trailering

[NickLovell]

Has anyone any experience of towing a heavier boat, ie a boat/trailer package weighing up to 3 - 3.5 tonnes
I've got all the info about trailer laws, thankyou, but I'm more interested in your views about the experience:
What car did you use to pull what weight
How far did you go
What sort of speeds did you cruise at (towing)
Any recommendations (eg don't do it!!) /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[TigaWave]

Longest tow was a 3500kg displacement yacht from Gosport to Porto ercole on the North West Italian coast.

Borrowed a Range Rover, only draw back was it was an automatic. We had three drivers and drove pretty much non stop. We weren't allowed on the motorways in France so had to go through several towns. 10.5' wide x 14' x around 65' long in total, had to have a yellow flashing light and banners saying convoi exceptional.

We were happy cruising between 40-50, and then just before we arrived lost one wheel on the four wheel trailer. Bearing seized and broke the shaft.

It's hard work but with 3 hour drives and rests for two or three drivers, you should be able to keep up 40-50 average. Make sure the trailers well sorted before you leave, ours was borrowed and well used.

Its easier than driving a 3.5ton Mercedes from Sweden to Devon with two horses who weigh over a ton together.

Good luck, if you have the time to take it slowly its no trouble, just puts quite a bit of wear on the trailer and car.

 

[sarabande]

Please don't start on the heavier / longer loads ! There are a number of aspects to towing big rigs, very different from driving an ordinary car.

Braking. Even with brakes on the trailer (required above 750 kg trailers) you will need a MUCH longer distance, and braking on a curve (I know you shouldn't do it, but...) will create massive oversteer unless controlled.

Corners. The more distant the rear axle of the trailer is behind the towbar, the more the trailer will cut inside the car's turning circle. At the beginning of, say, a Left turn, the rear end of the trailer may also swing out to the Right into oncoming traffic.

Reversing. The really fun bit. I tend to think of the bottom of the steering wheel moving in the direction that I want the rig to go eventually. NO substitute for an awful lot of practice, and after 40 years of trailers from dinghies, to tractors and 20 ton muck spreaders, I can still make spectacular mistakes.

Mirrors. You'll need add-ons unless the vehicle has them already, e.g. LandRover.

Nose weight. Very difficult to get right until you know where the load sits on the trailer. Too much and the steering become horribly light and ineffective. Too little and the trailer will steer the car. There are all kinds of recommended levels, depending on the mass of the car and the trailer. The ideal is that the car should be roughly level after the trailer is attached.
Nose weight and length of A frame are critical in preventing tail-wagging. This is where the trailer "steers" the car; especially likely to happen when going downhill, or when overtaking/being overtaken by a truck (due to air pressure)

Flags, Lights, flasher. There are myriad regulations about flags for overhang, and I've found that UK, France and Spain, all seem to require different types/colours. Perhaps the AA can advise.
Carry a spare 7 pin socket and plug, with a wiring diagram, pliers and small screwdriver. Trailers eat 7 pin plugs when you are not looking.

Chocks. Carry a good set of chocks to ensure that the trailer cannot wander off on its own.

Handbrake. An absolute devil to keep really well tuned. The components are very exposed so should be greased/protected.

Jackstand. Most jackstands are puny; remember you have to be able to lift the combined mass of trailer and boat when attaching them to the vehicle. The jackstand wheel (jockeywheel) often gets bashed when offroad, so make sure it is fully lifted and secured. (It can unwind with vibration)

Wheel bearings. Carry at least one spare, and feel them every time you get out of the car. If too hot to touch, you have a problem, Houston.

Bridges and humps. If you have a double axle trailer, the car may be lifted up and pushed down quite startlingly, as the trailer axles sequentially cross the high point.

Quick check list at the connecting bit between car and trailer before moving off.
1 Ball and hitch properly connected, and secured / pinned.
2 Breakaway cable attached to frame of towing vehicle, not round ballhitch
3 7 pin socket attached firmly, with enough slack in the cable to go round sharp corners
4 Jackstand wheel fully up, and secured
5 Handbrake off



Longest journey ? Horse box from UK to Middle East in 1976.
Greatest weight ? The legal limit, officer, honestly !
Biggest accident ? Collapse of jackstand while connecting up. It took three hours to re-secure the load, and level the trailer, to find that I had bent the drawbar. Double Doh !
Average speeds ? Two ton horse trailer round the countryside - 25 mph; across the UK mixed motorway and other roads - 40 mph. Three axle 25ft trailer with 3 ton boat - across UK - 30 mph.

Finally, just check that your insurance covers towing.

Sorry if this sounds like grandmothers and sucking eggs. You did ask !

Good luck and have fun.

