Platinum Towing Experiences

Lou Hamilton · Feb 13, 2021

I grew up in a family who believed that you should not tow anything that exceeded 1.5 times the length of your tow vehicle.

For a SWB Expedition, that would equate to around 26 feet.

For a Max Expedition, that would equate to around 28 feet.

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Zig10 · Feb 13, 2021

Lou Hamilton said:
I grew up in a family who believed that you should not tow anything that exceeded 1.5 times the length of your tow vehicle.

For a SWB Expedition, that would equate to around 26 feet.

For a Max Expedition, that would equate to around 28 feet.

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There's a practical limit to that old rule of thumb, though. What do you tow a 35' boat with that is close to 43' on a trailer? Even a Peterbilt doesn't meet those requirements.

Jrparne · Feb 13, 2021

Well it just so happens on the way to the campground. Expy had about 600 lbs of people and stuff plus trailer. We also had a ton of water because the campground only has electric. Only the second trip but wd close to being dialed in.

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Jrparne · Feb 13, 2021

A 2400BH is a fantastic trailer, we figure the kids are small how and we have 6 years of small people before I don’t think this set up would work unless we took two cars. Which is totally doable as well.

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bwhinnen · Feb 13, 2021

Jrparne said:
Well it just so happens on the way to the campground. Expy had about 600 lbs of people and stuff plus trailer. We also had a ton of water because the campground only has electric. Only the second trip but wd close to being dialed in.

Thank you, Sir. Even without knowing your actual weights without the trailer hitched that helps. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with the Expy only carrying people and little else.

We only have a couple of years left with our son wanting to join us. He’s also built like a string bean, so that helps keep weight down in the Expy ourselves as we’ll be carrying some cats with us on our adventures.

Thanks!

Jrparne · Feb 13, 2021

Yeah we literally have 800 lbs left of payload in the trailer. This day in age all the kids in the car just need there entertainment, which is relatively light. We throw the canoe on top then put all of the canoe stuff in the trailer for transport to the campsite.

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mwl001 · Feb 14, 2021

Zig10 said:
There's a practical limit to that old rule of thumb, though. What do you tow a 35' boat with that is close to 43' on a trailer? Even a Peterbilt doesn't meet those requirements.

There’s a few variables that make the length important here and not in the instances you mention: boats are easier to tow than huge rectangles because they are way more aerodynamic. Also towing something gooseneck or 5th wheel style is much more stable than as a bumper pull. Expeditions towing travel trailers meet neither exception.

Lou Hamilton · Feb 14, 2021

Zig10 said:
There's a practical limit to that old rule of thumb, though. What do you tow a 35' boat with that is close to 43' on a trailer? Even a Peterbilt doesn't meet those requirements.

But a Peterbilt is not a bumper tow. That is an entire different discussion. That is a good neck connection. I’m not sure if you can apply the same parameters to that scenario.

Never was a boat family, we did campers and construction trailers. I can’t say how towing a boat is similar or dissimilar from what I am used to.

I should have clarified what I am specifically familiar with and that it is a guideline and not a hard and fast rule that should be followed.

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Zig10 · Feb 14, 2021

Lou Hamilton said:
But a Peterbilt is not a bumper tow. That is an entire different discussion. That is a good neck connection. I’m not sure if you can apply the same parameters to that scenario.

Never was a boat family, we did campers and construction trailers. I can’t say how towing a boat is similar or dissimilar from what I am used to.

I should have clarified what I am specifically familiar with and that it is a guideline and not a hard and fast rule that should be followed.

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Point taken, but "bumper tow" wasn't mentioned in the original post, either.

And yes, having towed different types of trailers, a boat is definitely a more stable tow in my experience just because of the tongue length and location of the COM and wheels. That said, they all suck at highway speeds, and REALLY suck when it's windy. The sway bar upgrade helps a lot with both.

mwl001 · Feb 14, 2021

A more complicated equation I learned (and use) is that you get 20ft of trailer for your first 110” of wheelbase, then you get another 12” of trailer for every 4” of additional wheelbase.

so 24.6ft for the short wheelbase or 26ft for the Max. Maybe a little conservative but not a bad thing.

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