The Diesel Stop banner

Double Towing Advice: 5th Wheel + 22' Ski Boat

31K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Steve83 
#1 ·
I own a 22' Ski Boat (about 5,000 lbs) that sits on a dual axle trailer with surge brakes. I'm now ready to purchase a new Diesel truck (probably a 2011 Ford F-350) and a 5th wheel trailer. I want to pull both of them at the same time...

I have yet to come across a post where someone is pulling a 5th wheel trailer + a boat as big/heavy or bigger than mine. I understand all the legal length limits (my state is 65') so here are my questions:

1) Short bed or long bed and does it really matter (assuming I'm under the length limit)? I'd prefer a short bed and the 5th wheel trailer I'm considering has ample turning radius for even a short box...
2) Can a 5th Wheel trailer (probably via a custom hitch) really handle a 5,000 lbs boat behind it and what about my truck?
3) Any other advice?
 
#2 ·
#3 · (Edited)
1) Short bed or long bed and does it really matter (assuming I'm under the length limit)? I'd prefer a short bed and the 5th wheel trailer I'm considering has ample turning radius for even a short box...
Figure 22' for a long bed CrewCab. Add 26' for your tag boat and trailer makes 48'. That leaves only 17' for the 5er length behind the rear bumper of the tow vehicle. That's not much of a 5er, so with a shorty tow vehicle it goes up to 18.5'. Add 4' for the overhang, and your max 5er length would be 22.5'. That's not much of a 5er. I had a 21' 5er way back when, and it beat a tent trailer, but it was crowded with two old folks banging around in it.

But caveat: You'll save money buying a shorty instead of a long bed pickup, but then you'll spend that savings on a Pulliam PullRite SuperGlide hitch to be sure the 5er never crashes into the back of the cab. Don't try to get by with lesser hitch if you tow with a shorty pickup.

2) Can a 5th Wheel trailer (probably via a custom hitch) really handle a 5,000 lbs boat behind it ...
Yes, if you find a really good pro welding shop to beef up the back of the trailer's frame and add the receiver rated 5,000 pounds or more W/C.

...and what about my truck?
2011 F-350 SRW shorty diesel 4x4 CrewCab has a GCWR of 23,500 pounds. Your truck should gross around 8,500, the 5er less than 8,000, and the boat trailer less than 6,000. That's 22,500. So no problem with GCWR of the tow vehicle. And no problem with the hitch weight of an 8,000 pound 5er.

3) Any other advice?
Yeah. Move to Texas. We have a 70' max combined length here. So you could move up to a more normal 26' or maybe 27' 5er. My 25' Sprinter with one slide is fine for two old folks - much, much better than our previous 21 footer.

And look into trading your boat trailer for one that has waterproof electric brakes. The second trailer tends to go into a sway condition very easily, so you need a weight-distributing hitch with sway control. But finding a sway controller that will work with surge brakes is well nigh impossible.
 
#4 ·
I do it,but my trailer is not as long as yours.

1- invest in a back up camera to see what is going on with the second trailer.

2-Plan on driving slow. I dont tow over 65 anywhere

3-Make sure you dont get in a spot where you have to back up a long way. It wont happen.

4-Have fun. It is a great way to have all of your toys with you!!!!:)
 
#5 · (Edited)
I did it for years with a F250 CC SB, 27' 5er and 23' Searay Sorrento. Towed to Mexico, lake Powell, all over Arizona. Worked fine, never a problem with LE. Now mind you in AZ 70' is the length and I was right at that, but it worked for many many miles. Just make sure your hitch can handle all of the weight. I never had a slide hitch and never had a problem. I never went faster than 65mph. Usually 60mph.
 
#6 ·
I have a 2011 Ford F350 Crew Cab Short Box 6.7L Diesel. My 22' ski boat sits on tandem axles with surge brakes and the boat + trailer = 5,000 lbs.

I'm looking at the Montana High Country or Chaparral 5er's and having a professional welder install a custom/heavy hitch to the ibeams. The 5er's are around 10,000 lbs so my setup would be around: Truck (8k lbs) + 5er (10k lbs) + boat (5k lbs).

Anyone that has anything close to my setup or heavier, please chime in as I'd love to hear your experience(s).
 
#7 · (Edited)
The 5er's are around 10,000 lbs so my setup would be around: Truck (8k lbs) + 5er (10k lbs) + boat (5k lbs).
You have new RV fever, and you're allowing someone to lie to you and get away with it. :(

Those Montana High Country 5ers all have GVWR between 12,178 and 12,500 pounds. Typical RVers will load them to the gills, so don't plan on less wet and loaded 5er weight than about 12,000 pounds. So truck 8,500, 5er 12,000, boat 5,000 = 25,500 pounds. Your GCWR is 23,500. So any of those High Country 5ers with the boat tied on are too much weight for your tow vehicle.

The lightest Chaparral has a GVWR of over 11,000 pounds, and the heaviest is almost 14k, so that's still too much weight.

You should be looking at 5ers with GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less. Yes, they're available, but maybe not with 4 slides. :sneaky:
 
#8 · (Edited)
If you look at my post my 5er was a 01 Prowler with one slide, with my truck and family and loaded for a trip, my rig was 18,000lbs on the scale (without the boat). The Prowler was only a 27', so you will definitely be overweight, and if you are ever involved in a wreck, being outside of the limits will be a big problem if you end up in court. Like Smokey says, don't believe anything the RV salesman tells you about the weight of the 5er, they'll tell you you can pull that Montana with a 1/2ton to get the sale.....
 
#9 ·
Once you figure out your legal wt. ratings etc, might be wise to check with your ins. carrier. Meaning do you need extra coverage? If you only have Class C lic. you may want to check with DMV to see if you need endorsement for towing combinations + wt. limitations. I dont tow combos, but would need Class C endorsement here in Nv. Anyhow, good luck & keep er on the road!
 
#10 ·
Double towing

Have done it for years. 24' 5th wheel and a 16' Lund boat. 5th wheel was short , boat is long and light, no problems. Put a short trailer with ATV's UTV etc. and its a new game. Make the 5th wheel longer and you get more movement from the 5th wheel ball.
I almost flipped my Chevy 2500 crew cab long bed, 30' 5th wheel and a small enclosed trailer behind it. On a 2 lane interstate one time. 75 mph ( i was going a little too fast) downhill. Small trailer started whipping back and forth, made the 5th wheel trailer start swinging back and forth. The truck's ass end was sliding like crazy. Back wheels were sliding and coming off the ground. Heat cracked the front roters. Probable oscillated 30 times before it stopped. Absolutely terrifying. Bent the small trailer axle from it bouncing from tire to tire. Broke the 5th wheel hangers. Super lucky we did not flip.
Took a while fix everything and get the guts to do it again. Welded a new tong on the small trailer. Made it 4' longer. That helped big time because the wheels are farther away from the 5th wheel ball. Put a surge break on the trailer to help it straighten up when I hit the brakes.
 
#11 ·
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top