You 340/380 Guys who trailer
 

Guys with 340/380's that trailer, what do you have for a pull rig?

How far have you pulled your boat/trailer and does it pull hard or with ease?

Ray, I noticed you pull with a PSD Dually, Paul I noticed you have a Ram. Is a dually necessary (would be nice but is it necessary?).

Thanks guys, can't put the cart in front of the horse :)

I have never pulled the 38 with anything else but I will tell you this. Prior to the 350 dually I had a 2500 surburban with a 454. I pulled my travel trailer which is about 8700 lbs. It was a white knuckle ride at times through the mountains and on windy days. After I bought the Ford is no trouble at all I even drive one handed with a almost casual attitude. The suburban was far from that. I believe that most of the credit goes to the dually. It seems to me that most of the swaying on the 2500 was due to sidewall flex in the tires. They were rated for it but the ford is rock solid.

I have been concidering an Excursion PSD but I still tow the boat and travel trailer quite a bit. The biggest prblem with the dually is you always have to wash it by hand.

By the way my F350 is a V-10 gasoline engine. and it pulls the boat just fine. 75Mph no problem.

I pulled my 38(full of fuel and gear) 200mi. to Holland with my 97 2500GMC with a 350 in it and it did it with ease. It is my work truck and is loaded with tools and an industrial cap(probably2000lbs). More power would have been nice but it handled it quite well.

Really?
 

Based on my experience, I would have to question that a 350 cubic inch motor, in any truck, could tow a 10,000 lb pluss boat/trailer with "no problem". It would have to be totally flat with no real hills, side winds, etc. The horsepower to weight ratio simply does not work regardless of axle ratio.

The only way to tow a boat of this size is a diesel or a large V8 (454/496) or V10. If its short distances with fairly level ground, any full size will do. But if you are towing any distance you are going to need a big V8 or V10 gas motor or a turbo diesel. I would also recommend a 4:10 or similar rear end ratio.

I have been towing large loads for a long time and the only way to do it safely (which is most important) and comfortably is to have a tow vehicle with adequate capacity:D

I am sorry to chime in, I do not tow a 340 or 380 but do tow loads in excess of 10,000 lbs. Dualies do make a difference in high wind situations as well as on interstates where semi's are running. The increase in lateral stability is incremental and will reduce driver stress on long trips.

I agree about needing more power. With ease probably wasnt the right choice of words. The trailer has alot to do with it. Obviously a dually would be nice(just sold mine) but dont go out and buy one to haul it short distances back and forth to the ramp or even for an occasional short trip.

trailen 340/380/
 

guys: the whole key to trailen any big boat is to set the trailer up right when you buy it. The truck is not suppose to carry the weight of the boat. Two or three hundred pounds of tongue weight is all that,s suppose to be on the hitch. I pulled a 380 all over the place with a 3/4 ton 2500hd with 496ci with 373 gears. Can run up and down the highway with ease. Another key is proper tire seclection. You can not use Narrow tires on you pulling truck. I had my trailer custom built at Eagle Trailers. Placing of the axles in the proper position is the key to the trailer carrying the boat,s weight properly. Do your homework before you invest the money, it with make driving easier on your trips. You will get there safer by doing a little planning amd research. Hopes this helps. Wildman 1 aka Blondes Preferrred

I like my SRW's
 

Jeff,
Don't bother with the duallies, they're not necessary with a triple axle trailer, and I hate 'em in the winter, more tires to maintain, harder to park, more rolling resistance, etc., to me they just aren't worth all the hassle.
I didn't get a 3500 Dodge just because of the fact that it was only available with DRW's. Now they've wised up and are going to offer the 2003 HD Dodge 3500 with SRW's, the wife(Who works at the Dodge dealer) told me I should think about getting a new one, but I really like my '95 2500 Cummins, just getting it the way I like it, and it tows the Avenger very well even though I'm about 3,000 lb over the factory tow rating, I just don't tow uphill in 5th gear. By the way stick with a manual transmission, you'll be a lot happier in the long run towing that kind of weight, I wouldn't even consider an auto unless it was an Allison, but I'm not a Chevy guy. The 2003's are rated at 23,000 lbs GCWR pretty awesome:cool:, and I could just make that- right now I'm at 21,000 lbs .

Take Care, Paul

Yes and no
 

jmackin, agree 100%, for short distances I would not spend the extra money.

Wildman1, I also agree that the trailer should carry the bulk of the weight. But even with a triple axle trailer you do not want to get the tounge weight too low. It will sway in the right conditions. Convention says 10% of the towed load. I think that is too much. In my experience with a triple axle trailer 5% works well. So for a 10,000 lbs boat/trailer, 500lbs would be about right.

boathead, daulies do make a difference. I am not saying that a SRW truck will not do the job. But if you tow a 10,000lbs+ load with a SRW versus a DRW, you will notice a difference. This will be most noticeable on interstates with crosswinds and semi's. DRW's really do suck in the winter and in parking lots, but for towing big loads long distances they are great.

I also like manual transmissions, but pulling very large boats up ramps can heat up a clutch plus the transition from brake to clutch engagement can be tricky.

I pull my 38 with a PSD 4 wheel drive dually. I can honestly say on long trips I sometimes forget the boat is back there. The ride is really that good.
I would never own a 2 wheel drive dually they have terrible traction even though I rarely flip mine over to 4 wheel It is a must on a steep ramp or in the snow. My next truck will be the same.:cool:

I think the key is in the wheel base and tires. The longer wheel base helps when towing large loads. The tires need to be load range E and some tires do better then others because of the tread pattern, this I difinately know.

Hope this helps :)