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General Malibu/Axis towing poll


Wavemaker

Just curious how everyone uses their tow vehicles. Completely Anonymous poll  

152 members have voted

  1. 1. The following is the best way to describe my towing setup:

    • My total trailer/boat weight is 1-500 pounds over either my rated maximum hitch weight or tow vehicle capacity.
      8
    • My total trailer/boat weight is 500-1000 pounds over my rated maximum hitch weight or tow vehicle capacity.
      1
    • My total trailer/boat weight is 1000-1500 pounds over my rated maximum hitch weight or tow vehicle capacity.
      4
    • My total trailer/boat weight is over 1500 pounds over my rated maximum hitch weight or tow vehicle capacity.
      3
    • I THINK my tow vehicle, it's receiver hitch, tow mount and ball are all rated above my trailer/ boat weight.
      22
    • I KNOW for sure that my tow vehicle, it's receiver hitch, tow mount and ball are all rated above my trailer/ boat weight.
      114


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3 minutes ago, dalt1 said:

How can people answer truthfully if they don't weigh their rigs. I did and my 2012 VLX ready to launch weighs 6,200 lbs at the Cat scales.

Im going to take it on faith that my 20 ft boat is under 8k :)

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5 minutes ago, dalt1 said:

How can people answer truthfully if they don't weigh their rigs. I did and my 2012 VLX ready to launch weighs 6,200 lbs at the Cat scales.

 

1 minute ago, oldjeep said:

Im going to take it on faith that my 20 ft boat is under 8k :)

Wasn't referring to anyone in particular. I just see many times where people think they have a 5,000 lb boat but in reality it is way over.

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My 20ft boat is definitely under 13k and the new 23ft better be :rofl:

About to order a 2.5” HD towing receiver rated for over 12k so we’re set!  

Some people’s tow rigs scare me to death, the Ford Explorer shouldn’t be towing sail boats and older Tacoma’s shouldn’t pull 25ft rv’s.... Some people...  

A couple years back I was moving a freinds triple axle boat trailer for his 30ft cruiser and I so badly wanted to use the Jeep Cherokee to get peoples looks driving around town but the wiring wasn’t compatible.  

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The ones that surprise me are the brodozers with cheap lifts, smoke stacks and massive drop hitches. 

Just saw my third rig that lost a trailer because their hitch wasn't strong enough for half their towing capacity with an 18" drop hitch attached. 

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My F150 and it's set up are up to the task of my <6500 pound VLX. On the other hand i have towed that same VLX with an Acura MDX which is rated at 5000#. Not the smartest idea but we made it without incident. When the lake is calling, you gotta do what you gotta do. I'm a flat 4 miles to the lake now and have had a few days that I've considered towing with the wrangler which is rated at 3500#. I thought better of it tho. I'm not saying i won't, just that i haven't.... Yet. 

  • Like 2
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4 minutes ago, isellacuras said:

My F150 and it's set up are up to the task of my <6500 pound VLX. 

Did you put a receiver hitch on your F150 aftermarket or are you using the receiver hitch it came with from Ford?

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14 minutes ago, Wavemaker said:

Did you put a receiver hitch on your F150 aftermarket or are you using the receiver hitch it came with from Ford?

I had a class IV hitch installed rated at 10k. Not for the boat tho as i would have been fine with the stock 5k. I also tow a dump trailer from time to time and I've had that loaded with over 12k of concrete and dirt a few times. 

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Funny thing is I just had my rear brakes and rotors replaced on my ‘16 GMC 1500 Crew Cab. I had a ‘12 and a ‘14 1500 pulling my 21’ VLX, no worries. Bought the T23 this year and doing the same pull to the lake and 1 season brakes were smoked. Odd they were the rear brakes, front brakes have 60% left. I do notice when the lake is low and I start to back in, it takes everything that pickup has to stop it from rolling in!

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I've always followed the 90% rule...

Nothing I tow exceeds 90% of the rated weight of my tow vehicle, hitch, receiver, ball, tires, etc, etc.

