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Towing E25

gowfer

New Member
I'm going to purchase a E25 next week if the boat checks out. My only other concern is towing this boat. I have a Ram 1500 with the 3.6 V6 not the V8 Hemi. Will my truck be able to tow this boat? Boat is about an hour away. Thanks
 

supersailor

Contributing Partner
Dodge shows the truck is rated for 6050lbs towing. The boat (good choice by the way) is 5130 lbs. Add 1000lbs for the miscellaneous stuff you always carry including the outboard, gas, water etc. and you are at about 6130lbs. Add trailer, 1,800lbs, and you are at 7930lbs. The truck should handle the boat locally but could be problematic for longer jaunts. I would add transmission cooling for sure. The tranny will probably be a little small for these kinds of loads.

Good luck.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Weights and Measures

I would figure out what the weight of the boat & trailer is, and then check my owner's manual for max. trailer weight that can be towed. Remember that the advice in that manual was written by liability-fearing lawyers and is more conservative than what the engineers would specify.

From my own experience towing, braking will be the limiting factor rather than engine size.
And the drive train weak point is often the transmission and/or clutch.

Bonus points if your truck has a 5 or 6 speed manual with compound low.
OTOH, for decades the venerable "torque flight" in MoPars has been one of their strong points.

In Days of Yore, I repeatedly towed a Ranger 20 (all up weight of about 2K #) with an '80 Mazda 2 litre pickup. Learned not to follow anyone too close on the highways. (!)
Engine didn't care and the five speed was fine.... the clutch was unhappy about pulling up the launch ramp. I eventually changed the rear axle to a higher numerical ratio. A good and faithful little truck.

Later I used a Dodge PU with the little 318 ci and automatic. Great combo.

A friend of mine used to tow his R-20 with a 140-series Volvo wagon.

Vehicles will sometimes surprise you with their capabilities. My most recent prior pu was a Mazda B4000 with the optional tow package and was rated for almost 6K towing weight.
Present one is a Toyota Tacoma rated for about 1500# towing. Truly it's a "Toy" truck in comparison.
:rolleyes:

Regards,
Loren
 
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supersailor

Contributing Partner
Hi Loren,

8,000lbs is into the major towing range. It is a serious load. The 2500 would be more comfortable. The major manufacturers have been inflating their ratings for the 1/2 tons lately. The brakes are still a little small. Both engine and transmission temps can be an issue with the V-6. I would add cooling for both. I'm assuming that the truck does not have the towing package. Also check the trailer brakes before towing. If the boat has been dumped in salt water, the brakes are guaranteed bad. In fresh water they are maybe good. This is one area that people tend not to maintain on the trailer.


I have towed 8,000-10,000 trailers for over 30 years and now have migrated to an E-350 Diesel. Best tow vehicle ever. It hardly knows an 8000lb load is back there and has enough braking power to stop the entire load all by itself. As a bonus, it gets far better fuel economy than the 1/2 ton pickup ever got.

We leave for the Canadian Gulf Islands in an hour and a half so gotta sign off. Good luck.
 
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Shelman

Member III
Blogs Author
I tow my E-26 twice a year, and even towed it to Oregon from the great salt lake in Utah, but it was slow 50mph the whole way with a car out front on the ham radio to give advanced warning of traffic issues. I have a 3/4 ton which does quite well but I wouldn't do long distance cross country trips with a half ton. maybe across town if the trailer had good brakes. I wouldn't tow long distances with a 3/4 ton either if the trailer brakes were not in good shape.
Anything can get it moving, not everything can get it stopped when things turn dicey on the highway.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
I've spent a lot of time hauling trailers with relatively light V6 vehicles, and I think I agree with the others. You're getting a bit outside the comfort zone of that pick-up. Especially if ramp launching is involved. Don't even think about it without 4WD in low range, even with a V8.

Things might be different back in the rust belt, but around here you can find an old suburban in decent shape for less than $2K, just because nobody wants to pay for the fuel. I drove one with the V8 Detroit Diesel for a few years, and that thing could (and did) pull 10,000 lbs without even noticing. Plus the whole crew, gear, dogs... You could consider it a boat accessory.

Unfortunately, since my boat overhangs my trailer by several feet, I couldn't use Suburbasaurus with it. I hauled it with the 2WD V10 flatbed farm truck. Which would have been fine, except for the unreasonably steep access road - with a hairpin turn - leading to the travel lift. The truck had the power but not the traction. Getting out of that hole was quite a spectacle/fiasco, involving passing strangers recruited to block traffic, a running start, and a lot of burning rubber. :0:0:0
 
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