Please clairify
 

I am looking for a 32/35 lightning and several people are arguing the point that my 1998 F150 5.4 2wd with the upgrade heavy duty trans and low gears wont pull it. I have towed my 25 checkmate easily with it.

I dont go far and if I do I can borrow my brother in laws duly but for local drops can my ford handle it?

Should pull it all the way to the seen of the crash just fine.

The boat with all your crap in it and gas,trailer will be too much for that truck, and if you get in a crash and kill/hurt somebody watch how fast your insurance runs away.

A 35 with twins and the bigger trailer will be close to twice what you are pulling now.

+1


you might want to re phrase the question to "should I" instead of "could I". Yes it will pull that boat . . . . . . no its not a good idea by a long shot or your screen name will be well earned :D.

You could probably get away with off highway around town hauling but you still run the liability risk.

:eek:
but your right

I understand the safety issues but my boat ramp is in my neighborhood less than 1 mile away with a 25 mph speed limit. Safety isnt a concern for the short distance. I can go 10 mph to and from the ramp.

I was concerned about getting up the ramp out of the water? I dont want to drop in and not be able to get up the ramp.

I’m only about a mile from the dock with a very steep hill in and out of the water. Insurance should be one of your concerns, when I insured my new purchase I had to provide truck info. With that info also had to show that my puller could safely and legally move it. I wouldn't want to be in a accident with a vehicle that isn't rated.... just my 2C.

it all depends on the ramp I usually put mine in 4low on steeper ramps just to make sure I think towing with a 2wd half ton is just asking for trouble thats alot more boat then what you have now

That you should be fine, I too have a ramp in my hood that I have used my lawn tractor to launch 16 foot jet boats with, but my ramp has less slope than a garage floor so it's no big deal. How steep is your ramp? I once had to use my 42 Sonic to help push my f350 cc 4x4 dullie up the ramp in 4 wheel drive, The tide was way out and the ramp was more like a wall and had alge on it.

Noone can answer that question. To many varibles, steepness, tires, pavement, gearing, tongue weight.....One way to find out, hopefully it'll work. You won't have the option to lock it in if you can't.

Its a little steeper than most but new well grooved concrete. I have never have had a problem with traction. Never even get my tires wet.

I hate to have to get a new truck. I have had mine so long I dont want to part with it. To spend another 30-40k just to pull the boat out 2-3 times a month isnt on my high priority list.

I agree with what's been said. If it's short neighborhood ramp tows then that's OK, don't get on the highway. 2wd would be of more concern than the fact that it's a 1/2 ton.

BTW: I had a 3/4 burb and bought a 38 Formula......ended up buying a dually 5-6 weeks later as the 3/4 just couldn't do it.

Just go try it and see but have a bigger truck there just incase. I pulled my 50 Nortech back from Fort Meyers Fl. back to VA. about 1000k miles did it over night no traffic so no problems, Few weeks later pulled it 40 miles down just a small hyw. The truck was rated at I think 13,500# boat & trailer was about 24-26k#'s. Had to jump on the brakes that were all working fine it even locked up all six tires on the trailer that had brakes on the trailer, the 4th axle didnt have brakes, had to go to the shoulder went though a red light took like another 200 yards to stop. I about crapped my pants. After that I sold the truck so I wouldn't be tempted to tow with it again. I have been racing stuff all my life and have driven big rigs to go carts and have never been scared as bad as I was then.

I only spent $2000 on a beater truck to tow mine. My 27/29 on a steel trailer weighs 9680. I usually tow under 100 miles so a gas truck worked well. Its a 1998 Chevy Suburban 2500 with 4.10's, posi, 4x4 and 454. It had a bad trans which I rebuilt in a weekend in my garage for about $300. Only cost about $400 to insure. May be worth buying a different/spare vehicle since your not always going to want to boat in the same waters I imagine.

fyi.. trucks rated at 10,000# towing

I have a ford excursion 4x4 v10 on my lot for 6k that would get the job down......

[QUOTE=LapseofReason;3292969]Should pull it all the way to the seen of the crash just fine.

Excellent advice!

I had a buddy with the same truck, and a 25 outlaw with a single motor.

On the steep ramps here, he told me how there was some sand on the ramp and the boat pulled the truck all the way down.

With a twin 32 or 35, let someone know with a video camera, so he can post it on u-tube.

Dry ramp; you might be OK.

Wet ramp; forget it. You better have electric/hydraulic brakes, a good chain, a friend with a strong truck, and a charged cell phone battery.

Are you ONLY going to tow it in the neighborhood?

bought a 2005 35 Lightning and we had a 1500 Suburban 4wd. After first attempt at hooking up towing less than one mile to ramp and then later attempting to pull boat out, we owned a 2500 HD diesel and the Suburban was gone....

