Vehicle to pull a boat?

[DA Aquamaster]

My wife has a Jeep Liberty and it has a factory tow option that allows it to tow 5,000 pounds max. It is a workout for it to tow our Outrage. It also waddles and wags and lacks braking power on steep grades...

...Jeep has a new diesel rig available in the Grande Cherokee that is very strong and gets good mileage too. Many full size 1/2 ton pickups can tow over 9,000 pounds as long as GVW stays within capacity. I would think routine towing long distance of boats in the 6,000 pound range and higer might justify a 3/4 ton vehicle. Just for sake of discussion and reference to the vehicles I list above, our boat weighs about 4,000 pounds fueled and loaded including trailer etc.

I have a Jeep Liberty with a 2.8 L turbo diesel and 4000 lbs will not even slow it down. In fact is is usually quite happy in overdrive with no downshifting, cool transmission temps and gets about 18 mpg at 65-75 mph.

I encountered a problem with wagging once at speeds over about 65 mph, but it was with a crappy trailer with tandem axles set up where the tongue was way too low. One potential issue common to other SUV's is that the rear mounted spare tire can interfere with having the hitch high enough on some trailer designs and will need to be moved inside the vehicle or trailer.

The only serious limitation in mountainous terrain my Liberty has had has been cooling - I had one trip with a trailer loaded close to 5000 lbs with about 50 square feet of flat plate area where I had to slow down to about 45 mph when climbing grades that were both steep (8-10%) and long (over 2.0 miles) to avoid running the water temp out of the normal limts. For severe conditions like that it could use a little more radiator but it is not lacking in power at all and makes both the 4.0L Cherokee and the Ford F150 I used to own look really anemic.

That underscores one thing no one has mentioned yet - that cooling is critical in a tow vehicle as the more weight and drag you are towing up hills, the more power you will need and the more cooling demand you will have.

I have not had braking issues with my Liberty, but then I have been towing in mountainous terrain long enough to know that with a 4000-5000 lb trailer the trailer should have brakes of it's own. Surge brakes are usually a pretty cheap option ($800-$1000) that is worth every penny if you tow on steep grades.

Personally, I think if you are looking for an economical yet capable vehicle to tow a boat, the turbo diesel Liberty is hard to beat.

I don't think the same thing applies to the 3.7 L gas version. I have not towed much with a 3.7L gas Liberty, but my general observation driving both the diesel and gas versions is that the 3.7L version is pretty gutless in comparision - in the same class performance class as my 4.0L Cherokee.

 

[matt_unique]

I'm researching for a new Tow vehicle. I love my Tacoma but she will not pull my next boat (10,000 lbs on the trailer). I will continue to drive my Tacoma to work, but I want a beater truck that can move the new boat 8 times a year <200 miles. I have been researching the F250 and F350. It tough to find capacity info online for the older models. Some F250's tow 12,000 lbs, some 8200 lbs....same with F350's.

Anyone have a late 80's early 90's rig capable of towing 10,000 lbs? If yes, what are you driving?

Thanks

 

[Nemrod]

All I can say for Jeep is good thing they come with a good warranty because your going to need it--lol. The best thing about this Jeep is the flag.

N

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I don't know...36,000 miles and the only issue has been a leaky seal in the transfer case. I don't think you could break the 2.8L diesel Jeep is using.

Good color choice - your's looks exactly like mine

 

[Hoosier]

It sounds like a gasoline price is still comparatively cheap in U.S. market.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

I encountered a problem with wagging once at speeds over about 65 mph, but it was with a crappy trailer with tandem axles set up where the tongue was way too low. One potential issue common to other SUV's is that the rear mounted spare tire can interfere with having the hitch high enough on some trailer designs and will need to be moved inside the vehicle or trailer.

Trailer wag is caused by low tongue WEIGHT, not low tongue HEIGHT. A low tongue
height will actually very slightly increase the tongue weight because it tips the CG
forward a touch (I actually ran measurements on this), but it's an almost insignificant
amount, and in the wrong direction to cause wag.

I once followed (and no way was going to pass) a fellow towing a 28ish foot sail boat
down Hiway 1 into Monterey. It was wagging all over the place. In the parking lot
he admitted he was too lazy to take the kicker off the transom and put in the cabin.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Some F250's tow 12,000 lbs, some 8200 lbs....same with F350's.

US brand trucks vary a great deal in tow capacity depending on the exact option
packages: brakes, tow package, engine, transmission, rear end, ... They only reason
this isn't true for import brands because they don't tend to have much in options.

You'll need to do some home work to figure out which option packages make for good
towing. The good news is that those packages tend to also be associated with low
gas mileage (big engine, stump-puller rear end and transmission) and should be cheaper
just now.

