What do you tow?

[OMF]

Why don't we start a thread about towing...

I towed a 21ft travel trailer on the long weekend and the ride was perfect. I set a rule for the trip that I would obey speed limits at all times and I can tell you it was hard to keep my promise, there was enough power reserve for speeding at most of the trip across the hills...

Rig - in bow to stern order:

• 2007 CX-9 GT AWD with towing package (my understanding is this option is standard in Canada)
• Hidden Hitch # 87438 Class III/IV round tube, 2 square receiver (Thanks Lexx for the great tip!)
• Wiring harness: modified Mazda OEM wiring harness to accept brake control wires
• Tekonsha Primus proportional electric brake control http://www.tekonsha.com/primusintro.html
• Husky 70210 weight distribution hitch with round spring bars
• Husky sway control RH#34715
• 2008 Trail-Lite Crossover travel trailer TLX-210QB (21ft) http://www.trail-lite.com/PDFs/Trail-Lite-Crossover.pdf

I tried to keep the trailer as light as possible: no water enroute in any of the tanks (fresh water holding tank, gray and black water tanks. Heavy things like food, drinks, in the CX-9 cargo area in cooler boxes.
Braking: with appropriate brake controller setting I couldnt tell the difference when I hit the brakes.
Shifting: played around with the manual shifting by keeping the transmission in lower than D gears.
Coolant temperature: Same as without towing.

So, what do you tow?

 

[Lexx]

OMF, that sure looks and sounds like a fully successful weekend. Very nice. Great to hear that the CX-9 performed well. I am not towing anything yet, but I am getting ready to purchase a bowrider powerboat soon, so it's nice to hear about your experience. A question: did you figure out how much your final trailer weight turned out to be? Dry weight is indicated at 2850lbs, so do you think that managed to keep it around there with your precautions?

FYI, with the kind of boats I am looking at, I am going to be close to the 3500lbs rating wet (with 200lbs of fuel on board the boat), but I do expect to use trailer brakes and I don't really expect extremely hilly terrain. Still, I am little concerned about being so close to the rating wet.

 

[TravelinMan]

FYI, with the kind of boats I am looking at, I am going to be close to the 3500lbs rating wet (with 200lbs of fuel on board the boat), but I do expect to use trailer brakes and I don't really expect extremely hilly terrain. Still, I am little concerned about being so close to the rating wet.

I used to tow a large boat with a couple of different vehicles. Going beyond the tow rating by a bit is not really a big issue. The vehicle will pull it just fine but you may want to put a tank of premium in when towing. Now stopping is another story and the main issue. At near 4000lbs, your boat should have a tandem trailer with surge brakes. Also, don't forget to have a tongue weight of at least 10% or tow weight.

 

[Lexx]

I used to tow a large boat with a couple of different vehicles. Going beyond the tow rating by a bit is not really a big issue. The vehicle will pull it just fine but you may want to put a tank of premium in when towing. Now stopping is another story and the main issue. At near 4000lbs, your boat should have a tandem trailer with surge brakes. Also, don't forget to have a tongue weight of at least 10% or tow weight.

Thanks for the note, TravelinMan. The boat trailer will have surge brakes at a minimum, but I am probably going to try to find (or retrofit) a boat trailer with electric brakes and use a brake controller in a fashion similar to OMF above. Since electric brakes with the right controller can be controlled in proportion to brake pedal pressure, am I not correct that this is a more reliable approach than surge brakes?

Why tandem axle? My current thinking is that those trailers are heavier and add to the weight problem. Single axle rated to support the boat wet weight plus margin is what I am currently thinking. Am I thinking incorrectly in some way?

Thanks much!

 

[TravelinMan]

Why tandem axle? My current thinking is that those trailers are heavier and add to the weight problem. Single axle rated to support the boat wet weight plus margin is what I am currently thinking. Am I thinking incorrectly in some way?

I have never pulled a trailer with electric brakes, so I can't comment. I put my boat in salt water so the less electrical components on the trailer the better. A tandem axle adds stability to the load but it does add weight over the single. If you can get a single go for it. I pulled a 6000lb load (5000lb boat and 1000lb trailer) so the tandem was my only choice. This I pulled with for a couple of months with an old S-10 Blazer, very short distances. Pulling was OK but stops were well planned.

 

[DSherwood]

Towing experience is paramount, stopping is the largest concern with any set up. I personally recommend tandem axles and electric brakes, they compensate for the loaded weight (easier to adjust weight) and are more stable in cross winds and emergency braking. The newer electronic brake controllers have their own g-force accelerometer. My truck / trailer (44 ft gooseneck) was set up to electronically add 25% more braking on the initial brake application as to make sure the trailer was pulling back on the vehicle instead of trying to push forward. That kind of set up made for quality stops, there is no greater fear than emergency braking and having the vehicle / trailer not responding or starting to slide.

surge brakes are ok, but they deteriate and need yearly checkups. electric brakes can be tested right in the driveway, hit the brake controller and hear the electric magnets in each wheel click indicating their action, piece of mind before that emergency stop.

check out websites on controllers, there are some really good ones (tekonsha) out there. happy towing.

 

[CharlieXray9er]

A little homemade jammi...about 1500 loaded with 21 gals. of water, 50 qt. cooler, group 27 battery and 300 lbs of gear inside. Lots of tongue weight..about 400 lbs., and she only went down about an 1-1/2". Very pleased!

 

[CharlieXray9er]

Awesome setup OMF!!