Towing with a lift/aftermarket suspension and taller tires?

[JRHorne]

Folks,
I searched and either the word I am using (towing, hauling, boat) are not the best or there doesn't seem to be sufficient content on this topic. I just got my 2014 LC a few months ago and have used it to tow my 18' skiff (might be 2,200 pounds with the boat, motor, trailer, and all my gear). Obviously the LC did a fantastic job and I was very impressed.

I am in need of new tires and I'm heavily considering the Icon Rebound in 17" and a 31" tire with hopefully minimal suspension work initially. Long term, I'd like maybe a 2" lift with aftermarket suspension to move to a 32-33" tire. However, I really want all the components to still play nicely with me hauling the skiff and potentially in the future, hauling a nice 24-25' Center Console boat loaded up that may approach 6,500 pounds with fuel, ice, and gear. Obviously that boat would have a trailer with brakes whereas the trailer for my current skiff does not have brakes (and honestly doesn't need them).

So for those of you who have aftermarket suspension, wheels, and tires and haul a good bit, what have been your experiences? When I am not hauling the boat, the purpose of the truck will be more "overlanding" than true off roading/rock crawling, as I could see myself and my sons as they grow going into the mountains and hiking, driving on the NC beaches that allow it, and other random adventures. So a mild lift with some capable tires would likely fit the bill nicely. Other than that it is a daily driver in the city (suburban really), but I am working from home for at least the rest of the calendar year and rumor is it may be made permanent, which I'd love. So that would likely have the truck being driven no more than 6-7K miles a year.

I appreciate everyone's time and consideration on their responses!

 

[linuxgod]

Towing with a 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser

I posted this on my personal blog at Towing with a 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser but wanted to share it here directly so it would be indexed. I've read a number of different thoughts and opinions about towing with the 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser. One popular opinion which seems to come...

forum.ih8mud.com

~6800# rig with 2" lift on 34" A/T tires + 6000# trailer. Tows fine, but you'll want to stiffen the rear springs and make sure you have a good WD hitch.

 

[JRHorne]

Towing with a 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser

I posted this on my personal blog at Towing with a 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser but wanted to share it here directly so it would be indexed. I've read a number of different thoughts and opinions about towing with the 200-series Toyota Land Cruiser. One popular opinion which seems to come...

forum.ih8mud.com

~6800# rig with 2" lift on 34" A/T tires + 6000# trailer. Tows fine, but you'll want to stiffen the rear springs and make sure you have a good WD hitch.

Thanks. What hitch are you running? I see your suspension details in your signature. Any pics of the rig loaded? Not worried about how it looks when towing just want it to be safe. Also, what speeds do you hit? That's my biggest concern is that almost every trip I'll ever make with the boat is going to be on I40 and speeds could easily approach 80. I could keep it slower around 65 or 70, but my coastal drives are MINIMUM 2 hours and up to 3.5 with probably 70-80% being highway.

 

[JohnPW]

Thanks. What hitch are you running? I see your suspension details in your signature. Any pics of the rig loaded? Not worried about how it looks when towing just want it to be safe. Also, what speeds do you hit? That's my biggest concern is that almost every trip I'll ever make with the boat is going to be on I40 and speeds could easily approach 80. I could keep it slower around 65 or 70, but my coastal drives are MINIMUM 2 hours and up to 3.5 with probably 70-80% being highway.

Not sure if this is relevant but I tow a @4000lb boat regularly in FL with my 2016 LC, which is stock except rear Firestone Coil Rite airbags and OEM front coil spacers. The truck is a fantastic boat hauler. I will say no one down here uses WD hitches when pulling 24’ 6000lb boats. Most have surge brakes on their boat trailer which I understand may not be compatible with WD hitches? In any case, I’ve found the airbags to be really helpful in towing a boat on the factory hitch. For my load they aren’t really necessary, but for a 6K lb boat I would consider them mandatory if not using a WD hitch. When both my boat and truck are fully loaded, 10lb of air in the bags will completely level the rig. Stock suspension is soft on LC’s for off road use, so a heavy hitch weight affects the LC more than other SUV’s I’ve towed with.

I’m on P rated tires on a stock truck, so I have no input to what an armored truck does pulling a big boat...other than to say I’m sure it can do it based on pics on this site of the off-road LC’s pulling big campers over mountans.

 

[JRHorne]

Thanks John. I did some more searching and followed links within threads and have seen some really good results from people doing exactly what I plan. Seems the key thing is exactly as you mention: addressing the rear suspension and as linuxgod said, getting a good hitch. It's very likely I am 5+ years away from hauling a larger boat, but you this thing is an LC so I am trying to plan for minimum of 15 years of ownership given the vehicle is already 6 years old (but only has 35K miles on it!).

