Towing A Boat Question..

[Teng]

Does the height of the trailer tongue off the ground matter as to how easy it is to tow a heavy boat? One reason why I ask is because when I first bought my boat, I had a chevy S10. It towed the boat/trailer relatively easy and didn't seem to struggle as much as I thought it would. The boat/trailer seemed to be towed flatter because the hitch was lower to the ground, thus it seemed as though both axles had even weight distributed on all 4 tires.

Now with the new truck, the tongue is higher off the ground so I would assume more weight is put on the rear two tires of the trailer, thus, making it seem a little heavier. Does that make sense?

[AustinKJ]

You should be using a drop hitch so the trailer runs as close to level as possible. That will give you the best performance towing.

What type of boat and what is the new tow rig?

[Teng]

Austin
Its a Ranger 518 with tandem axles. I'm using a 2012 Dodge ram to tow it

[AustinKJ]

Yep. If the trailer is towed level, you will get the best performance. If you have more weight on the rear axle of the trailer, it will pull a little harder then if all 4 tires where flat on the road.

A 2012 dodge? I'm assuming a 1500 Ram with a hemi. You should be able to tow that boat w/o even knowing it's back there with a dual axle trailer.

[Teng]

Yeah, its the 1500 with the Hemi. I've lowered it from 2.5 inches to 3 1/4 in drop height. Although the performance is a little better, I think if I used the 4 inch drop, that would give me the best performance as it should be level with the ground.

[AustinKJ]

You don't HAVE to be perfect. I would think a little high at the tongue would be better then low.

Enjoy the new ride!

[Teng]

but when i was pulling it with my S10, it was pulling fine. To be honest, I notice the boat on the back of the Ram then I did on the S10!!

[AustinKJ]

but when i was pulling it with my S10, it was pulling fine. To be honest, I notice the boat on the back of the Ram then I did on the S10!!

I find that hard to believe. Maybe you set yer standards too high on the new truck.

[Teng]

Maybe Austin.

[AustinKJ]

Maybe Austin.

Hahaha!! It will happen!