Towing camper and small sail boat with a small truck

[frimi_captain]

I have a Ford Ranger and a West Wight Potter 19. Thinking of retirement, traveling the country and visiting lakes and cities while towing a 22 foot trailer and the potter. I know the ranger is probably too small. I'll probably get a larger truck,. I may opt to get the trailer and go on a few trips with the truck and boat I have while pulling the trailer. Has any one done something similar. Any pictures of truck, trailer, and boat hooked up ready to travel appreciated.

Any apocryphal stories appreciated.

 

[justsomeguy]

Here's a discussion on the subject.

https://disqus.com/home/discussion/...you_pull_2_trailers_behind_a_car_truck_or_rv/

Dunno what the laws are in "US backyard".

 

[markwbird]

I see this and similar posts quite often regarding whether or not a particular vehicle is big enough to tow a certain size boat. In your case the answer is "no, a Ford Ranger is not big enough". It occurs to me though that this is a question for truck manufacturers not sailors. I am sure that Ford can tell you exactly how much their truck can pull and which truck is the one you need.

 

[CaptDon01]

I retired earlier this year and we also have dreamed about traveling with our sailboat and exploring new destinations. Earlier this year we towed our C-22 behind our 24' motorhome from our home in San Diego to Florida. The motorhome was very comfortable to stay in while traveling. I was concerned about being able to back the motorhome up with a boat behind me at the launching ramp. I installed a receiver hitch on the front, and all we do is rig the boat, drive to the ramp, chock the trailer tires and disconnect it from the motorhome. Turn the motorhome around, and re-connect the trailer to the front hitch. I can now see clearly, and can maneuver the boat and trailer with precision.

Don

Spending the night at a Wal-Mart parking lot as we make our way across the country.

Our arrival in Florida along the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[centerline]

people do this ALL the time, but not with a ford ranger...
your post heading says towing camper AND boat... not very many states allow pulling two trailers behind a "non-commercial/non-permitted" tow unit. so dont try this for traveling long distances in ANY vehicle unless you have checked the routes and have gotten the proper permits in advance....

a proper sized tow vehicle will have no problem carrying/pulling the load behind it..

the ranger may be ok to pull that load around town or to the local lakes, but once you get out on the open road you will quickly "use up" the small tow vehicle, as it will be working too hard for too long to give any long term dependability..

 

[Brian S]

Many people who want to travel around a lot use their boat AS the camper. I know someone who used to travel around with a pickup bed camper on the truck, and a Montgomery 23 behind. That certainly required a MUCH larger pickup truck than a Ranger...

 

[Benny17441]

Are you talking about running two trailers in tandem? Would not try it and much less with a Ford Ranger. It is illegal in many states to run tandem trailers. Towing limitations are placed on vehicles for two reasons, the manufacturer places limits to prevent vehicle damage and the State places limits to procure vehicle control and prevent accidents. Trailer sway is an issue and with two trailers acting somewhat independently you do not want them snaking behind the light back of a small pick-up truck.

 

[frimi_captain]

This is a very popular subject in several forums. I know a lot of the things you people have said. I'll even relate an apocryphal story.
In 2003, I had basically been out of work or under employed for two years after moving back from Antigua to San Diego hoping to get work closer to the ocean rather than where I live now in Austin Texas. So after I lost a job I had been in for just three month and since the wife wanted to be back in Austin I decided to drive back. I had an old ranger that my dad gave me after my car was stolen (it was a bad couple of years). I filled up the back of the ranger with a bunch of furniture and stuff, then filled up the boat with even more stuff, then proceeded to drive to Austin. For some reason although I was pulling the boat with a 2.2 liter ford ranger, I thought I should drive close to freeway speeds climbing the mountains east of San Diego. Needless to say on some of the steeper grades I was only able to do 20 miles an hour. When I finally got to the other side of the mountains I noticed a lot of smoke pouring from the back of the truck. When I finally pulled over I found that it had hardly any transmission fluid left. I topped up the transmission fluid, had it checked in Tucson, and drove on to Texas.
I was fortunate in that it wasn't for another six months, right after I finally landed a job that the transmission went out.

So needless to say, I already know the answer to my question.

Also note that I have driven through Arizona, California, Texas, Wyoming, Washington state and elsewhere. From time to time I have seen a camper pulling a car pulling a boat or a truck pulling a camper pulling a boat. So I know it can be done. Legality is another thing altogether. I am also (for this discussion) not so worried about the wisdom of doing so. I'd be really interested in hearing about successes and spectacular failures

 

[CaptDon01]

I've seen a boat behind a camper a few times on trips, but the camper was always a 5th wheel. Don't know if that made a difference or not.

Don

 

[greenminnow]

I've seen a boat behind a camper a few times on trips, but the camper was always a 5th wheel. Don't know if that made a difference or not.

Don

This is my take, I think you can only pull a third unit behind a fifth wheel, never a travel trailer. That is what I was told and wouldn't be to interested in doing that.
Good Luck with your travels, Brian

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

I suggest reviewing all the discussions of vehicles towing as much has been said in the past instead of starting a new thread. As for a camper or RV which is motorized, it is treated as a tow vehicle. Often I have seen a tow vehicle trying to pull two trailers in tandem sitting on the side of the road with blue light specials. This is much different than the tandem tractor with two trailers (pups) as they were designed and accepted or legal on the highways. Please folks, no more responses as there are many previous posts regarding tow vehicles.

 

[markwbird]

Remember, when you talk about a truck's towing capacity it's not just the power of the engine. It's the transmission, it's the suspension, and, perhaps most importantly, it's the brakes. You cannot pull a trailer and a boat in tandem. Illegal. Just the 22 ft trailer will probably require an F-250 minimum.

 

[cb32863]

Remember, when you talk about a truck's towing capacity it's not just the power of the engine. It's the transmission, it's the suspension, and, perhaps most importantly, it's the brakes. You cannot pull a trailer and a boat in tandem. Illegal. Just the 22 ft trailer will probably require an F-250 minimum.

F-250 is a heavy duty truck.... Overkill for a small boat like a WWP 19. I tow my First 235 with my Explorer that has the tow package on it, 7000# capacity. Boat is near 4000 and then the trailer. Towed my boat from Tampa to Minneapolis last year. Towed my first boat, O'Day 25, from Detroit to Minneapolis.
Just check the towing capacity of your vehicle, available online probably. That new website Google works pretty good for that sort of thing I have heard... ;-)

 

[frimi_captain]

On legality: http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/0...you-in-many-directions-if-you-double-tow.html
Apparently I've been driving around in states where it is legal.
I'm going to carry an extra load of valium for the wife when I do this

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Frimi;

Interesting article on towing two trailers behind one vehicle. Again each state is different. However, most people do not have the experience and I have seen accidents as a result of that type of combination. I also use to be an adjuster besides a boat dealer. When asked, I say don't be stupid.