Towing a 25 ft. cruiser

I got a lot of that "you can't tow a 25 with that" comments when we started using our 03 Expedition to tow our boat. One fellow 25er with a 350 dually watched in amazement the first time he saw us pull our boat out of the water. He was absolutely convinced that we'd never get up the ramp. We've always used an equalizer hitch because that's what the manual said was required to tow the weight. I don't know why anybody would tow this much weight without one. I've had semis pass me on a two lane road in high winds and the trailer was rock solid.

My work rig is now a 07 Expedition EL (extra long). We also upgraded our trailer to electric over hydraulic with discs. The extra vehicle length and the improved braking give me better control than the previous combination.

So, you can tow with a 1500 series and I wouldn't let not having a bigger truck stop me from buying a 25. I don't want to drive anything any stouter on a daily basis. I think that all used big SUV's and pickups are going to be a dime a dozen in the future. When I have more time, I'll probably downsize my daily driver greatly and pick up an older diesel pickup or Excursion as a tow vehicle. But for now, with the amount of towing that I do, the Expedition works fine.
Lyle
 
McMike":3jqr8jfx said:
sounds like the crowd is united: a half ton is too small to pull a CD25.

My search continues...

THANKS!!!
Mike
Click to expand...

Not so...

A fully outfitted CD25 full of fluids and typical gear is going to tip the scales (with the trailer) around 8,000 to 8,500 pounds (of course it can be different; this is from the boats we've weighed). Anything rated to pull that amount of weight will work. Are some better than others? Of course. I'd rather have an extended cab 1/2 ton with a long bed for the wheelbase than a standard cab short bed (it will just be a more stable rig on the open road due to the long wheelbase) but that's getting into specifics and eitehr will work if rated properly.

One thing I'd say nowadays if purchasing new...absoultely get the electric over hydrualic brakes. They are so much better they're not even in the same category as surge brakes. In fact if I were towing a lot of miles with an older trailer and I had a (relatively) small tow vehicle I'd spend the money to retrofit the electric brake contoller; especially in mountainous areas. In fact, you can't even legally tow a CD25 in British Columbia without cab controlled brakes (with means electrically controlled in our case).

The best advice I can give folks is to purchase the largest, heaviest tow vehicle they feel comfortable with. For some that might be a 1/2 ton for others that might be a 1-ton dually diesel. Just make sure the tow vehicle is rated for the load, that the vehicle has a "tow package" for better cooling, and that you use an equalizer hitch. I've looked at as many owner's manuals as I've been able to; I've not found one yet that doesn't specifiy an equalizer hitch for a load that weighs what the CD25 does.
 
In thinking about how this thread and several other threads regarding towing have ended up, I believe that there is an aspect to the question "Can this vehicle tow this boat?" that we may be missing. It ties into Les's "comfortable" comment.

I believe that towing a boat has a lot more to do with a person's personal beliefs than just the vehicle and/or boat.

There are C-Brats who are very comfortable towing their boat with a vehicle whose maximum rating is equal to the average weight of their boat.

There are on the other hand people who believe that their vehicle should be rated at twice the capacity of what they are towing.

Both have advantages and disadvantages. I believe that a person needs to understand these advantages and disadvantages before making their decision and that per the directives of Tyboo and DaNag, we need to "be nice" about it.

I am anal about towing for various reasons, I am one of those folks that will always recommend a higher capacity knowing full well that this costs more money and may mean the difference between having a boat and not having one. I have several fire extinguishers, redundant bilge pump systems, communication systems, navigation systems etc on board our boat. Am I a safer or better Captain because of? Probably not! I am obviously more anal though!

Can a person successfully tow my boat with a small vehicle? Probably! Can they spend less on their vehicle and thus have more for the other goodies? Definitely! Can I? No!

It would drive me nuts to tow a 25' C-Dory with a SUV or light truck, not because it can or cannot do it, but because I am anal about what I perceive as safety. Do I need four separate ways to de-water my boat, two fire extinguishers or for that matter a 3/4 ton Cummins powered monster truck to tow a little 22' C-Dory? No! I do it due to my personality and what I am comfortable with.

I believe that a good argument can be made by the driver of the light weight pick up that they are a safer driver than me because they are much more cautious while towing while I am more complacent sitting behind the wheel of my beast. Heck, I'll admit that I love the ability to tow my boat up steep grades and down the other side without having to worry! Since as they say, "Speed Kills", the guy driving 45 probably stands a better chance at surviving an accident than I would at 60.

I would advise that those of you contemplating a purchase of a C-Dory think seriously of your own personality. Can you drive in a manner that you are safe to others and comfortable with yourself in your tow vehicle or is it going to cause you (or others around you) to not enjoy the trip due to your personality?

Don, I'm glad you are able to tow that 25' C-Dory with your vehicle! Hope you have a blast!! Although I could probably do it safely as well with your vehicle, it would drive me nuts and I would suspect it would drive a couple others on this site nuts as well. When I am "nuts", I tend to make poor decisions versus when I am comfortable!
 
Chivita,

Well put. I couldn't agree with you more. One other thing for folks to think about. When someone's half ton and their CD-25 wipe out a motor home full of folks on a steep grade, don't you think the weight of the towed boat and the capacity of your truck are going to be scrutinized by police, insurance companies and lawyers? 99.9% of the time you can push that envelope. Some are willing to risk more than others.

Comfortably and confidently towing with the F-250 Diesel.
 
Pat ,
You are right on about the issues regarding accidents. It was one of the things that worried me about using the Touareg for pulling the Laurna Jo. We even went to the extent of getting the F250 4X4, giving up my beloved Dakota. So I checked it out pretty good with the Touareg owners site and after what I saw there and the tow ratings,the weight of the of the rig , and the huge brakes on the thing for stopping, I of course gave it a shot and it has worked out nicely. The Touareg does a good job, and am confident of liability issues regarding accidents(knock on wood). That being said as I mentioned before ,the glassy eyed looks we get when we tell people or they see us out on the road is priceless. I did mis -speak on my Kenworth itis a T-800 not a T-850. so until we can afford the 3/4t Duramax we will go with what we have.
 
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