Trailering speeds

[smooth as glass]

I don't often trailer my boat. What do you guys typically run on the highway? Is 70 safe? or asking for trouble?

[Simo]

70 is the max that I will go. I tend to stick around 65 most of the time. I also overinflate my trailer tires by 10 psi. I get new tires every 5 -6 years and have only blown one in 15 years.

[REW]

I generally run what the truck is happy with. Make sure your tires are in good shape and properly inflated, check your bearings as well. Dont go faster than you are comfortable with, give your self extra time to get there and extra room to stop.

[oldjeep]

75 is about my max with a boat, 80 with a car trailer. The boats seem to get twitchy if you go too fast.

[Pnwrider]

10% above the speed limit.

[toddthelineman]

I just stick to about 5 over or the flow of traffic. I've hit 80, but I was looking back the whole time. I tow so much stuff at work that I've seen a lot go wrong. Countless things

[Vettesetter]

I've done 80mph, but 70mph is usually my max. Tire inflation is critical for any speeds, and I check my hub temps frequently with an infrared thermometer.

[oldjeep]

I've done 80mph, but 70mph is usually my max. Tire inflation is critical for any speeds, and I check my hub temps frequently with an infrared thermometer.

Do you check the temp of your truck hubs too?

[Murphy8166]

65 to 70 all day long. Get the best fuel efficieny at those speeds as well with my truck.

[Vettesetter]

Do you check the temp of your truck hubs too?

No, just the trailer, mostly because I have the Vault hubs, and one gets hotter than the other three, so I really keep an eye on it.

I also have bearings and tools just in case.

I've had a torsion failure that cost me a fortune so I'm paranoid beyond belief when it comes to that trailer.

[UpperleftWake]

I'm a Grandpa. 60-65 max.

[Wake23LSV]

Proper trailer hitch height makes a big difference for all of the above. Keep it level and you'll have much better luck with tires and tracking straight. As stated above, only go as fast as your comfort zone allows. It's just not worth it otherwise.

[Soon2BV]

65-70 usually. open stretch 75.

truck and trailer and boat is a lot of mass moving at that speed and you never know what can happen to your trailer, or what someone might do around you. You don't have as much maneuverability when you are 45 feet long.

I also had a brake bolt fail and lock up a wheel at 70. skidded the tire flat, but i was able to get across 2 lanes and into the shoulder before anything else went wrong. Much faster could have been a lot worse.

[Bozboat]

Last July, with a new set of four balanced Kumho 857s rated at 99 mph, I pulled the boat and trailer on Interstate 30 from Dallas to Texarkana at 80-82 mph. Speed limit was 75. Rock solid the whole way. From Texarkana to the turn off to Hot Springs the speed limit dropped to 70, so I ran 78 until the turn off of I-30. No concerns at all, but this is all flat and straight and relatively uncrowded freeway.

[WakingMeHappy]

65mph. Less wear and better fuel economy.

[toddthelineman]

My biggest concern is wind. Cushions flying away, etc. You can tow as fast as your truck will pull; I ought to know. But there's also a lot of stuff littering the highway, lol

[Bozboat]

65mph. Less wear and better fuel economy.

Neither are a concern to me when I am in vacation mode.

[Bozboat]

My biggest concern is wind. Cushions flying away, etc. You can tow as fast as your truck will pull; I ought to know. But there's also a lot of stuff littering the highway, lol

Evolution Cover, no worries.

[Cap305]

The few times I've trailered mine it seems I start out with a nice and conservative 65 but somehow during the ride I always seem to hit 70-75 or so. Usually the speed is directly proportional to the amount of caterwauling that is coming from the back seat.

[haresource2]

Depends on tow vehicle. I tow with a 3/4 ton truck now so it hardly knows anything is back there. Ability to stop is more important than ability to get to speed. That being said I go with flow of traffic normally around 75 on interstate. I would by more worried about 2 lane highways. Once 29 years ago I had someone lock up their brakes on highway pulling with explorer 20 ft boat no trailer brakes. It felt like I almost sped up. Managed to barely stop in time.

When I brought my boat back from Alabama last year we cruised around 85 as that is what everyone was going.

Edited September 27, 2014 by haresource2

[ToeCutter]

I'm a Grandpa. 60-65 max.

50 for me. I've gone faster but picked up stone chips.

[WheelerWake]

Boats always seem to tow great, the distance from the hitch to the axle(s) is large compared to a car trailer or utility trailer. They don't oscillate an are not pushed around by wind or trucks as bad. This same effect is seen while backing, they don't react to direction changes as quickly as a shorter wheelbase trailer.

The big problem with trailer towing is that you don't get the feedback of a tire coming apart or a wheel bearing going like you do with a car/truck, you start hearing them in a car before there is trouble..

[smooth as glass]

Thanks for all info, good stuff. I will take all into consideration.

[brad72]

Our max speed in Australia is 62mph for most roads and 68 on certain roads but 62 saves alot of fuel. I just make sure tires are inflated to max and have no issues

Edited September 28, 2014 by brad72

[ibelonginprison]

When I towed the boat back from Shreveport, 500 miles home, I played around with the the speeds to see what was most effecting as far as mpg vs speed.

Went from as low as 60 up to 75 for stretches of time. (Trailer towed straight and smooth no matter what)

Didn't matter though. Mpg was miserable.

Or so I thought. That was in my father in laws F250.

I towed the boat the other day behind my old lifted 2 door Tahoe.... it was 100 times worse. I swear I would blink and the gas gauge had moved. And I really only feel comfortable going 55 in that one. Thankfully I don't drive interstate to the lake so that's an acceptable speed.