www.iFourWinns.com

I'm looking at getting a '07 Horizon 220 soon and am wondering if my 2002 F150 truck will have any problems towing this boat. Growing up I would tow my dads 18' boat with his truck without any problems, but I know this 22 footer is long and heavy. Is anyone else towing this boat or a larger one with an F150 truck?

Yep. Boat & truck are described below. My truck has the 4.6L. The boat & trailer with full fuel, full water, anchors, toys, etc. is exactly 6,500#. I can't tow in overdrive and would advise you not to do so either. However, my truck does much better than I expected pulling this load. It struggles if I get into really serious hills/small mountains (i.e., Ozarks) but short of that, it does well. I have the tow package with 3.55 LS rear end, and this load tows at 65mph at 3,000rpm. Prior to this boat I'd never towed anything with this truck, and was accustomed to the engine never running over about 2,300rpm in OD, so it was very nerve racking to hear the engine "scream" at 3,000rpm. However, in towing it for two years now, and talking to a lot of Ford people, I've come to realize that the 4.6L and 5.4L engines will run all day long at 3,000rpm's (and even a little more) and be quite happy to do it. My engine temps don't even go up any while doing that in August.

My next truck will have the 5.4L or equivalent at a minimum, and I haven't ruled out a 3/4 ton Powerstroke or equivalent. In other words, I'd very much like to have more power, especially low end grunt, but this truck is way more than adequate under most conditions. The rule of thumb is to adhere to the "2/3 rule" - where the truck will suffer the least from towing if you keep the towed load at 2/3 or less of its rated capacity. As it is, I'm 1,000# under capacity - a little closer to the limit than I'd like.

Your load will be a few hundred pounds lighter than mine and you most likely have the 5.4L engine. Do you have the tow package, and do you know what your rear end ratio is?

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Mike's right, my friend uses his F-150 to tow a '94 Rinker FV 265. He's at his limit but it has handled the boat well for the last two years.

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

Thanks for the info guys. I just replaced my tires and they told me I needed new shocks. I may go ahead and upgrade to heavy duty shocks...I figure it couldn't hurt.

Are you guys using your bumper or installed hitch to pull your boat with your trucks?

No Bumper...too limited. A proper hitch is the only way to go!

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

I have a 220 Sundowner and I tow it with a 1/2 Ton Chassis (Chevy Tahoe) Absolutely zero problems. I wouldn't use the bumper hitch. Get a good sturdy hitch installed.

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

I WAS towing my 255 Sundowner with my 4-Runner. I was right at the towing limit of 7,000 lbs. While pulling uphill I had no problems at all. Going down hill was quite the experience in terror. I upgraded to air springs inside the coil springs and put stiff off road tires on the vehicle. This helped, but I still could not stabilize the vehicle while going down hill at 55 mph. The lesson here is not to depend on the manufactors tow rating. If you have a heavy load near the tow limit consider some extra margin of safety. Also, a long wheel base and vehicle weight of the tow vehicle are important. Lucky for me I bought the boat before I experienced this problem. I would much rather buy a bigger tow vehicle than give up my 255. (Do not tell my wife about this because she loves the 4-Runner.) I am upsizing my tow vehicle to a Chevy 2500HD with a 10,000 lbs tow rating. The test drive with the boat was a world of difference.

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2006 Sundowner 255, 5.7 GXi, 320 hp
"Simply Irresistible"

Obie, you probably already know this, but Chevy has introduced a new Silverado model (1/2Ton) that they claim with the "MaxTowPkg" or something like that has a towing capacity of 10,500lbs! It was a real nice truck. I saw an infomercial on it this past weekend. King Cab with pwr windows in the cab door, which opens opposite the driver door and swings 170 degrees. Extra wide bed that allows for a full 4' width in between the wheel wells, a Vortec 6 ltre engine and a few other nice features like a power sliding rear window and lots or storage. Standard with On Star. Since you already mentoned a Chevy 3/4 ton, I thought you may be interested in this newly designed 1/2 ton since it is rated to tow over 10,000lbs. FWIW!

Good Luck with whatever you decide on.

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

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2006, 220 Horizon
Kent, WA.
"Semper Fidelis"

I have a friend with a 2000 230 Horizon. He bought it last year and planned to tow it for a few years with the same Durango you have. Over the winter he traded it on a new 3/4 ton Ram. His boat's a little heavier than yours, but the Durango just wasn't up to the task in his case. It wasn't just the power, although that was a big part of it. It was also the shorter wheelbase, lighter transmission, etc.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Thanks...yeah, as it sits, our Durango does nicely during short trips....but does struggle a bit when we start loading the boat and Durango for longer hauls......We love the Durango's multipurpose use for our life style, but now that we have our new toy....we are thinking about "upsizing" our tow vehicle to something bigger, just not sure what yet.....

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2006, 220 Horizon
Kent, WA.
"Semper Fidelis"

My buddy pulls his 220 with his GMC sierra 1500? I think it struggles a bit but we only have to go a few miles. Hopefully he will see the light and get a real truck (diesel) sooner than later.

I was considering moving to a diesel in about a year, but I've come back to the conclusion it isn't necessary. Pay a premium for the engine, then much more expensive maintenance, fuel $.40-50 per gallon more, and often the towing mileage isn't all that much better than some gassers. When you can get a gas truck now with well over 300hp, lower torque curves than what they had just a few years ago, rated to tow nearly 10K pounds, and no need to spend $75 every time the oil needs changed, why go diesel for a boat that weighs under 6K pounds? Now, if you're talking about a 12K pound boat or travel trailer that's a different story.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Ah! Very common misconceptions. Well maybe not if you have a powerjoke or duramax. They guzzle fuel. I'm getting 21mpg fuel economy on my beast of a truck. If you drove both trucks on the highway for 200K (yes, the diesel will last that long but the american gasser likely won't) you are looking at like $17,000 in fuel savings alone. It costs me about $40 bucks an oil change - do it yourself. Actually cost me more with my tundra because I was using mobile one. Hook a trailer to each and fuel economy difference becomes even greater. Theres a reason why trains, earth moving equipment, 18 wheelers etc are powered by diesel...