Impressed with Towing (6600lbs)

RAAZ227 · Nov 7, 2011

This past weekend my wife and I pulled the boat for the season. We purchased our LR4 this past summer so this was the true test. I have pulled my boat and trailer with my brother in-laws Disco II. The shorter wheelbase made it for a rough ride and lots of transmission 'hunting'.

My boat and trailer combo weigh in at 6600lbs (24' boat with 454 Mag MPI engine and 60gal tank). I'll admit, I was a little nervous with the LR4/RRS quirky receiver hitch setup. Our LR4 pulled the boat without hesitation. A slight tap on the gas and we got right up the launch ramp (w/o low range). We hauled it through the city and highway and it was smooth across the board. No transmission 'haunting" and plenty, I mean, plenty of power! I have attached a pic of the rig:

Count Laszlo · Nov 7, 2011

That's pretty amazing, testiment that the LR4 is truly amazing.

Daniel Hull · Nov 8, 2011

What is the tongue weight of that rig? With a limit of 550 lbs, it would seem likely you would be exceeding the spec.

I've been looking at camping trailers and it seems you don't get into a very big trailer at all before you exceed 550lbs, especially when you consider loaded weight rather than the empty weight. Some of the biggest folding trailers can even exceed that. I've heard boats typically have a lower tongue weight as a percentage of trailer weight though. Travel trailers and folding trailers seem to be in the 4000 lbs range when you start to hit the hitch limit. So, for example, in an Airstream your only choice is the tiny 16 foot Bambi, while the 19 foot rates 550 on the hitch (unloaded, no options) at a trailer weight of only 3792 lbs.

And, on the other hand, a lot of people seem to be towing medium to large travel trailers with vehicles that aren't rated as high as the LR4. I suppose it depends a lot on where and how far you are taking it. I'd probably be willing to exceed the spec's a bit for a 30 mile trip, but for a 2000 mile trip I'd feel uneasy if I didn't have some margin.

It seems the LR4 has all the power needed, just not the suspension (and wheelbase). Anyway, glad to hear it worked well for you...that is a beautiful boat!

Slow Lame · Nov 8, 2011

I second this, just towed my 20 ft bow rider with ease, a little more effortlessly than my old Silverado 5.3. A lot of people do tow heavy trailers with way under-powered rigs like Jeep Wranglers, Honda Pilots etc. Dangerous.

LR is a strong tow vehicle, though like you I pondered the strength of the receiver.

crewcabrob · Nov 8, 2011

I could never figure out why LR gave the LR3/4 such a high tow rating and then hampered it with a low tounge weight. To further compound the issue, you are not advised to use a weight distribution hitch on the LR3/4. There were stories on the web about the hitch poping out during towning. I think that was with the series 1 hitches for early LR3s. I'm not sure if the 3rd generation hitch is that much stronger, but at least I haven't seen any more stories about the hitch coming loose.

I towed 1 time with my LR4 and it was awesome. You could barely tell anything was back there. It just seemed so "set up" to tow, why couldn't they get it all dialed in to pull something big.

Rob

RAAZ227 · Nov 8, 2011

Daniel Hull said:
What is the tongue weight of that rig? With a limit of 550 lbs, it would seem likely you would be exceeding the spec.

I've been looking at camping trailers and it seems you don't get into a very big trailer at all before you exceed 550lbs, especially when you consider loaded weight rather than the empty weight. Some of the biggest folding trailers can even exceed that. I've heard boats typically have a lower tongue weight as a percentage of trailer weight though. Travel trailers and folding trailers seem to be in the 4000 lbs range when you start to hit the hitch limit. So, for example, in an Airstream your only choice is the tiny 16 foot Bambi, while the 19 foot rates 550 on the hitch (unloaded, no options) at a trailer weight of only 3792 lbs.

And, on the other hand, a lot of people seem to be towing medium to large travel trailers with vehicles that aren't rated as high as the LR4. I suppose it depends a lot on where and how far you are taking it. I'd probably be willing to exceed the spec's a bit for a 30 mile trip, but for a 2000 mile trip I'd feel uneasy if I didn't have some margin.

It seems the LR4 has all the power needed, just not the suspension (and wheelbase). Anyway, glad to hear it worked well for you...that is a beautiful boat!

I don't know the exact tongue weight but I'm sure its under 550lbs. Most of the weight (engine, drive and fuel tank) is at the stern of the boat and over the tandem axle.

I can see that camping trailers would have a increased tongue weight because the amenities can be spaced throughout the trailer.

DonMitsu · Nov 8, 2011

Daniel Hull said:
What is the tongue weight of that rig? With a limit of 550 lbs, it would seem likely you would be exceeding the spec.

I've been looking at camping trailers and it seems you don't get into a very big trailer at all before you exceed 550lbs, especially when you consider loaded weight rather than the empty weight. Some of the biggest folding trailers can even exceed that. I've heard boats typically have a lower tongue weight as a percentage of trailer weight though. Travel trailers and folding trailers seem to be in the 4000 lbs range when you start to hit the hitch limit. So, for example, in an Airstream your only choice is the tiny 16 foot Bambi, while the 19 foot rates 550 on the hitch (unloaded, no options) at a trailer weight of only 3792 lbs.

And, on the other hand, a lot of people seem to be towing medium to large travel trailers with vehicles that aren't rated as high as the LR4. I suppose it depends a lot on where and how far you are taking it. I'd probably be willing to exceed the spec's a bit for a 30 mile trip, but for a 2000 mile trip I'd feel uneasy if I didn't have some margin.

It seems the LR4 has all the power needed, just not the suspension (and wheelbase). Anyway, glad to hear it worked well for you...that is a beautiful boat!

We use an Equalizer Weight Distribution hitch, it helps offset tongue weight and reduces sway

rainmn · Nov 8, 2011

RAAZ227 said:
I don't know the exact tongue weight but I'm sure its under 550lbs. Most of the weight (engine, drive and fuel tank) is at the stern of the boat and over the tandem axle.

I can see that camping trailers would have a increased tongue weight because the amenities can be spaced throughout the trailer.

If your boat / trailer combined weigh in at 6600 pounds like you said, then your tongue weight should be over 550 pounds, since ~ 10% is recommended.

RAAZ227 · Nov 8, 2011

rainmn said:
If your boat / trailer combined weigh in at 6600 pounds like you said, then your tongue weight should be over 550 pounds, since ~ 10% is recommended.

Trailer Boat Magazine finds that boat trailers are typically in the 5-7% range. Boats are almost always stern heavy. So I would have to agree with TBM. A true way to get the weight is with a scale and fulcrum method. If you exceed the percentages, you can adjust the trailer winch forward or back to get to the desired number. In doing so, you want to evenly displace all the weight over the tandem axle without too much weight over one axle.

horacioad · Nov 8, 2011

My 20' Larson with a full tank of gas, trailer weight and all the misc. extras weights around 5800#. My trailer tonge weight is roughly 400# (scale on trailer jack). So I will agree that 10% is on the high side of the assumption. PS I get about 13 mpg on hwy pulling the boat doing around 65 mph.

Impressed with Towing (6600lbs)

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