Posted by JimM on April 08, 2003 at 06:16:19:
In Reply to: What advantages to fifth-wheel trailer? posted by ken on April 04, 2003 at 10:26:07:
How heavy will the boat and contents be? If it's to be plywood construction and OB powered, I don't expect it to be that heavy, and doubt if you need a heavy-duty rig. It also depends on how much trailering you'll do, and what kind of roads. If you're going to drive it a couple of miles to the local ramp on weekends, the demands aren't great. But if you're going to haul it across the country, or over the mountains of West Virginia, then you want the heaviest rig you can get. To the ramp, a standard-duty 350 engine with standard axel ratio is fine, but for long-haul or mountains you'll want a big engine with a high-reduction rear end (and be willing to tolerate awful fuel mileage). Either way, I'd opt for the brakes with a boat that size.
I've done a lot of trailering with smaller boats, and only once pulled a modern 25' fiberglass inboard cabin-cruiser a short distance. I know the "feel" of both. The little boats I can barely feel behind my Suburban. But the 25 footer really made it's presence known! Once, I pulled a flat-bed loaded with lumber into Kentucky mountains - I really had to crawl up some of the steepest inclines. I was glad for the brakes, but knew I was really pushing the 1/2 ton truck beyond it's limits.
I would NOT want to pull that heavy a long long distances, on freeways or across mountains with my Suburban as equipped! I have the small engine and "economy" rear end on a 1/2 ton 'burban and I consider it inadequate for that task. But your plywood boat will be considerably lighter. For short haul non-mountain driving it would be fine. Ball hitch included!
One other note: A heavy-duty (Class 3?) frame-mounted hitch for a pickup will usually have provision for a "load-leveler". That's a pair of stout steel bars which put an up-force on the hitch via tensioning chains attached a couple of feet aft on the trailer. Basically, it attempts to "bend" the whole rig, reducing the load on the tow-vehicle's rear axel. Very effective if your truck's rear suspension can't take the weight. Tongue weight, BTW, should be about 10% of the total trailer weight.