Does anyone in the forum have any first hand experience with trailering a 22 Tournament on a tandem trailer, pulled by a late model Nissan Frontier, six cylinder,two wheel drive. My concern lies with the truck's ability to pull the boat , up a typical, paved boat ramp. Level ground should not be a problem. Thanks, Capt1947
Trailering 22 Tournament
- Thread starter capt1947
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I tow my seafarer with a V6 Toyota 4runner. It's actually less towing capacity than your frontier, and I have no issues. Ramp is done in 2wd, I have yet to feel the need for 4wd. Hope that helps.
I tow an Adventure 208 on a double axle trailer with a 2006 4Runner, V6 with 4wd. No issues so far on the ramp - but I definitely know the boat is behind. I take it easy when towing. Tow capacity on my 4runner is 5000 lbs.
2wd... it's all going to depend on the ramp as to whether you can make it or not. A slippery, slimy ramp can even be tough for a 4wd sometimes. A 2wd... there are times when your truck may need a tow. But again, there's too many variables to say... power-wise - sure, no problem. It all comes to down to traction.
Have you checked your specific truck's (based on model year, engine, rear axle ratio, etc) trailer capacity vs the TOTAL weight of the boat (boat, engine, trailer, fuel, batteries, gear, etc)? Ideally, it's good to be no more than about 80% of max as anything you put in the truck (other then the driver) typically lowers your trailering capacity and the ability for the truck to maneuver/stop well. Notice I didn't say anything about having enough power to pull it - stopping and emergency maneuvering is MUCH more important.
Have you checked your specific truck's (based on model year, engine, rear axle ratio, etc) trailer capacity vs the TOTAL weight of the boat (boat, engine, trailer, fuel, batteries, gear, etc)? Ideally, it's good to be no more than about 80% of max as anything you put in the truck (other then the driver) typically lowers your trailering capacity and the ability for the truck to maneuver/stop well. Notice I didn't say anything about having enough power to pull it - stopping and emergency maneuvering is MUCH more important.
The Frontier has a towing capacity between 3500 and about 6500 pounds depending on engine model. If your vehicle has the lower rating, it will be undersized for the 22. Also remember that the towed load includes the weight of the trailer which probably weighs 1000 pounds or a tad more if galvanized. The boat with motor weighs about 4200 pounds ( an estimate, I don't know your year or actual motor)
With a late model V6 Frontier you should be within the tow rating. Your question of towing up the ramp is more in alignment with Dennis’s comments about traction.
You probably won’t know for sure until you try it with your boat/truck but you can do some research by observing others and the ramp you’re intending to use. Try to find a similar truck/boat and pay attention to all of the details of their setup.
More tongue weight (to a reasonable amount) and all terrain tires on the rear will help with traction. I’ve seen guys have people sit in their truck bed on sketchy ramps to add weight. Another alternative would be a longer or extendable trailer tongue to keep your tires on the dry part of the ramp with better traction.
You probably won’t know for sure until you try it with your boat/truck but you can do some research by observing others and the ramp you’re intending to use. Try to find a similar truck/boat and pay attention to all of the details of their setup.
More tongue weight (to a reasonable amount) and all terrain tires on the rear will help with traction. I’ve seen guys have people sit in their truck bed on sketchy ramps to add weight. Another alternative would be a longer or extendable trailer tongue to keep your tires on the dry part of the ramp with better traction.
What year is your Nissan so I can look up the tow capacity? I tow a tournament 205 on a tandem trailer with a V6 2017 Tacoma that has the tow package (rated for 6700 in 2wd, 6400 in 4wd). No problems.
If the vehicle is 2 wheel, front wheel drive, adding tongue weight will make things worse since there will be less weight on the front wheels.
I don't know what 'late model' means in terms of years but I looked up 2015 as an example. The towing capacity depends on the model and motor. Again, it could be as low as 3500 pounds ( if so, the factory hitch receiver might be 1 1/4 inch a dead giveaway).
Thank you all for your comments and input. My truck prior to retirement was an F-350. No problem towing anything. I have now downsized to a 2019 Nissan Frontier SV, six cylinder, two wheel drive. My concern lies with the ramp angle and traction.
It's still generally appropriate/considerate to answer the questions asked about the trailering specs/wieght rating. You may know that your weight is good - but we don't. And, you'd be surprised at the number of times someone says "my truck has plenty of power, I'm sure of it"... when after we prod a little and they actually look at the specs and do the math, they find out they were wrong. These other questions we asked come from experience with other threads like this and they all center around safety - both for your family and ours, since we all share the roads.
But, that said, you have your answer regarding traction.
Towing capacity is 6600 lbs for that model. In addition it is rear wheel drive. With regard to traction, a lot depends on the launch ramp and not just the slope. The slipperiness is more of a concern If your drive wheels are on slime, traction can be an issue, not just for hauling but for launching when the truck wants to slide down the ramp. At my ramps the trick is to make sure I have enough water (high tides) so that the hull starts to float as soon as possible and keep my wheels out of the slime.
A Frontier is rear wheel drive, hence my response was directed specifically toward the the OP, apologies if you found it confusing.
Going back to 2015 the lowest availabe tow rating for a V6 Frontier was 6,300 lbs; 4 cylinder models didn’t come with an OEM receiver so it could be even worse if someone added an aftermarket class III or IV receiver to a truck with a lower tow rating
Agree that safety should always be considered and that stopping is even more important than percentage of max towing capacity.
General info since I’m replying anyway:
If towing with any midsize truck or SUV I’d be more concerned with the GVWR as the boat may be within towing capacity but the tongue weight and load/gear/people would put it over the limit. Also note that google specs are okay but you should use the specific rating of your vehicle listed on the sticker in your door jamb as the rating may be lower with specific options/trim packages.
I’m sure the OP is already aware of this but it’s definitely a real issue with midsize trucks/SUVs. Those who drive full size trucks often don’t need to worry about GVWR/GCWR with smaller boats as the rating is well above anything but the heaviest small (22 ft or less) boats.
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Speaking about 2WD on the ramp I have a 2WD GMC Sierra and I can tell there were a few times I came close to not making it up the slippery ramps so I have to be carefull most of my life I have had 4WD and never a problem now I cross my fingers and i make sure the boat is floating a little on the trailer and then I pull it out quick
Parthery
GreatGrady Captain
As a longtime owner of the 223/225 hulls (several in fact), here's what you need to think about:
- It's heavier than you think. If you get it scaled, you will find it's a 5500-6000 lb load. I've towed with a Tahoe (5.3), Yukon (6.2), a 1500 Chevy pickup (6.2) and now an F-150 (5.0) I did tow it once, about 500 miles, with a Nissan Pathfinder. It did surprisingly well but was incredibly thirsty and had a smallish tank. If your Frontier is spec'ed to 6K lb towing capacity, you should be fine.
- Brakes are critical. If you don't have them on both axles, I'd seriously consider them.
- It's heavier than you think. If you get it scaled, you will find it's a 5500-6000 lb load. I've towed with a Tahoe (5.3), Yukon (6.2), a 1500 Chevy pickup (6.2) and now an F-150 (5.0) I did tow it once, about 500 miles, with a Nissan Pathfinder. It did surprisingly well but was incredibly thirsty and had a smallish tank. If your Frontier is spec'ed to 6K lb towing capacity, you should be fine.
- Brakes are critical. If you don't have them on both axles, I'd seriously consider them.