 

[linuxgod]

Thanks. What hitch are you running? I see your suspension details in your signature. Any pics of the rig loaded? Not worried about how it looks when towing just want it to be safe. Also, what speeds do you hit? That's my biggest concern is that almost every trip I'll ever make with the boat is going to be on I40 and speeds could easily approach 80. I could keep it slower around 65 or 70, but my coastal drives are MINIMUM 2 hours and up to 3.5 with probably 70-80% being highway.

The hitch is a Blue Ox with 1000# bars. I had to buy a longer drop shank (11" IIRC) because my trailer sits fairly low, but otherwise the setup works well. I have standard duty TD coils (240#/in) as well as firestone airbags which I run at 30psi when towing. The rear still sits about an inch or so lower than the front, but its close to where I'd like it to be. The trailer is within 1/2" of being dead-nuts level though. I think OME 2721 coils in the rear would be the sweet spot, so one day when I have to do rear end work again and have it up on jack stands I'll plan to try them. Then again I'm at close to GVWR if not over when I'm loaded down with the family and NOT attached to the trailer, and both my daughter and our dog are in the 3rd row.

I ran 72-75 MPH most of the way out I-80/I-76 from Chicago to Denver and back, about 1000 miles/17 hours. Wife drove some at probably ~65MPH or maybe a bit more. If it's *really* windy I might slow down to 65, but it's really a very solid experience. The BlueOx tows MUCH better than the old ProSeries WD hitch with separate friction anti-sway - to the point where I generally feel ZERO sway even passing semis - the only thing that ever really moves me is when some jackass flies up and passes me too closely doing 90+... I'll get some butt wiggle from the trailer in that case. The tires on my trailer are D-load and rated to 81 MPH... I run them at 55 PSI and try to keep it under 75/76MPH so I'm not running right at the limit. Pretty sure I could sustain 80 MPH on flat lands but I had a blowout on an older trailer once and would rather not repeat that.

Here are 2 photos from our trip going into the Roosevelt NF from White River NF. Nothing close-up though.

 

[TeCKis300]

Yes, generally boats, even larger ones don't use WD hitches. Boat trailer dynamics are a bit different in that their center of gravity is way rear, with trailer axles also much further back, effectively having much longer drawbar geometry which increases stability. Yes, also surge brakes which is incompatible with WD hitches.

The 200-series tows friggen great, and I couldn't be more happy. Even with upsized tires, it's not an issue.

Only concern is the relatively short wheelbase, but then it's offset by things like vehicle weight and strong bones. If towing on the upper end, I'd recommend to pay particular attention to the tow-ball position, keeping it at close and tight to the rear bumper as physically possible. This has a number of positive impacts by giving less leverage (up/down and side to side) to the trailer on tow vehicle attitude. It's often said that wheelbase matters. What really matters is wheelbase to rear overhang (axle center line to ball) ratio. The 200-series has about a 2:1 ratio. So every inch that the ball is extended from the bumper has the perceived effect of reducing wheelbase by 2".

Happy towing!

 

[scott johnson]

I have a 2” lift and 34 10.50 BFG’s. I tow my fj40 behind it with no issues. I also tow a M105A2 without issues.

Had to go in an 8” drop on the hitch to tow level. When I did the lift I didn’t level the truck. With the weight of the trailer it tows pretty level.
CURT 45342 Forged Trailer Hitch Ball Mount, Fits 2-Inch Receiver, 17,000 lbs, 1-1/4-Inch Hole, 6-Inch Drop, 5-Inch Rise Amazon product ASIN B00IIOA0C8 this style but 8” drop

 

[JRHorne]

Thanks everyone. Gosh I love this community and I'm just getting my feet wet.

@scott johnson Your thread with that picture is actually one I found yesterday when searching. Also I wanted to ask you, did your tire and wheel combo scrub badly before your lift kit? I saw you put everything on before the lift and it looked DAMN GOOD.

@linuxgod I greatly appreciate your time to post and the pics! I bet that was a lot of fun for the entire family!

@TeCKis300 Yes my boat is WAY rear heavy. Being an older lapstrake hull with a 360# motor at the back, plus the starting battery, trim tab reservoir, and some kit, I could definitely benefit from a newer trailer with the wheel base maybe a bit further back. At least the gas tank (which I think is probably around 23-27 gallons) and my 24V trolling motor and batteries are at the front of the boat.

I will say that pulling the boat there is VERY little sway even at high speeds. I even had a blowout last trip on I40 doing over 70MPH and was easily able to get from the middle lane over onto the side without the trailer doing anything crazy. It actually didn't sway, buck, jump, or anything. It helps that most of the shreaded tire stayed on the wheel after the pop. Stupid bias ply tires! I just slapped a new set of wheels and C rated radials on it which I know will make a HUGE difference.

 

[scott johnson]

It rubbed a little in the front. I trimmed the mud flaps and it fixed the rub except at full turn.