What's the worst that can happen, right?

And towing a skid steer on a 20' trailer and a 50' long boat/trailer/rig of same weights are drastically different circumstances.

Skid steers are typically loaded on the center of the trailer and weight is evenly distributed. On a boat, the majority of the weight is behind the rear axle, and regardless of the COG on the trailer setup, all that tail will outwag the dog in a holy-chit moment at some point.

Not saying it is okay, but I'd rather pull an overloaded 50' boat on a custom trailer than the same weight on a 20' flat bed. Yes, the heaviest part of the boat is in the back, but that's why boat trailer axles are so far back. You still have a properly balanced load with a boat trailer. Plus, the length adds to stability in bad situations.

12k skid steer on a trailer with electric brakes sucked compared to my 10k+ boat and trailer with EOH. That's with a 2015 f250 fx4 6.7. Same truck as a 350 less the sticker. That includes the added leaf pack, rear shackles, and bump stop.

IF the trailer is properly fitted to the boat, there shouldn't be a sway issue. Meaning the trailer is balanced with the appropriate ~10% tongue weight. I say IF, because I know a lot of trailers (S. Florida in particular) are not fit to the boat, are not balanced, are being towed by way too small of a vehicle, and are scary to watch go down the road.

A Skid steer on a trailer weighing 14K or a boat weighing 14K they should tow the same,truck for truck. as long as tongue weights are setup correctly. the boat just looks bigger and has more of a chance of knocking down street signs just from the lenght

10% tongue weight doesn't matter when the 6000 lbs. of everything behind the rear axle on the boat trailer decides it wants do pull a Cole Trickle and pass the COG on the outside; and the tow vehicle doesn't have enough ass to hold it it line.

Ford says 14,000# rating. My 2014 F250 tows my 42' Fountain fine. Make sure you have good trailer breaks.

Towing - Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight Ratings (lbs.)
Regular Cab Super Cab Crew Cab
Engine with Automatic Transmission Rear Axle Axle Ratio GCWR (lbs.) F-250 4x2 F-250 4x4 F-350 4x2 F-350 4x4 F-250 4x2 F-250 4x4 F-350 4x2 F-350 4x4 F-250 4x2 F-250 4x4 F-350 4x2 F-350 4x4 F-450 4x4
6.2 L Gas V8 SRW 3.73 19200 12500 12500 12500 12500 12500 12400 12500 12300 12500 12200 12500 12100 -
SRW 4.30 22200 12500 12500 12500 12500 12500 12500 12500 12500 12500 12500 12500 12500 -
DRW 3.73 19800 - - 13200 12700 - - 12800 12400 - - 12500 12100 -
DRW 4.30 22800 - - 16100 15700 - - 15700 15300 - - 15500 15100 -
6.7L Power Stroke Turbo Diesel V8 SRW 3.31 23500 12500 12500 12500 12500 14000 14000 14000 14000 14000 14000 14000 14000 -
SRW 3.55 23500 12500 12500 12500 12500 14000 14000 14000 14000 14000 14000 14000 14000 -
DRW 3.73 32100 - - 19000 19000 - - 19000 19000 - - 19000 19000 -
DRW 4.30 35000 - - - - - - - - - - - 19000 -
DRW 4.30 40400 - - - - - - - - - - - - 19000

If 6,000 lbs is behind the rear axle, the trailer is not balanced. The two go hand in hand. If the trailer is balanced, it will tow straight and true, no matter the weight. Again, IF the trailer is built right. A large gust of wind or a bouncy road is another story and that will probably push the truck around.

I do agree that a dually at a minimum would be the correct tow vehicle for this boat, but probably more like an F650 or Sportchassis (plus they look cooler!).

Thread is stupid for a few reasons:

1. Darr probably started it
2. Owner of a 52 OL wouldn't care to trailer it (lift kept/marina kept type boat)
3. The correct truck for the job (F450) can be had for almost the same money as a loaded F250. So just buy the right truck and debate is over.

My thought is if u can afford a 52OL. U can afford a Sportschassie an most likely someone to drive the truck. 😉