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Cab over and boat towing ??s

Started by headduck, November 30, 2021, 06:17:45 AM

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headduck

So guys...officially living the dream...
Swooped sweet camper to accompany my 19 skip.

So now I have a few towing questions.

Stinger... or truss deal. The camper is 9'6 and seems like a lil 12" stinger would be more than adequate...?? Any experience with a hitch extender?

I'm at the edge of capacity but it's not killing me yet. Lights are level and Im not sagging too terrible, but havent yet added the boat... Springs, bags as a lil extra? Any brand preferred? Pacbrake looks most robust for bags in my research thus far.

Air brake? Awfully expensive but the safety factor is huge. Any experince here? Thinking pacbrake if at all.

Whadd-I miss?

Any ..."whoa be very careful of this" scenarios..?

Thanks.

ed

2003 19' Sea Ranger Skip Top 2015 Mercury 115 2012 Evinrude 9.8

1987 17' Sea Ranger 90 Honda (sold)

Peddler

One of the most overlooked aspects is the wheels and tires of the truck. You'll get a lot more confidence and safety factor with some 19.5" wheels and tires with a super-stiff sidewall. They kind of suck when empty, but worth it while loaded heavy.

I'd also suggest installing EOH brakes on the trailer. Better, smoother, more controlled trailer braking. I'll never own another surge brake trailer longer than it takes to order the EOH parts and get them installed.
Wishin' I was Fishin'

La-Z-Buoy

Richard

2001 21' Sea Ranger HT
2017 DF 140 Suzuki, Honda 8

headduck

I have some bfg commercial ta. Good for towing etc I belive but not sure of side wall stiffness. Good thing to look into.

Trailer brakes... good idea...I have a brake controller as well so should be good. Ironically just removed an old rusty surge system when rebuilt the trailer...camper wasnt in the cards at the time.

Torklift tie downs on each corner.

1999 f250, 7.3, ex wsu fleet truck with goose neck hitch. Upgraded hitch on the rear, and maybe more.

Wishin' it was the 350...

2003 19' Sea Ranger Skip Top 2015 Mercury 115 2012 Evinrude 9.8

1987 17' Sea Ranger 90 Honda (sold)

amazing grace

Sounds like the camper is definitely heavy, especially loaded. Air bags a must.  Probably a short extension is going to be necessary since you are going to be hanging over the bed a good bit.

I agree about tire selection for heavy loads.
1989 22' C-Dory Angler

1997 19' Sea Ranger hardtop with Alaskan bulkhead

Kimbrey

On a previous truck that supported the slide in camper I had I put these wheels on.
http://ricksontruckwheels.com/. Heavy mothers but shorter sidewall tires so less flex which meant less sway.

Everything else was Torklift which I think is good stuff...Stable Loads for the springs, Superhitch to extend past the camper overhang so I could tow, towed a Sea Legend with this setup plus I used their tie downs for the camper along with Fastguns.
2005 Sea Legend --Sold--replaced with 26' Duckworth—Sold—replaced with 28' Farallon Walkaround

headduck

I see.

The 19.5 wheels are a completely different animal.

Looks like I have 16s... wah wah....more to learn.

Thanks guys.
2003 19' Sea Ranger Skip Top 2015 Mercury 115 2012 Evinrude 9.8

1987 17' Sea Ranger 90 Honda (sold)

headduck

#7
Am I missing something re:electric brakes... is it really just the power to the power to the 7way plug and a brake kit install?

No special coupler or anything else...seems to easy to be true

Update...
...almost so...

This is not for EOH which seems way better but for drums...
The electric over hydraulic requires an actuator and a few high pressure lines along with a rotor hub. Maybe 1500 if I turn all the bolts.

With drums maybe a third of that.

Is the extra umph worth it. If I were pulling an Osprey maybe, but the skip...?
2003 19' Sea Ranger Skip Top 2015 Mercury 115 2012 Evinrude 9.8

1987 17' Sea Ranger 90 Honda (sold)

Peddler

EOH = Electric Over Hydraulic

The electrical output from the in-cab brake controller sends current thru the 7-pin connector in the rear bumper to the hydraulic pump on the trailer. The pump replaces the need for a surge coupler on the trailer. The pump pressurizes the brake lines, proportionately to the voltage output from the controller.

EOH can be used with either drum or disc brakes, but you have to have the correct pump for one or the other. Disc brakes require higher psi than drum.

