What do you think: Can truck pull boat?....

[Will_Fish_4_Food]

Besides tow capacity in the manual vs. boat weight....cuz this says I could.

Do you think it's safe or even realistic to pull a 22 ft pathfinder with a Toyota Tacoma V6?

Thanks for your opinions.

[Sir reel]

does the trailer have brakes?

[Chalk]

Pulling isn't the issue....stopping is.....I pulled a small tractor with a nissan 4x4 I had once.....Glad nobody was coming when I had to turn off a dead end .....You can pull it but your tranny might not last as long it should and you won't be able to stop when you need to.....so I wouldn't recommend it....Think Rocket pulls his with a F250......

[Will_Fish_4_Food]

The trailer has brakes, of course my truck doesn't have the hookup for trailer brakes, so I guess that doesn't do much good.

Isn't that a relatively light boat for the size? Could be an extremely expensive weekend if I had to buy a truck also. (assuming the boat deal gets completed)

[Tom Keels]

Brakes are the issue. If you have trailer brakes any local shop can install a plug for pretty cheap, or you can order the kit online and do it yourself. Depending on the hookup, you may just need trailer light wiring to control the brakes.

Steve Stinson pulled his 21 seapro for a long time with a Nissan 4X4 V6 and he said the truck pulled it fine, just getting it stopped was the problem.

[Sawbones]

What kind of brakes does the trailer have? Most trailers around here have surge brakes, no plug required.

[Sea Fox]

My trailer has surge brakes and it needs a wire from the back up lights to disengage the trailers brake system so you can back up. I have a 7-round to a 5-flat adapter to the trailers plug. And a transmission cooler might be a good Idea if traveling any long distances.

[Sawbones]

Oh yeah, forgot about the back up disengage, my trucks all have 7 pin connectors. If you have a 4 pin connector, it's easy enough to patch in an additional connection to the wire leading to your reverse light in the tail light assembly. In a pinch, a piece of 2X4 can be placed under the tongue to prevent the brake from activating.

[Will_Fish_4_Food]

Sounds like I have a few more questions before I make a 12 hour drive....Thank you all for the great input.

If this boat deal doesn't work out, I'm sure I will have questions in the future. This forum is always fantastic for help.

[dstockwell]

Trailer brakes are gonna be a pain. Unless you use a boat lift to launch the boat, saltwater is just gonna cause more problems than the brakes are worth, get a bigger truck. Now you can say that your gonna rinse them, etc, etc. Are you gonna carry one of those pump spray things around with you to rinse the brakes after you launch, if not no biggie salt been sitting there all day by the time you get home. Just ask Tide~Dancer, are resident trailer man.

[ALMAR]

YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY TROUBLE PULLING THE BOAT, BE SURE YOU HAVE BRAKES ON THE TRAILER. I PULLED A 32' STAMAS UP FROM TAMPA TO CBELLE WITH A DODGE DAKOTA, THIS BOAT AND TRAILER WEIGHED IN AT 7,800#, JUST USE A LITTLE COMM0N SENSE WHEN STARTING OUT, DON'T FLOORBOARD THE GAS AND IT WILL DO THE JOB. BE SURE YOU HAVE BRAKES ON THE TRAILER, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A CONTROL IN YOUR TRUCK YOU CAN BUY THEM AT ANY AUTO-PARTS STORE FOR ABOUT $60 AND JUST FOLLOW INSTRUCTION TO INSTALL. I ALWAYS BACK MY TRAILER DOWN INTO FRESH WATER ABOVE WHERE I HAD IT IN SALT WATER, LET IT SIT WHILE RUNNING THE GAS OUT OF THE CARB. ON THE KICKER, THIS GETS ALL OF THE SALT OF THE BRAKE AND MAIN BODY OF THE TRAILER. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY TROUBLE FROM THE BRAKES OR TRAILER FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS BY DOING THIS. A FRIEND OF MINE HAD THE SAME TRAILER AS MINE AND HE WOULD WASH IT DOWN WITH A HOSE , THE BRAKES LOCKED UP IN 6 MONTHS TIME AND THE TRAILER BROKE INTO IN ABOUT 12 MONTHS., THIS IS A GALVANIZED TRAILER.
PA

[rocket]

C'mon Chalk, I aint driving no stinking Ford!!! I do pull mine w/ a CHEVY 2500 though .
My trailer has surge brakes, however there is a pin you can put in it so you can override them. This allows you to back up w/ no problem. Either leave the pin in, which I don't suggest, or just put it in when your at the ramp fixing to back in.
I would highly recomend the boat though. I have really enjoyed mine .

[Will_Fish_4_Food]

Thanks Rocket.

I wimped out at the last minute and didn't go get the boat. It was 15 hrs away, and I found a 2000 for the same price with 1/2 the hours, the one I was looking at was a 2001. Of course, this showed me that what I thought was an incredible deal, may not be as rare as I thought.

So the boat hunt continues.....If this guy would just call me back about the 2000!

[rocket]

Mine is a 2001, drove to Hilton Head to get it. It was worth the drive. Got what I thought was a farily good deal.
Good luck.

[Will_Fish_4_Food]

How long ago did you buy? Sent you a PM ->