S238 tow vehicles

[xj1514 13]

These are big boats. Please for the safety of every one on the road, get a vehicle that’s rated for this and actually handles it on the low end of the spectrum, i.e. don’t max the thing out!!!

I’m so sick of seeing half tons squatting on its bump stops, barely holding together, with seats full of unsuspecting children, doing 75 down the highway and smoking its brakes all the way down into the lake. 

Get a full size rig people. 

[Nick213 583]

58 minutes ago, xj1514 said:

These are big boats. Please for the safety of every one on the road, get a vehicle that’s rated for this and actually handles it on the low end of the spectrum, i.e. don’t max the thing out!!!

I’m so sick of seeing half tons squatting on its bump stops, barely holding together, with seats full of unsuspecting children, doing 75 down the highway and smoking its brakes all the way down into the lake. 

Get a full size rig people. 

Everyone with a boat has to have one of these.......

For all of our safety of course 

Edited December 22, 2017 by Nick213

[h20king 794]

1 hour ago, xj1514 said:

These are big boats. Please for the safety of every one on the road, get a vehicle that’s rated for this and actually handles it on the low end of the spectrum, i.e. don’t max the thing out!!!

I’m so sick of seeing half tons squatting on its bump stops, barely holding together, with seats full of unsuspecting children, doing 75 down the highway and smoking its brakes all the way down into the lake. 

Get a full size rig people. 

There is truth in this. I tried the hall ton thing.  We had a GMC 1/2 ton back when our boat was smaller . We were only dragging around a 21 foot falcon V . Around town it was ok but on any mountain pass the trans temps would jump up to over 225 degrees and the engine would scream.  I think one is fine for short around town trips but that's about it. Seriously though if you can really afford the boat you are buying you should be able to afford a proper tow rig 

[wheels 151]

If this was tmc we would half have had a 100 posts on f150 eco boost by now. 

[xj1514 13]

2 hours ago, Nick213 said:

Everyone with a boat has to have one of these.......

For all of our safety of course 

That thing is awesome. 

[Shaka 146]

Meh. I tow my Enzo with my Titan up and over mountain passes and down to Lake Powell several times a year. Sure I'm not going up Parley's canyon at 75mph but the job gets done. The only non-stock item I have on the Titan is air bags for the rear end. I do not feel like I'm putting myself or anyone else in danger.

[Dieselbreath 8]

I have a dually diesel 4x4 that I can tow with when we go on the longer trips.  The real issue is i am trying to decide if I should get rid of the dually and the daily  08 Yukon denali and get a new diesel 3500 single rear wheel.  One truck one payment and only one vehicle to put insurance on.  I just hate making my tow rig my daily driver.

[InfinitySurf 302]

Christ, I knew someone would break out with some BS about how a 1500 cant handle a 24ft boat, its a NEW 1500 truck, not a mid 2000's. My truck has the tow XL and is rated for 9800lbs and boat with trailer is 8k max and of course has the hydraulic brakes which also adds safety. A properly built trailer should not squat your rig considering 10% hitch weight. My rig may squat 1-2" with boat hooked up, but rides perfectly level since I know how to set it up and I have a 16,000lb ball/hitch combo. I have seen the people you are talking about too with way undersized vehicle and that IS stupid, but also not the case on any of the posts I saw here. Nothing you can say that will convince me that a newer 1500 truck is not only suitable, but also perfectly safe when set up and driven properly. I could buy any truck I wanted but I don't throw away money for zero reason and certainly not going to do it to make someone else feel good about it, if you don't feel safe in a 1500, then drive your 3500. Obviously trailering with ANY vehicle requires common sense/skill which rules out 95% of people right out of the gate. I see more fools roaring down the highway doing 85+ mph pulling trailers in 2500/3500 trucks than anything else, weaving in and out of traffic. Somehow having the bigger truck makes them feel like the bigger truck is going to compensate for them driving like idiots, so maybe its not as safe as you think since the driver is the main deciding factor, not the vehicle.

[lakerat 70]

I don't have a S238 but my 2014 F350 diesel does a great job of towing my 226 through serious mountain passes.  It's actually pretty comfortable for a 1ton and gets much better mpg than my GM 6.0 gasser did and has better stopping power.  I guess it depends on where you live and tow but I'm glad I opted for the diesel.

[h20king 794]

16 hours ago, InfinitySurf said:

Christ, I knew someone would break out with some BS about how a 1500 cant handle a 24ft boat, its a NEW 1500 truck, not a mid 2000's. My truck has the tow XL and is rated for 9800lbs and boat with trailer is 8k max and of course has the hydraulic brakes which also adds safety. A properly built trailer should not squat your rig considering 10% hitch weight. My rig may squat 1-2" with boat hooked up, but rides perfectly level since I know how to set it up and I have a 16,000lb ball/hitch combo. I have seen the people you are talking about too with way undersized vehicle and that IS stupid, but also not the case on any of the posts I saw here. Nothing you can say that will convince me that a newer 1500 truck is not only suitable, but also perfectly safe when set up and driven properly. I could buy any truck I wanted but I don't throw away money for zero reason and certainly not going to do it to make someone else feel good about it, if you don't feel safe in a 1500, then drive your 3500. Obviously trailering with ANY vehicle requires common sense/skill which rules out 95% of people right out of the gate. I see more fools roaring down the highway doing 85+ mph pulling trailers in 2500/3500 trucks than anything else, weaving in and out of traffic. Somehow having the bigger truck makes them feel like the bigger truck is going to compensate for them driving like idiots, so maybe its not as safe as you think since the driver is the main deciding factor, not the vehicle.

