1.) I am looking to buy a used Catalina 22 swing keel. When the specs show that it has a 550lb ballast, is that weight included in the 2250lb displacement figure? 2.) I want to pull the boat and trailer(Wgt another 700lbs)with my Chevrolet S10 pickup that has a 4.3 liter engine and automatic transmission. Is this a good match up? Thanks everyone for comments.
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It can be done
Bob: I've pulled my Cat 22 with my 3.0 Ford Ranger, but it has been on relatively flat ground. Hopefully, your truck is rated for the weight you plan to tow, and your trailer has breaks. Your Chevy engine has a lot more torque, which is good, and since you live in Florida, which is flat compared to California, you'll probably do OK. The primary tow vehicle for my Cat 22 is a Mercury Mountaineer V8 with gobs of torque, great for pulling on long trips and steep California grades. Best regards. Chuck
Bob: I've pulled my Cat 22 with my 3.0 Ford Ranger, but it has been on relatively flat ground. Hopefully, your truck is rated for the weight you plan to tow, and your trailer has breaks. Your Chevy engine has a lot more torque, which is good, and since you live in Florida, which is flat compared to California, you'll probably do OK. The primary tow vehicle for my Cat 22 is a Mercury Mountaineer V8 with gobs of torque, great for pulling on long trips and steep California grades. Best regards. Chuck
Should be More Than Up to the Task
Two things you will probably want to do though first a transmision cooler second beef up the rear suspension with air bags, stiffer springs, air shocks, or whatever you can find that works well on your particular truck. Oh yeah, get your brakes checked out just to make sure everything is in correct working order it might be me in front of you when you want to stop.
Two things you will probably want to do though first a transmision cooler second beef up the rear suspension with air bags, stiffer springs, air shocks, or whatever you can find that works well on your particular truck. Oh yeah, get your brakes checked out just to make sure everything is in correct working order it might be me in front of you when you want to stop.
C22 weight
The 2250 displacement figure includes the ballast. Your total load will be around 3000 lbs. Opinions about towing are really nice, but the 'official' towing capacity of your vehicle is what really matters. The S10 should do the job, but check the owner's manual for an exact figure. Regards, Ted
The 2250 displacement figure includes the ballast. Your total load will be around 3000 lbs. Opinions about towing are really nice, but the 'official' towing capacity of your vehicle is what really matters. The S10 should do the job, but check the owner's manual for an exact figure. Regards, Ted
Will Work
I tow my Catalina 22 to Florida with a Chevrolet 1/2 ton truck with a 4.3 L, V-6. It tows okay, but in hills or with a headwind, you will be working with a little power deficiency. The big trick keeping any automatic transmission from overheating, is to reduce power when climbing hills. The converter builds torque through a vortex flow; this generates lots of heat. Yes a heavy-duty cooler helps to dissipate the heat. Also, I change the transmission fluid everytime I change the engine oil. The beauty of a smaller engine is that you do not have as much power to "smoke" your transmission.
I tow my Catalina 22 to Florida with a Chevrolet 1/2 ton truck with a 4.3 L, V-6. It tows okay, but in hills or with a headwind, you will be working with a little power deficiency. The big trick keeping any automatic transmission from overheating, is to reduce power when climbing hills. The converter builds torque through a vortex flow; this generates lots of heat. Yes a heavy-duty cooler helps to dissipate the heat. Also, I change the transmission fluid everytime I change the engine oil. The beauty of a smaller engine is that you do not have as much power to "smoke" your transmission.
Towing a boat
Ted is right, read the manual. Just because the car will tow the load does not mean it's safe or won't damage your vehicle. I once pulled a 12,000lb boat with a 3,000 pound car. Lots of fun, especially on steep boat ramps - being young does not excuse stupidity.... Figuring this out can be confusing. See the Ford link that explains the terms you'll come across. A tow package and brakes on the trailer can increase the capacity of the tow vehicle. Also, consider the tongue weight which should be between 8-10 percent of the total trailer load. Once you get the whole package together run it across a commercial scale. Weigh the vehicle (with passengers), and trailer seperately and make sure you get the tongue weight. Once you get all this together you'll sleep better or go out and buy another truck.
