Towing feedback after 6500 miles

[curtiss]

In the last year and a half I have towed LaVida about 6500 miles during four trips. The first trip was about 450 miles from Marina del Rey in Los Angeles to Sacramento, CA. This was my first trip when I bought her in May 2009. The second big trip was from Sacramento to Anacortes, WA for a two week trip in the San Juan Islands. The third trip was from Sacramento to Loreto in Baja California, Mexico. The forth trip was again to Anacortes and the San Juan Islands. Each trip had a different configuration of towing vehicle and/or boat trailer. I thought it might be useful to relate my experiences and impressions.

I will start with the first trip. My wife and I drove to Los Angeles to see the 2009 M26 that we were interested in purchasing from a fellow that had only owned her for about 6 months and needed to sell. We met him at Marina del Rey for an inspection and sea trials. We loved the boat and hooked her up behind our 2003 Ford Explorer for the trip back. The Explorer was a six cylinder model 4X4 with factory towing package. The trailer was the stock aluminum Mac model. On the second day back about 60 miles from home we blew out a tire on the freeway. I got it over to the side of the road OK but the rim was bent and we were stranded. The previous owner did not have a spare mounted and I had erroneously thought that since the tires were so new I should be able to make it home and then I would get a spare. I just didn't have or make time in LA to get one. It was a real hassle to get the boat off the freeway and somewhere safe until I could make arrangements to get her the rest of the way home.

First lesson: Carry a good spare. I now carry two. Have the tools and practice changing your trailer tires.

The second trip was to the San Juan Islands and about 1500 miles round trip. The Explorer pulled the boat and trailer OK. It had sufficient power for the mountains but it worked the motor hard and shifted a lot. I got about 13-14 miles to the gallon on regular gas. The rig was twitchy when going over bumps or imperfections in the roadway. It was high concentration driving and I definitely knew the boat was back there and was pushing the Explorer around.

My third trip was to Baja California about 2600 miles round trip . Based on my experiences to the San Juans and the fact that the roads in Mexico were going to be very challenging, I added a second axle to the trailer. I figured this would give me two extra tires to distribute the load, in case of a flat the trailer would not go down to the rim and the trailer would track better. There was a significant improvement in the overall behavior of the rig. It definitely was less twitchy and more relaxing to drive. Even with the extra axle I feel the Explorer was at the limits of its capability for towing a loaded Mac. It still got pushed around in windy conditions and reacted when going over undulations or big bumps in the road. Even in Mexico the worst gas mileage towing was about 13 mpg.

Second lesson: If you plan on pulling your Mac a lot of miles and/or taking her on challenging roads ie., Mexico, then add a second axle for insurance against blow outs and better handling.

My fourth trip was again to the San Juan Islands. I just go back two weeks ago. My wife and I are planning on more extended traveling around the country starting early next year and decided we needed more storage space for hauling gear than was available in the Explorer. Also after pulling the Mac for many miles, I felt that a larger tow vehicle might be more prudent. So I sold the Explorer and bought a 2004 Ford 4X4 Super Duty 250 diesel pickup. This is what I used to pull LaVida on my last trip. I am going to tell you folks that there is a big difference in the driving experience towing with my truck vs. the Explorer. I know the trailer is back there behind the truck but it is very well behaved. I can drive with one hand on the wheel if I want to which is something I would not do with the Explorer with the single axle trailer and was very careful doing even with the double axle. There is plenty of power and tons of room for hauling stuff as I have a long bed with a camper shell and super cab. The downside is that the truck does not turn as sharp and is much harder to park due to its length. Also diesel is more expensive than regular gas where I live. I am getting about the same fuel consumption as the Explorer at about 13-14 mpg in the mountains and and 14.5 -15 mpg on the flat.

Third lesson: Bigger is better when it comes to towing a fully loaded Mac.


I hope some of this helps. I love my Mac and have spent about 9 weeks living aboard her this year on my trips. My wife and I have had a blast. I will try to put some of my pictures and trip information in the future. We are a little busy right now as we have sold our house and are making arrangements to store stuff and get ready to travel pretty much full time starting February.

Fair Winds Curtiss on LaVida

[Sumner]

Good info, thanks and we really look forward to your trip reports and pictures. The San Juan's and especially Mexico are places we would like to go,

Sum and Ruth

Our Trips to..

Our Mac Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[DaveB]

Curtiss,
Great report, I have the Tandum trailer that I haul with a 1999 ford f150 quad cab with 6 cylinder Standard Trans. rated at 2000 lbs towing and tow my Mac.X on Florida flat ground many miles with no problems, total weight 4500 lbs includeing all gear and trailer .
Problem is I have to back my trailer thru a swell and over grass to get into my back yard. This involves a incline of 3 ft. ht. I have to go thru and burns my clutch up.
Next will be a Ford or Dodge single cab with Trailor Tow added and v-8 power. I don't need 4x4 but with the lower gear will be a big pluss in backing up over the swell and grass.(use to have a inline 6 4x4 ford pickup and it handled a 5500 lb boat and trailer with no problems) brought boat from Ma. to SW FL.
The 6 cylinder is easy pulling the Mac. on the road and launching and retreiving the boat. just need that auto trans. for backing up.
Dave

[hoaglandr]

Some good suggestions.

I haven't pulled my new (to me) very far yet but compared to the camper that I've towed all over the country it pulls real easy. (That reminds me, I need to return the dealer plates!) I've got an equalizer hitch on my camper. Has anyone felt a need to put one on their Mac trailer?

I'm also a little concerned about only having a single axle. Having a blowout could be a little bit unsettling. Do I even have a spare? (I'll have to check into this!)

