trailering a 38 Cig
 

Hey guys.
Looks like I am closing a deal on a 93 Kevlar hull 38 TG within the next couple weeks. I have a 2006 F-350 Crew Cab Powerstroke with a single rear wheel. Will that pull this adequately? Trailer is a little longer than typical; it has one of those outdrive gurads/rail things....

What is the total weight I am looking at in that set up?
What kind of tongue weight will it have?

Heaviest I have pulled is a tracked Bobcat T250 that weighs just under 10k lbs. It seemed to pull that pretty good.

Thoughts?
Thanks guys!

You will be fine towing such. You will probably want to add rear air bag helper springs; either from Air-Lift or Firestone. This will keep your truck from squatting so much, and bounce/rebound due to weight transfer when hitting a big bump.

Ok, thank you.... I will look into those....
Doubtful I could get them in time for me to haul this thing, but you seem to think it will be ok without? Thanks again

Any local truck soup-up (wheels/tires/lift) shop should be able to install them for you in a couple hours. Expect to pay $400 installed without an onboard compressor, and an additional $150-200 to integrate a compressor.

I have an all glass '97 TG. I pull it with my stock 2001 Tahoe. I only pull around town and I would not go too far with this set up....I sure know it's back there when I'm towing but it does the job. My tongue weight seems pretty low. My rear bumber does not squat too much with the load. Your boat is lighter and your truck is heavier. I think you will be ok.

Hey Byrdman... you can have this one! :throw:

You are fine ....you don't need air bags ....in fact your truck probably has the helper springs already on it if you ordered the tow package.Just position the the boat properly on the trailer to add or remove weight from the tongue(about 500lbs is desired).The better question is ....Does it have a diesel?

I've gotta agree.

No airbags here and it doesn't squat at all. Heck, it tows like a dream!!!! I have a 2500 Duramax/Allison and a '88 Kevlar Top Gun.

Glad to hear that!
Stupid question but I guess I would have to play with it at the ramp to move the boat a little but up or back for changing the tongue weight? In my little 26 I used to have, I once moved it up a little by rolling forward and nailing the brakes to move it up afew inches... :eek:

Yes, it has the 6.0 L powerstroke.

I agree too.
I have a 05 F350 diesel. It twos my Top Gun w/ alum Myco just fine. Does'nt squat but about 1.5" and rides awsome w/ boat in tow.

I said that eichhoma would probably want them.

If anybody tows like I do with a bed full of tools, props, boat cover, luggage (girlfriend's), spare tire, jack, and others odds and ends; you will find you will want a little more support in the rear end.

They can't hurt.

Good luck with your purchase eichhoma.

No worries Sydwayz... I know you were just looking out for me. I may still put them anyway just as extra insurance....
Thanks again!

Damn Syd, you make em' ride in the bed???:D :D

I have a 99 Kevlar gun on a steel trailer...total weight is around 14500#. I have an 05 F-350 LB Dually with air bags and I only keep about 15-20 lbs of air in the bags. it doesn't squat the truck at all. I also towed the boat with a single wheel and it too was fine.

Do some horror readings on what can go wrong towing with the wrong set up...you're taking on a huge risk and when you have something go wrong your insurance company will leave you high & dry! Just be careful around town...most accidents happen within 5 miles of your home.

You should have no problems, i tow mine with a lifted F350 single rear wheels and 37" tires and it does just fine.

i have a steel Myco trailer

They all flock to me when the see how nice my setup is; so I have to put them somewhere. My truck has 4 captain's chairs, so cab seating is limited. :D

No problem .

That is one sweet looking rig!!

so that has the factory receiver in the back and no air bags? That would be a huge relief...

Thanks,
Factory receiver . No air bags . It might sag an inch to an inch and a half thats all .
I did the Banks exhaust and tuner . On a highway haul get as much as 15 mpg .

sweet... I feel much better now... I have been thinking about putting an exhaust on to lower egt's.... did you go with a 4" or 5"??

I would bet that my full size Tahoe weighs as much if not more than most 3/4 ton single wheel pick ups....and they tow these boats all day long. I have brakes on my aluminum trailer and have my boat possitioned so my tongue weight is light. I will agree that it may not be the ultimate set up... but I don't think it is as irresponsible as some of you would suggest.

