I am looking for a type of vehicle that will reliably trailor my 26 O'day. I have looked at the Jeep Cherokee Sport, 6 cylinder. Some people have mentioned various large trucks, but am not interested in driving a truck for daily use when not hauling the boat. The vehicle needs to take the place of our second car. Do you have advice or experience to share? Thanks.
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lnranch
Trucks
I did research for a vehicle to pull my O'Day 28 and the best choice for me was the Ford Crew Cab with the 540 engine and towing package. It will tow 8,000 lbs. I am pushing it a little in hauling my boat. The best thing I have found is the gas mileage (not towing) is around 18 mpg. Good Luck
I did research for a vehicle to pull my O'Day 28 and the best choice for me was the Ford Crew Cab with the 540 engine and towing package. It will tow 8,000 lbs. I am pushing it a little in hauling my boat. The best thing I have found is the gas mileage (not towing) is around 18 mpg. Good Luck
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Paul Palmer
Towing vehicle
You didn't mention how much or over what kind of terrain you will be towing. That will make a big difference in the vehicle you will need. In my opion the Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl. is far to light and underpowered to tow a 26 ft boat. You could end up in some dangerous situations and place yourself and your boat at risk unnecessarily. I have a F250 crew cab diesel to tow my OD25. I know this is somewhat overkill but I live in the mountains and if I decide to take off for the Sea of Cortez I have a vehicle that will take me anywhere I want to go and have good mileage to boot. If you don't want a truck look at some of the larger suvs like the Ford Expedition or Chevy Suburban. What ever you decide on make sure it has a towing package and check its towing capacity compared to you boat's weight including the trailer. Good luck. Paul Palmer OD 25, Sea Legs PS: I would rather drive my truck than any of my cars!
You didn't mention how much or over what kind of terrain you will be towing. That will make a big difference in the vehicle you will need. In my opion the Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl. is far to light and underpowered to tow a 26 ft boat. You could end up in some dangerous situations and place yourself and your boat at risk unnecessarily. I have a F250 crew cab diesel to tow my OD25. I know this is somewhat overkill but I live in the mountains and if I decide to take off for the Sea of Cortez I have a vehicle that will take me anywhere I want to go and have good mileage to boot. If you don't want a truck look at some of the larger suvs like the Ford Expedition or Chevy Suburban. What ever you decide on make sure it has a towing package and check its towing capacity compared to you boat's weight including the trailer. Good luck. Paul Palmer OD 25, Sea Legs PS: I would rather drive my truck than any of my cars!
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Justin - O'day Owners' Web
Probably too small
How far do you have to tow? Are you looking for just launch and retrieve once a year, or to actually trailer to destinations? There are a lot of people around here with tow vehicles designed for the first purpose, and purchase for less than you might think. A neighbor has an eight cyl Landrover series II with a really low low range that lets him tow the boat up the ridge we live on without a problem. The rig won't go fast, however, and its got no sides. He only uses the thing a couple of time a year. Assess your needs; there may be an older truck out there that will suit you without having to replace a car. Justin - O'day Owners' Web
How far do you have to tow? Are you looking for just launch and retrieve once a year, or to actually trailer to destinations? There are a lot of people around here with tow vehicles designed for the first purpose, and purchase for less than you might think. A neighbor has an eight cyl Landrover series II with a really low low range that lets him tow the boat up the ridge we live on without a problem. The rig won't go fast, however, and its got no sides. He only uses the thing a couple of time a year. Assess your needs; there may be an older truck out there that will suit you without having to replace a car. Justin - O'day Owners' Web
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Russ Marcks
You will need a Truck
