Rav4 V6 Awd, Towing Question

[wishin4fishin]

I have a 2007 Toyota Rav4 V6 AWD

OEM hitch good for 3500 lb

Could I safely haul a 19 foot glass boat?

I'd plan on equipping the trailer w/ brakes.

My guess is a 19' glass boat w/ 200 horse motor / trailer / fuel will weigh somewhere in neighborhood of 3000 to 3500 lb.

[Fishing Rhino]

I think it will weigh more than that. The package weight for an eighteen and a half foot Nitro Z-7 is 3000 pounds. That's dry weight, no fuel, no gear. Add fuel and gear and you'd easily top 3500 pounds. The Z-8 which is 20 feet long with a 200 hp Optimax has a dry weight of 3650 pounds. Add fuel and gear, it will top out over 4000 pounds.

The vehicle might tow it, but the real question is, trailer brakes or no, will it stop it when someone jacks up in front of you? It looks like either rig is at, or over max load for the Toyota. You have nothing left in reserve for safety.

[wishin4fishin]

I think you're right.

Since I made this post I looked around on a boat forum and found dry weight of a 2005 Ranger 519 w/ 200 Opti to be more than 3500.

Truth is, I think I need a body on frame truck.

The crossover SUV isn't gonna cut it.

[BassinLou]

Better to be safe, than sorry.

[KevO]

My 18' alum boat with a 150 yamaha weighs about 3000lb on the trailer with a full gas tank. I think you could tow the boat but I don't think you could stop it in an emergency.

[tracker01]

It's a safety issue. "Your safety". You can tow with less, but stopping is another issue. Trailer brakes are a plus but I would still want some more beef in front of the trailer.

[BrianinMD]

Braking would be an big issue as discussed, but also the life of the transmission would be greatly decreased.

[MN_SONNEN_ANGLER]

to me it sounds a little sketchy to tow something that big with a little rav4, mainly cause of wheelbase and brakes. if something were to happen to the trailer brakes, the rav4 would be struggling to stop it, from a distance it would but if you had to hit them hard for any reason i would see them locking up and the rig "jack knifing" with the short wheel base/ light wheight of the rav4. just my thoughts. be safe and good luck!

[jdw174]

It isn't that the motor won't pull it, but your hitch is only rated at 3500lb as well which is another concern. It's a combination of frame, brakes, engine that determines the tow rate of a vehicle.

[J Francho]

Short answer: NO!