TC with a boat

[Bionic_Man]

I have spent the last 10 years pulling my boat tandem behind my 5er. I spent over $2,000 this spring having my hitch and the back of the 5er reinforced, but I just think my new boat is too heavy to continue towing that way.

New boat is a 23' ski boat. It weighs 6500 pounds. This year, I have had my wife pull my 5er to the lake, and I have followed using a 2003 8.1 Burb. Taking two vehicles is a PITA, so we are thinking of changing to a TC.

Before I go that way, I have a couple of concerns. First, I think it will be a tough transition going from a 32' 5er to a (much) smaller TC. I can figure out how much of a trade off that will be at an upcoming RV show.

Bigger concern is, how rough is the ride going to be with a TC and this big of a boat? It seems that with that long of an overhang, there will be quite a bit of bounce pulling the boat. Is that something to be concerned with?

Anyone else out there tow a 6500 pound boat behind a TC?

[noteven]

A converter dolly might work for you - example: Clicky

You would need one with enough steer angle to keep up to The Big Swing of the rear overhang of the 5th wheel trailer.

[smooth1]

You need to be mindful of the surge brake systems on these boat trailers with the strong exhaust brakes on the diesel trucks. The brakes will engage while you a using the exhaust brake system going down a hill. I looked back and saw smoke pouring out of the brakes on my boat trailer a coupe times and actually needed to hit the throttle to release the surge system while going down a 9% grade. Anyone else have this issue.

I towed a 5000lb boat for 4 years with the camper and upgraded to a 24' 7000lb boat/trailer combo we have hauled the last 3 years. Only got the extra bounce when going over road construction areas where they are in between the nightly resurfacing projects.

Look for a camper that will work with a Torklift Superhitch that is shorter as the shorter hitches have higher weight capacity than the longer ones. I think 30" long is the change in tongue weight and towing capacity.

[Bedlam]

We went from a an open floor plan toy hauler with tall ceilings to our little truck camper. Although the setup works for us, we just need more floor space than original 3/4t short bed truck we owned could haul. Now that our truck is up-sized, we have some future choices that will fit our lifestyle better.

[mkirsch]

Bionic Man wrote:
Thanks for the responses. I've looked at some TC photos on line since posting the question.

It is going to be TOUGH to go from a 5er to a TC.....

Yeah, but you're going to have to compromise somewhere: Two trucks, two trips, less boat, or less RV. There *IS* a limit to how much you can take with you.

I know a lot of people with some pretty large RVs. They sit OUTSIDE. If the rain looks like it's going to ruin the day, they pack up and go home. Rarely do they ever take advantage of their huge McMansion RVs' interiors. They sleep and shower, maybe watch a little TV in the early morning or late evening. There's plenty of room for all that in a 10-11' TC.

[Super_Dave]

Bionic Man wrote:
Thanks for the responses. I've looked at some TC photos on line since posting the question.

It is going to be TOUGH to go from a 5er to a TC.....

I retire next year and hope to have both.

[Bedlam]

Don't expect more than 120 sq ft for a dual slide 11' TC. The queen or king sized bed is in its own dedicated cab over space not in the above square footage, but the rest of the camper has to hold bath, living room, dinette and kitchen. Adventurer 116DS or Eagle Cap 1160 or Host Cascade or Lance 1172

Going to a triple slide model will net you about 130 sq ft with additional room, but you may have to upgrade your truck to something with more payload. Eagle Cap 1165 or Host Mammoth/Everest

[Bionic_Man]

Thanks for the responses. I've looked at some TC photos on line since posting the question.

It is going to be TOUGH to go from a 5er to a TC.....

[markowwes]

We pull a 25’ Hydra Sports, 10,000lb on the trailer axle. Ordered the trailer for a longer boat so we don’t have to use a hitch extension (Way better, the longer the extension the more torque on the hitch). 900 lb tongue weight. We pull it with a 2008 F550 super duty.(65’ total length with engines down” This is on our annual trip to Prince Rupert for some fishing. Not allowed to pull boats behind 5er’s in B.C. they will turn you around at the border. Alberta and Saskatchewan are OK. lead trailer has to be a 5er and the lead has to be longer. The new campers have a lot of room, especialy if they have a slide. This Okanogan has two slides, I would wager there is as much room as a 25’ 5er. When they are out. No worries about extra space with the service body, lots of storage.








Good luck
Happy Camping
Wes

[mkirsch]

6500lbs behind a 5th wheel? Yeah, I'd say that's a bit too heavy.

Keep in mind that all these guys with the big loads and long extensions are using weight distribution hitches, or should be.

With a 6500lb trailer you will want to use a weight distribution hitch on the long extension. Can you use a weight distribution hitch on this boat trailer?

[noteven]

We tow a 20 ft overall length 6500lbs tandem axle cargo trailer on a Torklift Superhitch/Super Truss setup with an Airsafe suspension hitch. Hooking up the trailer actually improves the ride of the truck and camper.

[Bedlam]

I tow 6000-8000 lbs behind my truck camper. What you need to nail down first is what size truck camper you want. Currently I have 2-ton 9' camper made for a short bed truck and this combination worked well with my previous F250 even when towing after making some upgrades to the truck. We want a larger truck camper that will scale about a ton heavier than our current one, so I upgraded my truck last fall and am now saving for the camper upgrade.

There are plenty of dual slide 11' truck campers that would work well with your current truck and still leave you the capacity to tow the boat. The triple slide campers plus your hitch weight may bring you too close to your rear axle capacity. Since you plan on towing, look at side door models so you do not have to climb over or on the hitch to access the camper.

BTW: You just missed a truck camper rally in Colorado Springs. You could have seen a large variety of campers and the best company for camper tie downs and towing with extensions also had a booth.

[campn4walleye]

We tow a 3000lb boat and with the TC loaded we don't even know it's back there. We have a nice smooth ride. We do have some sway when turning corners. Will get Torklift stable loads next season to fix that. Otherwise, it's a great combo. We too use a 42" Superhitch by Torklift.

We use our TC off the truck so that we can easily launch and land the boat.

[pcoplin]

I also tow a Jeep on a trailer (~6500 lbs) behind my TC, but just with a 24 inch extension. No problems at all.

[KD4UPL]

I towed my 4,500 pound boat behind my 11' camper with a 48" Torklift extension. It wasn't any worse than without the boat. The truck and TC don't really ride that great but the truck is loaded 1,700 pounds over it's GVWR so what do you expect.
I sold the boat and am looking to upgrade to a 23' or 24' that would weigh about what yours does. I will need to go to a WDH since the extension is only rated for 6,000 pounds without one. While I don't look forward to the problems this will cause with the surge brakes I think it will improve the ride.