Questions; about boat towing & about how to emergency tow

[bikerdib]

I'm going to be towing my PWC's for the first time behind the truck camper this summer. How do you guys that tow boats get them down the ramp? Do you offload the camper first. I have a front hitch and thought about just using that to drive the trailer down the ramp. I'm just concerned that if the ramp is too steep I may end up with a "house boat".

Also, for you long time truck camper people, have you ever broke down on the road and needed your truck/camper towed down the highway. How is that done? I surely wouldn't want them trying to load my truck/camper on one of the tilt bed wreckers.

[bikerdib]

Thanks everyone. I do have a front hitch receiver but I'm thinking off loading the camper at the campsite first will be the best option, especially if staying for more than one night. Some have pointed out the possibility of the rear of the camper touching the water if backing down, I never even thought about that. It won't be a problem on the trip we have planned for the end of July because it turns out my nephew is going to be there with his 5th wheel and I'll just let him use his truck to launch the PWC after he unhooks from his trailer.

[Super_Dave]

I always take the camper off. And it has to do with re-trailering my watercraft. The person backing the truck down the ramp will have to wade out to receive the watercraft and hook up the straps. There are times when this isn't an issue but not something that I want to do in all weather and water conditions. Without the camper on, it is much easier to climb in the truck bed and tongue walk the trailer.

[jefe_4x4]

For boat launching and retrieving, a front receiver hitch is the ticket. If you can see it, you can control it. That's the very reason I like short and Wide trailers behind the TC: you can see it in the mirrors. Seeing it through the windshield is a plus.
jefe

[kohldad]

Don't worry about the camper if you have a rubber mat under it like you should. I would be worried if it was just sitting on a plastic liner though as they are slick.

I've driven up hills on rough "roads" that most wouldn't call roads and the camper hasn't even moved. They were a lot steeper than any boat ramp would possibly be. Everything inside the cabinets were vibrated to the very back.

For towing, would recommend having the front lifted. I have heard just tell them you have a class B or C, give them the weight and they will send out the correct truck. You can always refuse the truck and have a bigger one sent out. Since the truck is 4wd, just put the transfer case in neutral, leave the transmission in Park (first if manual) and hold the speed down. Just read the owners manual and that is how, at least the dodge, tells you to short tow it.

[Butch50]

bikerdib wrote:
LOL, I guess I didn't make myself clear. I'm not concerned about backing up a trailer. I have regularly backed up trailers (at least 2 or 3 times a week while I was an ironworker), everything from 10 foot single axle to 30 foot goosenecks and VERY many times into tight spots around blind corners. I personally have a 10 foot single axle and a 20 foot tandem axle for my tractor. My PWC trailer is 17 feet and double wide (side by side PWCs). Additionally, I've had boats of and on for the last 30 years or so, boatramps are not a new experience to me either. I'm concerned with the stepness of most boatramps and the fact that the only thing holding the camper in is the torklift and fastguns. This is the same concern I have about being towed especially on a tilt deck like the one pictured above. I'm just not sure about how secure the camper is when the truck is tilted that much.

Your camper is not going to slide out. If you have a rubber mat and good tiedowns no sweat. Don't let that stress you out. About the only way to loss it on a ramp would be too have no rubber mat and no tie downs and to back down the ramp at about 50 MPH and slam on the brakes and come to a screeching halt. :B

There are guy and gals with TC launching and have not lost a camper or at least one I have heard of.

[Reality_Check]

Lot's of people aren't very good at backing. But we're not talking about everyone being an ace. We're discussing the creation of more problems for others because of a 'fill the blank in here'. I'm sure at some ramps and/or different times of the day/week, it might not be a problem. But I can think of a few ramps real quick that it would create a traffic jam and large mess. We all know that some people flat out shouldn't drive. It's not a right by the way. Hell, I'm sure that I shouldn't do rocket surgery, so yes, you're right, I'm not good at a lot of things.

And there are people that should not be at a boat launch. But most are fine IF they put a little effort into practicing (like when they took that little drivers test...somehow they got past parallel parking).

I stand by it; I don't care if you're slow at it. But at least learn correctly.

On towing, the heavier and taller rigs are just towed by Class B wreckers. Drop the drive shaft (takes a few minutes, tie it up) and drag it.

[AKSuperDually]

Backing any trailer where you can't see it around the camper....is difficult. With a stinger extension, tail swing comes into play also. My hitch attaches ~7' behind my axle.

I've never used the front hitch on my truck, but now that I have a camper on it...I'd be tempted to. I'd be more worried about trying to back out/up a boat ramp though...than pulling straight forward out. Especially with the loaded trailer/wet boats.

As for backing down....the last boat I had required that I wet my wheels and nearly submerge my exhaust to float the boat at most ramps. With a TC on, that would be a no-go. I'm not willing to dip my TC in salt water. Another good reason to try out the front hitch or seriously extend the tongue on the trailer.

