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I picked up a trailer and want to get a weight distributing hitch set up for it.
The issue is that the tongue has a very long straight section before it branches out, its a few feet long.
Does anyone have any thoughts on a model that will work for that situation? Or would any of them work?
Here is a pic, with red arrows pointing where it starts to branch out.
You may or may not need a wdh for a boat. Typically boats have much lighter tongues. That said, a great source for advise and parts is etrailer.com . That said, make sure you get something compatible with surge brakes if that is what you have. They do make brackets for this situation.
I was just at a get together with some friends who have boats of similar sizes and weights.
They said it's not an issue and that I'm overthinking it. I'm pretty confident in them, so I'll see how it goes.
You are definitely overthinking it for a boat trailer, especially a pontoon. I have a 30' pontoon that I put behind my wife's F150 and it barely registers that it's there.
Remember that while boats can be heavy, most of the weight is at the back (usually - I will add the caveat later). So most boats are only on the trailer enough to add some tongue weight and that's about it - I can lift the tongue of my boat trailers with the boat on it.
Now, larger boats (or sorta-big boats on too small of a trailer) on the other hand, will come with a lot of tongue weight. But those usually have bigger couplers and require a bigger ball (2-5/16 instead of 2"). In that case you might want a WDH but for a pontoon of the size that will fit on your trailer? Nothing to worry about.
You are definitely overthinking it for a boat trailer, especially a pontoon. I have a 30' pontoon that I put behind my wife's F150 and it barely registers that it's there.
Remember that while boats can be heavy, most of the weight is at the back (usually - I will add the caveat later). So most boats are only on the trailer enough to add some tongue weight and that's about it - I can lift the tongue of my boat trailers with the boat on it.
Now, larger boats (or sorta-big boats on too small of a trailer) on the other hand, will come with a lot of tongue weight. But those usually have bigger couplers and require a bigger ball (2-5/16 instead of 2"). In that case you might want a WDH but for a pontoon of the size that will fit on your trailer? Nothing to worry about.
Thank you.
I think all the discussions on here about towing is what made me overthink it.
It's a 25' pontoon boat...which is 30' from bow to the end of the motor. Question, since you haul what we'll be hauling. Can you see well enough with your factory mirrors to change lanes safely on the highway and back the boat down the ramp?
I have the standard factory mirrors (not the extendable tow mirrors), are they sufficient?
We had a 21' and never used a WDH and you're correct about the boats being lower tongue weight so it shouldn't need it unless it is over the 5000# limit.
I have a set of clip on mirrors that I use - at 8' wide seeing behind you will be impossible, especially if it is a narrow ramp or one that has several lanes.
Thank you.
I think all the discussions on here about towing is what made me overthink it.
It's a 25' pontoon boat...which is 30' from bow to the end of the motor. Question, since you haul what we'll be hauling. Can you see well enough with your factory mirrors to change lanes safely on the highway and back the boat down the ramp?
I have the standard factory mirrors (not the extendable tow mirrors), are they sufficient?
I wish hers had the extendable tow mirrors. No, I don't feel the small fixed mirrors are enough. Can you get by with them? Sure, I've seen lots of people flying down the highway at 75+ mph hauling pontoons. Would I do it? Absolutely not.
We really only put it behind hers if necessary to take it somewhere and my truck is hooked up to something already. It doesn't really squat her truck at all, and her 2.7 has no issues pulling it.
But generally speaking, I prefer my Power Wagon for hauling stuff. It just does it BETTER and has tow mirrors if I need them.
Thank you.
I think all the discussions on here about towing is what made me overthink it.
It's a 25' pontoon boat...which is 30' from bow to the end of the motor. Question, since you haul what we'll be hauling. Can you see well enough with your factory mirrors to change lanes safely on the highway and back the boat down the ramp?
I have the standard factory mirrors (not the extendable tow mirrors), are they sufficient?
Many states have a requirement that you need to be able to see "X" feet behind the trailer. This is not universal, but it's a good rule of thumb for whether you need tow mirrors or not. Some states just have a blanket rule that if you are towing a trailer, you must have towing mirrors. I don't know about Texas, but that's probably the place to start.
The trailer we tow the most is an Rpod, and it's only 7' wide, so I can see behind the trailer very well with the stock mirrors. We do tow other things, but those are generally short/local hops. Those trailers (like the flat bed) don't really block the rearward view either.
Many states have a requirement that you need to be able to see "X" feet behind the trailer. This is not universal, but it's a good rule of thumb for whether you need tow mirrors or not. Some states just have a blanket rule that if you are towing a trailer, you must have towing mirrors. I don't know about Texas, but that's probably the place to start.
The trailer we tow the most is an Rpod, and it's only 7' wide, so I can see behind the trailer very well with the stock mirrors. We do tow other things, but those are generally short/local hops. Those trailers (like the flat bed) don't really block the rearward view either.
I ordered these extensions. They might not be perfect, but they had decent reviews. The boat will mostly live on the lake, so it will be rare to need to tow it...unless for warranty work or a major repair.
You will be happy with the clip ons, I have them for my 23' travel trailer and do just fine. I did line the inside with blue painters tape, I was worried they might scratch my chrome mirrors. No issues after maybe 10 uses.
I ordered these extensions. They might not be perfect, but they had decent reviews. The boat will mostly live on the lake, so it will be rare to need to tow it...unless for warranty work or a major repair.
Those are some of the better clip-ons that I have seen. Far too many clip-ons are no good, they vibrate in the wind and don't really let you see anything because they're shaking too much. If these are pretty solid while towing then you'll be okay with these.
You will be happy with the clip ons, I have them for my 23' travel trailer and do just fine. I did line the inside with blue painters tape, I was worried they might scratch my chrome mirrors. No issues after maybe 10 uses.
Originally Posted by 99powerstrokedF250
Those are some of the better clip-ons that I have seen. Far too many clip-ons are no good, they vibrate in the wind and don't really let you see anything because they're shaking too much. If these are pretty solid while towing then you'll be okay with these.
Thanks guys! We're hooking it up on Friday.
I feel good about it now.
Question for you King. Not trying to be "that" guy but. How much boating experience do you have? Just asking because of the WDH question. It always chapped my a$$ back in my boating/skiing days that in Texas anyway, anyone can buy a boat and put it in the water without ever piloting a boat. I stayed off the water on the major holidays because of the inexperienced. Kinda dumb actually. Not much different than the proposed "constitutional carry" bill being pushed thru. But hey, that's Texas.....
