Your opinion please!!!

D

D&D

New Member
Jun 28, 2015
6
United States
Boat Info
2005 180 Sport
2015 Shorlandr Trailer
Engines
Mercruiser 3.0
Hi, I just bought a 2005 Sea Ray 180, the listed weight is 2100 dry. My trailer is Not aluminum....I'm thinking maybe it weighs about 600 lbs. With fuel,Im thinking I would be towing app. 2800lbs.
I have a 2015 Dodge Caravan R/T. The Dodge website says it can tow 3600 lbs. I did not get the tow package with it ,,,,,I went on line to see what the tow package included...the Dodge website says that the tow package includes the hitch, wiring and load leveling and height control.....there was nothing about additional oil cooler or anything. Can anyone explain the load leveling and height control feature?....do you think the tow package also includes cooling although their website doesn't mention it? I tried talking to a representative there and she had no idea what I was talking about other than the info on the website.
Next question is, would you tow this boat and trailer with this vehicle? Is not, is there anything I can do to the vehicle to be able to tow?
Thanks
 
I personally, would not tow with a Dodge Caravan. Sometimes depending on the water level you need 4WD on the boat ramp. The ramps are usually covered with algae, milfoil, moss, slimy, slippery stuff.

That said I'm sure there are people that would do it but I would not personally do it, I tend to be a risk adverse person.

Usually load leveling/height control consists of air springs/shocks in the rear of the vehicle so that when the trailer tongue (or load) is placed on the hitch or rear of the vehicle and the weight weights down the back of the vehicle it either automatically adjusts the air springs/shocks to level the vehicle to make it safe to operate with the load on the back. The issue is exacerbated by a front wheel drive vehicle and its architecture, as the loaded down rear will tend to make the front of the vehicle feel light and unstable during operation.

Normally heavy duty tow packages include engine oil & transmission coolers, automatic overdrive lock outs and heavy duty or upgraded rotors and calipers, upgraded HD springs, shocks, sway-bars and better gearing to get the vehicle with the load rolling from a stop and up to speed in a more efficient manner


I also forgot to mention higher capacity cooling system on the tow vehicle.
 
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D&D said:
Hi, I just bought a 2005 Sea Ray 180, the listed weight is 2100 dry. My trailer is Not aluminum....I'm thinking maybe it weighs about 600 lbs. With fuel,Im thinking I would be towing app. 2800lbs.
I have a 2015 Dodge Caravan R/T. The Dodge website says it can tow 3600 lbs. I did not get the tow package with it ,,,,,I went on line to see what the tow package included...the Dodge website says that the tow package includes the hitch, wiring and load leveling and height control.....there was nothing about additional oil cooler or anything. Can anyone explain the load leveling and height control feature?....do you think the tow package also includes cooling although their website doesn't mention it? I tried talking to a representative there and she had no idea what I was talking about other than the info on the website.
Next question is, would you tow this boat and trailer with this vehicle? Is not, is there anything I can do to the vehicle to be able to tow?
Thanks
Click to expand...

not trying to be a smart a!! here but isn't it a little late to be asking if your tow vehicle will handle the boat you just bought?.....this question should have been a part of your decision process up front as to what boat to buy.....

i feel sure there are things that can be added to the mini van to help with towing but you still have the same brakes, a car transmission, and a car engine....and it has front wheel drive which is not good for launching and retrieving boats on a ramp....this vehicle is just not meant to do any serious towing....if you do use it for towing fairly frequently you run the risk of serious damage to the drivetrain which most likely will not be covered by a warranty....and the brakes may not be capable of stopping the load properly....brakes on the trailer would definetly be needed if you decide to do this...remember that the weight of the passengers and the cargo you carry must be subtracted from the tow rating of a vehicle.....then as a safety measure you should not tow a load that is more than about 80% of the tow rating....this is to ensure you can control the load safely...

think of the safety of yourself, your family, and other drivers before you make your decision.....is it worth the risk?.....IMHO no, it is not...

