What's the heaviest/biggest thing you've towed?

This doesn't really count as towing, but here it is:

Our forklift broke at work today, and we needed to move a trailer with a boat on it across the yard. I hooked up the X, pulled it out of the space, and backed it to the other side of the yard. I thought the boat was around 4000#, but when I looked it up later today I found that it was probably between 6000# and 7000#. The rear axle was about 1.5" below the bump stops with it loaded, and the leaves were perfectly flat. The rear tires bulged out a bit at the bottom, but the truck felt fine.

So, what's the heaviest/biggest thing you've towed?

 

[Anime]

A few years ago, back before the Uhaul/Explorer thing, I rented a medium size double axle box trailer, loaded it up with 1000lbs of my stuff, and drove it from Colorado to Mississippi. This is with 3.27's and a 5 speed, rated to tow 1900 lbs. It never even felt like there was a trailer back there, aside from the highway speed being limited by the wind drag from the front of the trailer being flat and sticking up a foot or two higher than the X. Not exactly heavy, but the torque of the 4.0 sure comes through, even with high gears and a manual.

 

[Explorer96xlt]

6500k in our boat..fully loaded up with gas..and our ballast system full (yes it was an accident) but the 5. oh pulle dit up that ramp

 

[GJarrett]

I regularly tow our Sea Ray Sundancer 230 Cruiser (4500 lbs empty weight).... so add supplies/fuel/fluids/trailer it's gotta easily be over three tons.

However, the MOST I've towed is about fifteen tons..... on ice.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99066

Beat that :

 

[Stic-o]

Ok, not real, but I thought I'd join in the fun with a funny picture I took long ago.:

 

['97 V8]

1500 of yard bricks (shrugs shoulders)

 

[Maniak]

ON the X.. My full size van... full of crap (its was being used as a storage shed).

The van didn't really fit on the trailer (old u-haul car trailer) and the Van was well over 6000 pounds.. The X didn't like towing it.. weight wasn't distributed right, van didn't really fit.. Tires on the trailer waddled... oh yea.. sway bars were (still are) sitting in the backyard..

Since then I got my own trailer with stronger axles and real tires.. but the van still doesn't fit on it well.

With my chevy flatbed I've towed 1000 gallons of water.. thats about 9000 lbs of weight (including trailer).. Its all hills and turns so I don't get over 40mph doing that, but the truck can do it..

Hauling, the most I've hauled is 2000 gallons of water.. Thats almost 16k of water.. We have since removed a tank and now only carry about 1400 gallons of water (truck likes it better).. As long as the wells keep running we don't have to do it.. (knock on wood)

~Mark

 

[Gatorblazer]

My Mother in Law

 

[gijoecam]

Towed my boat with it during the summers of 99 and 2000.

4650 lbs fully loaded, 300 lbs tongue weight, put the rear axle within about 200 lbs of the GAWR and actually reduced the weight on the front axle by about 400 lbs vs. unloaded. I'm not going to lie and say it pulled like a dream because it most certainly did not (not to mention I was blind to the rear) but I was within the manufacturers specs and it had surge brakes.

The only time it gave me any issues was one time at the ramp. They were working on the parking lot and the ramp was covered in a gritty-sandy clay mixture. I pulled the boat out and stopped on teh ramp to double check that the boat was resting evenly on the bunks (the trailer guide would occasionally catch a chine on the inside of the tunnel). When I stopped, I heard what sounded like feet shuffling across pavement: Turned out the weight of the boat on the gritty ramp was dragging me back towards the water in a 4-wheel skid!!! :eek Dropped it in gear and headed for level ground. (and started launching out of a nearby marina with less grade to the ramp LOL!!)

-Joe

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I tow my 4400lb dry weight travel trailer. Its probably about 5000lbs with all the junk in it.

I use a weight distribution hitch, spring bars and an electric brake controller. It pulls OK, not great. The power is there, but when its windy, its a real pain!

These pictures were taken before I did the superlift, but I still tow with it lifted. With the custom leaf packs I have in the back, it seems to tow better.

 

[cgriffin_5139]

Ok, not real, but I thought I'd join in the fun with a funny picture I took long ago.:

I was going to say WTF you put a goosenek hitch in your ranger!

 

[410Fortune]

I pulled my friends 70 something F-100 4x4 about 3 miles when my BII was stock (2.9L, 5 speed). His truck broke down in traffic and we had to get it moved so it wouldnt get towed.

3 weeks later I put a new clutch in my BII

 

[cgriffin_5139]

I tow my D11 R with my cal baby 9 axle truck & trailer together i wieghts in at 530581 lbs!





Oh with my explorer, nothing.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

That ranger with the gooseneck reminded me of something the service guy at the camper place told me.

He said a guy had an ext cab ranger that he had done the 5.0 swap in. He pulled a 5th wheel camper with that ranger, a pretty good sized one at that. I bet that looked strange! The truck owner said he got lots of strange looks when he was pulling with it.

 

[joecrna]

I just got back from Tombstone Az. Pulled a 22 ft travel trailer with my SOHC and 3.73's. Pulled really well. The only real problem was up one fairly steep and long grade at about 5000 ft elevation. I could only maintain 50 mph and the enginge was singing. Other than that, the 5000lb trailer wasn't a problem.

 

[rowekmr]

I pulled a 96 Regal 258 cabin cruiser with twin engines on a double axle trailer with my bone stock 98 XLT 5.0 AWD with only adding rear air shocks (and new front shocks). I would guessimate it all weighs 7000+ and have carried 3 family members with the a/c on in 99F+ temps (on the expressway), pulled up some pretty steep ramps and have the turbo diesel duallies looking twice.

Joe
(can't post pics)

 

[01EB5.0]

i have a 2,500 pound flatbed landscape trailer i tow 3 days a week. Loaded with all my equipment it weighs about 4,500. It tows well. The 5.0L is the way to go when towing. The heaviest thing i towed was a flatbed u-haul trailer with my old 95 explorer on it. (2200 lbs for trailer plus 4500 for explorer = 6700 lbs) apperantly thats the max towing capacity of the 5.0L AWD 3.73. That was with factory springs. Towed the sucker from chicago to detroit like that.

 

[rowekmr]

I pulled a 96 Regal 258 cabin cruiser with twin engines on a double axle trailer with my bone stock 98 XLT 5.0 AWD with only adding rear air shocks (and new front shocks). I would guessimate it all weighs 7000+ and have carried 3 family members with the a/c on in 99F+ temps (on the expressway), pulled up some pretty steep ramps and have the turbo diesel duallies looking twice.

Joe
(can't post pics)

I weighed the boat/trailer last week and it weighs 8000#!