Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

LSV owners...your thoughts?


mcbean7

Recommended Posts

I'm wondering what all the LSV owners are using to tow their boats?

Would you recommend towing using a 2005 4Runner V8? The lake is about 40 miles from my house. We usually go out 1-2 times a week. Fairly flat terrain. I'm wondering if this will be too much boat for a mid size SUV to haul.

Link to comment

When I first got my Response I used my Grand Cherokee to pull it. The Grand had plenty of power to pull it, but the boat pushed the Jeep around a bit. I then picked up a 1/2 ton Suburban to pull the boat, it does a much better job. I can also haul everyone in my truck so we only have to take one vehicle to the lake.

Link to comment

I pull my LSV with an 03 Z71 Tahoe. Its about 75 miles to the lake I go to, mainly freeway. It seems to pull fine, but you can definitely feel it back there when stopping.

Link to comment

06 3/4 ton chevy diesel. pulls it no problem. main thing when pulling something is braking power. i know boat trailers have brakes, but you dont want it to push the vehicle around while stopping and you dont want the brakes getting hot. check vehicles tow limit. if you are over weight and get in an accident your insurance wont cover you.

Link to comment

I use a 2005 F-250 turbo diesel. The truck rides much smoother when towing the LSV and that is about all I notice. I bought the boat in TX about 2.5 years ago and drove it back to NorCal and I had no issues on hills, turns, starting and stopping. The boat now sits on a hydrohoist so it doesn't get much time behind the truck anymore.

So for pulling the boat and or hauling lots of people and stuff it is great. When the truck is empty and used as a daily comuter it is a bit of an overkill, but I still love the truck.

I do not know the specifics about your vehicle but I would keep a fresh set of brakes on the vehicle, if it doesn't have an aftermarket transmision cooler I would add one, and I would not drive it hard when in tow.

-Dave

Link to comment

06 F350 turbo diesel. Pulls like a charm with all our toys (including the LSV)

Like hyperlite said, make sure you got some good brakes. Alot of trucks now have Tow Haul, which will downshift for you to help slowing down too

Link to comment

I have a 21 LSV with a SA trailer. I used to tow it with a 2004 Ford Sprot Trac. It did it ok but made me a bit nervous. I recently replaced that tow vehicle with a 2005 Ford Expedition. I have yet to tow with it but I am betting it will be wayyy better.

Link to comment

We used to have a Chev Trailblazer, was almost at the tow limit, luckily only a 10 minute ride to the lake, but now we have a Lincoln Navigator, WAY better! Rockon.gif

Link to comment

You wont have any problems pulling with your V8. I pulled my 23 LSV about 3 weeks ago with a V6 4.0 4Runner about 30 miles and had no problem at all.

Link to comment

Plus1.gifClap.gifPlus1.gif

I use a 2007 Chevy 2500 HD Duramax. But have pulled it using a Nissan Armada which did an OK job, but just not the same. I would think the 4 Runner would definitely struggle in the hills and esp. downhill corners and toss in an emergency stop in along the way somewhere and your whole rig is shoved off the highway.

06 3/4 ton chevy diesel. pulls it no problem. main thing when pulling something is braking power. i know boat trailers have brakes, but you dont want it to push the vehicle around while stopping and you dont want the brakes getting hot. check vehicles tow limit. if you are over weight and get in an accident your insurance wont cover you.

*MY* Standard rule of thumb is to stay about 60% of your total towing capacity. Some of the older 1/2 tons were rated for say around 8500# but man if you put that much behind it...you would be OWNED by the load. So if your 4 Runner will "tow 5000#"....my LSV with a full tank of gas and my trailer weighs right at 6000#. Can't imagine yours would weight much less.

Moral of the story....guess it CAN be done, but likely NOT recommended.

Edit: Just checked and the 2005 4 Runner/V8 has a towing capacity of 7000# (more than I expected, btw)...but still you are 86% of your MAX, so on paper you would be ok. It would be interesting if you had a buddy with a Tahoe or Suburban or bigger truck that you could pull it with, after your pull with your 4 Runner. I would be dimes to donuts that you would be able to tell a MARKED difference in the safety you can feel.

Edited by WaveMake'nLSV
Link to comment

We sometimes pull our 23 LSV with my wifes 08 Tahoe LTZ when we have a 20-40 mile ride to different lakes. If farther than that we use my 04 3/4 HD Chevy. We feel a big difference in the two, but the Tahoe has no trouble at all.

Where is the best place to look for towing capacities of vehicles?

Edited by txdyna65
Link to comment

I have a 2003 21' Sunscape LSV. I tow with a 2003 Ford F-350 diesel, Crew Cab, 8' bed. I have a computer read out on my mpg and it doesn't change when towing the boat, plenty of power.

Link to comment

my 2 cents: You may want to do some research on lawsuits for pulling over/near max towing capacity (RV sites, likely). My LSV weighs 4000 lbs empty, Boattmate trailer is 1200 lbs... add all the gear and 55 gallons of gas. All together maybe close to 6000 lbs. So they question may be, can you pull it safely and not be held liable if granny pulls in front of you on a trip to the lake.

I pull with a 06 1500HD 4x4 Silverado. I think it has a towing capacity of about 10k.

