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Tow vehicle ramble


Fishstix

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Tow vehicle ramble

Ive got a 2001 21ft Arima sea ranger with Skip tower. Boat  loaded weighs about 4900lb .

Trailer has surge brakes with tandem axles.

I miss the good old days when you could weld the hitch on the back of your car and go.

I dont want a truck, I drive a truck , I want smooth quiet and something I can open the

doors up in these skinny little parking spaces they have now.

 Anyway my last tow vehicle was a 2013 4runner and it did a excellent job bought it new but

It was noisy on the road and rode stiff. Rated to pull 5000lbs.The wife hated it.

It was showing some rust so I figured I would trade it in while,it still had excellent trade in value.

.The search began. no newer cars have any towing capacity. I ended up buying another Toyota.

A 2015 highlander limited AWD V6. Rated to pull 5000lbs.  I was leery of it . smooth ,quiet, small 

enough to open the doors. drives like a car.  Ive towed my boat with it a couple times now with it

up and down the hills of Ithaca .probably have 200 miles or so towing with it. Highlander does a

excellent job towing, brakes stop you, tail does not wag the dog, plenty of power.

If you find one make sure it has Factory 5000lb towing package.

Im not a Toyota salesman . I just figured there are other fishermen out there with the same vehicle

requirements I have.

Yes I realize Im pushing the towing limits.

 

 

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Good to know that it doesn't "tailwag the dog" which for me was a matter of the wheelbase width of vehicles with only a 3300 lbs load. I had to shift from an Explorer Eddie Bauer all wheel drive to a 4 wheel drive Expedition because of it. Tongue weight distribution is crucial to trailering properly too and can create its own set of problems if not adjusted correctly

Edited by Sk8man
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10-4 Les, you have to sacrifice size for a heavier boat, or you'll need the sway bar setup. Being a trucker himself I'm sure he knows the weight limits.

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Yup ...I was just adding those couple of points to his for folks that might not think about those things as variables as I didn't think about them when I bought my Explorer and then had to go bigger

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