How Big would you tow

[Seastoke]

we towed a cruiser 225 on a leg we went to the med scotland etc you have to have the trailer top notch ie many peeps miss the the fact trailer tyrers are different than car tyrers ie i think its 4ply for tyres ,so tyres brakes hitch and a good anti snake is good

 

[landlockedpirate]

Towed all of my sportscruisers over the years, the biggest was a Four Winns 268 which was just about legal. I towed with a then new Disco 2 TD5, did about 15k miles over 4 years with very few problems, including a couple of trips to Menorca.

But as time went on and more a more kit went on , I realised it was getting overweight (4.3T on last visit to weighbridge ) so we downsized to a Fletcher 19GTS and then back up to 24ft Maxum, slightly less room but completely legal even with fuel and water on board.

Towing a big boat is a pain, a quick day out isnt possible, you have to run a big 4x4 and when you do get on the water it always feels tiny. But for us the advantages outweighed these issues. In one year we cruised through the Great Glen, Watched the Elipse on the Norfolk Broads and spent the summer holidays in the Calas of Menorca.

 

[aquapower]

@aquapower - I find four wheel trailers are a dream to tow compared with two: just get the weight reasonably distributed either side of the axles and you're away. At the risk of sounding like a correspondent of "trailers and trailermen" I did notice that the axles are much further apart on your second trailer than the first. I wondered if that made a noticeable difference either way to the tow?

The second trailer is my own, when I bought the Sealine I had to borrow trailer as it all happened too quickly to buy one in time, I have moved both the Falcon and Sealine on it and tows really well, when I bought it I thought wheels were too far apart and was going to move them but after using it I'm really pleased with it so am leaving well alone, once on the move you hardly know boat is there and stops well too. It's a bit longer than it needs to be but is good for launching as you don't get the car too near the water. Here it is empty.

 

[benjenbav]

we towed a cruiser 225 on a leg we went to the med scotland etc you have to have the trailer top notch ie many peeps miss the the fact trailer tyrers are different than car tyrers ie i think its 4ply for tyres ,so tyres brakes hitch and a good anti snake is good

Yes! I run my twin-axle trailer wheels (trailer rated for 3,500 kg) on 72psi which is a bit of a difference from the tow vehicle.

 

[ProDave]

My boat is only an 18ft raggie all up on trailer about 1.5 ton

I find towing it a little stressful. Not because I think there is anything wrong or the car is under powered or it is in any way unstable. But nobody has yet mentioned the difference between a 2 wheel and 4 wheel trailer.

I tow a caravan, and that tows like a dream, even though it has the aerodynamics of a brick.

The boat on it's trailer has much better aerodynamics, and from an accelleration and max speed point of view is much easier to tow than the caravan.

But what I'm building up to is the ride. With the 4 wheel boat trailer, every single little bump in the road really jolts the tow car. Sleeping policemen being the worst thing possible, you really have to crawl over them, as the weight transfers from one trailer axle to another, the difference in noseweight on the tow ball is enourmous with the 4 wheel trailer. With the 2 wheel caravan it makes no difference.

So that's what makes my 20 mile twice a year tow with the boat so stressful, having to read the road, know where the bumps and rough bits are (there are plenty) and slow down for them.

On the nice flat main road with little in the way of bumps and pot holes the boat will breeze along at 60, but at least one stretch of my regular journey I am down to 30 otherwise the jolting on the car is just too much.

 

[Seastoke]

Yes! I run my twin-axle trailer wheels (trailer rated for 3,500 kg) on 72psi which is a bit of a difference from the tow vehicle.

AND TYRES

 

[benjenbav]

I feel a bit of a fraud as I have never owned a boat which is suitable for trailering; last boat was 8 tons light.

But, in the spirit of trailering pix, I hope no-one minds this one too much:

Towcar = RR L322

Trailer = Brian James TT T-300 (unladen 830 kg)

Payload = 1,200 kg (after an intensive weight-loss programme)

 

[Seastoke]

i feel a bit of a fraud as i have never owned a boat which is suitable for trailering; last boat was 8 tons light.

