Tow a 2,960lbs boat with a vehicle that has a 3,500lbs. tow rating?

[tcbass]

The family got larger and sadly I had to sell my truck for a 2020 Honda Odyssey minivan. It has a tow rating of 3,500lbs. I know that that includes weight of the passengers and gear in the vehicle also. My Stratos 186VLO boat with 115 horse Evinrude Etec weighs 2,960lbs loaded and fully gassed up (actual weight from the scale). 

 

I also know that it's not just about pulling but being able to stop and maneuver safely also.  Boat trailer does not have brakes.

 

My normal fishing spot is only 25 mins away and I can go 60 mph the entire way if I don't use the highway route. I also go on a guy's fishing trip to Mille Lacs area that is about 3 hours away too.

 

 

Would it be ok to tow the boat with my minivan for both of those trips, just one, or neither?

[Jig Man]

The issue is braking.  If your trailer doesn’t have brakes it will be sketchy.

[Vilas15]

i personally would be comfortable taking it on the short trip but probably not on a long drive on the interstate doing 70+.

[Dirtyeggroll]

Doesn't sound safe. I doubt the van is equipped with big brakes meant for stopping loads.

 

Additionally, trying to maintain speed through any hills or overtaking cars will likely quickly take a toll on the transmission.

 

Finally, what are the odds the van has difficulty pulling the boat out of the water on a slipper or steep ramp?

 

[Born 2 fish]

I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it.

[ghost123123]

Two concerns with your present situation. No brakes on the trailer will lengthen your stopping distance significantly. 2nd, I would be concerned with the transmission in your vehicle. I would bet you don’t have much of a cooler for your transmission, thus the fluid may get hot and you will lose the transmission. As this sounds like your families only mode of transportation I would be reluctant to tow the boat at all. I am sure you were hoping for more positive feedback so you could fish as frequently as you can. Personally I would take the year off and save some money for a pickup to tow the boat with. Good luck with your decision.

[Russ E]

Personally I would not pull that boat with a minivan.

transmission and gear train are not designed for towing.

front wheel drive could have trouble with traction on boat ramps.

lack of trailer brakes with a light towing vehicle is dangerous.

 

I tow a ranger z175 with a chevy colorado. my boat is close in weight to yours.

the colorado has a 7000 pound towing capacity, A trailer towing package, with transmission cooler. and puts out 310 horsepower. 

I also have trailer brakes.

I would not want much less to tow my boat. I certainly would not tow it with a minivan.

[GreenPig]

Is a lighter/smaller boat an option? 

[gim]

No bueno

[tcbass]

Thanks guys. I won't be towing the boat with the Honda after your advice. I am planning on selling the boat and not getting another one for awhile but thought I might fish this summer one last time.

[K1500]

I’m usually one for overkill but if you do not exceed the Honda tow rating and are going on short trips I think you will be ok. Towing up the the max rating may wear your vehicle faster but shouldn’t be dangerous. I wouldn’t want it long term but for a few trips...

[slowworm]

Read the fine print in your manual.  I tow a tracker that’s about 2500 lbs with a Ford Escape. It is also rated for 3500 lbs tow weight.  But buried in the fine print in the manual it also says that the tow weight limit is 1500 lbs if the trailer has no brakes.

 

J.

[tcbass]

6 hours ago, slowworm said:

Read the fine print in your manual.  I tow a tracker that’s about 2500 lbs with a Ford Escape. It is also rated for 3500 lbs tow weight.  But buried in the fine print in the manual it also says that the tow weight limit is 1500 lbs if the trailer has no brakes.

 

J.

 

 

That's what the Honda says too someonw pointed out. 

[Johnbt]

From page 538 of the 2020 owner's manual. 

 

http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/AH/ATHR2020OM/enu/ATHR2020OM.PDF

 

"Trailer brakes

Recommended for any trailer with a total weight of 1,000 lbs (450 kg) or more"

[Further North]

I towed a Crestliner CMV 1850, first with a 2014 Ford Escape, then with a 2016 Ford Edge.

 

That boat maxed out (full tank, headed to Canada for a week, so full of gear, etc.) right around 2,900 lbs.

