towing

K

khaynes

New Member
Aug 25, 2008
70
Henderson, Ky.
Boat Info
1994 270DA
Engines
7.4 Bravo II
Hello every one. I'm new to this this forum. I have a pontoon now. Going to look at 1994 sea ray 270 to trade my pontoon on tonight. I was wondering about pulling the 270. I have a 04 f150 4X4. If trade goes well I will need lots of info. Thanks.
 
Not sure of the dry weight of the 270 but I tow an 02 280DA with a F-350 CC, 7.3L and it takes all of that to pull the 8500 dry weight 280. You may want to invest in a bigger tow vehicle, can't ever go too big in that category.
 
Getting the rig moving is one thing, stopping it is a different and more important matter. IMO you need a bigger rig for a 270 than the one you have. But, it also depends on how often and how far you're going to tow -- and where you tow (mountains, prairie??). The steepness of the launch ramps you use might also be a consideration. I've seen trucks backing down steep ramps not be able to stop.

Once you hit on what you think is the right rig for you, check with your insurance company to see if they agree. If they don't agree and you get in an accident, you may find you don't really have coverage.
 
We have a '94 270DA.... bottom line is that you'll need a bigger and stronger tow rig. Loaded, our 270 tips the scale right at 10,000# according to offical scales. We tow with 2000 F250 V10, and though it handles the boat & trailer just fine, I sometimes wish for more. Towing at over 80% of my truck's rated towing capacity of 11,800# is definitely putting a lot of stress on it. You need to make sure that your trailer brakes, your truck brakes, your transmission, and cooler are in tip-top shape before getting on the road for any distance. And though my trailer brakes are excellent disk brakes that I replaced a couple of years ago, my truck brakes are taking a beating.

We just returned from a 1,700-mile round trip towing our boat from Sacramento, CA to Anacortes, WA and back. Coming down the mountains I was happy to have a heavy truck, but was still amazed at how much the boat & trailer were pushing - definitely nothing you should ever tackle with a lighter truck.
 
Get a bigger truck....trust me. I trailer my 290 with a Chevy 2500HD diesel and it would be unsafe in my opinion to regularly pull a 270 with a F150.
 
Agreed, get a bigger tow vehicle. That truck isn't rated to pull that kind of weight.

Doug
 
If you like the F150 buy a new one to tow it with and don't tell the truck dealer.
That way when you blow your transmission within the warranty period they will replace it..

I know, I did
 
swingdancer said:
If you like the F150 buy a new one to tow it with and don't tell the truck dealer.
That way when you blow your transmission within the warranty period they will replace it..

I know, I did
Click to expand...

I vote this one for the dumb suggestion of the day :smt021 For one, if he has a wreck he likely to be denied an insurance claim because he will be overweight. Warranty does no good there.
#2 The loss you would take on trading in for the same but newer truck would easily pay for two tranny's in the current truck.
If you plan to tow alot, you need either a bigger, 3/4 ton + truck or a smaller boat. My 06 260 was alot behind my diesel F250 CC 4x4. Never had any troubles but I would have prefered a dually. Highway speeds with a cross wind were a little hairy at times. A dually would have helped quite a bit.
I couldn't imagine it with an F150. SB
 
I pull my 280DA with 6.0 2500HD. Mostly in flat country. Truck is sufficient but it's all she can handle from an engine standpoint. If I was towing in the hills I'd get a diesel. I'll offer a reminder to make sure you have a properly set up trailer for your boat. This is way more important than most people realize.
 
I quickly looked up the 2004 tow ratings and not knowing your exact configuration (cab type, axle ratio) the highest 4x4 rating was 9500#.

Even if that boat was right at 9500#, it wouldn't be safe.

I tow my '92 290 with a '02 GMC 2500HD w/ 8.1L gas or my '07 Chevy 2500HD diesel and both have the power and braking for that kind of load. I also towed with a 2005 F250 w/ V-10 and it was equally good.

For safety's sake, you will need a 3/4 ton truck, plain and simple.

And you do not need a diesel to get the job done. That will save you some $$$ since it looks like you will have to buy a new tow vehicle. At any rate, look at the tow rating before you buy.
 
Last edited:
You can get an older ('00-06) 'burb 2500 with an 8.1 rated at 12K for a steal right now. Thats whats on my wishlist to pull my 270. :grin:

Dang wife and kids fell in love with a Denali while we were out shopping and I got vetoed. :smt013 Good thing we are in dry storage at the marina.
 
Well the deal went good. I pick up the boat sat. Maybe I should have mention that I live about two miles from the river front ramp. We have a very good ramp not to steep. I crawed all thru the boat last night. Never seen so many switch boxes, pumps, and valves before. There is no manual. Where can I fine a manual to print. I think I'm going to need lots of help. Thanks for all the infor. Going to tell the people from pontoon and deck boat forum good by today. If you ever need pontoon help. There great. I'm sure you are too. Thanks again.
 
khaynes said:
Where can I fine a manual to print. I think I'm going to need lots of help.
Click to expand...

Congratulations on the new to you boat.:smt038 You have to update your signature now with you boat info. As to the manual go to the searay.com site and under the archive sections you should find the manual for your boat.
 
Go here and look in the left side menu down towards the bottom, you will see Parts Manuals and Owners Manuals, click the respective link enter the info, download and print both. You need Acrobat Reader to do this. Here is the link.

http://www.searay.com/sport_cruisers.asp
 
All kidding aside you want to be real careful. I have towed thousands of miles and pull my 240 Sundancer back and forth to Florida, from Connecticut, each winter. I feel I run border line with my set-up. The boat is 5,500-lb. dry and an aluminum I-beam tandom axle Load Rite is another 1,490. Without fuel and water I always believed I was about 7,000. WRONG - be sure to hit a CAT scale with your boat and trailer. I found I was 7,950 dry. WHY? Because 1) you never get all of the fuel and water out, 2) the manufacturer does not include extra options like hot water heaters, fenders, lines, GPS, radio, etc and so on. This stuff, and my boat is trailered sparse even to the point of drains all of the fuel, is still another 1,000-lbs. So at 8,000 I'm at the limit of my Yukon Denali with four wheel disk brakes and a great trailer set-up - balance and tongue weight.

YOU ARE SIMPLY GOING TO BE WAY OVER ANY SAFETY ZONE.
 
Welcome to the 270DA club! I would get the boat weighed - the dealer may be able to do it for you before you pick it up. Also - are you getting an aluminum trailer - that will certainly help with the overall package weight. Make sure the trailer has brakes on all axles as you will need it to slow/stop safely.
 
Congrats on the boat....I've always liked the 270da...It would appear your mind was made up to tow it with your F150 before you asked for advice...be very careful....that is alot of boat to tow...and to get stopped in a hurry.
 
You will be over the limit for the GVWR, max trailer weight, and your trailer hitch. Dont do it. Your insurance will see that in a flash and its not safe to anybody on the road. There are companies that will haul it for you if you only need one way.

I would have a 1 ton diesel to pull that with.....dually would be even better.....if I was going to trailer that thing on weekends.
 
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