Trailering my 23

[Irondragon]

Hi

I am buying a 23 this weekend and have 2 questions.  The trailer has no electric brakes. Does anyone think this would be a problem , I live in Florida.  2nd question is she has an alluminum trailer and I am using my 1995 F-150 to tow her. I was planning on using the bumper which ford says should hold 500 on the tongue and 5000 for the trailer. Has anyone towed a 23 with just the bumper hitch? I can put an under the bumper type 3 hitch but that seems to have the same specs as most of the frame type hitches.

Thanks

[cfelle2]

I tow my 23 with a 2010 Toyota Tacoma.  This is a mid-sized truck which probably does not have the towing capacity of your F-150.  I have no trouble at all.  Your truck is more than big enough to tow this boat.  In terms of breaks most trailers of this weight range have surge breaks on one axel.  In Illinois we are required to have some form of breaks when the load exceeds 3500lbs.  You should check Florida law to see if you need breaks.

I used to tow a Rhodes 22 with a 1994 F-150.  That boat was approximately the same weight as the Com-Pac.  The trailer had no breaks and I did not even notice it behind me while towing.  I used the bumper hitch on the F-150 for the Rhodes.  I guess I would make sure the hitch is in good condition before giving it a try.

Chris

[Irondragon]

Thanks Chris

I would ideally have trailer breaks but need to get it 200 miles from one side of florida to the other.
That way can do the work myself. Appreciate the input.  Did you have trailer breaks when you towed the 22?   My main concern is stopping. Again thanks

Michael

[Irondragon]

If I could read would have noticed you did not.

:-)

[NateD]

The trailer has no electric brakes.

You said the trailer doesn't have electric brakes, does it have surge brakes?

I've pulled my 23 (with surge brakes) with a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0L, which was really underpowered, and I've pulled with a 1998 GMC half ton 5.7L, which felt much more comfortable. If your truck is a six cylinder, it's going to struggle a bit at highway speeds. If the trailer does not have any kind of brakes, make sure to leave plenty of room for stopping.

I personally have a hard time trusting a bumper hitch, but Ford wouldn't stamp the rating on there if the bumper couldn't handle it. One problem might be tongue height/weight. It sounds like this trailer might not be factory (did Com-Pac offer an aluminum trailer?). If it isn't factory the boat may not be position correctly and you could easily have more than 500 pounds on the tongue. Although, like you said, even if you put a receiver hitch on, the rating will still likely be 500, so tongue weight could be an issue either way.

Just take it slow, leave plenty of stopping room, stop periodically to check on hubs/tires/truck fluids, and if the truck has an automatic transmission and it keeps downshifting, then put it down into 3rd gear and leave it there. It will cost you some extra fuel, but it will be far cheaper than a transmission rebuild.

[hockeyfool]

I agree with the others in that you can tow it with your situation but by all means remember; people all over the world
have been seen towing much more weight than what is rated for vehicle specs with meager trailer conditions;
doing so by using exceptional caution, patience, and much slower speeds.
  Engineers and other trailer sailors I have talked with gave many stories regarding both extremely smaller
  towing vehicles/engine power and fragile, non-braking trailers.
  Looks at your trailers tire condition-  make sure plenty of treadware - and your safer with tires having
  higher bias-ply tires than single belted car tires . Also - check your truck s brake pads - they should be
   in safe range - get em checked at a brake shop if your unsure.
     Always downshift  well before stopping on the road and traveling downhill grades !
         I will  be towing with a honda minivan again - so will do the same.
 

[SpeakEasy]

....and traveling downhill grades !
         
 

He's traveling across Florida. The only "grades" are likely to be highway interchanges!

Seriously though, the only real concern will be stopping. It's all well and good to say "take it slow and leave extra stopping distances," but you can't control for the bonehead who suddenly pulls out in front of you. Be all means, find out what Florida law requires (concerning trailer brakes), and comply. You'll never forgive yourself if you cause someone to get hurt or worse.

-Speak

[skip1930]

Forget the bumper. Buy a 'From Ford' Reese Hitch with a 2" receiver and set up for a 2" dia ball. Bolt her in with grade 8 bolts and big washers. It's all about spreading out the weight/load.

Pull a factory Reese Hitch off a junk yard F-series P-up truck. They only make 8 million a year for the F-series trucks.

A F-150 with an inline 6, a v-6 or a v-8 is more than good enough.
An inline 6 will out pull the v's. More torque at lower rpm's.

Remember when your towing that wind resistance squares as speed doubles. Don't tow at 70 mph.

skip.

[bob lamb]

Towed mine across Florida with a Jeep Cherokee.  No brakes on trailer.  Then towed it back to NC and later back to Florida with an E150 v8 Ford van and later with a Ford Explorer...still no brakes.  No problem...just slow down earlier than normal. (and keep an eye out for idiots cutting in front of you)

Bob
(pics on photobucket link below)

[EclipseGuy]

It is very important to make sure a trailer is level when towing. The tongue weight, load distribution, and boat location are all based on having a level trailer. If the tongue is too high or too low then your load distribution will be negatively affected. In addition, having the tongue too high or too low can cause the trailer to fish-tail or wobble.

If your trailer will be level using the bumper hitch then you should be fine as far as load distribution goes. Usually the bumpers are too high though. Having a receiver installed is usually the better bet because you can then buy a ball and hitch that has the correct amount of drop that results in a level trailer.

- John