Tow question for my new boat

[Bottomlesspit]

I am looking for info and suggestions concerning the tow capacity and durability issues for my X.
I have a 99 4-door XLS 4.0 OHV 2wd 3.73 open axle with no tow stuff currently on the vehicle.
I just picked up my "new" 93 Baja ski boat today and it weighs 2,800 pounds. The limits for my vehicle, if I read it right, say the limit is 3500 pounds for towing.
Am I going to have problems here? Tear up my vehicle? Destroy the transmission?
Can it work with this much weight?
I don't need to tow for long distances...maybe 5 miles each way.
Also, recommendations for a hitch if I can use one in this case? Any other items I should consider?
My wife has the Expedition with the towing package and the 5.4L engine...but I can't always count on it being available...she is always off working with her 2 horses!!!
Any comments, suggestions, etc are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ken

 

[RiverRat]

I think you will be ok. Your total tow weight is 2800# or just the boat? Make sure to add all the extra weight (trailer, boat, gear).

If it's a manual then expect more frequent clutch replacement. If you have an auto get a good trans cooler if you don't have one already.

Get a frame mounted hitch They look cool and won't bend or dent your bumper.

I towed 4400# with a 4.0 manual. I needed a new clutch every year but this was towing in the mtns, larger tires, and severe use.

The 5.4L will tow your boat as if it wasn't there

 

[SplashMan]

You should be fine, you might want to look into a set of adjustable "helper" springs from Helwig to help with sagging though. If I pull this with no problems...

You will be fine. The "helpers" are nice though and a good Class III Reese or Hidden Hitch will work great.

 

[Alec]

What the others said. Adding to that, towing that short distance will be fine, but you may not want to tow it longer distances than that if you value your leaf springs.

If it's an automatic, make sure you have an aux tranny cooler.

One more thing: you may have problems with 2wd and an open rear differential. If the ramp is at all wet you probably won't be able to pull the boat out cause you won't have any traction. Just something to think about.

 

[james t]

2800lbs is a joke... even for the V6er... if you are only towning short distances you wont have any issues towing off of the bumper. i tow this setup alot...

 

[Bottomlesspit]

Thank you all for some good ideas and points to consider.
The best solution is to steal my wife's Expedition...but she won't give that plush ride up so easily!
My X is AUTOMATIC with those 3.73s. I only know the boat weighs 2800 pounds. I will have to have the trailer weighed...it is just a basic trailer...regular size and not made out of lead or anything!!!
My main concern is not hurting the rear suspension and making sure I can get the boat out of the water.
Back in 1992 I had a "incident" when lauching a smaller boat...short story: my car became an artificial reef
I have no idea if I have a transmission cooler...but I suspect I do not. If not too hard to hook up I'll look into it this weekend. Is there a recommended brand/model for a cooler? I will also search out for that hidden hitch you all talk about so much...sounds like that's what I would want.
Spalshman...my X looks just like yours...without all that 'extra' stuff behind it!!!
Thanks again..I need to get this right.
Ken

 

[Fhantazm]

Originally posted by Bottomlesspit

Back in 1992 I had a "incident" when lauching a smaller boat...short story: my car became an artificial reef
I

Are you serious!? What happened? I wanna hear about this.

 

[Bottomlesspit]

Well.... first off, I ALMOST have my wife talked in to switching vehicles for now. That EB Expedition is sweet.
Anyway...the "incident"
I had a 15' boat and trailer that I hauled around behind my 81 Toyota celica. I had pulled, lauched, and recovered this boat with the celica for 4 years without a problem. Normally my wife would stand at the waters edge and lead the boat off the trailer with a rope and walk it over to the dock while I parked the car.
Well....one day my dad came fishing with me and talked me into letting him drive the boat off the trailer while I parked. I was worried because I would have to go in deeper to get the boat to float with his 250lb weight in the boat.......but gave it the old gungho try. Needless to say, as soon as the boat cleared the trailer there was no longer enough weight to keep my little celica planted...lost all traction... and the trailer just pulled me backwards deeper into the water. I gave up trying anything when water started pouring in over the window seal into my lap! I turned the engine off, pulled the keys out, slid out the open window and watched in horror as the car kept sinking. My dad was ramming the back of the car with the boat to try and help...but it was not going to happen.
2 main factors come into play now:

1) While standing outside the car I started holding onto the front bumper like I could save it or something?! While doing this, another guy with a large truck and winch saw what was happening and came to help. He had to turn his rig around to get the winch to me. He got it around, parked, and was pulling the cable/hook out, coming toward me as fast as he could. He got within 5 feet and the water CONSUMED my car! It popped out of my hands and down it went. The car actually got stuck on a ledge.......the trailer jacknifed on a ledge, which held the car up in about 15' of water. If the trailer had not held, the car would have sunk to 50+ feet.

2) Insurance......Believe it or not, after paying full coverage on this sucker for 11 years, JUST THAT VERY month of the sinking I had the bright idea to go to liability only to save money.
I only got $100 for towing from the insurance. I had to pay a scuba diver $200 to do the underwater work (salvage) and $250 for a tow truck and stuff to haul the car out of the lake and take it to a salvage yard.

The car was only under water for about 4 hours but when it came out it STUNK like a sewer. Every piece of metal was corroded and green slime stuck to everything. We had the salvage company take it and signed a title for scrap use only.
5 months later we are driving over in Mexico and sure enough...the old celica goes sputtering by with a real old mexican lady and about 40 kids hanging out of it. It was beat to pieces and belching smoke...but it was running.
That's my story...a real humiliating and expensive day of fishing. I still get kidded about it, even after 10+ years.
I DON'T want it to happen again!
Ken

 

[MattStarr]

Just my 2 cents..............be careful when towing all that weight..... without the "tow package," all the weight will be hinged on the bumper. I think the bumper on my 97 is only recommended for 600 pounds. Realize something too... you bought a 2wd xls w/o a tow package..... this is the farthest thing from being "tow worthy" that you can get. The XLS is not made for towing, but rather grabbing groceries, think about going with a V8 AWD explorer with a class III or IV hidden hitch, these are made for towing that type of weight.


----> theres nothing like watching someone on the boat ramp not be able to climb back out, ive seen it, dont let it happen to you, again.

 

[Crankcase]

I have towed a 2500- 2800 LB tent tralier up the very steep mountains in BC with my 4.0 OHV, and still made it fine with no problems.....if you are only towing it flat, you will have more than enough power....

 

[Bottomlesspit]

Thanks again everyone.
Just to let you know...I have no intentions of towing from the bumper. I would definitely get a class III hitch. I'm not sure how I'm going to tackle this problem yet...probably just borrow the Expedition when I can. The distance for towing will not exceed 5 miles each way...mostly flat highway. Just the ramp itself, pulling the boat out, could present a problem. We will see...................???
Ken