If your current brakes lines on the trailer are in good shape, you shouldn't need to replace any lines. Just disconnect from the surge coupler, and attach to the pump. Bleed, and done. Instead of replacing my surge coupler with a fixed version, I just removed the master cylinder portion of the coupler, and thru-bolted the sliding portion to eliminate the sliding back/fourth.

It's a very doable DIY project if you're moderately handy.

In my opinion, it was a very worth-while spend. It's a much more controlled braking experience, no bumping back/forth of the coupler, improved downhill braking, eliminates the problems with backing against a surge coupler, and easier bleeding, among other advantages.

I have a BrakeRite Titan II kit on my SeaSport trailer. I've not had any problems. SOME tow vehicles require a resister "Black Box" to trick the integrated controller into recognizing the EOH pump, but aftermarket controllers work fine. My 2015 Chevy works without the black box, but I needed it for my 2011 model year truck. It's a plug and play accessory.
Wishin' I was Fishin'

headduck

Thanks. Doesnt sound too bad at all.

Disks seem way easier to rinse than drums. Which is less maint and headache over the years.

The electric drum brakes work via a magnet that energizes to actuate the brakes. Super easy install, no hydraulic lines, just wires and costs a bunch less.

Decisions... 

Thanks for giving me something more to learn.  :beerchug:

Peddler...what's that seasport weigh?
2003 19' Sea Ranger Skip Top 2015 Mercury 115 2012 Evinrude 9.8

1987 17' Sea Ranger 90 Honda (sold)

Peddler

The SeaSport is close to 9,000-lbs including the trailer and full fuel tanks.

Disc brakes are WAY easier to rinse and maintain, especially if you use the available stainless components.

I don't believe true electric brakes are intended to be submersed.
Wishin' I was Fishin'

headduck

Yeah...it just looks like a corrosion nightmare.

I keep leaning toward the disc, but its gonna be a hard sell considering all the bonus expenses that come with the camper... but if it makes sense it makes sense.

I took off the drums for a reason.... :)

Just looked... seems they are submersible but rec'd to disconnect before doing so...

2003 19' Sea Ranger Skip Top 2015 Mercury 115 2012 Evinrude 9.8

1987 17' Sea Ranger 90 Honda (sold)

polarbill1999

Be careful.  Sounds like you have a pretty heavy camper.  My guess is you are probably going to be 1000# over gvwr, maybe even before adding the trailer tongue weight and additional truss/stinger.  Pretty sure those older super duty 250s have real low payload capacities.  Especially when they have the diesel.  Probably 2000-2500 pounds. 

I mentioned this in the other camper thread but most seem to way underestimate the weight if their camper and the manufacturers are dishonest.  If your camper has a 2500#dry weight you are probably 3500# ready to go.  Some of this is just conjecture since I don't know your camper.

All that said, I am sure if you make sure to do heavy duty sway bars, airbags (or similar thing), etc... you can probably make the truck "capable" of working but it will always be over the stated limits.  I would hate to cause an unsafe scenario and/or have insurance deny claims if something dud happen. 

As someone else said, the limiting factor is a lot of times the capacity of the rear axle (which is usually based on tire capacities). 

Another thing to possibly look I to is using a weight distribution hitch if the trailer tongue weight lifts up the front end too much. 
Brett
1996 Sea Chaser 16 the "Rhumb Runner"
70hp Envinrude VRO
6hp Tohatsu 4 stroke

headduck

Thanks for the sanity check PB.

So far I'm not over payload capacity which is just a bit over 3000 lbs.  I believe.

We have the build sheet for the camper and know we will be under that wet, but not by much. No slide outs etc. Tanks are fairly small.

Point certainly well taken and has been a constant consideration.

Who's knows, maybe we wont tow the boat or look for a slightly smaller camper.


2003 19' Sea Ranger Skip Top 2015 Mercury 115 2012 Evinrude 9.8

1987 17' Sea Ranger 90 Honda (sold)

Norcalfish80

Could just get a bigger truck with higher payload rating. I doubt anything bad will happen, but running anything near the maximum capacity is going to be really hard on the vehicle be that towing capacity or payload capacity.
19HT, Yamaha 115
North Bay Area, CA

headduck

The 350/3500 of recent vintage are pricey... my vintage has gone up too much since purchase.

Gonna have to add the few safety enhancements and give a judgement call.

I'm not one to take unnecessary risk... that's what the 20s were for....
2003 19' Sea Ranger Skip Top 2015 Mercury 115 2012 Evinrude 9.8

1987 17' Sea Ranger 90 Honda (sold)