Gohawks63

Hey all,

I currently am planning a trip from the northwest Chicago suburbs down to Branson, MO and I'm contemplating whether or not I want to tow my 21ft deckboat down there.

I own a 2004 Land Cruiser with the factory tow package that has a towing capacity of 6,500 lbs.

My towing thus far has been limited to local only. Less than 15 miles taking it back and forth to where it is stored and my house.

Not including the trailor, the net weight of the boat is 4,500 lbs. Add in cargo and whatever fuel is in it, I would say that it will come in just over 5,000 lbs. I'm not sure how much the trailer weighs, but being conservative, I'm betting total towing weight be just above 5,500 lbs. Total one-way driving distance is around 570 miles.

Has anyone done any similar towing? What kind of gas mileage do you get?

How stable is the vehicle towing something this size on the interstate?

Anything I need to be especially aware of?

General thoughts and experiences?

bsjoiner

I would not give it a second worry. I have towed a similar load from my home in Illinois down to Atlanta and had no problems. The rating for the vehicle is conservative and you will proably not even know that it is back there. i did not notice a huge drop in gas milage either.

Good Luck

jpinkert

I towed a lighter load (3000 lb car + 1000 lb trailer + 2 dogs + lotsa other junk piled in back) from VA to CO and it wasn't a problem. Well, if you don't mind 10 mpg and stopping every 200 or so miles. Granted I cruised around 70 or 75 mph.

Gohawks63

Thanks for the responses.

Bobhgd

FWIW, my experiences with towing with LX470:

With an enclosed trailer, 6x10 & approx 7-1/2 ft high, weight up to 3000 lb gross:

No significant problems, other than high-speed fuel economy drop (and related high-speed power availability drop).

My gas mileage dropped to about 8-9mpg on the highway, cruising at 70 to 80mpg.

Cruising at higher speeds, you basically have hold the accelerator to the floor while going up a grade, when towing a significant load with significant wind drag (as with the enclosed trailer rig).

The auto height/level suspension system works very well.

Gohawks63

I just got back from my trip. I was towing the boat (at least 4000lbs), the truck itself was loaded down pretty well with luggage and filled coolers. Since the LC doesn't have height control, it was sagging a bit.

Drove to Branson Missouri which is about 600 miles one way. Did fine on the flat roads, but it did struggle when the roads became hilly. When we got into the Ozarks it really struggled going up some of the very steep grades. The transmission wouldn't shift out of 1st or 2nd. THe extra HP of the new engines would of been most welcome.

Trip computer was indicating around 10mpg in the hilly areas, and 11-12mpg on the flat roads.

emailben

I am thinking about towing my Bayliner 219 Deck Boat for a 500 mile trip. The boat and trailer weight about 4,800 lbs without fuel in the boat. My hitch is an after market hitch that is actually welded on my LX470 frame and rated 5,000 lbs max. Do you know if the welded hitch will be as strong as the bolt-on factory hitch? Thanks.

Gohawks63

It would be better to ask that question of your installer, since you're very close to the limits of what your hitch is rated. I thought the factory hitches were bolted on, and if I'm right, why didn't your installer do the same? I would be a little concerned that it's installed with just welds, but I'm not a metallurgist so my fears may be unfounded.

My boat weights nearly 4,000lb and when you add in the weight of the trailer, it was comparable to what you'll be towing. You'll have the advantage of the AHC, minimizing the sagging. Assuming the hitch will be fine, the only thing that will suffer is gas mileage.

Depending where you'll be towing (i.e. steep grades) you'll wish you had a little more power, but aside from that you should be fine.

Good luck.