MJB,

The risk you run is, if you ever have an accident your are way over the tow rating for your vehicle. You open yourself up to no insurance coverage and worse yet a high liability claim.

I have no doubt that you can move the boat with your vehicle but you are taking a risk liability wise I am not sure you grasp.

Call you agent and see if they will cover you. Your max tow rating with a 410 ratio is 8200 lbs and I would guess you are exceeding that by at least 30-40%. That assumes that you have the proper set up. If you have 373 gears your rating is 7200 rating and may be close to 50% over your recomended limit.

You're an adult and can make your own decisions. Just pointing out some things that could cause you to have a very bad day someday.

Am I missing something here?
It's not the weight of the vehicle alone...or whether your trailer has surge breaks...it's suspenion, stearing, power & most importain BRAKES! You're pulling 12000+ with an 7000 rated vehicle...do you really think this is safe?

Yes it is irresponsible,

There is a reason for the tow ratings on trucks, you have exceded the rating by a lot, and if you are in an accident even if it is not your fault and someone is hurt or killed you could be criminallly charged. Do some research and you will find out that you dont have insurance coverage. Get a truck that is rated for what you are towing.

No your not missing anything he may have been lucky in the past but that doesnt make it right.

Remember the hitch is probably not more than 7500# as well. With a 5000# ball. I'm guessing no transom straps.

the triple axle trailer is the key. it holds the boat level and stops sway, it also will not let your truck squat to much you will be fine!

We don't have a T/G but the 2500 HD with a 6 liter gas motor towed it back from Fla. 75 -80 mph at 6.73 mpg. it towes great . You will be fine :D

Cold man, real cold :D

mjb,
you need a proper tow vehicle. For your safety, your passengers safety, and anyone driving around you. You own a Gun, you can afford a proper truck. Now :signs069: buying one ! :D

Can't believe I'm the first one to ask....

WHICH BOAT IS IT AND CAN YOU POST PICS!?:D

Well, the deal isn't closed yet... but should be Memorial day weekend, maybe sooner. Because the owner is a a member here and out of respect, I don't feel right about posting pics until after the deal is closed.

I "moved around" a F-311 Formula with my 1/2 ton Suburban for a while until I had to make a panic stop one day due to a woman that evidently made a snap decision to turn into the mall. 2 weeks later I had a dually in the driveway and I have never been happier or felt more at ease towing. You may have been lucky up until now but the odds will catch up with you eventually. As in my case, it probably won't be your fault. But as was previously stated, your insurance company is likely to bail on you if you aren't equipped for towing something of that size/weight.

Just my .02

we pull a 95 kevlar gun with our 2007 f350 dually deisel
did 4 " turbo back exaust and air intake.
pulls great no sway. stops on the dime with out the trailer and just needs a few more dimes stopping with the boat.
good luck with the deal and post some pics

Well, yesterday I closed the deal on the gun... The family is real excited about it. Especially me! :cool-smiley-027:
I have wanted one of these since I was a kid, and think I picked a great one. It has blower motors in it and I have to evaluate how I really feel about those compared to EFI's but I will worry about that this winter.

Thanks Scott and Reuben for spending so much time with it over the holiday weekend and all the efforts to make everything on it right.

Thanks a lot Mike for a hassle free transaction.

Also met a really cool couple from Troy MO. last night while stopping at a truck stop in Kingdom City. They had a Blue and white 98 TG... Beautiful!

And my rig pulled it fine, thanks to all for the advice from earlier in this thread.
Will post some pics ...

a few more.

WOOOOOOW! That thing is NICE!!! Congrats! It looks brand new. And those motors are fine. I have the same motors in my gun (not as nice looking as yours thoughthough!) Love the polished blowers.

Thank you!.... Yeah, I was originally looking at newer model ones, 98-02 but finding this 93 that was this clean and updated, I couldnt pass it up for the money.
I actually LOVE the engines... my only concern is that it didnt want to idle very long without a motor loading up and dying.... the boat also dat in storage most of the summer too and my sea trial was its first time out since late June... I think....
Is that going to be a trait of blower motors, or do you think I justy need to take it out and run it real good? If it is, I might find a set of EFI's to drop in there. It just didnt seem very user friendly or driveable form that perspective... I hope that can all be tuned out of them...

a few more....

Nice boat. Looks really clean. Enjoy. You might have somebody go through the carbs on those motors. You should have no issues idling with these.