Not sure where you live but here on the left coast the roads are anything but flat. Like I said before we tried the 1/2 ton thing. We also had the upgraded tow package with trans cooler and taller gears in the rear end. Around town it was fine but first trip to Banks lake up 10 mile hill and I immediately knew I did not buy enough truck and that was just towing a 21 footer . I think geographic location plays a huge role in what is needed for safety and reliability. If where you live is mostly flat and you don't tow super long distances a 1/2 ton will do just fine.

 

[InfinitySurf 302]

I live in the foothills of NC, so some hills and mountains here depending on the direction you go but not to the extent of what you are referring too. I took a trip to Lake Norris, TN this summer and at least half of the drive was up and down mountains and I had to baby it in some areas going up steep grades, I kept it at around 45mph to not stress the engine/tranny. When I had my Duramax's I never had to slow down and could run 65/70 all the way up, so I totally agree that a bigger truck would be needed for pulling in mountains on a regular basis and will pull a boat much easier. Any way you cut it, a 2500/3500 is going to do a better job and last longer with heavy loads, was really only pointing out that the perception of a 1/2 ton, not being capable of doing the job or was not even safe to try pulling a 7k boat (with trailer brakes) was not something I agreed with since I have put almost 50k miles on this truck in the last 2 summers without issue. As you said, under "normal" circumstances  when you rarely encounter steep grades, for someone who is buying it as a daily driver....and to pull boat when needed....it will do the job just fine.

[Mrwick 65]

Terrain dictates what tow rig you need.....towing to our local lakes here in Nebraska, I use our 05 Escalade or on occasion, my 99 ram 1500 chore pickup.....It’s pretty flat!.....no problems.  We tow 9 hours south to tablerock lake in southern Missouri a couple times a year.....I use my 07 ram Cummins 3500......it is better suited to pull my 226 full of lead and gear through the big hills and mountains of the Ozark's.   My Escalade can do it, but just not as well.  The advantages, other than power, of the diesel trucks is more weight and bigger brakes.  These big boats can really push you around on steep grades!

[NorSask 16]

2016 2500HD Duramax High Country 

[mattmx181 1]

I tow my S238 with a 2015 Ford F-150 3.0L V6 Ecoboost. It pulls it surprisingly really well for a large boat. I have put in some long hauls of 5-6 hours one way with some steep grades and I was absolutely impressed

[DarksideR 1,679]

Another EcoBoost fan here! Hey yall. LOL. I too just bought my 17 3.0 f150. Installed airbags for extra ride handling. I had a 06 5.4L f150 before this and they are night and day different. I have no problems hauling my FS33 up and down some pretty steep grades here. Does it compare to a newer diesel?... no... not even close. But it definitely does the trick!

[H264 0]

On 12/20/2017 at 7:11 PM, skymiker said:

This is the new upgraded tow vehicle from the Expedition.  So much easier than towing!

That is the same place mine is.

[skymiker 5]

On 1/1/2018 at 9:15 PM, James Herdel said:

That is the same place mine is.

Southpointe Marina Lake Gaston?

[Brandon161 26]

Here’s my two cents.  All the new 1500s or 150s can pull these big boats. They have the power.  I personally have a diesel and it pulls my boat like it’s not even there.  Doesn’t down shift and rev out on hills.   I take my boat back and forth to Shasta every weekend, which is a little over 2 hours each way.  I can go there and back and still have diesel for the rest of my week. My friend has a new 1500. Pulled my boat fine. But he went through almost a full tank of gas just getting to the lake.  I have a 238 with 1000 pounds of lead in it.  I don’t use my air bags or anything and my truck is bone stock.  My thoughts are if you have a big boy boat. Get a big boy truck :-)

[seattlehd 9]

Sorry I'm a little late to the conversation....  To the answer the OP's question, 90% of the time I tow my 2017 s238 with a 2017 1 ton Silverado Duramax.  Definitely overkill but it does the job efficiently and safely.  With that said I have also towed the boat with a few other vehicles when my 1-ton was busy towing our travel trailer.   Here is my experience with other tow vehicles:

Boat loaded with all gear, full fuel and 800 "lead" ballast, scaled at 8100:

1. 2017 GMC Sierra Denali (6.2) - Plenty of power but you could feel a slight bounce from the boat and the trailer.  I think that the magnetic ride control was doing something funny to give the feeling of bouncing because I don't have that problem on any other tow vehicle when setup exactly the same.

2. 2005 2500hd Duramax - Plenty of power and always felt safe

Boat stripped of gear, lead ballast and half tank of fuel scaled at 7030:

1. 2018 Chevy Colorado Duramax (tow rating 7600) - Towed surprisingly well for a smaller truck with no bouncing or feeling of being pushed around.  Needed almost every ounce of power to hold 60 on a VERY steep 1-mile section of a mountain highway in Washington but had plenty of power on lesser grades and in all other situations.

[Nick213 583]

49 minutes ago, seattlehd said:

 

1. 2018 Chevy Colorado Duramax (tow rating 7600) - Towed surprisingly well for a smaller truck with no bouncing or feeling of being pushed around.  Needed almost every ounce of power to hold 60 on a VERY steep 1-mile section of a mountain highway in Washington but had plenty of power on lesser grades and in all other situations.

I want to see a picture of that, that little truck must look funny towing a 238! 

 

When end I was in newzealand all there tow vehicles were tiny vans or trucks with diesel's towing some monster ocean boats.