I am wanting to purchase a boat and i am really kinda worried about getting it home. I have a 99 4runner limited 4x4 . have a class 3 hitch. The boat i am looking at is a 24 foot command bridge with a dual axle aluminum trailer. I have towed other boats, a 22 foot pontoon about 2500 pounds total, a 20 ft bowrider , about 3000 pounds. but this boat is about 4500lbs. what do you think? the ride is basically all on one highway, 200 miles , flat terrain.

 

I hope your brakes are good..

 

me too lol

would replacing the pads do any good if they still have good wear on them?

 

if you've got pleanty of meat on the pads and your rotors are fine/ not terribly glazed or warped you should be okay. It looks like the trailer has surge brakes on it. If so there should be a cap on the top front of the tongue, open it and make sure the brake fluid there is up to proper level. Check the wiring of course and be ready for some big time rear sag on the runner. Give yourself 3x to 4x the the distance to cars in front and take it easy maybe leave the od off. Flip through your owners maual, it should tell you the max towing capacity of your rig. Oh and good luck!

 

thank for the advice. I looked through the owners manual , it said max 5000 lbs. if over 1000lbs must have load distribution and trailer brakes. The trailer does not have brakes. I am going to probably be right at the 5000 lb limit. I believe the rotors are slightly warped, i get a light vibration when stopping. I am considering getting the rotors turned and new pads before towing this , but am worried it will be useless as towing this will warp them again? the 4runner rotors seem to warp quite easily. my pads now look to have plenty of life left. I am aware how to use engine braking and will allow plenty of distance to stop. another worry i have is sway , with this boat being so tall and with alot of side surface area... You can see how big this boat is by comparing to the small runabout to the right of it lol

 

automatic or manual tranny?

If automatic you would want to keep an eye on tranny temp, may want to add a transmission cooler?

and of course a trailer brake

nice boat..........

 

also, remove any loose heavy items from the boat and place them in your truck, cut downs the weight.
Check fuel and water (waste & Fresh) see if you can unload them.

 

its an automatic. I am really concerned about my tranny. However i dont have time to add a tranny cooler before i need to pick the boat up. I am aware of the usual , o/d off , no speeds that search for a gear ,etc.. i am fine towing at 45mph the whole way if i have to. The boat is going to be mostly empty. I will empty any fluids it has.

 

be careful going up and down hills, I live in a flat state so for me it's not a problem

 

hills are a big concern also. half of this trip is almost completely flat , half of it gets a little hilly. nothing extreme , but still not flat

 

That's why a tow with my F-350 super duty, and play with my TOYota

 

Wish i had a diesel for the tow lol . but have to work with what i have! once i get it home , the boat ramp is 5 miles from the house.

 

yes.............. I'm about the same to Delaware Bay and 30 mins from the Chesapeake Bay so I'm in two worlds. great fishing

 

Here's mine, not as big as yours but it works

 

If you're that concerned about the weight, and especially the trailer sway with no trailer brakes......is renting a diesel not an option?? Just an idea. Or trade vehicles with a friend for a day.

 

take a better picture of the trailer tongue, it looks like it has hydrolic/surge breaks. I'm sure there is some sort of brakes on that trailer. I'd go down to the uhual and see what they have in terms of rental trucks. And if you go with your own rig. Maybe leave at 10 pm. Roads are less crowded, and its cooler out. It may help with tranny temps and engine temps.

 

im sure u could do it. but if its gonna be a one time thing, why not just rent a diesel? or is that not an option?

 

this is serious safety issue, don't take it lightly, please.

i have this L.A. Times article bookmarked long time ago:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...3195.htmlstory


noticed the ARB bumper in this picture?



you need to have twice of the weight on your towing vehicle than what you're towing. no matter how much power you got and how good your brakes are, if there isn't enough weight in the business end, the trailer will try fishtailing when decelerating. i.e. on a downhill slope, when you want to slow down and the trailer wants to speed up by the gravity, wheeewwww....

 

x2 on renting a truck that can handle it. It will be worth whatever it costs not to have the wear on your DD.

Also, like mentioned above if the wind catches that thing, it could just take your 4runner with it...

 

I remember that picture from awhile back. It was inexperienced college age girls if i remember correctly. Fishtailing of the trailer has a lot to do with the weight distribution in the trailer and maintaining a lower speed. That landcruiser also appears to be lifted. It is very common to pull trailers heavier than the tow vehicle. The 4runner is rated for 5000lbs and weighs only around 4000. Light duty trucks are rated at 10,000lbs or more and weigh no where near that. Thank you for the warning though. I dont think swayign will be much of an issue as i wont be going more than 50mph.