I'm towing with an 01 Ford Ranger. As long as I'm not in a hurry it tows pretty well but it is a little underpowered. I've been hinting at an F150 with the admiral but now that I've (we've) got the Mac I think I need to cool it for awhile.

Russell

[Hamin' X]

If you go the equalizer route, make sure that it is compatible with surge brakes. All equalizer hitches are not created equal.

~Rich

[pokerrick1]

That Sacramento to Loreto, Baja, Mexico trip that Curtiss posted about is a real bear. The Mexican portion of that trip is difficult in a 4x4 or even a real comfortable car, much less towing an M!!

Rick

[Divecoz]

I agree Rick..... Bigger is better and it can be FAR BETTER......
What I have found is ..
1st. Wheel Base makes the difference! The farther apart the centers of the wheels are Front to Back on your tow vehicle , the better a trailer of our type will tow.
2nd. Tow Vehical Weight
3rd. Tow Vehicle Width. It all adds up to a Superior Tow Vehicle.
To Each His own. For Me its a Full Size ( American Made ) Quad Cab 4x4 Pick Up truck. It Pulls the boat really well has Lots and Lots of room for "stuff" inside the rear cab and ....in the bed.. With the 4X4 Option......I have Zero issues with steep, wet, sandy or muddy ramps . I like that.
Proper tire pressure and.... Proper Tires... are a given. You still need proper tongue weight and proper balance of the boat but the bigger the tow rig the less those might matter..
Legally : I have no idea what would happen if you had an accident and they proved your vehicle was under rated for what you were pulling with it.
At the end of my 100 + foot drive way and between the house and the garage I have about a 50' x50' asphalt parking area. I have "towed " the Mac around that area and even parked it , beside my garage, my Garden Tractor...I will asssssume, they would not like seeing me pulling it down the road with said vehicle..

[DaveB]

Ford is comeing out with a 3.7 litter V6 with towing 6100 lbs and torque 274. Wonder how they managed that.
HW 23mpg. town 16mpg.
Dave

I agree Rick..... Bigger is better and it can be FAR BETTER......
What I have found is ..
1st. Wheel Base makes the difference! The farther apart the centers of the wheels are Front to Back on your tow vehicle , the better a trailer of our type will tow.
2nd. Tow Vehical Weight
3rd. Tow Vehicle Width. It all adds up to a Superior Tow Vehicle.
To Each His own. For Me its a Full Size ( American Made ) Quad Cab 4x4 Pick Up truck. It Pulls the boat really well has Lots and Lots of room for "stuff" inside the rear cab and ....in the bed.. With the 4X4 Option......I have Zero issues with steep, wet, sandy or muddy ramps . I like that.
Proper tire pressure and.... Proper Tires... are a given. You still need proper tongue weight and proper balance of the boat but the bigger the tow rig the less those might matter..
Legally : I have no idea what would happen if you had an accident and they proved your vehicle was under rated for what you were pulling with it.
At the end of my 100 + foot drive way and between the house and the garage I have about a 50' x50' asphalt parking area. I have "towed " the Mac around that area and even parked it , beside my garage, my Garden Tractor...I will asssssume, they would not like seeing me pulling it down the road with said vehicle..

[seahouse]

Hey Divecoz!

1st. Wheel Base makes the difference! The farther apart the centers of the wheels are Front to Back on your tow vehicle , the better a trailer of our type will tow.
2nd. Tow Vehical Weight
3rd. Tow Vehicle Width. It all adds up to a Superior Tow Vehicle.

All good points:!: , and I'd like to add a
4th. The distance that the hitch ball hangs behind the rear wheels should be as small as possible, and a
5th. Trailer stability control lowers the importance of, or reduces the shortcomings of not having enough of, the first 4.

Regards Coz - Brian.

[cbig]

Interesting topic.

We tow using my 6 cyl 4 door jeep. Tows well considering it is a single axel. I do make sure I keep speeds below 60 mph, I added surge brakes to the trailer, and stretched the tongue out about another foot. We also have water storage up front about 20 gal in the v berth which keeps added weight on the hitch.

[Dreamcatcher]

Hi Curtis,
Sounds great, but how did you add an extra axle?
Jon - Dreamcatcher

[Chinook]

Dreamcatcher hits a whole bunch of towing nails right on the head. I use a 4x4 HD diesel pickup as tow vehicle, and have modified the trailer with tandem axle. The confidence this setup gives during long distance hauls is substantial. I also learned the hard way to carry a spare, even with the tandem axle.

[Québec 1]

As sacrilegious as this sounds, I have enjoyed thousands of, 2 fingers on the wheel, miles of smooth driving with my 17 year old Buick.

The secret of my success. A heavy front wheel drive Buick with a Wiiide wheel base and a low profile with an indestructible and economical 380 V6 by GM , new cargo coils on the back, new shocks all around, a transmission cooler, type 3 hitch. Special load Cargo tires,surge brakes and bearing buddies on the trailer. I check my tires and the temperature of my trailer hubs every time I stop for gas, I maintain a correct weight on my hitch (300-350lbs), I do not strap the aft end of the boat to the trailer to reduce the stress on the tires when I am on bumpy roads. I rarely drive faster than 60 miles an hour and I always drive in 3rd gear. I carry a spare and an old fashioned wheel nut wrench for the trailer tires.
Q1

[Trouts Dream]

safety scmafety...I'm looking for fuel economy

[Québec 1]

safety scmafety...I'm looking for fuel economy

I'm thinking of getting a newer vehicle, I put you first on the list as a potential buyer....cause you look like you need it more than me. I have another vehicle but it will only haul the boat down hill....sort of like your Mercedes.
Q1