7-8% tongue weight is about right for a boat/trailer rig; TT's run 10-15%.

• 7-8% reported from the manf.

How wide is that boat? Reason I'm asking is, some boats that big/heavy are over 8 1/2' wide, which would require an "overwide" permit to tow thru some (maybe all) states. Just a thought............

• 12 feet - yeah need permits for Ohio, Wisc and Minn

Is it your boat?

• Yes - fully paid and Insured

Regular passenger plates (8000 pounds cost 28 dollars per year) on a F250 gasser towing a 15,000 pound boat with regular operators license.

• It will be towed by a 1 ton with appropriate plates.

Thanks to all about opinons!

I am looking at the equalizer dist/sway hitch.

 

I can tell you this from personal experiance,I own a hot shot company.If you are going to haul ANYTHING in OHIO,you better have correct tag weight for what you're hauling.My trucks run the northern tier and mid-western states and trust me, they do check.They also check length and axle weight.All this other info is fine ,but, you are better off to know the laws of the states you are going to travel in.I've been a truck driver for 20 years and owned this company for 5 and some of these things I've had to learn the hard way.Also the fines for these offenses aren't cheap,in fact ,some are quiet lofty...

 

With a 12' width, you may need pilot vehicles to lead and/or follow you to notify traffic of the oversize load. Requirements will depend on the state and the roads you are on. It would be a bad thing to be hundreds of miles from you destination and be not be allowed to proceed.

 

All I am saying is the rules the hot shot driver and the personal RV driver have to comply with are completely different.

If a hot shot driver was caught with the credentials that an RV driver is on the road with they would put him under the jail and throw the key away.

 

There is no difference in the two.As long as your combination is not over 26000 lbs,you don't need a CDL liscense.If hauling an oversize load (12' wide) better have your ducks in a row to travel on the highways in OHIO.As for the 8000 lb vehicle tag ,if you tow a 15000lb boat,this equals 23000lbs,and if you are stopped and checked you will be cited (in OHIO and probably Indiana) RV driver or not.

 

All this talk about licences and tags. Although I do have a CDL class B for my company trucks as well as DOT numbers, I am glad that my personal truck has farm plates. I can be as wide as I want to be and no permit is required! Of coarse, I cannot haul 'for hire', but who is to say that my load is NOT for the farm. he he he. No DOT number either.

The problem I have is with farmers who don't have and are not required to have a CDL if they stay within 150 miles of the farm. That don't make any sense at all. They have a lot more mass with a full load of grain than some gray haired local yocal driving an RV.

 

Most of the State Troopers in Virginia don't bother farmers as long as their trailer lights work at night. They say that there are so many loopholes for farmers that it is not worth it to give them a ticket. Also, the stubborn farmers do not pay the tickets off and always show up to plead their case before the judge. Most of the judges around here have farms or are from a farming background and side with the farmers.

 

Amen brother. Amen.

 

before you buy a 1 ton truck to pull this boat, you should check with a couple local mobile home delivery companies. They will be familiar with all oversize regulations in your region, as they typically deliver within about a 400 mile air radius, they will have the equiptment to safely tow it, and the experience to pull it safely. and also have a pilot car company on speed dial if needed. I drive for a living. YOU DO NOT want to pull something like that with an old used pickup!!!!! that sounds like a big boat, big boats have a lot of cross section to them to catch wind. i would not worry about pulling a 15000lb load of rock that distance with some used truck. but that boat is going to catch any gust of crosswind and try to drag you off the road. YOU NEED A BIG TRUCK to be able to keep that thing stable and under control in that kind of situation. I dont want to hear about I-70 closed while i sit in traffic because there is a truck flipped over with a big boat jacknifed in the middle of the road

 

Great points!

Thank you~

B2

 

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Thank You

Dave Jabas

 

Not to spoil anything but legally I think if something happens and you do not have an endorsement on your drivers license for pulling over 10,000# or a CDL you may be in BIG TROUBLE. Better check with your DMV. Most states require one or the other. If you have never pulled you IMO aren't using your head, to start learning with that kind of weight. I pull 10,000# on a regular basis, and I wouldn't want to hook-up another 5,000# behind a 3/4 ton truck. In fact one day I will go to a 1 ton or 1 1/2 ton for 10,000#. If that trailer decides it is going somewhere you have no choice but to go with it, and that in most cases isn't to a good place. I have semi-truck experence, ask any truck driver pulling that kind of weight with little or no experience at hauling that kind of weight isn't the smartest thing to do.

I didn't read all the post and just backed up if your boat is 12' wide I'd bet money you will need an licensed and in insured carrier, I've driven semi in MN. and they are tough. You can't just go to the store an get a wide load permit you most likely going to have to show you are a licensed and insured carrier, They don't just let anyone pull oversize loads. Most carriers are bonded, and carry $1,000,000+ liability insurance, etc.
The guy that posted this is either out of his mind, or just feeding junk for a reponse.

 

I use a 2001 350 7.3 CC DRW to haul 15 - 1000 pd hay bales on a GOOD 6000 pd 24' GN flatbed 3 times a year. This is as good a load as you will ever haul, low, doesn't catch much wind etc.. I go a total of 15-20 miles with each load and I stay at or below 50 mph. I have a considerable amount of hauling and towing experince without being a professional and I can tell you that this much weight will give you the biggest pucker factor you have ever felt.

Listen to these guys, your boat will make a 1 ton do things it doesnt want to! Namely the tail wagging the dog. This is not the thing to learn on, especially for 400 or more miles.

Be SAFE and SMART. Hire it so you get to enjoy it.

 

And please! make dam sure you can stop that beast when you need to! I believe most boatowners insurance usually don't cover the boat while it's on the road - auto liability probably covers it but collision damage might not. Also check to be sure you're covered if (God forbid) the trailer separates from the vehicle or the boat leaves the trailer.

15000 pounds of boat...you are my HERO!