I've always been a big believer that it's not what you can pull, it's what you can stop. When we used to own my wife's Jeep Grand Cherokee it was rated to tow 6200 lbs. I still wouldn't tow our 2010 or 2014 23 LSVs with it. Those 23 LSVs made my Ram 2500 look small. I honestly wouldn't be confident that in an emergency braking situation that I could control and stop a 23 LSV with a Grand Cherokee regardless of what FCA says I can tow with it.

I know everyone has different levels of comfort with towing. I'm probably on the conservative end of the spectrum but it's where I feel comfortable. 

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How many accidents happen due to over loaded towing equipment failing?  I rarely hear about any but based on what people pull with mid sized suvs and 1/2 tons I'd expect it to be a big problem.  

Whenever I see accidents involving trailers they're usually caused by things like trailer was improperly loaded or load  not secured.  Trailer was too heavy and pushed truck around.  Truck couldn't stop trailer in time. Coupler came loose and no safety chains.  

Has anyone ever seen an accident where a hitch was overloaded and all the welds broke?  

Edited by Gavin17
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7 hours ago, Agman said:

Funny thing is I just had my rear brakes and rotors replaced on my ‘16 GMC 1500 Crew Cab. I had a ‘12 and a ‘14 1500 pulling my 21’ VLX, no worries. Bought the T23 this year and doing the same pull to the lake and 1 season brakes were smoked. Odd they were the rear brakes, front brakes have 60% left. I do notice when the lake is low and I start to back in, it takes everything that pickup has to stop it from rolling in!

I don't know about your truck, but some have an adjustable brake proportioning valve that automatically changes the front/rear brake bias depending on load.  Basically if the rear suspension is significantly compressed, it uses the rear brakes more, instead of locking up the brakes that axles that isn't as heavily loaded.

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'07 Escalade EXT.  No sticker on my hitch.  My ball mount is way overkill for my setup @ 16,000lbs; my ball is a 10,000lb ball. 

No mention in the owner's manual as to anything other than not exceeding 7600lbs (that's driver + an empty truck rating) and 600lb tongue weight (1000lb with WD hitch), which I don't exceed either.  Max 14,000GVW.  Truck should weigh just shy of 6,000lbs.  

Boat, fully fueled on the trailer should be right around 5,000lbs, so well under the tow rating.  I've also towed a 247LSV with it, but only on short fuel run trip.  It also has the auto-leveling suspension, which helps a lot.

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I saw a 4000-5000lb excavator on a home depot style single axle trailer that was probabaly rated for 1500 lbs. 

The trailer snaped in half just ahead of the axle and the guy was trying to get off the road sparks flying every where. 

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I have had the opportunity to tow our 2014 VTX with both my parents 2014 Durango, my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and my wife's 2007 Nissan Pathfinder. Out of all of them the Durango was the best, then the pathfinder then the jeep. I towed half way across the country from Missouri to North Carolina with the Durango and it was fantastic. Engine needed to Rev faster going up the hills but never ran out of steam even on the steepest hills around Knoxville TN it still had enough power to accelerate up the hills and stop. The vehicle never felt like it was getting pushed by the boat. The Jeep is another story, although the Jeep and Durango are basically the same vehicle the wheelbase hurts the Jeep getting pushed around. I never felt unsafe in any of them and they are all in the legal limits but maybe not the most robust tow vehicles. For my needs only be towing a few times a year to the dealership the jeep works great as a primary commuter into a metro area with small parking spots and the occasional legal tow vehicle when needed. Understand the big push for half ton or larger tow vehicles but they just don't fit the 95% need of a commuter vehicle in the city. 

2014 VTX single axle trailer. 5000-6000lbs Estimate

Durango v6 4x4 tow rating 6200lbs

Jeep Grand Cherokee v6 4x4 6200lbs

Nissan Pathfinder v6 4x2 6000lbs

IMG_20170606_0734409.jpg

Edited by dinovtx
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