Fishing Victoria Forum

Hi there,
I have a holden crewman with 2500kg towing capacity, and was wondering if this converts to the same for launching a boat, as I love the car and don't want to upgrade and want to know what it is probably capable of, couldn't find much of this online, except to bring kitty litter if you start slipping. Already have an old small 4.3m runabout~400kg, and when retrieving at black rock got a fair bit of wheel spin(lots of weed on the ramp), would a bigger boat have more weight on the rear for more grip or does it only go so far?

i think a bigger boat will be harder to pull up the ramp due to the extra weight not easier.

Yes but I was wondering if there was a point where there is a benefit from a heavier boat for more weight on the wheels, because of course too much weight becomes harder to pull, but was wondering if too little weight on the rear wheels would also be limiting

Thebadfisherman wrote: ↑

Thu May 16, 2019 5:44 pm

Hi there,
I have a holden crewman with 2500kg towing capacity, and was wondering if this converts to the same for launching a boat, as I love the car and don't want to upgrade and want to know what it is probably capable of, couldn't find much of this online, except to bring kitty litter if you start slipping. Already have an old small 4.3m runabout~400kg, and when retrieving at black rock got a fair bit of wheel spin(lots of weed on the ramp), would a bigger boat have more weight on the rear for more grip or does it only go so far?

That is an awkward question to answer.

I have ford station wagon, tow weight of 1600kgs, my boat/trailer weighs about 1460 kg (depending on the gear inside) and I have not had much difficulty in retrieving the boat. There have been a few times of wheel spin, but that is usually because of weed on the ramp. However at the Patto ramp 4 ( I think it is) has no ripples in the concrete and it is as slippery as crap.

The ford has pulled the boat out at Hastings, Crib point, Mornington, Portland, Patto, Sorrento ramps.

Having a decent amount of tread on the tyres helps.

If the ramp is slippery at low tide, just wait until the tide comes in and the water level is higher.

Thebadfisherman wrote: ↑

Thu May 16, 2019 6:21 pm

Yes but I was wondering if there was a point where there is a benefit from a heavier boat for more weight on the wheels, because of course too much weight becomes harder to pull, but was wondering if too little weight on the rear wheels would also be limiting

If your car is delicate on wet roads, then yes extra weight would help.

You can increase the weight, on the rear wheels by increasing your tow ball weight. That means shifting the centre of gravity of your boat forward. There are two ways of doing that, first is to move the axle on the trailer back or moving the winch post forward closer to the towball.

I pull a 5,6mt trailcraft about 1.5 ton all up with 2.1ton rating 2011 station wagon with no problems.
All depends on the ramp and how far from en the ramp you drive.

Perhaps the first question should have been. What is your tow ball weight?

If it too light then not enough pressure is being applied to the tow ball and hence the rear wheels.

You definately need more weight in the back of the ute this will help especially if the ramp is greasy.

Wolly Bugger wrote: ↑

Thu May 16, 2019 6:34 pm

Perhaps the first question should have been. What is your tow ball weight?

If it too light then not enough pressure is being applied to the tow ball and hence the rear wheels.

Boonanza wrote: ↑

Thu May 16, 2019 6:38 pm

You definately need more weight in the back of the ute this will help especially if the ramp is greasy.

G'day Mr Bad

All the load ratings are important for sure. But Wolly & Boonanza said it very well. It's the downward load on your rear tyres of the Crewman that is the most important. The BIGGER the downward load, the better the grip. So the total combination of the rear Crewman weight and downward load of your boat trailer on the tow ball.

So the Crewman being lighter in the rear would cause a fair bit of less grip/slip where other vehicles wouldn't. That's probably why a lot of the young fellas love the Utes, great and easy to do Burnouts and Wheelies , , , , woohoo :super:

Notwithstanding also , , , , that some ramps are slippery slimmier than others, AND the heavier the Boat, the more grip your rear tyres need. And be careful, there has been a few cases in SA where the Car, Boat and Trailer have started sliding backwards on a ramp here in SA.



I had a Ford Falcon Wagon and towed a Skimmer, loaded it would be about 1,200 kgs. I have only had a few issues with wheel spin but still had occurred.



Now I have a Ford Territory and all is sweet.


Oh, thanks for the Kitty Litter trick. Great trick to know.

Cheers and good luck with what you choose
Bugatti

Thanks for all the replies, I never though about tow ball weight, as I was told you just want to have an evenly balanced boat, not have a lot of weight on the front of the trailer. Thanks for the help and others' experiences with such vehicles/boats, I'll keep this in mind when I am looking for that boat...