Chris Sunkin

An F350/3500 just isn't enough truck for your boat. Will it get it rolling? Sure. Will it bail your a$$ out if you have an issue with your own inadvertent inattention or another driver's error? Probably not. I know first hand as I rolled a 38TG over an embankment with the truck you're considering. The trailer got hit by another driver & the truck had not nearly enough heft to control it.

There's also the issue of your own liability if something does happen and you're towing at over the rated limit for the truck. Even if someone else causes the accident, you can be held to share in the burden of liability. Insurance companies are saying "no" alot more often these days, opting to fight with their insured. Then there's the issue of how high a value you place on the safety and well-being of yourself, your friends and your family.

As far as a truck goes, a 450/550 might do the job but they just felt "slightly bigger" than the dually to me. I didn't care at all for the 4500- it didn't seem to do the job any better than the 450/550 but the ride and size weren't worth the tradeoff for me. I now have a nice Freightliner that I tow with. It has a 16" flat bed with sides that can slip in. I mounted a 5K crane I picked up on Ebay on it. It will reach 20' high- I can pull motors or anything else with it (this weekend, I pulled some small trees out of my backyard with it- it has tons of uses). I've had some near-miss, quick-avoidance things in it including getting sideswiped on the interstate about a month ago. Some drunken retard pulling a ratty car trailer changed lanes hard into my right side while I was moving a boat for a buddy. The guy hit me hard enough to tear the $hit out of the side of his truck and tear the fender off his trailer. The truck didn't move. It mashed the hubcap. The right truck is worth every penny.

FROGMAN524

Chris, have you ever driven one of International's haulers as compared to your Sportchassis M2 I assume it is?

Chris Sunkin

The truck I'm using is a '99 FL70. It's solid and reliable but doesn't ride quite like the newer one's. The 90's FL's aren't as solid as the Int'l's but they pull better with the higher horsepower Cats. I'm going to change the suspension from springs to air this winter.

I have M2's and Int'l's in my work truck fleet. They're basically the same- a blind man couldn't tell the difference in ride or construction quality and they cost to the nickle exactly the same to operate. The Internationals stay closer to home and the FL's do the road work- mostly because they have Cats and Cat service is easier to find on the road.

For a part-time tow vehicle for a boat, if you can find something well-maintained with around 100K on it, it doesn't really matter what it is. Price is what mattered to me. You won't be spending 60 hrs a week, 50 weeks a year in it. I'm not going to spend $100K on a tow vehicle that gets used 6 or 7 times a year and I'm never going past 500 miles anyway.

Magic34

I agree, especially for me the 3500 isn't ideal, but it feels a heck of a lot better than my 4500 did. For a 38' go-fast boat, a 3500/F350 or F450 will be sufficient 99% of the time. That 1%, it seems you were the lucky number on that one. Sorry you had to go through that.

I have been looking at new Sportchassis trucks and I am really liking them. With the air ride cab, it is smoother than a Ford.

27daytona

I tow my 35' Jag cat with a 04 5500 kodiak with a monroe conversion. The boat and trailer weighs 17000 lbs. and the truck weighs in at 10500. I have just completed my boating vacation and pulled the boat 4400 miles. The truck does ride harsher than my former tow vehicle which was a 1 ton dodge dually but the kodiak does not leave me white knucked when I try to stop or start down a mountain pass going back and forth from Lake Tahoe in the Sierras. I have pulled the rig with a 96 topkick with a cat engine which I still have and need to sell and after that a 2001 fl60. The medium duty trucks do give you the feeling of safety due to the size and the fact that the brakes are engineered to stop a heavy truck and the additional bed payload. The trade off is ride quality and the fact that they are an industrial work platform vehicle regardless of what conversion is used. The big trucks open up another can of worms when you pass a weight scale or traveling between states. A CDL is needed to legally tow the big boats or toy haulers. I will give up and have a little ride quality and comfort for the safety of the big trucks. Doug

irepo

The new GMC Sierra 3500HD has a tow rating just shy of 16K lbs. That is more than enough truck for a 42' boat. A 42' Fountain Executioner has a dry weight of 10,300 lbs. I use a combination of different trucks daily for towing everything from boats to cars of all different sizes. The only reason you would need a bigger truck is because they do look really cool. Otherwise, the 3500 gets the job done for this boat with room to spare. You can't beat the comfort either of a fully loaded SLT. Talk about quiet even with the Duramax!!

Chris Sunkin

That comment alone tells me you've never towed a loaded-up 38+ foot offshore boat behind a 3/4 ton SRW pickup.

IF... you had the perfect conditions, perfect roadway, no other drivers and suffered no mental lapses, it's still no walk in the park towing a 12K/lb rig with that little truck. Add in a breezy day, narrow lanes, shoulder dropoffs, inattentive motorists, rain, potholes, narrowed lanes, construction and the occasional lapse in attention that everyone suffers and your odds get quite a bit slimmer.

GLH

The biggest dually you can afford.

GM if your a GM guy
Ford if your a Ford guy
Dodge if your Russian!

irepo

I never recommended towing with a 3/4 SRW. 3500 with a duramax is usually a dual rear wheel all though they can be found SRW. I have an F350 with a Powerstroke and have used it with a car hauler, 15k lbs unloaded add 4 cars on average about 4klbs a piece and you have a grand total over 30klbs. If you pay attention to most commercial transporters that are hauling about 3 cars you will see that they use this type of truck and they handle this weight without trouble. So for the people that are not comfortable with themselves behind the wheel with such a large load I guess a bigger truck would help but it is definetly not necessary. I personally would be comfortable towing a 38' with a 3/4 ton duramax but could see how that would not be easy for someone else.

Chris Sunkin

I used the SRW as that's the only one that comes close to your quoted 13K weight. The dually 4wd which is most common with powerboaters is only rated around 11K

The 3-up car haulers are 5th wheel trailers- a dramatic difference than pulling with a ball. In the 38 to 41 foot range, 5th wheel boat trailers are rarities.

A professional (experienced) driver is definitely at an advantage over a weekend warrior. Even so, regardless of driver, the larger truck provides an incredible margin of safety. I've had several small towing mishaps and one BIG one with DRW pickups. As I posted last month, I got sideswiped on the interstate pulling a big boat for a friend. If I'd have been in a pickup, who knows what would have happened. In the Freightliner, the a$$hole just bounced off.

I place a high value on my personal safety and on getting there & back with minimal hassles. I also enjoy not being completely exhausted from the drive. The big truck is worth every penny to me.