Maximum boat towing

Hi all,
I am debating if I really should consider a 3/4 ton truck. My friend says these trucks can tow much more than rated. I would like to know what is your tundra setup,
What is your boat towing set up, boat weight and trailer weight total you tow safely with your tundra? I tow less than 5 miles to lake, do on occasion take it 300 miles.
I will go first...
2019 tundra limited crewmax with tow package factory hitch
2003 chaparral signature weight about 6,000lbs
Dual axle trailer with dual disk brake setup about 1,400lbs
Total estimate towing 8,200 with water, gas, and junk.

 

2019 Pro. Factory hitch, ride rite airbags.

2018 Skeeter WX1910. Dual axle trailer with surge brakes. Approx weight 4500#.

How does it tow? Dunno, will tell you in a couple weeks!

 

Get the Tundra.. 8200lbs will be no problem! My boat and trailer is about 7K with the fuel and junk.

 

I bet you are not quite 4500. I put my 2200 Bay Champ on the scale and weighed 4650 without hitch weight but I did have 45 gallons of gas. I carry 3 batteries and have an aluminum trailer. I figure with hitch it weighs 5000. A 4 cycle motor will weigh a little more than my Optimax. Tundra tows it fine.

 

Our 22ft boat weighs about 4200 dry, has a surge tandem axle trailer. Id guess with trailer 5.5k? Th . Add gear, coolers, people, etc. Thus far haven't towed much more than 100miles at a time issue free. Summer right around the corner itll be seeing some Havasu, Mead and Powell trips I hope!

Note: stock gears, lifted on 35s as well

 

My dad and I both tow his bass boat with our Tundras.

His boat is a Ranger 482VS Comanche with a single axle trailer.
Fully loaded with motor, fuel, rods, tackle, power poles and their brackets/pumps, etc and were probably pushing closer to 4600lbs.
We both use a 7-pin connector wired for the boat that can plug into the receptacle on either of our trucks, super easy to use.

The boat also has electronic/hydraulic trailer brakes which makes stopping it easier but I don't doubt that the Tundras brakes could stop it all very quickly on its own. Tundras run beefy 4-piston brake calipers up front that are the largest of any current manufactured truck (last I checked) and also full-size 2-piston brake calipers in the back. It can handle a lot to say the least. Since your Chaparral Signature has dual axles and disk brakes that'll make stopping a breeze as well. A good working trailer brake system makes it feel like you're towing nothing behind your Tundra when you stop!

My 2008 Tundra 2wd with the 5.7L engine has pulled this boat the most over its life (dads first Tundra) and its rated with a Maximum factory towing capacity of 10,400lbs from Toyota.
It pulls the boat with no problem at all with factory tow package. What I lack in 4-wheel drive capability, I gain in towing capacity.


My dads more recent Tundra is a 2017 Tundra 1794 Edition 4x4 with the 5.7L (Flex fuel capable model but he sticks to regular gas).
It has a max towing capacity of 8800lbs from Toyota and has awesome traction capabilities with 4x4 which can always help on a slick boat ramp coming up. Again, his truck tows his boat with no problem at all with factory tow package.


We've taken the boat on short 5 mile trips to the lake and we've also taken it on long hauls to places 300+ miles away, driven from Texas to Louisiana to go fish, etc. and have had zero issues from either the trucks or boat. We've never used the tow haul button function Tundras have for our boat because it isn't overly heavy for our truck to pull, but with a heavier trailer you may consider using it, it just makes the shift points longer for the truck during towing. A lot of that can be personal preference and how you feel driving.

I know when Toyota tests their trucks to get a max tow rating, they push the trucks to the absolute extreme on high gradients, towing massive amounts of weight, putting massive strain on the driveline of the truck. This is to find an extreme breaking point.
In daily life our Tundras were probably set for a modest load rating for "safety" and some people probably go beyond it with little trouble in fair weather. Just use common sense and don't opt to tow like a 9500lb trailer on a 8800lb rated truck.

Your 8200lb trailer is a heavy weight, but not out of the realm of your trucks capability, especially just driving to the lake or going on a trip. I'm not sure if you have 2wd or 4x4 but here's what I was able to find online for your tow rating:
A 2019 Tundra Limited 2wd is rated around 9,500lbs Maximum Tow Capacity
A 2019 Tundra Limited 4x4 is rated around 8,900lbs Maximum Tow Capacity

Also don't forget to put the plug in

 

You might be right, but my trailer isn’t aluminum, I do have 3 batteries also, a 200hp 4-stroke as well as a 9.9 kicker. Plus, it’s a very deep hull thats pretty wide as well.

 

20' boat and trailer probably 5,000 lbs or a little more. Pulls like a dream.

