1. Welcome to Tacoma World!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
    • Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Hauling boat 500 miles

Discussion in 'Towing' started by Blumpkinson, Apr 18, 2010.

  1. Apr 18, 2010 at 9:24 PM
    #1
    Blumpkinson

    Blumpkinson [OP] Fuelled by plutonium and wild animals

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2009
    Member:
    #22009
    Messages:
    555
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Chris
    OR
    Vehicle:
    03 4x4 5spd
    So my dad and i are taking the boat up to lake champlain in vermont/new york for our annual smallmouth bass fishing trip. Were going to be using my truck since his f150 is on it's last leg.

    I'm looking for some advice/tips for driving my truck this distance while towing our loaded up boat. The boat is a 16' aluminum bass boat with a 50hp johnson, the boat fully loaded should be right around 1500lbs (not much at all i know).

    I have a 1st gen 4x4, 3.4L,5sp,75,xxx miles and i just put new ome dakar leafs with bilstein 5100 in the rear so it should ride great.

    I'm figuring that with the boat being so light there shouldn't be any issues, but is there anything i need to be worried about maintainence wise before heading up there. Should i be worried about the extra strain on the manual transmission and give it ample breaks to cool down along the way?

    Any help/advice is greatly appreciated, btw were leaving in the middle of may... counting down the days.
     
  2. Apr 18, 2010 at 9:25 PM
    #2
    chris4x4

    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

    Joined:
    May 8, 2008
    Member:
    #6497
    Messages:
    112,751,502
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    FlimFlubberJAM
    Tenoe, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2019 Rubicon 4 Door,
    4.10 gears, sliders, and lots of buttons.
    You should be just fine
     
  3. Apr 18, 2010 at 9:34 PM
    #3
    Blumpkinson

    Blumpkinson [OP] Fuelled by plutonium and wild animals

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2009
    Member:
    #22009
    Messages:
    555
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Chris
    OR
    Vehicle:
    03 4x4 5spd
    Any preventative maintainence i should take care of since i do take it offroad at least once a month?
     
  4. Apr 18, 2010 at 9:35 PM
    #4
    chris4x4

    chris4x4 With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine. Moderator

    Joined:
    May 8, 2008
    Member:
    #6497
    Messages:
    112,751,502
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    FlimFlubberJAM
    Tenoe, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2019 Rubicon 4 Door,
    4.10 gears, sliders, and lots of buttons.
    Change your diff fluids, check tire psi, etc. just the general stuff.
     
  5. Apr 18, 2010 at 9:37 PM
    #5
    Blumpkinson

    Blumpkinson [OP] Fuelled by plutonium and wild animals

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2009
    Member:
    #22009
    Messages:
    555
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Chris
    OR
    Vehicle:
    03 4x4 5spd
    Cool thanks for the help, just wanted to make sure i wasn't overlooking something major.
     
  6. Apr 18, 2010 at 9:59 PM
    #6
    JESSMAN

    JESSMAN Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2010
    Member:
    #33760
    Messages:
    189
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jesse
    Reno Nv
    Vehicle:
    08 tacoma
    ARB BUMPER WARN M 8000 LIGHT FORCE LIGHTS Bill 5100 DOWNY FRONT LIFT RANCHO OLD MAN E REAR and JERRY CAN IN THE BED
    you should be fine! I had 1989 toy p/u 4x4 4banger and a 16' Lund with a 40 force and towed it great!!! :D so it will be a piece of cake.
     
  7. Apr 22, 2010 at 5:05 AM
    #7
    JDCPA

    JDCPA Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2008
    Member:
    #10777
    Messages:
    931
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Jim
    SW FL
    Vehicle:
    09 5 Lug Access Cab SR5
    Curt Hitch and etrailer.com wiring harness.
    Just keep in mind that your stopping distances will be longer if the trailer doesn't have brakes. You also want to anticpate turns much sooner and get in the proper lane early.

    Make sure the trailer itself is in good shape and pay particular attention to making sure the bearings have fresh lube. Bearing buddies work well for this. Pull over after a few miles and check the temperature of the bearings. If one or both is hot enough to burn add more lube.

    Another thing to do is to use a lock or a clip on the coupler. Sometimes it will come open over a bump if it does not have a safety fastener.
     
  8. Apr 22, 2010 at 5:47 AM
    #8
    Blumpkinson

    Blumpkinson [OP] Fuelled by plutonium and wild animals

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2009
    Member:
    #22009
    Messages:
    555
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Chris
    OR
    Vehicle:
    03 4x4 5spd
    I have experience towing the boat around jersey so i know about the braking and turns. I also just repacked the bearings last weekend, so they're good to go. We have a lock on the coupler that secures the boat to the hitch.

    I'll probably stay right around 60-65 on the highway, no need to push it. I'm mostly worried about the strain this trip will put on the truck. I've come up with a to do maintenance list as well as a list of stuff to bring if anything were to go wrong. So hopefully i'll be set.
     

Products Discussed in

To Top