Can my truck pull this?

[Skunksmash]

I got a pontoon boat for me and the wife and family and friends to enjoy. But I have a few questions about pulling it. I don't have a newer truck, all I have is a 1987 Chevy Sliverado 5.7L 2wd automatic. I love my old truck, but I'm not sure if the old TBI 350 is up to the task. It still has some grunt, don't get me wrong. But the truck is 28 years old. Gotta cut it some slack due to its old age.

Its a 22 foot all aluminum boat, with an aluminum trailer. Should I even attempt this with the old truck? I haven't yet. I pulled the boat home from the dealer with a buddy's newer 2014 half ton gas truck that he let me borrow. The boat dealer was 50 miles away and I didn't want to chance it with the old truck before I got a chance to test it under much more comfortable and safer conditions. Didn't really want to break down and get stuck so far away from the house.

Thoughts? Opinions? The 22' boat isn't the biggest thing out there, but it isn't exactly small either. It made the new truck squat down a bit, so I can only imagine what it might do to my old chevy. And I don't want to tear my truck up, that's the last thing I want to do. And if it can pull the boat without any problems, should I get a self leveling kit or some helper springs? I just know its going to make the truck squat down even more than that newer truck.

[andrewmp6]

With the right hitch it should pull it ok.

[bilfman]

Should pull it no problem.

[mongocanfly]

Shouldn't be a problem as long as your truck is in good mechanical condition..back in the day I used to pull a race car on a trailer all over the place with my 86 305 ci 4 spd granny low and 2.73 gears.put 186000 miles on it before i traded it off..never had a problem..you want some tounge weight but not to much,..if its to heavy on the hitch you might swap your shocks for air shocks..that's what I did on the 86 because i pulled out some leaf springs when i lowered it..it was a little hassle but not to bad..i kept a 12v air comp behind the seat to pump em up and just bled em down when i wadnt haulin nothing..and your truck may have stiffer suspension than the 2014.. I got a 2013 gmc that squats down way to easily..I reckon they make em now to ride good ...not haul stuff

[FarmerDale]

Shouldn't have any problems if mechanics are decent. Keep tranny in D not overdrive. I see wind resistance being the biggest issue here because a pontoon isn't very aerodynamic. When it was newer, Brownie pulled 6500-7000 pounds of market hogs routinely without issues. Also an '87 350 1/2t but 4x4

[MalibuSSwagon]

How much does it weigh? I've been towing cars for years with my 86, without an issue. Weakest link is your transmission, but if it's in decent shape you should be ok. I know a guy who tows cars on a flatbed trailer with his lowered 95 Caprice ex-cop car. You'll be fine.

[71swb4x4]

Can you stop it? Does the trailer have brakes?

[Gregs71]

I think it'd be fine. Pontoons are big but not that heavy.

[Dead Parrot]

If it was 1990 with the same truck and boat, would you be asking this question? If it could safely tow and stop it then, it can safely tow and stop it now IF you are current on service issues.

Now would be a good time to change all the fluids and filters, make sure the tires are in good shape etc.

Towing that boat will expose weaknesses that otherwise might not be found for a while longer.

When I bought a boat and was first coming back from a local lake, I discovered that my master cylinder was EOL. It had given no previous signs of problems but trying to stop the extra 2-3000lbs of boat and trailer exposed the problem.

[RIDE-RED 350r]

Don't tow on OD and your truck should pull it with no issues...

My boat is a '92 Four Winns Freedom, 18', 4.3L Chevy I/O. Boat specs state it weights just under 2300# empty and dry. The trailer is about 800#. So fueled, equipped, and ready to launch I would say the total trailer weight with boat is 3400-3500# conservatively.

I tow this with my '78 K-10, 350, SM465, 3.73 gears with 35" tires.

My brother has an '85 K-10, 350, 700r4, 4.11 gears and 33" tires and was pulling his old boat with it that was about 300# heavier than my boat. He kept it out of OD and it did fine. His new boat he just got is about 300# heavier than his old one and weighs in at just under 2800# dry and empty. He will be giving it a try with is K-10 later this week.

My bet is that our boats probably outweigh that pontoon you picked up by a fair margin. A fiberglass I/O is usually weightier than it looks....