 

Yep, that 4 stroke and kicker will add a couple hundred pounds and looks like a F&S style which weighs more. Probably still a few hundred lbs lighter than my CC. I towed mine for a year + without working trailer brakes. I have disc surge. I do notice better stopping after fixing them but had no problem stopping before. Mine is wide too. 96" beam plus lots of storage console and decks. I can definitely tell difference between it and my 18' Ranger F&S along with MPGs

 

Your friend is correct, and also an idiot.
It is capable of towing more than it's rating, but if you are overloaded and get into an accident..... legally speaking, your ass is toast. No insurance would pay out on a vehicle being pushed beyond it's legal and manufacturer recommendations. Even if the accident was not your fault, you would be 100% found at fault and liable.
Every truck is phisically capable of towing more than it is rated for, because pushing something to it's actual mechanical limits is foolish. They are all over engineered when looking at their ratings, but that won't save you in an insurance/legal scenario.

That being said, if the numbers you provided are accurate you are within the tow ratings. It should pull great for you.

 

@COMiamiFan

 

2016 Tundra limited CM. I have a 24’ sailboat approx 4000lb. Trailer is probably around 1400lbs (never had it weighted). All the equipment is probably another 500lbs, so about 6000lbs total weight. Only go about 20 miles two times a year since I keep it on a mooring.

 

I tow a 24 foot pondtoon. 5500 lbs. from tongue to motor is almost 35 feet. My camper is about the same weight it’s 24 feet hitch weight about 500ish. I came from 1 ton trucks so the only issue I have about 65 with the boat the rear end wants to sway cause it’s so long. The camper at 65 I get more wind push.

 

Won't even know it's there. Mine's 20' with a 150hp an can barely tell it's there.

 

Boat is 4,000 dry - loaded on the trailer with fuel and gear it’s probably between 6,500 and 7,000. Tows great.

ETA I get around 10 mpg towing - less going through mountains.

 

skipjack 24 foot fly bridge, close to maybe 7000+ lbs with fuel and gear

 

Have you tried moving the boat forward a little to get a little more weight on the tongue?

 

If your truck is a crew max you are limited in payload to about 1200 pounds if I'm not mistaken. Assuming you have a crewmax because you have a family and your family combines to 550 pounds, this leaves you with 650 pounds left over for gear and tongue weight, which should be at least 800# for an 8000# trailer. This is one reason I got a regular cab

 

I've worked on several matters where it was clear an overloaded vehicle caused a collision (one fatal) and have never seen law enforcement investigate the weight issue or an insurance company deny coverage for the collision. In my experience, LE cites the driver for failure to control speed to avoid a collision or violating ARS 28-896 - "A person shall not drive a vehicle towing a trailer or semitrailer at a rate of speed that causes the trailer or semitrailer to sway laterally from the line of traffic" and goes on to the next call.

Not saying it couldn't happen but not my experience.

 

May not happen every time. Some people speed everywhere and never get tickets, and others rarely speed and get nailed every time they do. This is a similar situation. You might get away with it, and you might not.
One trip to Colorado, about 3 years ago, they had a random check going right across the border. They were weighing every axle on every vehicle with a trailer. I was In a pick up with a small empty trailer, and still got weighed. Just not something worth risking a ticket for to me.

 

For years I’ve seen people on forums tell how insurance companies won’t cover an overweight vehicle/trailer. Seems bs to me. Never heard of an actual first-hand account.
You cause an accident while OUI and your insurance co still pays. Sure your rates go up, but they can’t shirk paying - that’s the whole point of insurance.

 

You know, that's a good point. So, my revised statement would be "Sure it will do it, but if you cause an accident while overweight you are gonna get hosed."

 

I have. The axles was to far front and made the rear sway. I moved the axles farther and it’s the best I can get it. Iam sure if my truck dint have a lift probably do better. But it is what it is. My 350 had a 4.5 lift and ran 70-80 with no problem

 

Can you move the front stop forward a foot so the pontoons can slide further forward on the bunks?

 

Your insurance will pay but if the person you hit or injure hires a lawyer they could sue for more then the limit of your policy. Once a lawyer gets wind of it you never know. Illegal, undocumented immigrant with no insurance or DL ran a red light and totalled my car that ex was driving. It was really ex's car but in my name for a period after divorce. Ex failedvto make sure police report was accurate and passenger in other car sued. It was a real mess for a while. They even dragged my daughter in because being transferred. The lawyer dropped myself and daughter when they realized they had no case against us. Lawyers can be the scum of the earth.

 

I have. Still does it some times. But I found a happy medium place with it.

 

These trucks can tow a space shuttle but not legally or safely on the road. The max tow and payload numbers are the max no matter if you get E rated tires, air bags, wd hitch, and so on. I'm sure they can get 10 tons moving. They still need to stop, turn, handle sway, and all that.
If you are close to max or at max on either, then consider ways to lighten the load or get a truck rated higher.

 

It’s not about the towing rating. It’s your payload number that is most important.

Do the math on that, and you have your answer right quick. (You’ll be very surprised how fast you can exceed that number with your trailer tongue weight, passengers and typical gear for your trip)

 

Proper hitch height and weight are important. If those are good then sway bar and helper springs might help. I get no sway on my 5000 lb CC. Hitch is level and boat is properly balanced on trailer.

 

Miss my Skipjack. Great boats!