Help: Question on Bass Boat towing

[Kozak]

Hey,

I currently own a 4x4 Ford Ranger v6 3L and am looking to buy a cheap used bass boat to get me started. I'm looking to get a fiberglass boat, I've already been through the aluminum stage.  My problem comes with the fact that I'd have to tow my boat 14 hours up the coast twice a year (to school and back home for summer), these trips would be over a two day period so it wouldnt be a straight 14 hour drive.

Do you think it would be possible for me to tow a 17' Bass boat with my current truck?

I know I should upgrade the vehicle, but being in college I cannot do both at the moment.

Thank you

[Jimzee]

I wouldn't see why it would be too much of a problem towing a 17' glass boat.  I towed for a couple years with a Dakota that had the V6.  Also the fact you are towing up the coast, the haul should be virtually flat for the most part, right?  Keep the truck serviced regularly including brakes and rotors and you should be just fine.

[clipper]

Give yourself plenty of stopping room, especially on wet pavement.  My 17' Stratos would push the F150 I used to have on wet pavement if I hit the brakes too hard.  

[WIII-60]

As already stated, the important thing is the weight of the boat vs. the weight of the truck. Pay extra attention because it will be a bear to stop.

Allow room for everybody else on the roads.

A couple other things: turn the overdrive off, and watch the temp gauge. Know what you run at without towing and with. Give it a rest if it starts to heat up.  

I pulled an 18' glass boat with a GMC canyon so I've done a bit of what you're looking at.

[drmnbig]

You whould be fine with that.  I towed for 2 years with my 00 Explorer which is based on the Ranger and had no problems.  Keep it in drive and never put it in OD or your tranny will be toast.  These things don't have the stongest trannys anyway.

[R520dvx]

My truck was in the shop once and I towed a 21 ft Ranger with a 6 cyl Trailblazer 200 miles. No problems, like others have said be careful .... hopefully your new trailer will have brakes.

[Jig Man]

Like stated pay attention and keep plenty of stopping room and don't use overdrive.

My wife pulled my 21' glass boat all over mid America with a Ford Windstar van while I was pulling the 5th wheel.

[fishfordollars]

I tow my 19' Skeeter with a 2003 Ford Sport-Trac without any problems. It has the V-6 and unless I'm up in the hills it will tow it just as fast as you want to go.

Stopping would probably be the issue you would need to be concerned about. Just give yourself plenty of room and you should be fine.

[forceFixer]

Kozak,

I own a 2000 GMC Sonoma 4x4 4.3 v-6.  I tow a 18 foot fiberglass fish and ski boat and have never had any problems over the four or so years I have been towing this boat.  I am from Indiana and have towed the boat to Florida, Kentucky, Tenn, etc.  I always tow the boat with the trans in drive not overdrive.  The mileage suffers but the transmission is happier that way.  From my experience you should get along fine with your current tow vehicle.

Ron

[SENKOMEISTER]

I can never figure out overdrive or not. I have a V-6 Xterra Sport towing a 17ft aluminum Tracker bass boat. I switch the overdrive off on the back roads and smaller highway stretches, but when I'm on straightaway mostly flat highway for long stretches, I switch the O.D. back on and she cruises just fine. I hate to see the RPMs up high with O.D. off for long stretches. Am I asking for trouble, and why?

[gatorblazer]

Kozak,

The 3.0 does not have anywhere near the power that the Explorer, Dodge, or GM products do.  Essentially you have a Mazda motor that was intended for fuel economy and fleet use, not towing.  That is why on the newer Rangers they only offer a 4wd extra cab in a 4.0, Explorers are only offered in a 4.0 or 5.0V8.  

All of this being said, I think that you might be able to tow a boat that size if a few conditions are met.  

One, you dont tow it that often.  

Two, you MUST know what gear ratio your Ranger is.  If you do not know, do a search on therangerstation.com or Explorerforum.com for axle codes.  This is important because it seriously affects how your engine and trans will perform when towing.  My 4.0 Explorer with 3.27 gears struggled with a 15' Glassboat.  

Three, regardless of what you tow with, you need an aux trans cooler added to your truck.  The extra strain that towing adds to a trans equals heat.  Heat is a transmissions worst enemy.  These are less than 50 bucks and can help to prevent a trans rebuild that will cost a min of $1500.

The two websites that I gave you have a wealth of knowledge for your vehicle.  Both offer memberships for free and each have close to 100K members on it dedicated to nothing but your trucks.  They will be able to assist in any questions or repairs that you will ever come across.

GB

[Kozak]

Thanks everyone for the replies

As of now it is still all up in the air. I've been thinking and might try and either sell or trade the Ranger for a F150, that way I'll get decent mileage and still be able to tow a 17-18' boat with a little more ease.

[HPBB]

I am not saying you can not tow with it. But I had a 94 ranger with a 3.0L V6 and it sucked. I had trouble towing any hills around pittsburgh. I was towing a 17'6" V hull. I hated it. My GMC S-15 with a 4 banger towed better. I had it for 5 months then got rid of it and bought a S-10 with a 4.3 V 6 and it towed like a dream. a few buddies have rangers with the 4.0LV6 and they tow good, but the 3.0L sucked.

[Tuckman]

My rule of thumb is that you should never have more horsepower on your boat than on the rig that you tow it with.

When I first got my drivers license I tried to tow with my 18ft bass boat with my jeep wrangler and it was hard to tell who was towing who goin down the road

[memo43]

Posted by: gatorblazer

Three, regardless of what you tow with, you need an aux trans cooler added to your truck. The extra strain that towing adds to a trans equals heat. Heat is a transmissions worst enemy. These are less than 50 bucks and can help to prevent a trans rebuild that will cost a min of $1500.

Cheap insurance that will keep your wallet nice an happy.

the more you tow, it all equals to strain an eventually tranny failures.

memo