towing weignt

[sebastian]

I am a new owner. I need to know what the gross weight (trailer and boat) is of a model 222. My towing vehicle is a Volvo 760 turbo station wagon that can tow up to 3300 pounds. The hitch tongue load should be less than 150 lbs.

 

[TT23844]

Hitch too light

Check it out, but I think the rule of thumb is to have 10-15% of the total weight of the loaded trailer on the tongue. You may be able to meet your 150 lb limit by using a load-equalizing hitch, but it sounds like the hitch on your Volvo is too light for the load you'll be hauling. A lot depends on where you plan to tow your boat : if it's just from home to a local launch ramp and the speeds are low, just about anything will work. If you're considering more frequent towing at anything near highway speeds it's vital to have a proper load distribution & adequate tongue weight to give you stability & control.

 

[Dave K.]

Chuck.....Front wheel drive

Chuck, I think you may be mistaken about any disadvantage of front wheel drive at the ramp. I tow my 192 with a front-drive VW Eurovan without difficulties. Not long ago, on an outing with a friend at slippery ramp, he was unable to retrieve his Potter 15 (not anywhere near as heavy as your boat) due to wheelspin with his rear-drive Ford F-150. We hooked his trailer to my Eurovan and extracted the boat easily. A front drive vehicle gets the "dry pavement" advantage.I see from the photo that your trailer is very much like the Zieman I have and has an extension to ease launching. Does that also mean that, like mine, your trailer has no brakes? If so, you'll want a substantial tow vehicle. I think the only way to safely tow a heavy trailer with a ligter vehicle is to equip the trailer with brakes.