- Octane

Link to comment

I'm betting that an LSV is well over 6k lbs. My VLX moderately loaded is a confirmed 5800+ (took it down & weighed it last fall), & that's not even loaded up with a full tank of gas & all of the gear that we would take for a long trip (that was coming home from the lake with less than a half tank in the boat). I'm guessing that with the added dry weight & heavier trailer, you'd be close to if not over 6500 lbs. with an LSV

Remember too that you have to pay attention to the actual hitch capacity & that often times differs from the overall rating for the vehicle. Many times the hitch is rated closer to 5-6000 lbs., especially on those smaller tow rigs like 4-Runners & the like. The overall rating is irrelevant if the hitch isn't set up to handle it.

Link to comment

I tow my LSV with a 2005 Dodge Dakata. It has the HO engine, tow package, tow switch, and trans cooler. I would consider my truck to be the bare minimum for safely towing a 23. It has plenty of power, but the boat pushes the truck around a bit, especially while stopping or when a big rig flies past. Since the Dakota is bigger than the 4Runner, I would say the 4 Runner is not a safe bet.

I know a guy that tows his Mastercraft with a Jeep Wrangler. He swears his rig is safe because it is all about driver skills anyway.

Link to comment

I would say you wouldn't be negligent, like the guy with his wrangler, as I believe your rated for 7000 lbs. But I wouldn't feel good towing a boat that big with my 4runner 160 miles per week.

Something a little bigger with more wheelbase would probably suit you, and everyone else on the road, a little better.

Link to comment
I'm wondering what all the LSV owners are using to tow their boats?

Would you recommend towing using a 2005 4Runner V8? The lake is about 40 miles from my house. We usually go out 1-2 times a week. Fairly flat terrain. I'm wondering if this will be too much boat for a mid size SUV to haul.

I had a 06 version of your 4runner several years ago and I think its towing capacity was 7000 lbs and the v6 of that year was 5000lbs. I know back then someone recommended I use a load leveling hitch to tow the rated load, but never got one plus we were using a tandem trailer. We did not tow it very far at that time and it did fine as long as you do not get in a hurry. But I can't say that I would recommend a 4Runner for a LSV if you had other options. If no other option, I don't see a problem as long as the engine and drive train have been well maintained. Mine didn't do hills very well with people and gear in the SUV.

We now have a VLX and a 08 2500 HD. World of difference and highly recommend.

Link to comment
I'm betting that an LSV is well over 6k lbs. My VLX moderately loaded is a confirmed 5800+ (took it down & weighed it last fall), & that's not even loaded up with a full tank of gas & all of the gear that we would take for a long trip (that was coming home from the lake with less than a half tank in the boat). I'm guessing that with the added dry weight & heavier trailer, you'd be close to if not over 6500 lbs. with an LSV

Remember too that you have to pay attention to the actual hitch capacity & that often times differs from the overall rating for the vehicle. Many times the hitch is rated closer to 5-6000 lbs., especially on those smaller tow rigs like 4-Runners & the like. The overall rating is irrelevant if the hitch isn't set up to handle it.

Good point WakeGirl. I need to check and see what the hitch rating says.

Link to comment
We sometimes pull our 23 LSV with my wifes 08 Tahoe LTZ when we have a 20-40 mile ride to different lakes. If farther than that we use my 04 3/4 HD Chevy. We feel a big difference in the two, but the Tahoe has no trouble at all.

Where is the best place to look for towing capacities of vehicles?

The manufacture is best but this website has a good list from '99-'08.

Link to comment

You said your terrain is flat. So you could get by with your 4-Runner until you can get a better tow rig. Assuming you have 4 lane highways you can take it easy and keep it to 55 when towing.

Here in Oregon when the truck scales are closed you can drive your rig and your towable onto the scales and get the axle weights. I do this with just my truck for a base weight front and rear axle. And then I do it weighing all the axles on my truck and the trailer that I'm towing. I think you will be surprised at how heavy a loaded v-drive LSV is.

A big advantage of a Duramax or Powerstroke truck is that they weigh 6800 plus pounds all by themselves including fuel, canopy, passengers, etc. It is a major advantage to have a tow vehicle that weighs more than the trailer. Humongo Disk brakes also help. Once or twice a year I take a long towing trip, mostly 2 lane but occasionally 4 lane. For this reason I really like a rig that cruises easily at 62 mph so I'm not holding everybody back. And occasionally I have to pass on a 2 lane and 80 is no problem towing a 4800# package behind my 6800# truck.

So you can make your 4-Runner work for now but at the minimum I think you will want at least a heavy duty half ton in the future. For now add a transmission cooler and change the tranny fluid often. Just keep the speed down with the 'Runner.

Link to comment

Don't ever use a 4runner or any other standard size SUV to pull your boat. Its not the pulling power, that is the problem, it is the braking power. I was pulling a simple 18.5 sea ray runabout, and I couldn't brake in time and ended up rolling my 4runner, the brakes were horrible. 4runner was totaled, boat just sat there and laughed at me with not a scratch on it. I sold the boat, bought an LSV, and a chevy 2500 for towing., you need the proper braking power, and wheel spacing to tow anything....

Link to comment

As others have stated stopping will be your biggest problem. You can probably get away with it but your tow vehicle should have some kind of "towing package" Transmission cooler, and an oversized radiator are a must. Anytime I towed with a questionable tow vehicle on a really hot day I fried the tranny.

For sure make certain you have the proper hitch.

Link to comment

Also, keep in mind that you may sometimes want to take your boat somewhere other than your home lake. I have turned down comps and other events that I REALLY wanted to attend because I did not want to deal with the strain and stress of traveling with a rig that was barely acceptable and safe for a long haul.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...