Anyone fully armored and tow? (1 Viewer)

[aznxfactor]

Tried searching but can't find anything relevant.

Anyone went full or almost full armored and towed heavy?

I bought a seafox 248 commander and wanted to tow it. I have my tundra fully heavy suspension to tow and it runs fine.

Wanted to tow with my land cruiser and the reason I ask is because the land cruiser and the tundra towing the boat with fishing gear, ice, people, etc exceeds the gvwr by several hundred pounds.

Both my 11 tundra and 16 land cruiser have heavy rear suspension. The cruiser has iron man cell foam pro with heavy rear springs. My tundra has added leafs, beefier shackles.

I know the fact check gear heads will say I'm driving very risky but I've towed my boat on my tundra for well over 2000 miles to fish in the gulf coast with no problems despite the 1295 gvwr sticker.

I gotta order a 4-5 inch drop hitch for the land cruiser because 2 and 3 that I bought wouldnt get under the boat trailer.

Boat with 107 gallon of fuel is about 5800 pounds before trailer and people etc. Trailer is double Axle.

Any input would be great because I plan on putting my arb skids and winch on soon and I know that affects weight. I think I would be fine but wanted your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

Picture of my lady and boat for attention! Haha.

 

[customcruiser]

sweet boat!!

 

[DRRichey]

2011 w/ F&R bumpers, winch, 40 gal Aux Fuel, Drawers, tools, RTT, etc. and it tows just fine - its not gonna tow like a newer diesel, but itll move. Keep it in manual mode and in 4th (08-15) or 6th (16+) so it doesnt hunt gears.

I also have heavy rear coils and AirbagMan HP Bags

 

[aznxfactor]

sweet boat!!

Thanks

 

[aznxfactor]

2011 w/ F&R bumpers, winch, 40 gal Aux Fuel, Drawers, tools, RTT, etc. and it tows just fine - its not gonna tow like a newer diesel, but itll move. Keep it in manual mode and in 4th (08-15) or 6th (16+) so it doesnt hunt gears.

I also have heavy rear coils and AirbagMan HP Bags

View attachment 3029541

Thanks. Did you notice a drop in the rear

 

[DRRichey]

yes loaded vs unloaded. Unloaded is no fuel, doggos, kids or trailer - so it sits quite high in the ass end. Loaded i still carry about a 1inch high rake in the rear.

The key IMO is proper rear spring rate and I really like the Airbagman HP kit. I run around 10psi unloaded to keep shape, and between 30-45psi loaded depending on road conditions.

See the Towing with 200 series thread, as it has loads of good info and fellow boat towers.

 

[linuxgod]

Add rear airbags if you tow. They will help level you and effectively increase the spring rate when inflated, but have no negative handling impacts when deflated.

There are lots of people over GVWR and GCWR towing around here. It can be done safely I would not worry about being slightly over but certainly the more weight you carry the larger the impact to handling dynamics and the more risk you assume.

 

[montegofd3s]

It can be done, and as others have suggested I would look at the towing thread. I am unaware of any load level/sway control system for boats (I assume that is because of surge brakes?), but if that is available I would definitely invest in that plus some air bags. My truck is 7100lbs and trailer is about the same weight loaded. Once I got the hitch height and weight set properly it pulls fine. I use a gen-y drop hitch with load level/sway control bars and a redarc brake controller.

 

[highfructose]

I don’t know about land cruisers, but lx570’s initially had a higher tow rating and then around 2011 they lowered it without, I think, changing anything about the vehicle.

Also, I know with an older Mercedes I had, the tow rating for the same vehicle was markedly higher in Europe.

Ratings are…subjective in ways.

 

[gomez268]

It can be done, and as others have suggested I would look at the towing thread. I am unaware of any load level/sway control system for boats (I assume that is because of surge brakes?), but if that is available I would definitely invest in that plus some air bags. My truck is 7100lbs and trailer is about the same weight loaded. Once I got the hitch height and weight set properly it pulls fine. I use a gen-y drop hitch with load level/sway control bars and a redarc brake controller.

View attachment 3030481

My lc weighs about the same as yours, how much are you getting mpg? whats your range on a full tank towing?

 

[montegofd3s]

My lc weighs about the same as yours, how much are you getting mpg? whats your range on a full tank towing?

Oof, maybe 8mpg with the trailer. Probably 13-14 without.

 

[Hulsty]

In Australia, 200's are rated to tow 7700lbs and I see them regularly pulling big weights.

 

[gomez268]

Oof, maybe 8mpg with the trailer. Probably 13-14 without.

That is better then I expected. I get 9 mpg city and 13-14 mpg hwy non towing. Was expecting much worst. what range do you get between fill ups? Do you have a long range tank?

I want to buy a travel trailer around 7k weight, trying to see what upgrades to the cruiser makes the most sense. Right now its redac brake controller and firestone helper bags are an absolute must. But not sure if a long ranger fuel tank would help or hurt not only range but carrying capacity.