Do not underestimate the value of 4WD. It will pull you up a slippery ramp, it will keep
you stopped on a slippery ramp, and, because you can go real slow in compound low,
it will keep you from embarassing yourself backing down any old ramp. It's my secret
weapon for impressing the newbs with my backing skill. ;-)

 

[Nemrod]

Trailer wag is caused by low tongue WEIGHT, not low tongue HEIGHT. A low tongue
height will actually very slightly increase the tongue weight because it tips the CG
forward a touch (I actually ran measurements on this), but it's an almost insignificant
amount, and in the wrong direction to cause wag.

I once followed (and no way was going to pass) a fellow towing a 28ish foot sail boat
down Hiway 1 into Monterey. It was wagging all over the place. In the parking lot
he admitted he was too lazy to take the kicker off the transom and put in the cabin.

Your right of course and I shifted weight forward and it did help but of course the Tacoma is not nearly so sensitive to such things (compared to the Liberty) due to wheelbase and weight and track and suspension.

The Jeep--well--transmission overheated and was repaired on warranty. The front and rear differentials were repaired on warranty. The windshield broke in half and was replaced twice on warranty and is currently cracked in the middle again. The brakes were replaced recently--second time in 45,000 miles. The AC quit but it was also fixed on warranty. The car itself has a nosiy ride, road and tire noise which we partially fixed by installing BFG Long Trail tires. Oh, there have been several things like the I'm stupid fluid being slightly burt whenever we tow and requiring fluid replacement. The car has the factory tow package, I'm stupid cooler, hitch etc.


Annoying things:

The spare tire interferes with the trailer hookup.

Another is the rear seats do not actually fold to a flat floor.

The window and locks are on the cneter console and not the door--never can figure how to get out of the funky little car

No leg room

Noisy, wind noise especially

Lot's of mechanical noise

General feeling of a lack of mechanical refinement (especially for Toyota owners who are accustomed to "Oh, what a feeling" and Toyota slickness.)


Good things:

Sure footed

Go anywhere

Solid iron front arms

on and off road four wheel drive

anti lock is effective on ice

kinda zippy and fun to drive

Built like a tank--did I say it is built like a mini tank!!!!!

Cute, kinda bull dog personality (My Toyota has the personality of a blender but then that is because what many describe as personality is actually mechanical defficiency)

All in all, I like the Liberty but alas, the complete makeover seems to have lost the best thing it ever had and that is the diesel engine option.

Tip for Jeep Liberty owners--if it says in the manual service required at X miles---GET IT DONE. This is not a car you can drive to 100,000 miles with out ever opening the hood. This is part of my problem--I don't like to work on cars and I don't care what is under the hood--I just want it to go with minimal fuss for at least 100,000 miles--service free (save for oil and filters and consumables).

What is wrong with Toyota--well--here goes.

They have forgotten who they are, their vehicles have gotten to dressy and fancy and lack imagination, not ruff and tough enough.

The quality has suffered and the current Tacoma--a fine sport truck--does not have the heart of a lion and the ruggedness of a rhino that the origianl Hi Lux trucks had.

Need to offer a diesel and build a superduty midsize and forget trying to pretend like your GM so you can beat them in sales

The composite bed is growing on me but it is weird.

What is up with the rain noise on the top of the cab

High strength steel body panels (thiiner for reduced weight) are prone to hail damage

Needs more ground clearnece for offroad use--TRD OR should get at least two or three more inches of ground clearence.

TRAC and VSC need a switch on the panel to shut it off so I can peel out and kick gravel

It needs 4 wheel discs even though the rear drums produced the best stopping performance in every comparison--still---give me some discs

Styling is a bit odd--please--can we have chrome front bumpers?

Expensive---Toyota has gotten the idea they are an expenisive car

Snoody dealer network--if you don't like the price then go buy a FORD attitude.

One interesting feature for towing that I like--on a ramp when you remove your foot from the brake and go to the accelerator the truck will lock it's brakes and not roll backwards which allows my wife to help.

N

 

[dannobee]

Some F250's tow 12,000 lbs, some 8200 lbs....same with F350's. Thanks

The Chevy HD's have a towing capacity up to 16,500lbs. Some of the earlier ones (03-05, IIRC), had a towing capacity of up to 18,000lbs with the 8.1 (496 cu in) engine. The DuraMax's had a slightly lower rating (17,000lbs IIRC).

How big of a boat did you say you were getting?

There's always a Kodiac/Topkick if you need a bigger pickup.

 

[Wildcard]

You people should jump on the carbon footprint band wagon and tow with a Prius! What the heck will all the greenies here say if your puking fuel through a 500 CI engine? Oh yea, they ignore it if it's for something they like.
Serious here now, fuel will never go down. It's been $1.25-$1.75 since I have been driving, it finaly went up. Aint coming back down folks. If your going to spend serious time on the water, think slow or light. You can see a lot at 8 kts and 2 gph or fly at 30kts at 8gph. ORRRrrrrr you can go 20 kts at 30 gph....Gets spendy in a hurry. Big fat heavy boats are no longer for most of us.