I did have someone tell me the Jeep six cylinder if properly outfitted with Mopar high performance parts would tow that, but I think it would be pretty hard on the vehicle. I feel for ya' though. I don't especially like trucks either since they're strictly work vehicles, regardless of the leather seats, and are essentially useless if you don't have any other need for them, not to mention expensive to run and license. But for my O'25, I didn't feel there was a choice. I bought a 1/2 ton Ram with a 360 and it pulls great, as does a Chevy 350. DO NOT USE A CHEVY 305 (or whatever that small engine is for them). I've pulled with that and it's terrible. The Ford with the Mustang engine isn't to bad, but I still would want something larger. I think the 350-360 C.I. range (depending on manufacturer of course) is what you will need. I've used all of these because I used to rent the truck before I bought one. Renting was to much of a hassle for me because of where I had to rent the truck and then tow the boat. It ended up being a 400 mile trip. But if you have a U-Haul dealer in the area that rents pickups, that'll work for launching and hauling. If you're a trailor sailor, I really would be nervous about pulling that boat with ANY six cylinder. You probably should bite the bullet rather than risking premature failure of the Jeep. P.S. I think the Dodge Dakota and Durango are available with the 360. I know the Dakota can pull that much with the right engine and axle combination, so the Durango should handle it also. Russ
I did have someone tell me the Jeep six cylinder if properly outfitted with Mopar high performance parts would tow that, but I think it would be pretty hard on the vehicle. I feel for ya' though. I don't especially like trucks either since they're strictly work vehicles, regardless of the leather seats, and are essentially useless if you don't have any other need for them, not to mention expensive to run and license. But for my O'25, I didn't feel there was a choice. I bought a 1/2 ton Ram with a 360 and it pulls great, as does a Chevy 350. DO NOT USE A CHEVY 305 (or whatever that small engine is for them). I've pulled with that and it's terrible. The Ford with the Mustang engine isn't to bad, but I still would want something larger. I think the 350-360 C.I. range (depending on manufacturer of course) is what you will need. I've used all of these because I used to rent the truck before I bought one. Renting was to much of a hassle for me because of where I had to rent the truck and then tow the boat. It ended up being a 400 mile trip. But if you have a U-Haul dealer in the area that rents pickups, that'll work for launching and hauling. If you're a trailor sailor, I really would be nervous about pulling that boat with ANY six cylinder. You probably should bite the bullet rather than risking premature failure of the Jeep. P.S. I think the Dodge Dakota and Durango are available with the 360. I know the Dakota can pull that much with the right engine and axle combination, so the Durango should handle it also. Russ
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JT
A 6 cyl. Jeep is too small to pull that much weight. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a V8 and it pulls my OD23 back and forth from the marina just fine. If you get a Grand Cherokee V8 make sure it is a 1999 model year or newer. The older V8's are not as good. Also, get the full-time 4WD vs. the shift version. JT
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Ben Allen
Towing An OD 26
I have a 1985 OD 26 and haul it about twice a year to the Gulf of Mexico and back to Montgomery, AL, about 200 miles each way. My vehicle is a 3/4 ton Chevy high top conversion van with a 350 engine and towing package. While it dosen't get the best of gas milage, we bought it for traveling with 2 kids, (watch a movie and separate radio). Not only is a Jeep not heavy enough and underpowered for a long tow, the longer the tow vehicle, the less fish-tailing you will have at highway speeds. The full size van is marginal on wheelbase, a long bed pickup would be better. For very short trips using very cautious speeds and brakeing distances, the jeep would probably get you by, but I would leave it at that. Just my 2 cents worth Ben Allen Montgomery, AL "Latte Dah" O'Day 26
I have a 1985 OD 26 and haul it about twice a year to the Gulf of Mexico and back to Montgomery, AL, about 200 miles each way. My vehicle is a 3/4 ton Chevy high top conversion van with a 350 engine and towing package. While it dosen't get the best of gas milage, we bought it for traveling with 2 kids, (watch a movie and separate radio). Not only is a Jeep not heavy enough and underpowered for a long tow, the longer the tow vehicle, the less fish-tailing you will have at highway speeds. The full size van is marginal on wheelbase, a long bed pickup would be better. For very short trips using very cautious speeds and brakeing distances, the jeep would probably get you by, but I would leave it at that. Just my 2 cents worth Ben Allen Montgomery, AL "Latte Dah" O'Day 26
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