www.iFourWinns.com

I towed my 260 with my Expedition with the 5.4 liter. I think that's pretty much the tow capacity of an F150. I think my rig loaded up weighed about 7000lbs. Maybe a little more. Towing capacity of 8200lbs I think. It did pretty good I think.

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Former owner of:
1996 Four Winns Horizon 200 5.8L VP
2006 Four Winns Horizon 260 8.1L VP
2007 Sea Ray 290 Sundancer

Current boat
2004 Sea Ray 290 Sun Sport Twin 350 Mags

I tow a 248 Vista with a Chevy Tahoe. Rated for 7400 and towing close to 9,000 wet with gear. I just go slow, don't go over 60 MPH, take it out of overdrive and tow in 3rd gear. Use the tow haul button, and I had the biggest transmission cooler I could find put on. I use a 4 inch raised hitch made of solid aluminium

Here is our set up:



Tows just great. Stops fine, doesn't sway. Even in the wind.

Only negative is that it goes 0-60 in 18 minutes.

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"Where Da Go"
2002 248 Vista
Lafayette, IN
http://blueoceanlife.worldventures.biz

Glad to hear - we have an 07 Tahoe that's rated for 7200 (I think), and our SL with trailer, gas, and gear probably comes real close to that. I haven't trailered much yet, but I'd like to this summer to check out some other lakes. Quick question - how much and how difficult to add a tranny cooler? Also, did you add a brake controller? I have just the regular surge brakes on my trailer now - is it a big deal to add a brake controller to the Tahoe?
I also went with the aluminum 4 1/2" drop hitch - we have the 20" wheels, so we had to drop a bit more to keep it level.

No need for additional breaks. The trailers surge breaks work just fine. There is a special tool that is needed to remove the existing cooler (assuming your tranny has one) and add the new one. I had a mechanic friend of mine do it. It took him 5 minutes. I actually took my drop and flipped it upside down to raise it. I actually have to have a block under my trailer crank to get it off the car.

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"Where Da Go"
2002 248 Vista
Lafayette, IN
http://blueoceanlife.worldventures.biz

You guys must live in the 'flat lands'.

You couldn't do that with the mountains out here. Woggy - your boat behind my 2007 Yukon would die on the hills out here.

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Yea, I won't take it where there are hills. Only fairly flat lands. Even small hills kill me. i have to get a running start. I never tow more than a hundred miles or so.

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"Where Da Go"
2002 248 Vista
Lafayette, IN
http://blueoceanlife.worldventures.biz

chubert, 1st, welcome to the board!

I had a 245 sundowner w/7.4L, a tad heavier than the 230H. I towed with a 3/4 ton at 1st, then we wanted a new ride to tow with, I got talked into a 1/2 ton SUV, even though it was loaded with everything for towing and extras added after, I HATED IT!!!!
1/2 tons make great grocery getters, but thats about it, IMHO.

Of course I am towing at high elevations and mountain passes, where those that claim they like towing with 1/2 tons are at or below sea level. Which will help the motor perform a tad better.

We still have a 1/2 ton tow vehicle in the garage (our 5th tahoe), but it is only to haul the family around. On rare occasion, I do pull the jeep to Moab with it, but it struggles vs. a real tow vehicle. We always order or buy tahoe loaded for towing just in case I need to haul the lawn mower to the shop!! The latest tahoe is an '07, 5.3L 4.10 rear end, with a tow rating of 8500lbs, but I don't like more than 5k behind it. I tried towing the 248 once, NO WAY, trany was heating up very quickly, turned around and got the F350 out.

chubert, you did state that you will not be pulling very far, I am sure you can get away with the little 1/2 ton, you will see after a season, if you will want more truck or not.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

The tahoe is far from perfect for a tow vehiclr, but it does the job. Sure a 3/4 ton would be better equiped to handle the load, but the wife won't drive a truck so we are stick with the Tahoe.

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"Where Da Go"
2002 248 Vista
Lafayette, IN
http://blueoceanlife.worldventures.biz

I would like to throw my 2 cents in here. I would not call myself an expert but I have been towing boats and other things for 15+ years with various vehicles and I never leave my boat in the water overnight. The first thing I would like to clear up with this discussion is that we should not be lumping in SUV's with 1/2 ton pickup trucks. Sure, many of the big SUV's are built on the same frame as 1/2 ton pickups, and many have the same brakes etc. However, the SUV's can actually weigh a bit more because they are totally enclosed with seats etc and do not have a big empty space (namely the bed of a pickup). This affects the Gross COMBINED weight rating of the vehicles. The other VERY important factor is wheelbase. Many SUV's just don't have the wheelbase of a pickup and will be more prone to "tail wagging the dog" effect...which is very scary when cruising down the highway at 65 mph.

