Tow a ski boat behind a TC?

[TruckCamperNoob]

Hi everyone - been studying up on how to tow a boat behind a truck camper. Kind of out of the blue, my wife and I have recently bought a ski/surf boat (2005 Mastercraft x10) and have absolutely fallen in love with boating. We have two small kids and been planning on buying a trailer in the future, and with the addition of the boat our focus has quickly shifted to a Truck + Truck Camper Magazine + Boat combo.

I know people do this, but I am trying to figure out how because as far as I can tell this kind of combination is going to more than max out even the most extreme trucks.

It seems like the limiting factor is overall payload. Do I have this math right?

Payload = GVWR - truck weight

Weight of camper + **tongue weight (??)** of trailer + all people, gear, water and fuel = must be less than overall payload.

We’re contemplating buying both the pickup and the camper (probably recent models but used), so here’s a rough example of what we’re considering:

GMC 3500 diesel, single rear wheel (not dually) - payload: ~4,200
Lance 855S - wet weight: ~3,300 pounds
Mastercraft x10 - trailer weight: ~4,200 pounds, tongue weight:~ 400 lbs

In this scenario, our payload situation would be 3,300 TC +. 400 boat TW = 3,700 pounds. Deducted from a 4,200 pound payload, we’d have 500 pounds available for all passengers, fuel, and gear.

This is where things seem to run aground (pun!). You’re probably going to have at least 250 pounds of gas in the truck, I’m a 200 pounder, my wife is 140, our kids are 50 (each - as of today), we could easily have a few hundred pounds of gear, an 80 pound black lab... you can see that we’re going to be way over the payload limit.

And that’s with a 1-ton truck!

So.... how do you pull this off? Do you have to go to a 1-ton dually?

[Grit_dog]

^Thanks!
Used a Jeep this weekend to pull it...

[jaycocreek]

Grit dog wrote:
Heavier camper (4500lb + full), heavier truck (3/4 ton), heavier boat (around 6000 including trailer) heavier tongue weight.
Tow it all over the western states. Only slow down and downshift out of 6th if EGT's are getting too high. 2' solid bar hitch extension stuffed in the factory hitch. Handles better with the boat hooked up than not.
Don't have a pic of them together atm.
Yes a dually would be ideal, but this has been working for many thousands of miles and years.
You'll get roasted on this site for anything less than a F450 for what you're proposing. PM me if you want to actually discuss it and can't handle the ole codgers here!

Nice looking setup!

[Bert_the_Welder]

Kayteg1 wrote:

Bert the Welder wrote:
Not that I want to jump into this south bound, about to be closed ruckus, but isn't comparing carrying a TC and towing a trailer, to a pin towed car carrying trailer a bit apples to oranges....

How would truck suspension and tires know if the weight is coming from apples or oranges?
Weight is the weight and no matter method how you apply it, the suspension will handle it, or not.

Weight is weight. Totally agree. But my reason for mentioning it was that I'd think the dynamics of how a big trailer full of cars is going to move/sway/rock quite differently then a truck with a TC, or a truck with a TC and boat trailer, etc.
A 200 pound sand bag is going to carry a lot different then a 200 lb annoyed alligator. 🙂
Was just a thought, put out for consideration.

[Kayteg1]

Bert the Welder wrote:
Not that I want to jump into this south bound, about to be closed ruckus, but isn't comparing carrying a TC and towing a trailer, to a pin towed car carrying trailer a bit apples to oranges....

How would truck suspension and tires know if the weight is coming from apples or oranges?
Weight is the weight and no matter method how you apply it, the suspension will handle it, or not.

[Bert_the_Welder]

Not that I want to jump into this south bound, about to be closed ruckus, but isn't comparing carrying a TC and towing a trailer, to a pin towed car carrying trailer a bit apples to oranges.

And, in fact, the OP is not going to have a weight issue with whatever truck they get. A Truck Camper Magazine can't be much more then a 1/4 lb., even with a free DVD of "The Greatest TC Mod's you'll Never Do + Blooper Extras".
I'd question the wisdom of trying to fit the Mrs., the kids, and the dog under it, even if it has a center fold. God help you if it rains.........


....... You looked, didn't you......... :B:C

[Kayteg1]

So you are saying that 2 full size vehicles and part of the trailer don't weight 5 tons?
I think they do.
Another way to estimate it, the 5-vehicle trailer must weight about 15 tons. COG is in front of 1st trailer axle.
So take a scale to measure distance from assumed COG to center trailer axle and divide it by distance from the pin to center axle.
That will give you % of the total weight that goes on the pin.
Obviously with error margin, but whatever it will come to, it will be multiply of TC weight we are disputing here.
Meaning we fight over peanuts, while others carry coco nuts on the same class pickups.