 

[GC1]

Yes I have. I trailed for 4yrs with ever increasing sizes of boats. The latest was a boat and trailer with a total weight of 3,300kg, I bought a Snipe twin axled 3,500kg braked trailer and a new Land Rover Defender 90 for the job. The Defender was tweaked with a Van Acken power upgrade (improved torque and power 33%), massive intercooler, upgraded turbo hoses, K&N air filter, straight through Stainless steel exhaust and removal of the exhaust re circulation system. These upgrades produced a beast of a vehicle with immense torque and power, towing was effortless even up big hills BUT you have to keep your wits about you as it could all go wrong very quickly. The benefit of the extra power was that you could 'drive' yourself out of trouble, vehicles with less power leave less options.

The body is very clever, it sends a signal down your spine to your @rsehole when things are getting on top, and it's up to you to recognise this and correct it or face the consequences /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have sold/am selling my boat and have bought a big non trailerable one in the last few weeks, I will be selling the trailer in the next few weeks. I am going to keep the Defender as it's great to drive and fun burning off the 323 BMW's and jags on the motorways /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

PM me with any specific questions and I will see if I can help.

Here's a picture of my 'rig' (and don't forget the Defender is a large vehicle in it's own right) :-

 

[sarabande]

Oh yes ! Forgot to add a note about parking. You'll always need at least six spaces normally dedicated to cars, so have no shame, we have all paid our road tax, haven't we ?.

PS Keep the towing vehicle immaculately clean, as it reduces air friction.

( (Envy ! Envy!)

 

[oldharry]

Land Rover 110 LWB, with all up trail load 3.5 tons, across the Welsh mountains.... useful to have the low range field gears on the bigger hills!

In fact going down hill is the most difficult bit! There's a real danger of losing it if you let it run - and a real danger too of losing the brakes through overheating, so careful use of the gearbox, using the engine to keep the speed down is essential.

But its not difficult with a bit of common sense - like not trying to use the fast lane of the Mway!

The scariest bit is suicidal car drivers trying to get past at the most ****** stupid places!

 

[gjgm]

lesson one:if the rig isnt set up ok, you re coming off the road. So unless you like extreme stress levels, dont start driving unless you are sure about it and relaxed. Thats said, take it easy, and, yes there are a few points as mentioned, but its not that big an issue. To concur..
- drive slowly tootling along at 40-50 mph when you do hour after hour is quite relaxing ! I almost beat my wife from Cornwall to Chichester, and she was in a sports car!
-check the route. Getting stuck in a small lane unless you are very experienced at reversing is going to be very stressful. Avoid Salcome area!!
-think well ahead, and break before the car in front does if applicable
-on long down hills, dont sit on the brakes. Brake , then off the brakes, and brakes again if speed builds up
-passing cars, tight corners/roundabaouts: you need to take the car alot wider than you might think.
-COMMAND the road:dont piss about in the gutter/be afraid of expecting others to give way
-before the big journey, do a ten minute run to check all is ok. Not a good start to a trip to have a seized brake!
Jeep cherokee and grand cherokee, 3-3.5 tonne load.

But I d say, take it nice,slow and easy. It always seems a bit heavy and odd for the first 15 minutes, but leave the racing speeds to when you re not towing, and.. well actually, it IS rather relaxing going slowly!!

 

[captainalex]

Hi,

I've towed a rig of about 2.8-2.9 tonnes from London to the South of France. The boat and trailer were brand new as was the car, so i was pretty confident i should'nt suffer from bearing failures. The trailer has never been in the water, the boat is always craned in to protect the trailer. Towed at about 65mph with cruise control on. The towcar was a vauxhall astra sportshatch 1.9 diesel averaging about 29mpg. It never struggled, but did have a tendancy to stroll about above 70mph. Towing mirrors are essential!.

hope this helps.

 

[landlockedpirate]

Towed all of my boats, largest was 28ft sports cruiser with total weight of 3500kg on trailer (A bit more if wifey put too many shoes on board /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

Used Grand Cherokee, and Discoveries to tow, best by far was TD5 Disco.

Towed to Menorca over a couple of summers. Towed between 50 and 60 but NEVER faster than 40 going down hill.

Used a double horse box type stabaliser to minimise snaking.

Its scarey at first but is really worth it for the expanded cruising areas available. And as mentioned above driving at 50 when on holiday is actually quite relaxing.

Good luck

Mark

 

[polyanna]

Great advise from Sarabande.
Remenber that the hull of a plaining boat is aerodynamic and will "lift" at speed, so getting the nose weight right is critical.

Believe me feeling the back end of your vehicle lifting and swaying accross three lanes of the M18 beats anything Alton towers has to offer in the way of white knuckle rides. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Once the axles where adjust and the nose weight correct the whole rig behaved well and felt stable upto 55mph.

I've towed from the Humber to the Thames a number of time and recently from the Humber through the Welsh mountains to Aberystwyth all pretty stress free.

Boat is an old (and heavy) Princess 25 towed by a Grand Cherokee.

Good luck
Bob

 

[duncan]

fantastic post - can only add one 'new bit'!

make sure the boat is secured in all planes to the trailer - commonly it is held down and held forwards but people forget to put balanced strong attachments to hold it 'back'. Typically a pair from the towing D back and down to the trailer frame will do the job.