 

Both were fine, for thousands of miles of towing.  We still own both vehicles, and I'd use either again, no questions.

 

That said, both had factory tow packages with all the "stuff" that helps make that work better.  Built in anti-sway, oil and transmission coolers...it's not just hanging a hitch on the back.

[Dirtyeggroll]

On 6/27/2020 at 6:34 PM, tcbass said:

Thanks guys. I won't be towing the boat with the Honda after your advice. I am planning on selling the boat and not getting another one for awhile but thought I might fish this summer one last time.

you could always rent a truck (u-haul pickup) for the days you want to fish...

 

[slowworm]

39 minutes ago, Further North said:

I towed a Crestliner CMV 1850, first with a 2014 Ford Escape, then with a 2016 Ford Edge.

 

That boat maxed out (full tank, headed to Canada for a week, so full of gear, etc.) right around 2,900 lbs.

 

Both were fine, for thousands of miles of towing.  We still own both vehicles, and I'd use either again, no questions.

 

That said, both had factory tow packages with all the "stuff" that helps make that work better.  Built in anti-sway, oil and transmission coolers...it's not just hanging a hitch on the back.

Ditto on the Escape tow package here.  

 

Are there brakes on the trailer?  There are brakes on mine and that makes a huge difference.  Some idiot pulled out in front of me as they rolled a stop sign as I was towing the boat home a couple of weeks ago and I stood on the brakes.  I was both shocked and impressed at how quickly I stopped.  The huge clunk as the drawbar rode into the hitch pin got the adrenaline running though... 

 

New Hampshire trailer brake laws are a bit whacked out.  

 

"No motor vehicle trailer or semi-trailer shall be driven on the ways of this state unless equipped with adequate brakes in good working order and sufficient to control the said vehicle at all times. Does not apply to a motor vehicle trailer or semi-trailer with a gross weight of less than 3,000 pounds if the axle weight of the towed vehicle does not exceed 40 percent of the sum of the rated axle weights of the towing vehicle.

 

Every combination of motor vehicle with a trailer or semitrailer when driven upon the roadways of the state shall at a speed of 20 mph be capable, at all times and under all conditions, of stopping on a dry, smooth, approximately level pavement free from loose material, upon application of the foot or service brake, within a distance of 30 feet."

 

Parse that lot out and I end up with a max package weight of 1742 lbs before I legally require brakes.  That's even ignoring that Ford only rates the Escape at 1500 lbs for a trailer with no brakes.

 

The bottom line is that there are a bunch of factors that go way beyond the marketing brochure tow 3500 lbs wording.

 

J.

[WRB]

On June 26, 2020 at 10:39 AM, tcbass said:

The family got larger and sadly I had to sell my truck for a 2020 Honda Odyssey minivan. It has a tow rating of 3,500lbs. I know that that includes weight of the passengers and gear in the vehicle also. My Stratos 186VLO boat with 115 horse Evinrude Etec weighs 2,960lbs loaded and fully gassed up (actual weight from the scale). 

 

I also know that it's not just about pulling but being able to stop and maneuver safely also.  Boat trailer does not have brakes.

 

My normal fishing spot is only 25 mins away and I can go 60 mph the entire way if I don't use the highway route. I also go on a guy's fishing trip to Mille Lacs area that is about 3 hours away too.

 

 

Would it be ok to tow the boat with my minivan for both of those trips, just one, or neither?

You are worried for good reason. Your vehicle isn't design to tow anything. Check with your local dealer service manager.

Tom

[Bankc]

I had a '91 Jeep Cherokee that had a tow package and I cracked the block twice towing things with it.  The first was under warranty.  The second was towing an empty trailer.  It claimed a 5,000 lbs tow capacity, and I never reached half that.  And even then, it struggled mightily.

 

My next car was a '94 Ford Thunderbird.  It did not have a tow package.  I installed a hitch, transmission cooler, light hookups, and upgraded the brakes.  It towed my ski boat and lots of other things beautifully.  The transmission did go out on that car, but those cars are notorious for having transmissions go out at around 100k miles.  And I wasn't towing anything when it happened (In fact, I was driving 25 mph in a neighborhood).  
 