Ted is right, read the manual. Just because the car will tow the load does not mean it's safe or won't damage your vehicle. I once pulled a 12,000lb boat with a 3,000 pound car. Lots of fun, especially on steep boat ramps - being young does not excuse stupidity.... Figuring this out can be confusing. See the Ford link that explains the terms you'll come across. A tow package and brakes on the trailer can increase the capacity of the tow vehicle. Also, consider the tongue weight which should be between 8-10 percent of the total trailer load. Once you get the whole package together run it across a commercial scale. Weigh the vehicle (with passengers), and trailer seperately and make sure you get the tongue weight. Once you get all this together you'll sleep better or go out and buy another truck.
How far / often are you towing
Hello, Your truck can certainly pull the boat. How far and and how often will you be towing? If you only plan on going short distances then it will be fine. If you plan on frequent longer distant trips, then a heavier vehicle with a longer wheelbase would be better. When towing, especially towing anything 3000 lb or heavier, the bigger the tow vehicle the easier the ride. I don't think towing with your S10 would be dangerous, but on the highway you will get blown around by trucks, and you will slow down going up hills. A bigger rig, like a full size pick up or SUV would not have the same problems. Finally, do you have 4WD? If not, be careful trying to pull the boat out of the water at low tide. One last point (really, I promise), you will most likely need either a long tonque extension, or use ropes to launch. Unless the ramp is real steep, to float the boat off the trailer requires the ramp to be deep. I bought an extension from extend a hitch .com and it worked great. Enjoy the boat, they are great. Barry
Hello, Your truck can certainly pull the boat. How far and and how often will you be towing? If you only plan on going short distances then it will be fine. If you plan on frequent longer distant trips, then a heavier vehicle with a longer wheelbase would be better. When towing, especially towing anything 3000 lb or heavier, the bigger the tow vehicle the easier the ride. I don't think towing with your S10 would be dangerous, but on the highway you will get blown around by trucks, and you will slow down going up hills. A bigger rig, like a full size pick up or SUV would not have the same problems. Finally, do you have 4WD? If not, be careful trying to pull the boat out of the water at low tide. One last point (really, I promise), you will most likely need either a long tonque extension, or use ropes to launch. Unless the ramp is real steep, to float the boat off the trailer requires the ramp to be deep. I bought an extension from extend a hitch .com and it worked great. Enjoy the boat, they are great. Barry
S-10 Blazer, 4.3 Vortex, automatic
I have a 1996 Blazer that is factory equiped with the tow package. I have a Hunter 170, not much to tow, but I have a couple of antique cars that I must tow from time to time with a heavy car trailer which brings me up to the factory maximun towing capacity of 5500 pounds. With a 110,000 miles on the blazer, I'm now having problems with the transmision and plan on getting it serviced before towing again. In 1996, Chev did not put the valve guides in some engines, at 28,000 mile my engine was replaced and then the transmission went out right after............ I have done a lot of towing in 35yrs, the best piece of advice I can give, You can never have to BIG of a vehicle to tow with and it must be equiped to handle the task. Glenn
I have a 1996 Blazer that is factory equiped with the tow package. I have a Hunter 170, not much to tow, but I have a couple of antique cars that I must tow from time to time with a heavy car trailer which brings me up to the factory maximun towing capacity of 5500 pounds. With a 110,000 miles on the blazer, I'm now having problems with the transmision and plan on getting it serviced before towing again. In 1996, Chev did not put the valve guides in some engines, at 28,000 mile my engine was replaced and then the transmission went out right after............ I have done a lot of towing in 35yrs, the best piece of advice I can give, You can never have to BIG of a vehicle to tow with and it must be equiped to handle the task. Glenn
brakes
Almost any engine will pull a load if given enough time and gears. The real limitting factor for safe towing is your brakes. Make sure they are in very good condition and remember Newtonion Law. Inertia is not your friend.
Almost any engine will pull a load if given enough time and gears. The real limitting factor for safe towing is your brakes. Make sure they are in very good condition and remember Newtonion Law. Inertia is not your friend.
Echoes
Great advice already. Your truck should pull it fine - one rule of thumb is don't ever try to tow something heavier than you (the towing vehicle). Also, make sure critical parts on the trailer are in excellent shape - the shackle bolts rarely get checked and yet can cause a catastrophe if one fails. Wheel bearings need to be checked, lubed, and properly sealed. If you blow a tire or fry a bearing, it's really a pain not to have a spare ready to go. Above all, leave space in front for a panic stop when you are in traffic - it will take you about twice as much distance and you had better plan for it, because sooner or later you will need the room.