It is to much boat for your setup, get a beater, borrow a buddies but don't count on your truck to handle the tasks....sorry, I understand your situation.

same here, picked up a 96 Ford F350 dually with a utility bed and 460 auto. works great and only sees about five hundred miles a year.

I have an 04' new style F150 4x4 with tow package and hauled a friends 32' Fountain Fever last summer. With the optional tow package I'm rated at 10,400 lbs and towed it fine, trailer brakes would have been nice but I did fine. Ramp wasn't step at all. Had to back in a little further with this boat than I usually did with my 28' I had at the time. Rear tires got wet and I had to use 4x4 to get up the ramp. This was also at the nicest ramp at our local lake, nicely corrugated concrete for good traction and almost new Nitto Terra grappler tires.
With that said I wouldn't try it. 2wd and smaller brakes and I wouldn't have even considered towing that boat anywhere.

I totally agree with the truck being too small, but like you, I upgraded to a heavier boat and needed to make a decision.

We towed it home after buying it with a crewcab 2x4 dually, and it was a piece of cake. Backed it down the ramp, no worries. Had to load up people in the bed of the truck to get the boat out of the water.

My half ton 4x4 will pull it out the same ramp all day long in 4 wheel high. But I wouldn't dream of backing down the ramp without the eoh brakes.

So, while its not the safest way to go, its possible if you have electric brakes.


My bad, I thought it was a 4x4 truck, sorry, if it 2 wheel drive, don't even try.

Larry,
I gotta agree with the masses, if it were 4x4 I would try it, but I almost lost my truck(you have seen my Z-71) pulling a waverunner out one day, Low tide, and rain on the ramp dont mix, had to back further in due to the low tide, had truck in 2 wheel drive 'cuz it was only a waverunner, as I got out of the truck, I felt it start to slide, hit the 4x4 button, and it stopped, if it were 2 wheel only I would have lost it, and that would have been WAYYY embarassing.

if its 2 wheel drive dont even bother :drink::drink::drink:

+1 Even if your tires don't go in the water what happens if there is a rain shower and you need to pull it out. I normally can pull mine in 2 wheel drive but the couple times the ramp was really wet it sure was nice to flip it in 4hi and pull her right out.

2wd..... no way. I had a 35 Fountain on a triple axle manning that would require 4x4 everytime to pull it out. The ramp wasnt even that bad, but the trailer just wasnt putting enough weight on the truck. As said before, insurance will mean everything if and when something happens.

Get a Jeep Rubicon

4WD when you need it. TRUE 4WD, not that punney LF/RR 4WD stuff. :) Rock Crawling low range gearing power to pull the trailer out from underneath the boat. PLenty of tongue weight fro rear wheel traction. Easy parking maneverabilty. Launches real easy! :evilb:


Seriously, I did not tow the boat behind the Jeep (notice this one isn't even a Rubicon). Just had to move the trailer around in my garage and needed gas. Made the 1 mile trip for the photo op.

Truck upgrades??....we've all been there, stopped me from getting a new boat more than once.....welcome to performance powerboating

I thought you were serious before the edit... I was thinking this guy is out of his Fing mind!!! :lolhit:

I looks like that trailer is all that Jeep wants:drink:

Had to edit to clarify the pic. But your second comment ain't far off. :drink:

Yup, I had a 2wheel drive dually, and I was scared to death that one day I was going to get in the slick and slide down, I kept a set of big rubber wheel chocks to throw under the front wheel if it ever happened to slide, I never tryed it out in person, and dont know if it would be enough to stop it, any input?

Once it got the momentum up - who knows. But I keep a wheel chock under mine as soon as I get to the ramp I engage the parking brake and put the chock under.

I had an incident in 2009 where I hopped out of the truck (it is a manual) and right as I got out the parking brake snapped and the whole thing started going backwards. LUCKILY I was able to get my foot on it before it went far. ALSO I was lucky that my brother was there with me and grabbed a rock real fast and put it under the front wheel (I usually launch/retrieve by myself).

it's not that u can't pull it . it trying to stop it is the problem . you boat will out weigh u truck twice . it might pull it down the ramp and sink it .

Dont even need a rain shower ,just a wett ramp from prior users loading/unloading & pulling there drain plugs :eek:

You should be fine. Again, to repeat what an earlier poster wrote... Stopping is the issue. Your 35 fountain compares to a 29' without the beak or swim platform... Steel or Aluminum trailer? I towed my 33' Powerplay with trip. Ob's all over florida. 5.4 triton 4 door F-150. Great truck. Aluminum S. Fla trailer with good surge brakes...