1979 Isuzu Pup 4 cylinder, Diesal, 2 wheel drive. 24 Foot Sonic with Twin Clip-owns. Does fine.

LE...your a p***y

I apologize for the a$$hole comment. It was impolite and not of my general nature as those that know me would attest. Not to excuse my behavior but I meant it in general- directed to anyone who tows overweight and justifies endangering others with rationalizations like "Just a few times/short distance/etc." It was not meant to be directed to you specifically but again, uncalled for.

I'm somewhat sensitive to trailering issues being a survivor of rolling a large boat and pull rig (properly sized) caused by someone else's highway hijinks. That coupled with the fact that Tuesday afternoon I was almost killed by a cartwheeling Bobcat at 70 MPH.

This %$#@%! contractor passed me on I-77 at about 80, cut in front of me and 15 seconds later experienced a blowout on his ratty lo-boy trailer. Of course, the Bobcat was not fastened- just sitting on the trailer. As he was swaying across 3 lanes he tossed the Bobcat overboard. Looked like something out of a NASCAR crash video. All 3 feet in front of me.

I would- as with the rest of the fine folks at OSO- urge you not to pull anything beyond your rig's capabilities. There's lots of us out here around Northern Ohio and I'm sure one or more of us would be more than happy to move your boat for you if you find yourself in a bind.

CS, no problem.

ha ha ha, you are just messin with me right?? ha ha ha.

No...I am serious. Your are being a P***Y

Yeah I do - that will give me an excuse to upgrade

1995 Kodiak 4 Door Monroe Conversion, 3116 Cat, Allison, Air Ride, 4 Wheel Disk Brakes. 38' Scarab 14,000 Lbs For Boat And Trailer Dry, No Problem. Almost Forgot The Truck Has Had A Drink.

Gunna defend LE on his use of the lightning as a tow rig.. the difference in older (pre 99) ford frames is length.. and cross member amount.. I have an F250 PSD that is a 1996, took a Crownline Express Cruiser (21K BEFORE TRAILER) went ACROSS COUNTRY 5400 miles, hit EVERY weigh station at 34000+ truck and trailer combined All the DOT checked was Axle loading which WAS LEGAL acording to Tire Load Capacity was carrying 7K on front axle, 7.5K on rear axle, and remainder on trailer... truck empty weighs 7900.. They made sure I was using a 30K rated ball, reciever mount , and the proper frame crossmember stiffeners.. Got the weight ticket to prove it.. Onlything I had to have was an extended weight permit and a CDL and a DOT inspection PRIOR to begining the trip.. 26 weigh stations, 19 tech inspections and 42 respectful handshakes from DOT was all I ever got on a 5400 mile trip...

That lightning will pull about 7500 Lbs on its own and if bigger breaks are needed EVER HEAR OF 15" WILLWOODS.... I dont know of any stock trucks with breaks that are exactilly AWESOME and the lightning has better breaking than a F350.. Axle and suspension Swaps are cheaper than a 50K new truck and NOT EVERYBODY that has a 35+' boat can necessarily drop 50K or more every 2 years on a new tow rig... Just cause someone can afford a payment doenst mean they can afford 2.....

BTW howmany of you ACTUALLY get the proper overheight over length over width permits to trailer those boats... OR have a CDL if total weight is over 26K??????? a 38'+ boat and a supercruizer is required to have a CDL due to being over 26000 Combined weight.....

Your tires have a weight/load rating and/or index on them. Look for it. They might be class C (6 ply) , D (8 ply), or E (10 ply).

As for adding a 15K hitch, no you are NOT good to tow that much, you can still only tow what your vehicle's tow rating might be. The only think you might alleviate is not having to use a weight distribution setup, and just use a weight carrying hitch. There are several threads on this subject.

As for what makes a hitch a higher class, it is all of the above, from the way it bolts to the frame, the grade of fasteners used, and the way the hitch is made and welded. A hitch is not a hitch.

Check:

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=78812

and

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...d.php?t=113118

Are you just trying to keep the smart ass comments going? everyone else was done,until you showed up.