vehicle, so I had resigned myself to thinking that I'd always be borrowing or renting trucks.

But an Outback? I could drive an Outback! When it comes time to replace the current car I'll have to look at Outbacks.

 

[benesailor]

Yahoo!

Check this out.

I have hauled MANY heavy loads with a Subaru. I have NEVER lost a transmission or engine. I haul logs from the woods and stack 12 cords a winter with them. I traded my F150 for a Subaru in 96. Never looked back. I am on my 7th subby. I put ALOT of miles on them. About 25-30k a year. I had a 09 Ford Flex (AWD Limited) for a bout a year. Got stuck on flat ground. It fell apart. After putting 3k into after 86k i traded it on the 13 Subby. Loved the Flex; what a hunk of Junk. 5k towing capability. The AWD was no match for a Subaru. One wheel would spin on a wet ramp. Couldn't move.

 

[MarkSF]

I'm not a member of the "you have to tow anything with a huge SUV or pickup" school, but I do think a good guideline is that the load is 50% of the tow vehicle weight, 70% at the most.

Towing 5600 lbs with a 3500 lb vehicle seems a bit much to me.

 

[benesailor]

Oh yea, most of the Subarus i have bought were used. Except the 09 and 13 that i have presently.

 

[benesailor]

I'm not a member of the "you have to tow anything with a huge SUV or pickup" school, but I do think a good guideline is that the load is 50% of the tow vehicle weight, 70% at the most.

Towing 5600 lbs with a 3500 lb vehicle seems a bit much to me.

I agree.
I'm not recommending this. It was a money issue. It was summer and i wasn't crossing the mountains. Yet, it towed that 5600 lbs like it wasn't even back there. Outbacks are stiffly sprung. Handle well. You have to try it to believe it. They don't sway like most vehicles. I made sure that i maintained a safe braking distance and kept the speedo at 75mph.

 

[night0wl]

Better to have an underworked big engine than an overworked small engine. Same goes for overall vehicle. I think Ford F-150s are a bargain for towing vehicles...but the long term reliability eats into that. That being said, Fords are much cheaper to repair. For my money, I'd look at a Toyota truck or SUV. I love the Sequoia as a tower.

 

[benesailor]

Fords are much cheaper to repair.

Not true.

I guess you have never owned a subaru (toyota?). Subarus cheap and easy to work on. I owned ford trucks and cars for years. I worked construction for 20 years. All my trucks i had to change out the transmission at one point or another. I raced a '61 Pro-Street Ford Falcon for years. Tubbed and all...street legal....Built it myself. I love Fords; i'll never buy a newer one again. That's just me though. I can crawl under a new one and tell you what they designed wrong. I'm hopeful the new aluminum F150 will change there path of bad construction.

If i had to pull more weight i'd find a Toyota 4-runner. Even more weight and i'd have a Chevy 4x4. 80% of Ford truck owners drive them because they are Macho and they think Ford trucks are pretty. Just check out the bed of their truck; no scratches. If the tailgate isn't rusted and the bed isn't crooked, then most likely the truck is pristine.

 

[blt2ski]

I'm not a member of the "you have to tow anything with a huge SUV or pickup" school, but I do think a good guideline is that the load is 50% of the tow vehicle weight, 70% at the most.

Towing 5600 lbs with a 3500 lb vehicle seems a bit much to me.

This is baloney! I've towed upwards of 2x the gvwr of vehicles without issues. THAT is about the max I would do. half the wt, would put my old dually crew cab 4x with a 300+hp/600=lb torque rig at maybe 4000 lbs of trailer!?!?!?!?!?!

If you want a max ratio, the one I learned back the the early 80s before rigs had gcwr's, was 2x the grawr for the max trailer wt. So a sueby has probably a 3K ra, so a 6K trailer would be about max for the chassis.

Now HP and torque.......those become a guessing game as to how much you really need per say. Europe rates sueby's at upwards of 5K lbs, here in the US you might get 3000-3500 lbs with the SAME rig.

THings that help in towing, a rig with plenty of payload, hp is secondary! a rectangular wheel base is prefered over a squarish one. Ie cj5, big blazer/bronco have squarish WB's. My dually crew cab, VERY rectangular! While I said HP is secondary, to a degree, more is better. BUT, from a getting going standpoint, torque and overall lower gears is what you need on a steep boat ramp. So a 4lo option with a smaller HP motor may be in the end a better option than a rwd BIG motor per say, as it may not have the gears to multiply the torque so you go up the hill!

Just MHO!

marty