[bikerdib]

LOL, I guess I didn't make myself clear. I'm not concerned about backing up a trailer. I have regularly backed up trailers (at least 2 or 3 times a week while I was an ironworker), everything from 10 foot single axle to 30 foot goosenecks and VERY many times into tight spots around blind corners. I personally have a 10 foot single axle and a 20 foot tandem axle for my tractor. My PWC trailer is 17 feet and double wide (side by side PWCs). Additionally, I've had boats of and on for the last 30 years or so, boatramps are not a new experience to me either. I'm concerned with the stepness of most boatramps and the fact that the only thing holding the camper in is the torklift and fastguns. This is the same concern I have about being towed especially on a tilt deck like the one pictured above. I'm just not sure about how secure the camper is when the truck is tilted that much.

[KD4UPL]

I can imagine backing a PWC trailer would be a challenge. I just about always leave the camper on the truck to launch my boat. I can't see the boat and trailer behind me so I have to wiggle the trailer back and forth so I can see it and know where it is. Yes, that's kind of challenging but not that bad.
I've never had my automatic tans. fail to hold the truck from rolling back into the water but it does worry me a bit. Lately I've been keeping a wheel chock with me and putting it behind the rear truck wheel while on the ramp. It's just some good insurance that 18,000 pounds of truck, camper, and boat doesn't all wind up in the lake.
I've never been towed, I drive Chevys. 🙂 But it would present a serious problem, mostly due to height. I'm 11' 5" to the top of my AC unit as the rig sits. Putting it on a roll back would probably add more than 25" so it would be too tall to clear bridges, stop lights, etc. Towing it with the rear wheels on the ground would be the only option.

[WestCoast1969]

bikerdib wrote:
Also, for you long time truck camper people, have you ever broke down on the road and needed your truck/camper towed down the highway. How is that done? I surely wouldn't want them trying to load my truck/camper on one of the tilt bed wreckers.

It can be done, and with a dually the only way unless you want to drop your drive shaft and risk the front end damage from towing. Was a Long drive, but slow and steady was the key.

[AnEv942]

Been towed also, tow truck with stinger. Just ensure when trying to a get tow truck out, your clear about the weight they will be picking so they send big enough truck.

As to launching we generally are off loaded, mostly so were not packing up camper. If not, easier (for me) to unload camper to launch. Plus camper can be used while truck sets all day.
I would disagree with the "right way" and defining another way as "laziness". Depending on the ramp and water depth (regardless of the Im in a hurry crowd) If camper on I drive in with front hitch (the unhitching/hitching turning around etc would be done above). Local ramp is shallow angle, I need to enter pretty far to get boat off, which would submerse rear of camper.
Launching from front with camper on, way easier than backing, still dont like it & would rather off load. Feels like putting all a days winnings on red 14-But folks do it every day.

[Butch50]

Reality Check,

It would be nice if everybody was good as you backing up trailers but there are some people that just can not do it and you need to be a little tolerant of people that might not be as good as you. :B I'm sure there are some things other people can do better than you. Same thing.

I can back up trailers with the best of them but when you have a big camper on the back of a long truck with a long hitch extension behind and a 4' wide and about 10' long trailer is hard to back up. By the time you see it going sideways it is already jack knifed.

I would rather see some move out of the way and put their boat on the front and then launch and then get back out of the way then someone that keeps trying and trying and keeps the ramp tied up for a half an hour because they just can't do it. I have even went over once and volunteered to help and the guy got right out of his truck and asked to please launch it as it was a difficult ramp. I backed it in and he thanked me for it.

I use my front hitch for a front rack and also to put my enclosed trailer into a spot that goes in crooked and then straightens out and ends up with about 6" on both sides. If you tried this backing in you would end up running over my sprinkler heads and this would not make me very happy. :M

This IMO

[Reality_Check]

Narrow trailers just require a bit more finesse.. It's really not hard, just slow the thought process down, slow the reactions down, and wiggle a bit.

The wiggle is just a means of seeing the trailer as you back down, and especially as it enters the water (so that you're fairly square with the ramp, which really isn't that critical with PWC's).

Truth be told, if I saw someone putting a boat in with a forward hitch, I'd be the one saying something. Like go practice and learn to do it the right way then come back. I can't even imagine the mess the delay would cause at some of the ramps we go to; hooking, un-hooking, driving the wrong way. What a circus that would be. Yep, I'd be the one saying something. I'm a patient man, but I have very little available for others laziness to learn correctly. Everyone's got there reasons, but lack of practice is not a good excuse.

[Butch50]

If you are worried about backing the trailer down the ramp do what a lot of us on here do. Install a front receiver. I installed a Draw Tite front receiver on my 2013 Ram. I tucks in nicely between the front tow hooks. A little bit of a pain to install for a person with big hands. I even had my wife, who has very small hands, help me. In fact I ended up removing the grill to get into a couple of bolts.

Also you have a 4X4 so I wouldn't worry to much about being pulled into the water.

Maybe BradW well post on here, he has a picture of his rig when it broke down on the hook of a wrecker.