And yes I concur about the old trucks being made to haul, while the new trucks are made to ride nice... Doesn't take much weight in the bed or on the hitch to squat our '06 Z-71 compared to my '78. My '78 can carry considerably more weight on the hitch or in the bed without much squat at all...

As others suggested, make sure you drivetrain is in good working condition, maybe even change your trans oil, trans filter, and rear end oil. Don't tow in OD and you should be A-OK.

If you do decide to try OD on some flat road, be careful.. If it keeps "hunting" between OD and 3rd, that's bad and hard on your trans...

[Alaskaskiff]

I don't see why not. My truck weighs 7000 (C&C dually flatbed). I tow my 6000+ 23' foot boat regularly. It is about as heavy as I would go for doing highway speeds. Biggest problem is the truck starts running warm. I have a 4 core radiator and it still gets toasty, but ok. The biggest challenge is the gear spacing of the 465. Hard to upshift when starting on a hill of any size. Not a speed racer, but it gets the job done. I tow about 25 miles one way, regularly.

[TexasJeff]

I tow a 3400lbs pop up camper with my truck (1980 3/4ton 350/350) and have no problems, the only real issue is stopping at times, even with the trailer having electric brakes, it does take a while to get everything to a stop.
Most of my trips are at least a couple hours drive, and even one that is over 5 hours once a year.

[Skunksmash]

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

With the right hitch it should pull it ok.

What hitch is the wrong hitch? I just got one from the local truck supply store, Curtis or Curt or something like that.

Originally Posted by Gregs71

I think it'd be fine. Pontoons are big but not that heavy.

Its got an aluminum trailer, so that should help a bit. They called it the saltwater package, but I won't be taking it to the ocean.

But thanks for the replies everyone. I didn't want to say the brand of the 2014 truck, because I didn't want that to be the focus of the thread. But now I'll say it was a Toyota Tundra. The truck weighs 6500 lbs, 2,000 more than my 87 chevy. The engine in the tundra is a 5.7L with 365hp, and 350ft lbs of torque, iirc. I knew that boat was back there the whole time. Imho, the truck did not do well. Not well at all.

When we were going uphill, I had the pedal to the floor and it was turning 4,000rpm. It was losing speed. I know toyota just isn't going to make good pullers compared to Ford, Dodge, and Chevy. But I just felt like this was bad. It got me to thinking what my 28 year old truck would do.

Back when I pulled trailers for a living, I pulled 30 foot camper trailers out to oilfield locations for the Mudloggers to stay in. Did this day in and day out with 7.3L powerstroke 350 flatbed trucks. Maybe I was expecting too much. But those trucks barely knew those trailers were back there, until you went to get on the brakes lol. Then they would push you out into the intersection if you didn't stop in time. Well, not all the way out there, but further out there than you wanted to be. But other than that they pulled those campers like it was nothing. Barely knew they were there.

I know you can't compare a half ton gas, to a one ton diesel. But I didn't think it was going to be that bad...

As for maintenance on the chevy, I keep the oil changed with Royal purple or AMSoil on time, and I recently had to have the 700R4 rebuilt so its got new fluid and filter.

[Keith Seymore]

4.3L V6, MY6 manual trans, 3.73 gears in a 1/2 ton swb:

Chevelle on open trailer is approx 4500 lbs; Haulmark enclosed trailer with car inside is about 7000 lbs.

K

[andrewmp6]

Right hitch i mean one that is rated to pull what your pulling.

[mongocanfly]

Just about any boat or car sized load you will know Is back there, just don't get in a hurry, that's where most people screw up, I never seen a pontoon with trailer brakes but that don't mean some don't have em.

.texas Jeff your trailer brakes should work instantly, if their not set properly you could have a problem.I can stop faster with trailer brakes and a loaded trailer in my truck than i can empty..and I've pulled some big stuff in my day with a 1/2 ton truck.

[tucsonjwt]

You need good trailer brakes, and should have an equalizer hitch rated for the weight of your boat and trailer. A hitch with anti sway bar is very helpful in cross winds. The equalizer will help keep your total rig level and reduce bottoming out driving in and out of driveways. You can get used hitches/equalizers/anti-sway bars on CL. Make sure you use grade 8 bolts and appropriate lock washers when installing hitches and components.

