Towing boat behind 5th wheel

[Brian_Shack]

I am biulding a hitch to tow my 23 ft jet boat behind my 24.5 ft 5th wheel.my boat and trailer weighs 7100lbs. I don't know the tongue weight but I can't lift it and it is very heavy. I thought of extending my boat trailer tongue a few feet but my neighbours thinks this will increase tongue weight? Thoughts please. I can't move the boat back farther on the trailer as this puts too much weight on the rear axle of the boat trailer.

[laknox]

tn terry t wrote:
just for the heck of it whats the max length for combination ?

Depends on state. Range, where legal, seems to be from 65-75'. Here in AZ, it's 75', last I knew.

Lyle

[tegu69]

Brian Shack wrote:
I guess I should clarify the boat and boat trailer weigh 7100 lbs. the 5th wheel is 6040 lbs empty

So the caboose weighs more than the middle of the train, beautiful.

[Mile_High]

Brian Shack wrote:
I guess I should clarify the boat and boat trailer weigh 7100 lbs. the 5th wheel is 6040 lbs empty

I guess only a boat owner understands the concept that the boat and trailer are two different vehicles - different registration, different specs, weights called out separately.

Extending the receiver definitely changes the dynamics on tongue weight. I looked at a motorcycle rack for the front of my truck, and although the carrier was rated for 500 lbs, the 2" receiver extension that was an option reduced that to 300 lbs per the manufacturer.

[Bumpyroad]

Brian Shack wrote:
I guess I should clarify the boat and boat trailer weigh 7100 lbs. the 5th wheel is 6040 lbs empty

OK, the trailer is not the 5th wheel trailer.
bumpy

[JEBar]

having towed a golf cart on a trailer behind our 5er, I believe an additional point is worth consideration .... due to their widths, I can't see the golf cart trailer in my truck's mirrors .... I do have a rear view camera mounted on the back of our 5er and feel that offers some degree of safety .... in addition, I believe that it is very important to have a tire pressure monitoring system .... once while traveling at interstate speed, our Pressure Pro tire monitor sounded an alarm that indicated a problem with a tire on the golf cart trailer .... a glance at the screen for the rear view camera showed no problems .... I pulled over, walked around the front of the truck to go check the tire and a few steps later literally saw the tire blow out .... with out the tire monitor I wouldn't have known of a problem until the trailer was reacting to the blow out .... without the camera I probably wouldn't have known any thing was wrong until things got bad .... to me, the camera is nice, the tire monitor is essential

Jim

[Brian_Shack]

I guess I should clarify the boat and boat trailer weigh 7100 lbs. the 5th wheel is 6040 lbs empty

[Brian_Shack]

I shopped long and hard to find a 245 trailer just to stay close to legal length in Alberta. With the f350 in front and the boat behind I am also worried that the 1st good frost heave might snap the trailer in half but it has an 8" channel frame full length. I'm not concerned about the hitch breaking more so the tow ability. Today am putting the axles under the springs, changing from 3 to 5 leaf pack and changing from 205/75/15 load range D to 225/75/15 load range E tires.

[harold1946]

The OPs concern is tongue weigh, and the only way to be exact is with a scale.
Load it as it would normally be towed and take it to a scale.
Weigh the load on the tongue jack only. Done deal.

[Bionic_Man]

Bumpyroad wrote:

harold1946 wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
23 foot boat and 25 ft 5er and only 7100 lbs. I question that, with fuel, gear, etc.
bumpy

What part of "my boat and trailer weighs 7100 lbs." dont you understand.

I don't understand how your boat and trailer, both of which are longer then mine, can weigh that little fully loaded, fuel, water, gear, etc.
have you had them on a scale.
bumpy

The way I am reading it is he is stating that his boat and trailer weigh 7100 pounds (which seems high to me). That weight does not include is 5er. If he is saying that total weight is 7100 pounds, I would agree that seems light.

[dbbls]

A few years back I towed a boat behind my 5er. I kept breaking the springs on the 5er. I ended up adding a leaf to the springs and solved the problem. I guess it was close to the max and the extra weight on the rear put it over. I never weighed the rig but the boat and boat trailer weighed 3050 pounds.

[Bumpyroad]

harold1946 wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
23 foot boat and 25 ft 5er and only 7100 lbs. I question that, with fuel, gear, etc.
bumpy

What part of "my boat and trailer weighs 7100 lbs." dont you understand.

I don't understand how your boat and trailer, both of which are longer then mine, can weigh that little fully loaded, fuel, water, gear, etc.
have you had them on a scale.
bumpy

[JIMNLIN]

Brian Shack wrote:
I am biulding a hitch to tow my 23 ft jet boat behind my 24.5 ft 5th wheel.my boat and trailer weighs 7100lbs. I don't know the tongue weight but I can't lift it and it is very heavy. I thought of extending my boat trailer tongue a few feet but my neighbours thinks this will increase tongue weight? Thoughts please. I can't move the boat back farther on the trailer as this puts too much weight on the rear axle of the boat trailer.

Your not going to increase hitch weigh but a few lbs by increasing the length.
I towed doubles for 8 years with a 26' 5er and a 3500 lb 18' bass boat. The tongue on the single axle boat trailer was very short for pulling behind my truck so I increased it by 24". Weight gain was less than 20 lbs on the scales. Weight gain on a multi axle trailer would have been even less.

This is my 3rd 5er with a hitch that I had fabricated and welded to the trailers main frame rails and cross members. I don't mess with any type of bolted on hitch on the back of any trailer.

[harold1946]

Bumpyroad wrote:
23 foot boat and 25 ft 5er and only 7100 lbs. I question that, with fuel, gear, etc.
bumpy

What part of "my boat and trailer weighs 7100 lbs." dont you understand.

[Bumpyroad]

23 foot boat and 25 ft 5er and only 7100 lbs. I question that, with fuel, gear, etc.
bumpy

[firemedic1992]

tn terry t wrote:
just for the heck of it whats the max length for combination ?

In Alberta 65' 7" or 20 metres for 5th wheel combination