 

[linuxgod]

I get about 7-7.5mpg when towing at highway speeds (70-75). At a more sane ~55-60 I'll get 8.5-9mpg. At higher speeds I get 140-150 miles before I really need to fill up. I keep a rotopax on my roof with an extra 4.5 gallons in it when towing long distances as I've been on stretches out west where it's 156 miles between gas stations, or passed through little towns where a gas station listed on google maps was actually closed. The rotopax will only get me ~30 miles but is enough in a pinch to get me help.

@gomez268 more important than airbags is a good weight distribution hitch setup. Airbags will help better support the weight of the trailer tongue as they (effectively) increase your spring rate, but they don't affect the height of your front springs/wheels. Airbags can help raise the rear and get you level, but your front end will still be lifted a bit which will add camber and reduce caster, both of which will make your steering lighter and less responsive when towing. Weight Distribution will resolve that (somewhat). To help make that clear, here are 3 different measurements done with my setup.

1. "before bumper" was my setup with Tough Dog 2" lift standard duty coils and firestone airbags, but with the OEM bumper
2. "after bumper" was the same setup but with a 200# steel bumper
3. "after bumper + springs" has heavier rear springs and the steel bumper, but I've opted to forgo the airbags.

As you can see with all 3 columns the front end lifts up when the trailer is dropped onto the tow ball as weight it removed from the front axle and shifted to the rear, and then some (but not all) of that weight is shifted back when weight distribution is enabled. Also at the bottom of the first two columns, airbag pressure affects rear height but has not affect on front height, meaning no weight is being shifted back to the front (and thus no suspension/alignment improvement).

 

[gomez268]

I get about 7-7.5mpg when towing at highway speeds (70-75). At a more sane ~55-60 I'll get 8.5-9mpg. At higher speeds I get 140-150 miles before I really need to fill up. I keep a rotopax on my roof with an extra 4.5 gallons in it when towing long distances as I've been on stretches out west where it's 156 miles between gas stations, or passed through little towns where a gas station listed on google maps was actually closed. The rotopax will only get me ~30 miles but is enough in a pinch to get me help.

@gomez268 more important than airbags is a good weight distribution hitch setup. Airbags will help better support the weight of the trailer tongue as they (effectively) increase your spring rate, but they don't affect the height of your front springs/wheels. Airbags can help raise the rear and get you level, but your front end will still be lifted a bit which will add camber and reduce caster, both of which will make your steering lighter and less responsive when towing. Weight Distribution will resolve that (somewhat). To help make that clear, here are 3 different measurements done with my setup.

1. "before bumper" was my setup with Tough Dog 2" lift standard duty coils and firestone airbags, but with the OEM bumper
2. "after bumper" was the same setup but with a 200# steel bumper
3. "after bumper + springs" has heavier rear springs and the steel bumper, but I've opted to forgo the airbags.

As you can see with all 3 columns the front end lifts up when the trailer is dropped onto the tow ball as weight it removed from the front axle and shifted to the rear, and then some (but not all) of that weight is shifted back when weight distribution is enabled. Also at the bottom of the first two columns, airbag pressure affects rear height but has not affect on front height, meaning no weight is being shifted back to the front (and thus no suspension/alignment improvement).

View attachment 3044226

interesting results. thank you for sharing.

I do plan on getting a WD hitch once i buy a travel trailer. But trying to see what upgrades/modifications make sense to prepare for towing. So your having to fill up about every 2 - 2 1/2 hrs give or take? Have you thought of getting an aux fuel take? would does it make sense or do you think range is a non-issue with your setup?

 

[linuxgod]

interesting results. thank you for sharing.

I do plan on getting a WD hitch once i buy a travel trailer. But trying to see what upgrades/modifications make sense to prepare for towing. So your having to fill up about every 2 - 2 1/2 hrs give or take? Have you thought of getting an aux fuel take? would does it make sense or do you think range is a non-issue with your setup?

Yeah every 2-2.5 hours we stop. Other than costing me a few minutes of driving time it's really fine - I find I need to stretch my legs at that point anyway... when I've taken longer trips I really can't go 4-5 hours between fill ups without feeling so stiff and achy

I've considered an aux tank but it's a $2k+ commitment, adds weight (not that I'm not already getting heavy), and as much as I see people saying they work fine I also see a lot of posts about the tanks causing check engine codes. I think a 24 gallon tank would be wonderful for long offroad excursions, but I've been fine with my existing setup and worst case could just break out the gas can

 

[montegofd3s]

That is better then I expected. I get 9 mpg city and 13-14 mpg hwy non towing. Was expecting much worst. what range do you get between fill ups? Do you have a long range tank?

I want to buy a travel trailer around 7k weight, trying to see what upgrades to the cruiser makes the most sense. Right now its redac brake controller and firestone helper bags are an absolute must. But not sure if a long ranger fuel tank would help or hurt not only range but carrying capacity.

@linuxgod sort of answered everything pretty well, but yeah I get about 2ish hours before stopping to fuel. Terrain plays a big factor as well. I tow where it is relatively flat and at sea level (Tracks in Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, etc) so it isn't bad. The first time towing the trailer was not fun. I had the car way too forward in the trailer, no weight distribution, and no air bags. After getting the trailer balanced and the hitch at the right height it tows well....but still thirsty. I also carry a 5 gallon can in the trailer just in case.