Towing

[LarryE-old]

What does everyone, who towes a 7.9, use?

[Tom Elsen]

I use a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a good trailer. We rent a larger vehicle for long 6+hr pulls.

Just a (very strong) suggestion - put extra lights and/or big reflector strips on the back if you go at night.

[Tom Line]

GMC Suburbans and GMC Yukons pull them extremely well with the 5.7L (350 cubic inch) engine. On some engines you may get a "service engine soon" light or a bit of a spark knock - this can be remedied by running a higher octane gas for the duration of your pulling. (Higher octane slows the burn rate and helps prevent engine knock under high load).

[Quinn McCarthy]

Toyota Tundra with a towing package.

[Guest]

A full sized Chevy van, 3/4 ton with 350 V8. I bought it used for less than the price of a new main. It will pull the boat, a full crew, all of the gear, with no trouble. With all of the seats in, I can take my nephews little league out for pizza, and with the seats out, I can take load up two motorcycles, tools,furniture,antiques, whatever, and keep them dry, clean and secure.
Better than a truck or SUV anyday.

Aeolus

[Rudeman]

I haul with a Dodge Cummins 3500 4x4 - The only time you realize the 7.9 is behind you comes at approx 130 Km/h - I have concluded that this is max.towing "haul" speed - for a 7.9

Towing tip - If you use electric brakes a Prodigy brake controller is the only way to fly !

[Tim Bosma]

We use my Nissan Frontier 3.0litre v6 4x4 pickup. It has a towing load capacity of 3 tons. We don't encounter extremely hilly terrain, though.

[LarryE-old]

Tom,
I too use a Grand Cherokee, 4x4 with the 4.0 6 for short hauls.
From whom did you rent a truck from for long hauls?

[ilake1395]

anyone have a good estimate of the all-up weight of boat, trailer, outboard, sails and gear? I know - lots of variables - just looking for a rough idea.

[bernoulli]

I use about 6000 lbs.

[tootall519]

6,000 all up is a good number. V-8 touareg works great.

[dave]

Tom, it's a good thing that you DON'T have many hills! I pulled a Colgate 26 down to Naples Florida for a customer with my 2002 Pathfinder, 3.5 liter V6. That's a 2600 lb boat. The thing sat so high on the trailor that even though it was well under the tow capacity of the truck, the wind drag at freeway speeds made it feel like a 4600 lb boat [lift/drag increases at the square of the wind speed, something that sailors should know but don't]! It wouldn't have wanted anymore!

[tootall519]

I just pulled a Capri 25 from Norfolk to Louisville with my Touareg and had the same experience with wind drag. This boat weighs about 2,600 lbs and towed harder than our S2 which sits much lower on the trailer.

KP
Money Shot

[sycmcsa]

What does everyone, who towes a 7.9, use?

Dodge RAM 1500 with 5.9 V-8. Pulls with no problems.

Tootall519 mentioned pulling a Capri 25. We use to have a fin keel Capri 22 that sits the same height as a Capri 25 and weighed 2200lbs. The truck pulled it easier than the 7.9 around town but at 60mph, a good crosswind, or even headwind it would start to pull the truck around a bit so you would "feel" it. With the 7.9 mph speed and wind has no real effect since it sits so low.

Now pulling it up a steep boat ramp is whole other story. The 7.9 works the truck much harder than the Capri 22 did. We have really long and fairly steep boat ramps here in Iowa since most our lakes are flood control reservoirs, so the lakes level changes on regular basis.

Jamie
#267

[fleck]

Been using Chevy 1500HD (6 liter ) worked great. Max haul speed of 95 down I-95. Cruise easily at 75+.

New tow vehicle has V10 I'll let you know how it works after Key West