[TexasJeff]

[QUOTE=texas Jeff your trailer brakes should work instantly, if their not set properly you could have a problem.I can stop faster with trailer brakes and a loaded trailer in my truck than i can empty..and I've pulled some big stuff in my day with a 1/2 ton truck.[/QUOTE]

That may be true, they work well but not instantly. I will check on the adjustment of them in the next couple of weeks, I just bought new tires all the way around when I install those I will check the brakes too. Thanks for the info.

[mongocanfly]

Texas Jeff ,, you might want to check the brakes on the trailer to as they may need adjusting/replaced

[RIDE-RED 350r]

How does one rig up torsion bars on a non-A-frame type boat trailer tongue?? Every weight distributing (torsion bar) setup I have seen, mainly campers, the camper tongue is an A-frame. You can't mount a pair of torsion bar keepers on a single arm of box steel like most trailers for average sized boats have.

Maybe there is something out there, I just haven't seen it.

[mongocanfly]

I could be wrong but I don't think you would need torsion bars in a pontoon boat..if the weight is distributed right..

[Skunksmash]

Originally Posted by tucsonjwt

You need good trailer brakes, and should have an equalizer hitch rated for the weight of your boat and trailer. A hitch with anti sway bar is very helpful in cross winds. The equalizer will help keep your total rig level and reduce bottoming out driving in and out of driveways. You can get used hitches/equalizers/anti-sway bars on CL. Make sure you use grade 8 bolts and appropriate lock washers when installing hitches and components.

You mean an anti sway bar for the truck right? Just checking. I haven't had much luck finding used anti sway bars for these trucks. Been looking, just haven't seen any.

What is an equalizer hitch? I'm sort of new to hitches. Never had to buy my own and put my own on like I did this time. At work they were always just already set up.

[tucsonjwt]

Reese, Valley, and Draw Tite all make versions of an equalizer hitch. This involves two bars which connect to the trailer ball mount and attach to the trailer "A" arms part of the trailer frame behind the trailer mount. You tighten these arms which lifts the back end of the towing vehicle to "equal" the height of the trailer. This levels out the back end of the towing vehicle so it is not sagging.

Modern versions of equalizer hitches have an anti-sway bar incorporated into the hitch. This prevents the side to side sway of the trailer and towing vehicle when encountering cross winds. It like a sideways mounted shock absorber.

These are also called "weight distribution hitches."

Without an equalizer hitch you will get more "lag and surge" effect - you stop and the trailer surges forward and "pushes" the towing vehicle ahead. When driving down the road, the trailer ball has some slop in the coupler and causes the towing vehicle to move forward and backward as the trailer ball moves around in the coupler.

If you tow a trailer with a regular hitch and then tow the same vehicle with an equalizer hitch you will notice a distinct improvement.

I have an old Reese equalizer hitch which I prefer because it as rectangular equalizer bars which seem sturdier than other brands. Here are some examples:

http://www.thehitchstore.com/hitches...s-c-20_43.html

Here is a good explanation on how to hook up an equalizer hitch with sway bar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgi-gAxvnPw

[Skunksmash]

Thank you sir, that post helps a lot. And now, time for some of my hair brained ideas:

I liked the video, but to me it all looks like a whole lot of trouble for something that could have been engineered a good deal better. What about a different type of hitch, that has two shock absorbers attached to the underside of it? So that the receiver itself, can sway in and out a little bit? Just the connection part, not the whole thing. That way when the trailer wants to surge backward, or forward, its having to do it very slowly due to those shock absorbers built onto the hitch.

Also, what about just installing some helper springs on your truck? Instead of having to add all this extra stuff to the hitch, you could just put helper springs on the truck that only engage when the back of the truck starts to sag past what is normal. Only thing I wasn't able to come up with something for, would be the side to side swaying of the trailer. Adding front and rear sway bars to a truck that didn't have them might help keep you from feeling it though.

I'd like to hear you guys' thoughts on these schemes.

[Chevy_mud_truck]

Sway bars on the truck don't help with trailer sway my personal opinion I would do air bags over most of the helper spring setups I've seen sold as a kit and a hitch would be less work a probley about the same money for springs and other parts to do some kind of custom hitch your talking about