My point being, I think the manufacturers ratings are just made up.  To really know how well the car will tow something, you just have to try it out for yourself and see.  

[gim]

8 hours ago, Bankc said:

My point being, I think the manufacturers ratings are just made up.  To really know how well the car will tow something, you just have to try it out for yourself and see.  

So you think all the engineering and math behind their tow ratings are made up, huh?  Ya that seems like a really good way to sell a vehicle.  Asking for a lawsuit.

[Hower08]

I'm going against what everyone else says and say you will be fine. Your under the max rating a pretty good amount. Sure stopping will take a little extra distance. Just drive smart 

[Bankc]

On 6/30/2020 at 7:24 PM, gimruis said:

So you think all the engineering and math behind their tow ratings are made up, huh?  Ya that seems like a really good way to sell a vehicle.  Asking for a lawsuit.

I'm thinking that the engineering and math behind their tow ratings weren't calculated from actual experience, but rather from theoretical concepts that the car was designed under.  Then, when production starts, things change, but they don't redo the math.  I'm also thinking that there's more behind how a car is made and marketed than what an engineer says.  I have high respect for engineers.  But I'm not under the illusion that they run the companies they work for, or make the majority of the decisions within them.  

 

Also, I think it's plainly evident by now that auto manufacturers don't worry too much about their products in regards to potential lawsuits, outside of the things that could become large, class action cases.  Think about all of the recalls they do.  They're almost exclusively related to safety items on a car, which is where most of the large class action lawsuits come about.  They rarely recall an item that has more of an impact on longevity than safety.  For example, I've had two cars with faulty transmissions from the factory.  Both were clearly design problems, and neither experienced a recall.  On one, a Nissan Altima, they extended the warranty to avoid a recall and settle some lawsuits.  Ten years later, they're still having the same issues with those same CVT transmissions.  On the other (that Ford Thunderbird), the manufacturer stuck their head in the sand, and an aftermarket company came out with a fix that should have been included in the original design. 

 

They don't care about the small lawsuits.  They have a team of lawyers that can outspend most consumers.  And if not, they can settle quietly for pennies on the dollar. They only care about the bottom line, and often it's cheaper for them to deal with the few lawsuits that pop up than to address the problem as a whole.  And misstated towing ratings aren't something that will generate a lot of lawsuits on a minivan.  

[WRB]

1 hour ago, Hower08 said:

I'm going against what everyone else says and say you will be fine. Your under the max rating a pretty good amount. Sure stopping will take a little extra distance. Just drive smart 

Minnisota is a flat land state with no mountains and few hills. With that said it's also a Rual farming state with unexpected farm equipment pulling out in front you without warning. Stopping a 3,000 lb trailer without brakes with a light weight tow vehicle is a accident waiting to happen.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

On 6/30/2020 at 12:12 PM, Bankc said:

I had a '91 Jeep Cherokee that had a tow package and I cracked the block twice towing things with it.  The first was under warranty.  The second was towing an empty trailer.  It claimed a 5,000 lbs tow capacity, and I never reached half that.  And even then, it struggled mightily.

 

My next car was a '94 Ford Thunderbird.  It did not have a tow package.  I installed a hitch, transmission cooler, light hookups, and upgraded the brakes.  It towed my ski boat and lots of other things beautifully.  The transmission did go out on that car, but those cars are notorious for having transmissions go out at around 100k miles.  And I wasn't towing anything when it happened (In fact, I was driving 25 mph in a neighborhood).  
 

My point being, I think the manufacturers ratings are just made up.  To really know how well the car will tow something, you just have to try it out for yourself and see.  

You must have gotten a bad Jeep. I’ve seen standard cherokees pull yachts, but they were the inline 6 motors, some of the torquing-est engines I’ve ever seen 

[THE_Vue's]

It will handle it but for how long?  Does your van have all the towing package?  Power steering cooler tranny cooler?  Lastly couple concern I know of honda is the odyssey rear shocks will not handle the payload after couple thousands of miles towing.  Youll start to see the rear shocks take a beating like my pilot.  My brakes starting grooving all calipers rotors.  Rear shock took a ****.  Luckily ive added a aftermarket tranny cooler and my transmission still good