[jimh406]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Sounds like you did not see 1 of those, but picture a trailer, where 1st car sits directly over truck rear axle and following 2 mid way between truck and trailer axle.
So at least 2 car weights go directly on truck axle and then you can add trailer weigh to it.
We are taking 5 tons on the truck easy.

Still not a truck camper, but I’ll humor you.

No way is it 5 tons on the truck, and that’s not the way pin weight on a trailer works. They load them the way they do to put weight on and behind the wheels to prevent so much pin weight.

[Kayteg1]

jimh425 wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:
I will leave it to your intelligence to calculate the weigh of such trailer, but most common tow vehicle of choice is Dodge 3500.
2nd is Ford F450

Of course, max towing and payload aren’t necessarily related.

:h
Goosneck trailers put big chunk of the weight on pickup.
Sounds like you did not see 1 of those, but picture a trailer, where 1st car sits directly over truck rear axle and following 2 mid way between truck and trailer axle.
So at least 2 car weights go directly on truck axle and then you can add trailer weigh to it.
We are taking 5 tons on the truck easy.
EDIT. Found a picture, but it is not the biggest trailer I have seen. This 1 hauls only 4 vehicles, but should give you good idea



Edit 2

[jimh406]

Kayteg1 wrote:
I will leave it to your intelligence to calculate the weigh of such trailer, but most common tow vehicle of choice is Dodge 3500.
2nd is Ford F450

Of course, max towing and payload aren’t necessarily related.

[Grit_dog]

Tc noob, the Sanger guy is right.
Either you believe him or you don’t. Either way it’ll pull fine.

[Grit_dog]

Maytag, you’re a little deep into the vodka....
You just argued with the guy ^ by agreeing with him.


Just sayin

[Kayteg1]

KD4UPL wrote:
Quick answer is YES, you need a dually.
Secondly, most people with a TC are over their GVWR. Most go by axle and tire weights. Legal has nothing to do with it. Despite what lots of misinformed people and armchair lawyers will tell you their is nothing illegal about being over your GVWR. Professional "hot shot" truck drivers using duallys to pull goose neck trailers hauling commercially are over their GVWR all the time. They go thru DOT inspections and no one cares. It's only axle and tire weights that are legally enforceable.....

That's might be what you seen in VA and on east coast.
I used to be commercial haulers and still observe what is on the road.
So on West coast more and more common are double-deck trailers hauling 5 vehicles and often including full-size trucks or SUV.
I will leave it to your intelligence to calculate the weigh of such trailer, but most common tow vehicle of choice is Dodge 3500.
2nd is Ford F450

[KD4UPL]

Quick answer is YES, you need a dually.
Secondly, most people with a TC are over their GVWR. Most go by axle and tire weights. Legal has nothing to do with it. Despite what lots of misinformed people and armchair lawyers will tell you their is nothing illegal about being over your GVWR. Professional "hot shot" truck drivers using duallys to pull goose neck trailers hauling commercially are over their GVWR all the time. They go thru DOT inspections and no one cares. It's only axle and tire weights that are legally enforceable.
I carried my 11' TC on a 2007 Chevy 3500 SRW and towed my 4,500 pound 21' boat. I had air bags on the truck. Total weight on the truck was about 11,100. The truck's GVWR was 9,900.
I switched to using a 2005 Chevy dually. I drove less than a mile and realized a HUGE difference in handling. It was much more stable, had less bounce, less sway, etc. Yes I drove the SRW for a couple years with no problems but he dually was WAY better. Total weight of the camper, my growing family, and boat tongue weight was 13,100 on a truck with a GVWR of 11,400. I wasn't over axle or tire weights with either truck.
Your boat tongue weight is likely only 5%. It's incredibly difficult to achieve 10% tongue weight with a boat because all the heavy parts are in the back.
My 11' camper necessitated the use of a 48" hitch extension. I started with a Curt on the SRW but went to a Torklift Super Truss on the dually. This was also a vast improvement. Get the Torklift from the beginning.

[Kayteg1]

TruckCamperNoob wrote:


= 5,335 pounds payload, i.e. over the limit for a dually.

So, since people definitely do this, how do they do it?

People compare real truck number, not what taxes are based on.
My dually has about 5000 lb taxable payload, yet my 9900lb rear axle weights 2800 lb empty. 4 tires on rear axle combine to 12,000lb rating.
Scratch your head and think about it.