Hey folks! I'm new to the forum and am just getting into a new H-25. Any suggestions for a towing vehicle?
Towing an H-25
- Thread starter Midlander
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Towing
Midlander, I have a 2006 Hunter 25. I tow with my V6 Toyota Tacoma DC SR5. As per the Hunter 25 specifications, the total weight of boat plus trailer is 4650 pounds. I would look for a vechicle that could handle this type of load. Regards, Nick T
Midlander, I have a 2006 Hunter 25. I tow with my V6 Toyota Tacoma DC SR5. As per the Hunter 25 specifications, the total weight of boat plus trailer is 4650 pounds. I would look for a vechicle that could handle this type of load. Regards, Nick T
Towing H25
Most people underestimate the weight of their boat. You can't go by what Hunter says. I recommend you weigh the boat first before buying a vehicle that might not be able to adequately handle the load. Here's some tips on towing. Go to: http://kobernus.com/hunter260/travel/travel.html
Most people underestimate the weight of their boat. You can't go by what Hunter says. I recommend you weigh the boat first before buying a vehicle that might not be able to adequately handle the load. Here's some tips on towing. Go to: http://kobernus.com/hunter260/travel/travel.html
Towing a H-25
Midlander, I have a 2005 H-25 and I bought a Toyota 4Runner 4.0 liter/V6 at basically the same time to tow it. The Toyota has a 5000 lb tow rating and struggles to tow the boat on other than flat surfaces. For this reason, we changed our intitial plan to trailer sail and put the boat in a marina. It is my own fault because I didn't want to buy a V8 for gas economy reasons and I didn't listen to comments made on this forum. George has an excellent web site and a lot of useful information. A general rule of thumb is to tow no more than 75% of the tow capacity, (maybe I got it form George's site?). The tow capacity includes people and cargo in the vehicle too, so I would err on the side of being overrated rather than under. Also, the weight of my boat with motor, fuel, cooler, tools, and all the bells and whistles which you will add when you get your boat will easily exceed 5000 lbs. Enjoy the boat, Barry
Midlander, I have a 2005 H-25 and I bought a Toyota 4Runner 4.0 liter/V6 at basically the same time to tow it. The Toyota has a 5000 lb tow rating and struggles to tow the boat on other than flat surfaces. For this reason, we changed our intitial plan to trailer sail and put the boat in a marina. It is my own fault because I didn't want to buy a V8 for gas economy reasons and I didn't listen to comments made on this forum. George has an excellent web site and a lot of useful information. A general rule of thumb is to tow no more than 75% of the tow capacity, (maybe I got it form George's site?). The tow capacity includes people and cargo in the vehicle too, so I would err on the side of being overrated rather than under. Also, the weight of my boat with motor, fuel, cooler, tools, and all the bells and whistles which you will add when you get your boat will easily exceed 5000 lbs. Enjoy the boat, Barry
I've got a 23
My H23 nets close to 4000 loaded, and pull it with a 94 Ford F-150 5-speed. It has plenty of power, but at the expense of fuel milege. If i drive nicely, I'll see about 11 - i can easily get that to < 9 if I bump up the speeds. If you're buying a new truck, go automatic or manual, your call, but if you're looking for at older trucks, either find something that has had a recent, professional rebuild or reman of the automatic transmission (with a reciept) as well as an air-to-oil cooler, or a manual trans. It's not uncommon for someone to sense the tranmission acting up a little bit and put a truck for sale, and you don't want to foot that bill on a new truck.
My H23 nets close to 4000 loaded, and pull it with a 94 Ford F-150 5-speed. It has plenty of power, but at the expense of fuel milege. If i drive nicely, I'll see about 11 - i can easily get that to < 9 if I bump up the speeds. If you're buying a new truck, go automatic or manual, your call, but if you're looking for at older trucks, either find something that has had a recent, professional rebuild or reman of the automatic transmission (with a reciept) as well as an air-to-oil cooler, or a manual trans. It's not uncommon for someone to sense the tranmission acting up a little bit and put a truck for sale, and you don't want to foot that bill on a new truck.
