Towing near capacity - medium sized boat

[GXPWeasel]

Information on Boat... Dry weight, 4,600lbs.
McClain all aluminum trailer, there is no listed weight, but it's light. I've even seen it float a little a few times when loading the boat. I'm guessing 1,000 - 1,100 lbs.
That gives me a total trailer weight of around 6,000 lbs. Tongue weight, under 500lbs.

Trucks listed curb weight is 4,121 lbs. Probably a little more than that now, with the bigger wheels / tires. Minus the rocker panel and cab corner weight reduction, Let's call it 4,250.

Payload sticker shows 929 lbs.

Owners manual page... shows most likely my max towing capacity is 6,000 lbs.

By my research, I'm just at or under my limit. No, I haven't gone to the scales with this setup.

 

[GXPWeasel]

Just to make everyone a little more comfortable (or maybe not) my standard towing rig for the boat if I have the whole family with me, and we're not camping, but going to the lake for the day (near or far) with the boat fully loaded.

 

[GXPWeasel]

Wow! The hate for the 305 and 4L60E is strong here!

I've got a 1996 C1500 extended cab, and while it has been quite a few years since I towed with it, back in the 2000-2010 time frame, I towed a boat all over north Alabama without issue, as far as 100 miles from the house anyway. That truck today has 203K miles on the 5.0L V8 and the 4L60E and rear end - all still original.

The biggest problem for me was the fact that I don't have the limited slip differential, and if I ever backed down a boat ramp to where I got the rear tires wet, I would have traction issues pulling the boat back out of the water on a steep ramp. I learned from another boater to pull out at a slight angle to the boat ramp, rather than straight forward, and it made a HUGE difference. Most of the boat ramps on the Tennessee river are pretty wide, so that worked.

These days if I wanted to tow a boat I would turn to my 2006 Silverado 1500 WT, but at the moment the hitch is off after installing an old Tommy Gate 1500 lb lift gate someone gave me (from a 1994 Cheyenne that was a Bluebell Creamery delivery truck).

I am happy to read how well your old truck did the job of pulling the boat.

I do have the limited slip, and new (less than 1,000) mile tires. I was very hesitant to pull the boat out of the water with this truck, but figured if I ever did, this would be the time. Lake was up, ramp is pretty tame as in it's not very steep, and I had my other truck (and my friends 2 vehicles) to help if I needed it. The truck did absolutely fine. It's important not to just mash the gas to get going, especially with wet tires/ramp. It just takes common sense.

 

[Dc8fixer]

Just to make everyone a little more comfortable (or maybe not) my standard towing rig for the boat if I have the whole family with me, and we're not camping, but going to the lake for the day (near or far) with the boat fully loaded.

I’m perfectly comfortable with what you’re doing. Nice looking backup tow rig to your gmt400.

 

[thinger2]

Just when I thought your entire rig couldn't possibly any worse you have surprised me.
Your foolish ego is chewing you up enough that you have to prove that you are right and you would rather kill your family or some innocent on coming traffic than take advice and maybe think about if you are wrong.
I sure as **** understand that.
You are wrong and foolish and you are endangering your family and inocent people..
They part you aren't thinking about is if that boat or trailer causes an accident if it comes loose?
Your insurance company will not cover it and will drop you like a stone.
If you negagently kill someone through your own choices even though you have been warned online and did it anyway?
That might cross the line between manslaughter and vehicular homicide.
And the state will charge you.
Any state DA will sure as **** charge you.
That's about a three to four year process where you are accumulating debt to a lawyer just to keep your dumb ass out of jail.
If you beat that you still owe the lawyer for the criminal case but now you will be sued in civil court.
You might get away with stupid **** for the rest of your life.
You roll that dice on your own.
Just know that if you **** that up you are are entirely ****** for the next at least ten to twelve years.
It is not about pulling the boat!
It is about stopping the boat!
Don't be a stubborn man who is risking his entire life just because he doesn't want to take some advice.
I think you are really pushing the limits of that truck and the transmission isn't the only issue.
If anything on the drive train of that truck snaps, driveshaft axle output shaft whatever.
The truck stops moving but the boat doesn't stop.
The boat comes loose from the trailer and runs over the truck.
It happens a couple of times every year up here and it is always fatal.
It isn't about pulling the boat.
It's about stopping the boat.

 

[GXPWeasel]

Just when I thought your entire rig couldn't possibly any worse you have surprised me.
Your foolish ego is chewing you up enough that you have to prove that you are right and you would rather kill your family or some innocent on coming traffic than take advice and maybe think about if you are wrong.
I sure as **** understand that.
You are wrong and foolish and you are endangering your family and inocent people..
They part you aren't thinking about is if that boat or trailer causes an accident if it comes loose?
Your insurance company will not cover it and will drop you like a stone.
If you negagently kill someone through your own choices even though you have been warned online and did it anyway?
That might cross the line between manslaughter and vehicular homicide.
And the state will charge you.
Any state DA will sure as **** charge you.
That's about a three to four year process where you are accumulating debt to a lawyer just to keep your dumb ass out of jail.
If you beat that you still owe the lawyer for the criminal case but now you will be sued in civil court.
You might get away with stupid **** for the rest of your life.
You roll that dice on your own.
Just know that if you **** that up you are are entirely ****** for the next at least ten to twelve years.
It is not about pulling the boat!
It is about stopping the boat!
Don't be a stubborn man who is risking his entire life just because he doesn't want to take some advice.
I think you are really pushing the limits of that truck and the transmission isn't the only issue.
If anything on the drive train of that truck snaps, driveshaft axle output shaft whatever.
The truck stops moving but the boat doesn't stop.
The boat comes loose from the trailer and runs over the truck.
It happens a couple of times every year up here and it is always fatal.
It isn't about pulling the boat.
It's about stopping the boat.

So towing within the stated limits of the truck is now unsafe, and illegal?
How is the boat coming off the trailer, when it's attached at 4 points? You literally can't secure it any better, and I'm far above what is "legal" and considered safe. Transom straps, and a safety chain to backup the winch is above what is required. Yet I put them on, no matter what. The only legal requirement is to be secured by the bow eye. Also, I just told everyone, multiple times, that the entire rig has adequate brakes, including the trailer.
I'm not sure what it would take for YOU to feel safe pulling my boat, but I'm imagining nothing less than a 1-ton dually would be considered "inadequate" in your book. That's fine for you. I've already stated that I want my experience (which includes my family, thank you) to be as safe as possible for everyone on the road around me, behind me, and in front of me.
I'm not sure how I'm wrong here, and I appreciate you stooping to the point of just shy of name calling. It shows me your true character for sure. Maybe I'm just some dumb redneck from KS, and in Tacoma, you're required to have double the truck required to "safely" tow (and stop) any trailer. That's fine. I'll take my toys and play in my yard, and be sure not to give my opinion, and facts about my situation, to myself going forward.
I started this thread to show my experience, and that the 4L60 wasn't as bad as many state for towing. Then when I was told I was wrong for using my truck to tow my toys, within the limits, which I was accused of falsely portraying, I wanted to show that actually, I was within the limits. I wanted to show the "facts" of this exact setup, which is why I posted the attachments. If you didn't want to look, and accept the fact that what I stated was true, given the information I had, then that's on you.
Thanks for killing the thread.