Amazed by how many mid-sized SUVs tow big boats

rjthehunter wrote:

Braking was mentioned and that’s what is really important. Your tow vehicle should be able to stop your boat easily. Any boat over 20 feet should have trailer brakes. I do a lot of heavy towing with pickups for work. Sure, a 1500 with an extra leaf will keep it from squatting but that truck weighs only 6,000 pounds and doesn’t have stopping power like a truck that weighs 12,000 pounds. If you’re buying a vehicle and you’re going to be towing a heavy boat/bobcat regularly, a 1500 might be capable of pulling it, but not safely.

Yes exactly. How can any one safely haul a 10xxx lbs trailer with a 5800 lbs truck? Crazy to me. And I drive and haul trailers every day of the week.

Bearcat89 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>rjthehunter wrote:</div>
Braking was mentioned and that’s what is really important. Your tow vehicle should be able to stop your boat easily. Any boat over 20 feet should have trailer brakes. I do a lot of heavy towing with pickups for work. Sure, a 1500 with an extra leaf will keep it from squatting but that truck weighs only 6,000 pounds and doesn’t have stopping power like a truck that weighs 12,000 pounds. If you’re buying a vehicle and you’re going to be towing a heavy boat/bobcat regularly, a 1500 might be capable of pulling it, but not safely.

Yes exactly. How can any one safely haul a 10xxx lbs trailer with a 5800 lbs truck? Crazy to me. And I drive and haul trailers every day of the week.

Any trailer over 3,000 pounds is supposed to stop itself, how do you think semis work?

piratepete54 wrote:

How many of these SUV’s are equipped with electric brakes? The trailer may have them, but if the tow vehicle doesn’t they are worthless. Surge brakes are a different story, but a lot of trailers don’t have surge brakes.

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

Any trailer over 3,000 pounds is supposed to stop itself, how do you think semis work?

My work truck is a big kenworth. We run air brakes. That’s how that works let alone they are setup and equipped to pull heavy trailer

I also wouldn’t consider pulling anything heavy with my 1/2 ton that didn’t have trailer breaks. Most modern boat trailers over 18′ have surge breaks. Any other big enclosed trailers I have pulled have had electric brakes. I get what you all are saying though. I notice a pretty big difference in stability and comfort while towing with the 1 ton duramax at work. Much better towing rig as it should be.

I spent too much time researching less than 1/2 ton vehicles towing a wakeboat this summer.

Note – I would be shocked if any of those trailers don’t have brakes. As far as I know that’s standard equipment

Here’s what it comes down to.
Dodge Durango
Jeep Grand Cherokee
German SUVs is the odd one that also sneaks in. The Toureg/Cayenne is well regarded in wakeboat circles, especially the diesel Toureg. They come with massive aka really expensive Brembo brakes too.
Pilots, Highlanders, Explores, 4Runners, etc don’t get the recommendations.

There’s a 6 page thread on the Malibu boat forum on this subject but that’s the summary.

In Minnesota, it is illegal to tow a trailer that weighs more than 3000 pounds with out trailer brakes. Doesn’t matter if it’s a small suv or a big diesel, trailer brakes make it possible, same as your air brakes. Towing is more enjoyable with a bigger tow vehicle, but I don’t think a lot of you understand how it works. Very scary, you would think a site full of people who probably tow at least a boat would know more about towing. Be safe out there.

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

In Minnesota, it is illegal to tow a trailer that weighs more than 3000 pounds with out trailer brakes. Doesn’t matter if it’s a small suv or a big diesel, trailer brakes make it possible, same as your air brakes. Towing is more enjoyable with a bigger tow vehicle, but I don’t think a lot of you understand how it works. Very scary, you would think a site full of people who probably tow at least a boat would know more about towing. Be safe out there.

I don’t think you know what you’re even talking about.

You think a bigger tow vehicle is for enjoyment?

Funny you don’t say a word about safety.

What do you tow Dusty and what do you pull it with? I’m assuming you have your class A too?

Wayne Daul wrote:

I. have a Grand Cherokee with 5.7 hemi and pull glass 18.5 with 150 absolutely no problems. pulls almost as good as my crew cab did. however big difference in cargo space.