With all that said, lets compare 1/2 ton pickup trucks to their big brother 3/4 ton and 1 tons. If we take diesel engines out of the equation (they are usually only available in 3/4 and 1 ton trucks) we can safely say that the big engines and trannys are avaiable in the same configurations in 1/2 ton and bigger trucks. So engine size is fine if you have the biggest v-8 (which for Ford is the 5.4L. Also, wheelbases are the same so you are good on that important issue. The big difference in 1/2 ton versus big brothers is axle size, brake size, and suspension...ALL of which will help the vehicle handle the load better (but again, engines could be the same).

Finally, to answer the original question of this thread, here is my conclusion. For power and wheelbase you are in good shape. I am not an engineer so I would follow the specs of the hitch as far as using a WD setup or not. I think the biggest advantage of using a WD setup if you have too much tongue weight is that your front end/steering won't feel compromised. A WD hitch will level the vehicle and make everything ride better. Nothing scares me more than to see people towing a trailer that actually points downward because it sags the tow vehicle so much and the front wheels of the tow vehicle look like they are coming off the ground. This situation usually doesn't occur much with four winns boats because the trailers are set up properly and tongue weight falls in acceptable ranges.

Sorry for my rant but hopefully it will help.

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2009 SL262, Merc 8.1L HO 425 HP With
Bravo III "X" Drive and DTS Smart Tow

Leftlane
I don't know if the SL weights changed much between 2008 and 2009...but my 2009 sl262 with 8.1L Merc and trailer weighs in at 7,558 lbs DRY...so add fuel etc and you'll be pushing 4 tons easy!

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2009 SL262, Merc 8.1L HO 425 HP With
Bravo III "X" Drive and DTS Smart Tow

slman, Question, if a SUV is built on the same frame as comparable 1/2 truck, how can the wheel base be shorter? I get the same 112" wheel base no matter what body is place on top of it.

BTW I am no towing expert either, I have towed a trailer and some times two for 25+ years. I only share my 1/2 ton experience with others to help them make the right towing decisions that will work for them.




woggy718, I did not mean for you to take any offense to my previous post, my opinion, your tahoe with LT tires can 'handle' the 248 fine, you know your limits. The tahoe is my favorite family car. My post was to answer the original post asking about 1/2 truck and towing a heavy boat.





Leftlane, trany coolers are very easy to install, you should be able to add one yourself if your not afraid to turn a wrench. There are many to choose from ranging in price $50-100. Follow links
http://www.alamomotorsports.com/pmc/Cat_page05.html
http://www.haydenauto.com/products/transmission-and-engine-oil-coolers.htm
I have a hayden cooler on my tow vehicle, works great.

Adding a brake controller is only if your going to get rid of the surge brakes and convert to electric. I would think that you do not want to spend the money doing this, FW has a good brake system on there trailers that work for most cases.
But if you ever do get a trailer with electric brakes, adding a controller to the tahoe is very easy, buy one, and it just plugs in under the dash, there is a spot to plug in brake controllers.

I apologize as I need to clarify. Some SUV's use a cut down version of the same frame as a 1/2 ton truck. However, if you get a regular cab 1/2 ton chevy, your wheelbase might be at or even slightly less than the Tahoe. If you look at Ford, the Expedition (not Expedeition EL) has a wheelbase shorter than every pickup in fords lineup 1/2 ton or higher. Now, add an exdended cab or a crew cab on any make truck and you have a wheelbase longer than the suvs unless you go to a suburban or expedition EL...but even still, I think a crew cab pickup has them beat in wheelbase and GCWR and Chubert has a crew Cab.

Sorry for my error but I was thinking extended and crew cabs right along because that is the majority of what is sold.

Hope my small take helps.

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2009 SL262, Merc 8.1L HO 425 HP With
Bravo III "X" Drive and DTS Smart Tow

Holy crap! My boat is listed at 5500 lbs as equipped, plus the dealer said to figure roughly 1300 for the trailer. Gas is 6.6 lbs per gallon, so add another roughly 500 lbs. Gear is minimal, but let's say 200 lbs - now I'm at 7500. Yeah, I'm definitely at the limit. What towing we will do will be very short trips and very infrequent. Man, do I want to get an F250 or a Tundra - hard to justify as an everyday driver for me, though. I DO NOT want to end up on one of these forums as an example of what happens when you tow with the wrong vehicle.

Sl262 Trailer is listed at 1,968 lbs on the Four Winns website (that's a lot more than 1,300 lbs). I have an f-250 crew diesel but I bought it at a time when I really needed a diesel (but it pulls like he**). These days, I do not need a diesel so I am thinking of downsizing. A ford f-150 with the 5.4L would tow our boats just fine...especially the 2009 f-150!

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2009 SL262, Merc 8.1L HO 425 HP With
Bravo III "X" Drive and DTS Smart Tow

I had some serious concerns about towing with the short wheelbase myself, however I find that this boat actually trails better than our 225 sundowner did. I can't explain it but I have had no swaying what so ever towing this boat with a Tahoe. I almost wonder that since the boats profile is so much higher than the vehicle, it works like a stabilizer fin would work on an airplane? That dang boat just goes right behind the truck.

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"Where Da Go"
2002 248 Vista
Lafayette, IN
http://blueoceanlife.worldventures.biz