I hope someone with towing experience...

[M300]

I hope someone with towing experience can help answer this!  I am sure it has been asked before so I apologize.  My 2017 Sea Ray 21 SPX weighs 4,200 lbs with trailer and a full tank of gas.  I weighed it on a public scale today.  Lots of Trucks and SUVs are rated at 5,000lb towing capacity.  My question is, is 5,000lb towing capacity enough?  Would you recommend more?  I like a lot of the vehicles that are rated at 5,000 tow capacity and in the market for a new vehicle.  thanks.

[Tgarris]

You are good, I do suggest buying an suv that can handle a tad more because you most likely will buy a larger boat faster then your next vehicle.

[rbilliards]

More is better but you're likely good. One recommendation is four wheel or all wheel drive for those steep ramps - when extracting your boat, you'll benefit from power to all 4 Wheels.

[Celebration]

Highly recommend more. Our Sea Ray 220 loaded on the trailer is about 5500#. Our Ford w/4.6L V-8 is rated at 6650. That's still not enough pad. Long or steep hills are a strain on the engine and transmission. Down a long steep grade darn near killed the brakes. Go bigger and you won't regret it.

[jvsrunner]

I agree with Tgarris. I was towing my 225WE with a GMC Envoy, which has a capacity of 5500 pounds. I just bought an F250 Super Duty Turbo Diesel. Over 14000 of towing for my next Sundancer.

[M300]

thx, I currently tow with a Highlander V6 that has a 5000lb tow capacity now. It feels ok towing but not great. Celebration - at what point to you know it is straining the engine? Does it red line or just go really slow for you up hills?

[Jeff_H]

Depends where you tow. Through the mountains is going to require a larger tow vehicle then heading down to the next town with a lake.
I have a F-250 Diesel and a Toyota 4-runner. Both tow my SPX just fine around town. If I was headed through the mountains though, I would leave the 4-Runner at home.

[lyleski]

I agree with all that is said above, especially thinking about where you will be towing. If you are going just a couple of miles to the water, just about anything can do it. But mountain trips really strain the drivetrain, Also the tow rating includes not only what you are towing, but also everything else hauled including passengers. So with a 4,200 boat, passengers and gear you could easily be over 5,000 pounds. I tow my 190 Sundeck with a Tahoe. Not quite as heavy as yours, but the larger vehicle just makes for an easier trip.

[M300]

I thought passenger weight was included in the GCVW not solely the trailer tow capacity we are talking about?

[lyleski]

According to the Chevrolet trailer guide, it says when determining what you can tow include the weight of passengers and optional equipment. It says driver weight and standard equipment are included. So in my example the Tahoe can haul 8500 lbs with the driver on board. Any other weight has to be deducted from what it can tow. This info is at the following site: http://www.chevrolet.com/truck-life/trailering-and-towing-guide

[M300]

Interesting and very helpful. thank you. I bet a lot of people don't know this.

[Celebration]

M300, I just got back from the last outing of the year. I had a bunch of fuel to use up and what better way than a high-speed run on Lake Washington. Fifty years of towing experience says this Ford engine was working hard. Accelerating up a freeway on-ramp took it almost to red line before shifting. The steep hill near our house causes a serious MPH drop unless I floor it and race it in a lower gear. Other factors went in to getting this instead of an F-150. We also pull Celebration (Sea Ray 220 Sundeck) with a 34' diesel motor home. No problems there--very comfortable to tow.

[Hugo]

Agree with getting something bigger because you will get a bigger boat. Verify the stopping power of the vehicle as well. Towing capacity and braking capacity are not always the same. Seems crazy but true. I'm assuming the trailer has brakes, correct?
I have a 220 BR at 5400 lbs, trailer and gas. pulled by a VW Touareg, V6 can tow up to 7500.
I don't tow frequently and wondering if I'm better off renting when I need to instead of shelling out $35K for a tow vehicle and get a smaller vehicle for $10- $15 K less.

[AncientGeek]

I had very good experience with a VW Touareg and even better experience with a BMW X5 Diesel. I don’t tow much, so I now use an Audi Q5 TDI Which only has a 4,400 lb capacity due to the car’s GVW. I do love Diesel engines for towing. That torque is very useful. And when I’m not towing anything, I get 30 mpg on the highway. Sadly VW Diesels are only available in 2015 or earlier models due to their emissions cheating. I’m eager to see what the new electric hybrids will do with electric torque and smaller engines on the highway. The BMW 400e for example.

[RaceCarRich]

M300, Generally the tow rating is based upon 150 or 180 pound driver and nothing more. Add a passenger or two and some gear in the tow vehicle and the weight available for towing decreases. It really depends on what your doing. Are you going to and from the lake 2 miles away once a year or are you putting on hundreds of tow miles a year? Many people go above their limit but they are taking a risk. More is always better when towing for safety and wear on your vehicle.

[RaceCarRich]

Also many trucks & SUVs are rated higher. Sometimes it’s rated at 5,000 without a weight distributing hitch and more with a wd hitch. Although I don’t see many wd hitches with boat trailers due to the long beam on the front and special adapters needed to work with surge brakes. In fact my aluminum trailer rated at 7225 carrying capacity does not recommend that it be used with a wd hitch.... and my truck requires it over 5000.