Tow with a Three-on-the tree?

[Resto-Rand]

I have a 1971 C10 w / tott that I was considering selling until I picked up a 1971 Boston Whaler Menemsha (Look it up to see this oddball boat).

In my mind the truck was gone already. Then I found myself standing behind the boat thinking about my next step on the boat repairs, and was struck by the fact they are both 1971! Then started thinking how cool it would be to tow it with the C10.

Is the 307-tott set up strong enough? I was never too impressed with the off the line grab of the clutch and wouldn't want to burn it up trying to get back up a boat ramp. To say nothing of the plain jane rear?

Anyone have experience using this combo to tow?

Not gonna hurt my feelings with honest opinions.

[Grumpy old man]

It's probably the same type truck that towed it home when it was new . of course it will tow that boat , Do you have front disc brakes ? Just hook it up and drag it around the neighborhood a bit and see how it acts . Don't use steep boat ramps .

Remember the best 2 days of a boat owners life are the day you buy it and the day you sell it !

[Resto-Rand]

I'm a slow learner, this is my 4th boat. I just sold a newer BW so I could jump on this one.

Regular discs, but I have a power booster and power steering pump to upgrade. I was going to get rid of it but the uniqueness of having two antiques is intriguing.

And if I just stick with my regular tow vehicle, I can off the C10 and upgrade the outboard.

The tow-ability will be the deciding factor. I don't know how much physical work this young (35 years ago) man wants to do myself.

I don't understand the rear ends. Is a posi a plus on a ramp?

[RustyBucket]

Originally Posted by Resto-Rand

I don't understand the rear ends. Is a posi a plus on a ramp?

Posi is a BIG plus pulling up a slippery boat ramp. I think the vintage truck pulling the vintage boat is neat. Never saw that model Whaler before... their plant is a few miles north of me in Edgewater Fl.

[Resto-Rand]

Rusty, I fell in love with this boat the first time I saw one on the Pacific, fishing for Salmon probably 15 years ago. So this time around I jumped. Gave up a much more capable boat but the heart has no reason for what it wants, lol. And much more rare than my 2 wheel Blazer was. Only 230 made.

I'm sure you can appreciate the fact my C10 is ochre. And I can appreciate what Dad said, because he said it to me too.

[Resto-Rand]

Hate to be a turkey but I could use more opinions or 3 speed user experience.

I hate to put in all the time adding the brake booster and power steering just to be disappointed. Or stuck on a launch ramp.

Boat and trailer are probably 2k total weight.

[jabborabbo]

When I made the move from Tennessee to Texas I was going to tow a Volvo S40 behind my ‘67 250 L6 with 3 OTT...but I have drum brakes...the truck pulled the car just fine, but after a test drive where I nearly rear-ended three different cars at three different stoplights, I figured I didn’t have the brakes/experience to tow it. With disc brakes you should be fine.

[CG]

You own the truck and you own the boat. Why cant you just take if for some drives around the area and do some test pulls up and down a few boat ramps just to see how it feels to ya?

[Killer Bee]

I drove a three speed column shift for several years back in the 90's.. 3/4t stock 350 don't recall rear gears..

the drivetrain on your truck will tow the boat just fine and brakes should be adequate for sensible driving.. I get exhausted hearing how so many people insist on upgraded brakes where applying some common sense would go a lot further toward safer driving.. smaller boat trailers typically don't have brakes so you have to make adjustments no matter what you're towing it with..

the question here is launch and recovery on the ramp.. I launched everything from 200lb john boats to 22,000lb patrol boats.. all with automatic transmissions though.. some 2wd, some 4wd, some 6wd.. there's a lot of factors to consider when choosing a launch and recovery truck and you will have to take all of those into consideration..

I would not suggest a manual trans open diff 2wd for ramp work.. I drove my 3ott for three months in san fransisco while going to school on treasure island.. driving and parking on those hills is not for the novice manual trans driver.. I managed just fine but I learned how to drive in a 65 3sp [well, 4spd w/granny].. I have the finesse, but still wouldn't choose that for boat launch and recovery.. you need to evaluate your own manual trans skills..

for 2wd ramp work I strongly suggest a posi diff.. I have an eaton posi and 4.56 gears in my '02 2wd and I have yanked some fair size boats out of the salt water pond several times without issue..

so the questions I suggest you answer are ramp design and conditions you plan to launch on and evaluate your driving skill..

good luck!

[factorystock]

I would not recommend a 3 speed for boat launch work. Not enough gear reduction. In other words, you can burn your clutch out quick. Stalling out easily is another possibility. A granny gear conversion, super low first, is what is necessary if your a manual trans type person ( CH 465 4 speed was an option on '71 C 10's), or an automatic. I would also upgrade to power disc brakes if you just have disc brakes.

[RustyBucket]

Originally Posted by CG

You own the truck and you own the boat. Why cant you just take if for some drives around the area and do some test pulls up and down a few boat ramps just to see how it feels to ya?

You could practice on some hills or driveways that WEREN'T a boat ramp with a water trap behind you... lots of amusing Utube boat launch fails to watch . I've driven std. trans. cars and trucks for 50+ years and starting off on a hill or incline would be a lot easier if I had 3 feet... one for each pedal. I still screw it up and stall the engine or squeal the tires sometimes.