Thoughts on towing
If you are just going to tow short distances a few times a year you can get away with pushing the ratings for your tow vehicle. If you are going to do any long distance or mountain towing, you need a capable vehicle. It's about alot more than just mileage. you can push a small vehicle to it's limits and squeeze a few more miles per gallon than a larger one, but you may kill it in the process. Also, the MOST IMPORTANT part of towing is not if you can pull it, but can you stop it. A small tow vehicle with a large heavy trailer is no fun when you have to jump on the brakes. I trailer my H260 every weekend in the summer and do a couple of long tows (2-3000 miles) a season and tow it with a 3/4 ton Dodge diesel pickup. It's a very comfortable package to drive. I average 16 - 18 MPG towing and 20 - 22 MPG empty.
If you are just going to tow short distances a few times a year you can get away with pushing the ratings for your tow vehicle. If you are going to do any long distance or mountain towing, you need a capable vehicle. It's about alot more than just mileage. you can push a small vehicle to it's limits and squeeze a few more miles per gallon than a larger one, but you may kill it in the process. Also, the MOST IMPORTANT part of towing is not if you can pull it, but can you stop it. A small tow vehicle with a large heavy trailer is no fun when you have to jump on the brakes. I trailer my H260 every weekend in the summer and do a couple of long tows (2-3000 miles) a season and tow it with a 3/4 ton Dodge diesel pickup. It's a very comfortable package to drive. I average 16 - 18 MPG towing and 20 - 22 MPG empty.
Envious of the diesel
I once towed my boat with an 18,000 lb GVW Nissan UD turbodiesel dually flatbed with the trailer ball on an extendable hydraulic ram. It wasn't the most comfortable in the cab, but there was no lack of power or braking ability, there was no question of who was controlling whom, and it STIL got better mileage than my F150. (And then when it came time to launch, boy did that hydraulic ram make life simple. Like a 6' extending tounge, but with no extra work!)
I once towed my boat with an 18,000 lb GVW Nissan UD turbodiesel dually flatbed with the trailer ball on an extendable hydraulic ram. It wasn't the most comfortable in the cab, but there was no lack of power or braking ability, there was no question of who was controlling whom, and it STIL got better mileage than my F150. (And then when it came time to launch, boy did that hydraulic ram make life simple. Like a 6' extending tounge, but with no extra work!)
Thanks!!!
Hey !! Thanks to everyone who posted on this. Everyone gave me a good broad spectrum to consider & I can see that I'll need to give this one some long thought. I'll probably end up towing just 3-4 times max per year; mostly staying in a marina. By the way, who is George? Midlander
Hey !! Thanks to everyone who posted on this. Everyone gave me a good broad spectrum to consider & I can see that I'll need to give this one some long thought. I'll probably end up towing just 3-4 times max per year; mostly staying in a marina. By the way, who is George? Midlander
Just to add a few thing specific to the new 25
I don't have any intent to tow my 25 with anything less than an F250 or equivalent. Now I do pull my boat a few blocks from my marina to my house for cleaning and maintenance with a 1999 V-8 powered Ford explorer. For short distances that is fine. For the highway, you need more weight and wheelbase in the vehicle. You also need good mirrors. The boat is big behind you, and if you don't have good wide mirrors on both sides, you will have rear vision issues. The 25 trailer has brakes but they are surge brakes, not electric ones. This means that as you hit the brakes in the car, the boat moves forward and the trailer tongue controls the braking. It is not a smooth braking action and can really jerk a light vehicle around. That alone makes it uncomfortable to tow. In my opinion, a new 25 is really too big to trailer often. I do like the fact that I can pull it out of the water for cleaning though. The trailer make a great tool to haul lumber from Lowes though. My gets more use that way than with the boat on it.
I don't have any intent to tow my 25 with anything less than an F250 or equivalent. Now I do pull my boat a few blocks from my marina to my house for cleaning and maintenance with a 1999 V-8 powered Ford explorer. For short distances that is fine. For the highway, you need more weight and wheelbase in the vehicle. You also need good mirrors. The boat is big behind you, and if you don't have good wide mirrors on both sides, you will have rear vision issues. The 25 trailer has brakes but they are surge brakes, not electric ones. This means that as you hit the brakes in the car, the boat moves forward and the trailer tongue controls the braking. It is not a smooth braking action and can really jerk a light vehicle around. That alone makes it uncomfortable to tow. In my opinion, a new 25 is really too big to trailer often. I do like the fact that I can pull it out of the water for cleaning though. The trailer make a great tool to haul lumber from Lowes though. My gets more use that way than with the boat on it.
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