depending on how far you need to tow the boat and how often i think you would be better off getting a used 1500 series truck with a factory tow package.....

cliff
 
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If your van is rated for the tongue and tow weight the only thing I would add would be trailer brakes is it required not at that weight but it might make a big difference down the road. Now the only other thing is front wheel drive more then likely your drive wheels should stay dry but when you pull the boat out it's normal that the front end of your van might get light but your van has decent wheel base and that will help.With that said is there enough weight in the front of your van to give you the traction you need more then likely you will be all right.Super steep ramps or dirty or poor surfaced ramp you might run into a problem. The plus being front wheel drive you will be using a part of the ramp that is not all slimy or smooth .
 
1st, Congratulations on your new boat! … now to your questions.

1st, don't guess, KNOW. Load your boar with fuel, skis, and ice chests. Drive to your local tuck stop and weigh it on their scales. Unhook it so you can get both the tongue and gross weight. Weigh the van too. Remember that the 3600 you can tow means that the van is empty except for a driver. Moving the ice chests doesn't change your total combined weight. Adding 5 passengers to the van reduces what you can tow. Look on the door sticker of the van. GCWR is the maximum allowable combined mass of a towing road vehicle, passengers and cargo in the tow vehicle, plus the mass of the trailer and cargo in the trailer

2. Not everybody needs a supermax 4wd truck to pull their boat, but you don't saw where you live and tow. Long term towing 300 miles in the hills of Tennessee is different than driving 10 miles to the local municipal lake in Dallas. Once is fine, but over time multiple tows at max weight up hills in July heat is a combination guaranteed to cause expensive visits to a mechanic. Ask your dealer. Transmission coolers can help. Keeping the tongue weight reasonable and not loading hundreds of pounds of gear/people in the van helps as well.

3. Example - My dad bought a Bass Boat when he retired. Towed it 15 miles to the local lake behind the family chrysler. Was within limits, barely, in flat Oklahoma. Ruined the transmission in two years. Ratings for cars are for occasionally towing the U-Haul, not long term use. You can buy a 10 year old F150 cheaper than a new transmission.
 
It depends on how far you want to tow it - for comparison my 185 has a dry weight of 2800lb, so I figure with the trailer etc I am right at 3500lb maybe a little more. I've towed it a few times with our Lexus RX330 with a factory tow package rated at 3500lb. After I towed it 100miles to the lake when we bought the boat, I never towed again any further than a few miles to/from the boat ramp once or twice a year. It was just a bad deal, I felt it was unsafe, the boat just pushed that SUV all over, I really had to pay attention. So anytime I had to tow any distance, which was not often, I rented a truck from the Toyota dealer - pulling the boat with a Tundra was night and day compared to the SUV. Now, we also had a SeaDoo, about 1500lb with trailer - I pulled that all over with the SUV with no issues what so ever.

Call the Dodge dealer and ask, but bottom line, I don't think your Caravan is equipped to tow that boat on anything but a short trip. In addition to the safety risk of being at or over the tow limit, you will probably do some damage to the vans transmission in short order.

You really need a full size SUV (Tahoe etc) or a Truck to tow about anything over 2000lb safely and on a regular basis.
 
Cliff,
I had no idea I would be buying a boat when we purchased the van. I bought a boat which was lighter weight and not something larger that would weigh more. I thought the van would be sufficient due to the towing capacity listed on the Dodge website...I went to other forums where people were asking questions about trailers and tow vehicles....many suggested the 80% rule, and it seemed that I would be good on that front. I have about 10 miles to go to the boat ramp and an occasional trip to a few other lakes less than 50 miles away.....I am trying to see if this would work, I am asking for opinions not criticism. I appreciate your input, but it was a little disconcerting to have it begin with suggesting that we were stupid to jump in on a great deal on a boat to be able to provide some new experiences with our family (all grown up and traveling on their own). Being a safety nut myself, I began to question my decision, and that is where my post came in......there isn't a fine line between safety and safety obsessiveness and I wasn't sure if my thoughts were valid. Granted, we can sell our other car and get a truck, but we are still trying to decide if we want to keep the boat stored at the lake or keep it at home..... so our situation at the moment is trying to decide if it is something to do now or put the hitch on the van and find a truck at a later date. Thanks again for your suggestions.
 