[dmjlambert]

Back in the 70s my Dad bought a small boat and had a hitch added to my Mom's Oldsmobile. It was better than trying it with the Volkswagen Bug he drove. After a short while he traded the Bug for a 74 Chevy C10 with a 350 and 3 on the tree, and used that for the rest of the 70's to haul and launch the boat. I hauled and launched the boat with that truck on a couple of occasions as well. It does take some practice working your 3 feet on the 3 pedals, but it worked.

[special-K]

Right heel on the brake and toes on the gas

I wouldn't want to tow much of anything with a 3spd. Not what I would prefer. Boat ramps have dire consequences awaiting your slightest slip up. Plus just not kind on the truck. I picture the smallest boat fastened down and truck slips back enough to dunk the transom. Now see how strong that clutch is.

[El Dorado Jim]

Originally Posted by factorystock

I would not recommend a 3 speed for boat launch work. Not enough gear reduction. In other words, you can burn your clutch out quick. Stalling out easily is another possibility. A granny gear conversion, super low first, is what is necessary if your a manual trans type person ( CH 465 4 speed was an option on '71 C 10's), or an automatic. I would also upgrade to power disc brakes if you just have disc brakes.

I agree with this, you need a 4 spd that has granny low,1st gear for pulling the boat up the ramp, the transmission you need is a SM465, easy conversion since you already have a clutch, you may have to find a high hump trans cover , not sure if you have that already, probably not since a three spd is a small transmission, dont use a SM420 out of a 68 or older , stay with the SM465, the easiest way to tell the difference is that the SM465 ,reverse is away from you and down where the SM420 is towards you and down.

[El Dorado Jim]

sm465

sm420

[Rick Bollinger]

I would not think it would be a problem. You use your emergency brake to keep you from rolling back anyway. Back in apply brake unload/load boat when you are ready to go when clutch starts to grab release break and go. No need for a bunch of slipping of clutch. Even a open rear should not be a problem if you are on a decent ramp.

[Grumpy old man]

Use a dash mounted throttle and before anyone jumps up and says "oh that's for the PTO" they don't add PTO to 2 wd trucks unless it was a cab and chassis /wrecker....What other reason were they used for ?

On a hill or boat ramp when stopped with L foot on clutch R foot on brake you could pull the dash throttle cable to increase engine speed and still have clutch and brake control to easily engage the clutch to move forward without trying to work three pedals at once and possibly stall or back up into the water or the car or truck behind you on a steep hill ..

Stop comparing them to today's technology ,In it's time it was the best technology we had to work with .

[special-K]

Yep, there are methods, as the last two posts demonstrate. But what I read into both posts illustrates why the 3spd is your worst candidate. It is a minimalistic transmission in strength and effective gearing that does the trick getting a vehicle around and that's about it. Any other transmission would be better. In these trucks' time there have always been better alternatives. Those are all I'm comparing.

[Grumpy old man]

Well ...Sure there were better alternatives BUT the question was "can you tow with the three on the tree" and the answer is YES , It's what we did back in the day .We didn't sit on the porch looking at the truck and question if it would work ,We knew it would work and the boats of the time weighed considerably less than they do today A 150 Merc was a big motor for a boat in the 70's to use on a lake water skiing . Comparing apples to watermelons doesn't work .We pulled most anything that we could load on a trailer and it wasn't just around town we hauled horse trailers long distances ,Travel trailers and yes the boat to the lake drum brakes 3ott trucks all the time . They were the best trucks available for the jobs at the time . Or do you own one now for some other reason ?

They were tools not toys .

[El Dorado Jim]

Originally Posted by special-K

Right heel on the brake and toes on the gas

I wouldn't want to tow much of anything with a 3spd. Not what I would prefer. Boat ramps have dire consequences awaiting your slightest slip up. Plus just not kind on the truck. I picture the smallest boat fastened down and truck slips back enough to dunk the transom. Now see how strong that clutch is.

I agree

[El Dorado Jim]

the three on the tree has a high 1st gear, it is like starting out in second on a 4 spd with granny low, it is too high to be pulling a boat out of the water and up a ramp, it can be done but is hard on your clutch, I just prefer a 4 spd to slowly crawl under conditions like that and while starting out pulling heavy loads

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

... They were the best trucks available for the jobs at the time . Or do you own one now for some other reason ?

They were tools not toys .

Oh really? I'm glad you pointed that out IMO they still are:



Just having fun here. I don't tow a boat, but I tow. I've always been a truck guy and even though many trucks came with 3spds I personally saw them as inadequate. If there's something better I want it, or at least better than bare minimum. Heavy duty and stronger are what truck guys are after and that has always been reflected in truck drivetrain, suspension, and brake options. I don't hate the 3spds. My first '72 had one and more recently I had a 6 banger '72 SWB with one. They are the bare bones cheap truck transmission that will get you by. Won't take as much, last as long, or perform as well. Great for the handy chore truck and you can tow with them. But a boat ramp is another story. I'm just saying I would recommend looking into a better transmission. As a truck guy I always looked at the 3spd as a car transmission

[davepl]

I'm afraid towing would scratch the chrome on my hitch ball...

[yuccales]

Tim, when you go to Chubbys, do you have to bring your own seats?

[special-K]

Originally Posted by yuccales

Tim, when you go to Chubbys, do you have to bring your own seats?

Yes. The hay bales make my butt itch.