 

[neale]

You towed nearly 3 tonnes with a Vauxhall Astra /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

My advise would be to get the rig weighed as boats typically weigh more than the manufactureres broshure weight.

Then get a car that can legally tow the rig. It used to be fairly straightfoward as car makers would provide a max tow weight but now they have something like a maximum authorised mass that includes the car itself so you can't unload the boat and load the car up to make the tow lighter.

There aren't that many cars available that can tow 3000kg+. You are looking at the larger proper 4x4's. Land Rover are great although some doubt their reliability.

I have towed 3 ton + using an old Range Rover. Once you get the feel of it, it is no big deal. Just remember to allow longer to brake and wider on the corners. And don't forget about bridge heights /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Measure the height of the boat on the trailer and stick that measurement in front of you on the dash somewhere.

 

[jhr]

Think he maybe meant that car+trailer+boat was three tons. But still /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif....

 

[hlb]

All the rest have given good advice. I'll add. Think as though you have no brakes, on hills, change down till the engine holds the speed. As said before, try to read the road infront and break/change down, before the cars infront do.

As said. It is very important to control the road. Dont weave in and out parked cars. Stay in the middle. At roundabouts, straddle both lanes, else folk will try to overtake you, then get stuck when the trailer cuts the corners.

A tip on turning round. Always reverse to the right if at all possible. Then you can see where your going. In narrow areas. Boat yard?? stop and get out. walk in and weigh the job up.

Speed. You will find the speed that your set up is happy at, it maybe 20 or 60 mph. But be carefull. The problems are not apparent whilst accelerating, only when you take your fot off the gass or break. In extreme cases, I've accelerated to get back under control, which is ok if there is a hill in front to slow you down again.

Right. Off you go!! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[britemp]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi,

I've towed a rig of about 2.8-2.9 tonnes from London to the South of France. The boat and trailer were brand new as was the car, so i was pretty confident i should'nt suffer from bearing failures. The trailer has never been in the water, the boat is always craned in to protect the trailer. Towed at about 65mph with cruise control on. The towcar was a vauxhall astra sportshatch 1.9 diesel averaging about 29mpg. It never struggled, but did have a tendancy to stroll about above 70mph. Towing mirrors are essential!.


[/ QUOTE ]

Do you mean the car and trailer weighed 2.9 tonnes together? Astras weigh about 1400kg and have a towing limit of 1400kg, so if the trailer was 2.9 tonnes I'm amazed it moved and of course you would've been uninsured for the whole of your journey, plus the astra would've had a hernia! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[britemp]

[ QUOTE ]

There aren't that many cars available that can tow 3000kg+. You are looking at the larger proper 4x4's. Land Rover are great although some doubt their reliability.


[/ QUOTE ]

The reason Land Rovers are best for towing is because of their unique transmission. They are permanent 4WD but with a lockable centre diff allowing you to use 4WD high ratio or low ratio on the road without fear of wind-up. Virtually every other 4x4 locks the front and rear axles together when in low-ratio so they can't use low on grippy road surfaces. The current crop of jap pick-ups look like great towcars but are part-time 4WD and can't use low ratio on road without transmission wind-up and damage. They are also low-tech under the pretty bodies with cart springs and drum brakes that LR haven't used for 25 years!

I towed 3.5 tonnes over Welsh mountains with an old 110 with a 70hp non-turbo diesel and it performed marvelously. High was OK on the flat. but for the steep bit (up to 1 in 5) a quick double de-clutch down to low whilst moving and then back to high when it flattens out. Nothing beats them for really tough towing.

 

[BrendanS]

If you get a decent 4x4, you won't need low ratio on the road! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[sarabande]

Respectfully disagree. Try Porlock Hill or the Blackdowns. Also, in a long queue of traffic, it's much easier to trickle along in Low 1 or 2, rather than beating hell out of the clutch and brakes in High.

 

[BrendanS]

neither of those would be a problem in high ratio for me. Enough torque to drive up any hill with a trailer, and will potter along quite happily in tickover at queue speed. It's an auto, so no clutch issues

 

[stevetaz]

4x4's that can tow 3.5 are
Shogun LWB
landrover LWB any from 1972 sIII onwards
landcruiser 4.2
RangRover


I have used the below which I towed 3.5 and more with (don’t tell me plod 5.2 tones of generator one off never again)

shogun LWB has a tip tronic box as well as auto tip tronic is great change when you want to change great on your left leg as you don’t need to use it

Defender TD5 manual is ok for 100 or so miles after that your brain goes to mush

landrover sIII at 3.5 good for about 50 miles then your teath fall out with all the vibrations

landrcuiser auto 4.2 VX don’t even know its there ! remind yourself by looking in your mirrors

Rangrover never used on but been told the autos are a pain and the manual you have to have a left leg like the terminator !