That’s the other thing about these smaller SUVs. I bring a ton of crap along with me anytime I’m head out on the water. Stuff that doesn’t always ride in the boat until I have launched. Cooler, tackle boxes, battery jump pack, toolbox, rope, etc. I’d have a hard time doing this with the cargo capacity of these SUVs.

I’m not criticizing anyone on this board since most of us are towing lighter boats. I’m mainly talking about the big wakeboards and bowriders being towed by these smaller SUVs. Even if towing capacity has increased, it still just seems wrong because of the size difference between the towing vehicle and boat. And worse yet, since these SUVs are not on a truck frame anymore. These are not the Broncos and Blazers and First Gen Ford Explorers.

I’m done talking to a wall. Good luck out there.

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

I’m done talking to a wall. Good luck out there.

That’s what I figured

sticker wrote:

August 22, 2019 at 10:17 am#1875106
Grouse, you tow a 7000 lb rated bobcat trailer with that too, sorry but you overload that truck. The Acadia is rated for 4000lbs.

My 2013 Acadia with optional towing package and optional 19-inch wheels is rated for 5000 pounds towing. The new Acadia is a different vehicle entirely, it has been downsized starting in 2018.

I actually weighed the Wellcraft on a truck scale before I bought it. The Wellcraft with trailer and full fuel weighed in at just over 4000 pounds. It had a dual axle trailer with surge brakes and I rebalanced the boat for correct tongue weight after I bought it.

If you read the owners manual, most give a breakdown of maximum weights with and without trailer brakes. With the surge brakes I felt almost no difference in braking because so much of the trailer braking was accomplished by the trailer brakes themselves.

I would agree as with any vehicle, you should not (and I wouldn’t) tow unbraked trailers at maximum capacity.

rjthehunter wrote:

Your GMC Acadia isn’t designed for towing. They’re built for comfort and gas mileage. They’re not a vehicle that tows well… Transmission is not made to tow with unless you’re going to pull a trailer with grass clippings once a week.

An absolutely stupid statement from someone who clearly hasn’t owned one. If the Acadia wasn’t made for towing, why is there a towing package, tow/haul mode, and 2 inch receiver hitch with the full lighting connector from the factory?

I’ve been towing everything within it’s weight limit for over 5 years and 120,000 miles including towing 1200 miles round trip to Canada for 6 years running towing a 17 foot boat loaded with hundreds of pounds of gas and gear. So much for your theories on the Acadia then.

Grouse

sticker wrote:

August 22, 2019 at 10:17 am#1875106
Grouse, you tow a 7000 lb rated bobcat trailer with that too, sorry but you overload that truck. The Acadia is rated for 4000lbs.

My 2013 Acadia with optional towing package and optional 19-inch wheels is rated for 5000 pounds towing. The new Acadia is a different vehicle entirely, it has been downsized starting in 2018.

I actually weighed the Wellcraft on a truck scale before I bought it. The Wellcraft with trailer and full fuel weighed in at just over 4000 pounds. It had a dual axle trailer with surge brakes and I rebalanced the boat for correct tongue weight after I bought it.

If you read the owners manual, most give a breakdown of maximum weights with and without trailer brakes. With the surge brakes I felt almost no difference in braking because so much of the trailer braking was accomplished by the trailer brakes themselves.

I would agree as with any vehicle, you should not (and I wouldn’t) tow unbraked trailers at maximum capacity.

rjthehunter wrote:

Your GMC Acadia isn’t designed for towing. They’re built for comfort and gas mileage. They’re not a vehicle that tows well… Transmission is not made to tow with unless you’re going to pull a trailer with grass clippings once a week.

An absolutely stupid statement from someone who clearly hasn’t owned one. If the Acadia wasn’t made for towing, why is there a towing package, tow/haul mode, and 2 inch receiver hitch with the full lighting connector from the factory?

I’ve been towing everything within its weight limit for over 5 years and 120,000 miles including towing 1200 miles round trip to Canada for 6 years running towing a 17 foot boat loaded with hundreds of pounds of gas and gear. So much for your theories on the Acadia then.

Grouse

Things are relative. When I haul my 12 ton excavator my knuckles are not as white as when I haul the 50 ton with the same truck and trailer.

thanks, Craig thinking about trading.