But, in the spirit of trailering pix, i hope no-one minds this one too much:

towcar = rr l322

trailer = brian james tt t-300 (unladen 830 kg)

payload = 1,200 kg (after an intensive weight-loss programme)

so you could toe with a seat leon

 

[benjenbav]

so you could toe with a seat leon

I had the RR long before the Porsche and for entirely other reasons. But it works well, so I figure that if it ain't broke

 

[AndieMac]

Yes! I run my twin-axle trailer wheels (trailer rated for 3,500 kg) on 72psi which is a bit of a difference from the tow vehicle.

That seems like a lot of psi bjb, my 8 ply light truck versions carrying 3200-3500 kgs, indicate max at 50 psi, which I run them at. How long do you get in tyre life?

 

[AndieMac]

The second trailer is my own, when I bought the Sealine I had to borrow trailer as it all happened too quickly to buy one in time, I have moved both the Falcon and Sealine on it and tows really well, when I bought it I thought wheels were too far apart and was going to move them but after using it I'm really pleased with it so am leaving well alone, once on the move you hardly know boat is there and stops well too. It's a bit longer than it needs to be but is good for launching as you don't get the car too near the water. Here it is empty.

The issue with the spaced axles, as with a tri set-up, is the torturous slewing action on the rear tyres in tight turns. The reason why some have opted to stay with/go tandem with extra heavy duty axles, bearings and tyres.

 

[benjenbav]

That seems like a lot of psi bjb, my 8 ply light truck versions carrying 3200-3500 kgs, indicate max at 50 psi, which I run them at. How long do you get in tyre life?

AM: that's the manufacturer's recommended pressure setting for these 155/70 R12 tyres. On the current trailer I have done probably 1,500 miles and can't really see any significant wear on the tyres yet.

 

[aquapower]

The issue with the spaced axles, as with a tri set-up, is the torturous slewing action on the rear tyres in tight turns. The reason why some have opted to stay with/go tandem with extra heavy duty axles, bearings and tyres.

I know what you mean there but ok as long as you are sensible when manoeuvring, thankfully a lot of launch areas are gravel.

 

[aquapower]

AM: that's the manufacturer's recommended pressure setting for these 155/70 R12 tyres. On the current trailer I have done probably 1,500 miles and can't really see any significant wear on the tyres yet.

In 25 years of owning trailers I have never yet worn out a tyre, they usually perish long before they wear. I do try and leave on solid surface rather than grass where possible.

 

[STEVEDUNSTABLE]

https://www.facebook.com/mark.bulcraig/videos/10152039010931642/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVik2fdtxn4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZQGw-i4ynM Perhaps these vids mightgive a bit of an insight to towing,recovery and launching .....

 

[Bigplumbs]

In 25 years of owning trailers I have never yet worn out a tyre, they usually perish long before they wear. I do try and leave on solid surface rather than grass where possible.

Now that is skilful

Dennis

 

[benjenbav]

Great technique for not getting your feet wet, there, Steve ?

 

[Neil_Y]

I know it's not a motor boat but had to share this, helped drive this to porto ercole Italy from Portsmouth a few years back with two other drivers.
Over all length .....Longer than an artic 17m
Over all height ....almost (a few inches) too high for some bridges near Lyon 5m at the back!
Mast over hang from tow ball 4m when you make a turn was interesting with tree lined roads and T junctions, and a wheel fell off just before we arrived.

 

[mlines]

, they usually perish long before they wear..

+1

I work on the principle that 5 years in the sun is enough for the tyres and replace them, the tread usually looks new but you can see the sidewall starting to suffer.

 

[Trundlebug]

Well in the spirit of diversity showing different sorts of rigs, here's my small contribution, parked behind the Mk1 Mini.

Moke is 600kg, 1/2 Moke trailer is 110kg. So a bit smaller than you boys!
But it does still handle as if the trailer's not there, and can still squeeze through very narrow gaps, so I don't have to slow down when people are turning right.
I think overall rig length is about the same as a Volvo estate...

(The Mini is mine as well)