Great advice already. Your truck should pull it fine - one rule of thumb is don't ever try to tow something heavier than you (the towing vehicle). Also, make sure critical parts on the trailer are in excellent shape - the shackle bolts rarely get checked and yet can cause a catastrophe if one fails. Wheel bearings need to be checked, lubed, and properly sealed. If you blow a tire or fry a bearing, it's really a pain not to have a spare ready to go. Above all, leave space in front for a panic stop when you are in traffic - it will take you about twice as much distance and you had better plan for it, because sooner or later you will need the room.
Check out this link
Here's good link on towing. It's written for the RV crowd, but the principles are the same. The main thing to remember is to leave yourself a comfortable margin between your vehicle's towing capacity and the weight of your rig. Don't forget to include the weight of the trailer and boat contents in your calculations and to allow for tongue weight in the equation. You'll learn that vehicle tow specs are generally calculated without passengers or "stuff". You'll also learn about the different kinds of hitches and you'll probably find that you should have what is known as a weight-distributing hitch.
Here's good link on towing. It's written for the RV crowd, but the principles are the same. The main thing to remember is to leave yourself a comfortable margin between your vehicle's towing capacity and the weight of your rig. Don't forget to include the weight of the trailer and boat contents in your calculations and to allow for tongue weight in the equation. You'll learn that vehicle tow specs are generally calculated without passengers or "stuff". You'll also learn about the different kinds of hitches and you'll probably find that you should have what is known as a weight-distributing hitch.
I tow with a 1993 Grand Marqis
This has a 4.6 liter V-8 (210 HP) & a factory towing package. The towing package includes: transmission cooler, power steering cooler, steel rather than aluminum drive shaft, heavy duty universsal joints, dual exhaust, air bag suspension & probably real important, a lower geared rear end. This works well for me but I just tow to the marina & back once a year, no large hills. The vehicle is rated to tow 5000# with an equalizing or weight distribution hitch & only 2000# with a type 1 hitch. The rear axles are overloaded without the weight distribution hitch but the air bag suspension levels the trailer. The only thing that concerns me is no brakes on the trailer! Does anyone have Info or pictures of a weight distribution hitch for the pole type boat trailer. BTW, that is great Info supplied by Bob Camarena. Regards, Bob B. C22
This has a 4.6 liter V-8 (210 HP) & a factory towing package. The towing package includes: transmission cooler, power steering cooler, steel rather than aluminum drive shaft, heavy duty universsal joints, dual exhaust, air bag suspension & probably real important, a lower geared rear end. This works well for me but I just tow to the marina & back once a year, no large hills. The vehicle is rated to tow 5000# with an equalizing or weight distribution hitch & only 2000# with a type 1 hitch. The rear axles are overloaded without the weight distribution hitch but the air bag suspension levels the trailer. The only thing that concerns me is no brakes on the trailer! Does anyone have Info or pictures of a weight distribution hitch for the pole type boat trailer. BTW, that is great Info supplied by Bob Camarena. Regards, Bob B. C22
S-10 automatic is an overdrive !
Bob, Chevy does not recomend towing in the over drive gear, thats indicated by your gear selector indiactor, it has the "D" framed by the white box around it. so towing something that heavy should be done in your normal "D" setting. Also, you might want to think about a trailer with at least inertiat brakes if not electric brakes.
Bob, Chevy does not recomend towing in the over drive gear, thats indicated by your gear selector indiactor, it has the "D" framed by the white box around it. so towing something that heavy should be done in your normal "D" setting. Also, you might want to think about a trailer with at least inertiat brakes if not electric brakes.
Pole Type Wt Distribution Hitch
Just went through this with the Equal-i-zer company that claims their hitch is only one that works with surge brakes. Installed it on my H260 trailer but still too much snow to test it. Trip to Key West in April. We'll see how it works. http://kobernus.com/hunter260_web/upgrades/trailer/target7.html
Just went through this with the Equal-i-zer company that claims their hitch is only one that works with surge brakes. Installed it on my H260 trailer but still too much snow to test it. Trip to Key West in April. We'll see how it works. http://kobernus.com/hunter260_web/upgrades/trailer/target7.html
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