Thanks so much....I appreciate your answer....we will have to start looking for a truck to replace our other vehicle. Have a great summer!!!!
 
Thanks for your reply.....you've convinced me in looking for a truck!!!
 
D&D said:
Cliff,
I had no idea I would be buying a boat when we purchased the van. I bought a boat which was lighter weight and not something larger that would weigh more. I thought the van would be sufficient due to the towing capacity listed on the Dodge website...I went to other forums where people were asking questions about trailers and tow vehicles....many suggested the 80% rule, and it seemed that I would be good on that front. I have about 10 miles to go to the boat ramp and an occasional trip to a few other lakes less than 50 miles away.....I am trying to see if this would work, I am asking for opinions not criticism. I appreciate your input, but it was a little disconcerting to have it begin with suggesting that we were stupid to jump in on a great deal on a boat to be able to provide some new experiences with our family (all grown up and traveling on their own). Being a safety nut myself, I began to question my decision, and that is where my post came in......there isn't a fine line between safety and safety obsessiveness and I wasn't sure if my thoughts were valid. Granted, we can sell our other car and get a truck, but we are still trying to decide if we want to keep the boat stored at the lake or keep it at home..... so our situation at the moment is trying to decide if it is something to do now or put the hitch on the van and find a truck at a later date. Thanks again for your suggestions.
Click to expand...

not implying that you were 'stupid'.....i never resort to name calling or judgements on anyone......just questioning the decision on buying a boat without checking to see if the mini van could tow it safely or not prior to the boat purchase.....you are doing the right thing by checking all this out, but again i personally would have gone down this road before i purchased the boat since i already had the van....then i would buy a boat that fell within the safe towing capacity of the van or know that i would need to get a different tow vehicle to pull the boat....

i just wanted to pass on my experiences i had in trailering two previous boats....i have been in the exact same position you are so i hope you can learn something from my suggestions....

good luck with what you decide....

cliff
 
DD,

No one really answered your question about a load equalizer hitch. It is a hitch that has a bar on each side of the trailer tongue. They attach with one end to the trailer and the other end to the hitch on the tow vehicle. In simple terms this type of hitch "equalizes" the weight and load between the towed load (your boat) and the tow vehicle. Do a Google search for "load equalizer hitch" and you will find lots of pictures. These hitches are most commonly used on large travel trailers.

As for the criticism, you'll have to forgive many of us on this forum. We are, for the most part, a passionate group and often speak our minds. I'm sure Cliff meant no disrespect and he merely asked a question many of us were thinking. But we respond to requests on this forum with the information provided. You didn't say anything about how and why you got the boat and whether you bought the van or the boat first. In re-reading your original post it appears you have thought of most aspects of towed weight (fuel, trailer weight, etc.) and you are doing some research.

Can your van tow the boat safely? Maybe. Within warranty specifications? Probably. But if you have a problem while towing you may have a hard time proving you were within the restrictions of your warranty. Should you tow this load with your van? Probably not more than a couple of times. Equalizer hitches are pricey. Probably somewhere between $250-500. Do you want to spend that for a couple of tows?

One of the problems with mini vans is they have no frame, they, and many vehicles made today, have uni-body construction. For this boat you don't need a full size pick up. I towed about the same weight with a Honda Pilot and it was fine so you would be OK with a smaller SUV or a mid size pickup like a Ford Ranger or Toyota Tacoma.

So welcome to the forum, congrats on the boat and stay with us. When you can, post some pics of the boat. We like pictures.

Shawn
 
Congrats on the new boat and welcome aboard. Some very useful info for you here. We towed for several years but had a beefed up van and an equalizer hitch but we were towing heavier than you. Think a tow truck may be better and safer for you. Always remember though it's not the towing so much as the being able to stop when you want :)
Google luck and enjoy!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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