Pulling 21ft boat long distance with 1/2 ton truck

[scottsdale816]

I am looking at upgrading to a 21ft boat (Ranger) and will be fishing all the Bassmaster Opens next year which will require pulling very long distances across the US. I have pulled my other boats with a 1/2 ton truck was didn't know if I really needed to upgrade to a 3/4 ton or 2500 series. If you have been towing this size boat long distances with a 1/2 ton truck have you had any issues?

[riverlizard]

I bet that you’ll be just fine.

[stevebrownfnr]

There’s as many Elite and BPT angers pulling with 1/2 ton Toyota’s as there are with 3/4 ton trucks. You’ll be fine

[tdt91]

Better get a tractor trailer, lol, a 1500 with a V8 will be fine.

[Bassalive]

You'll be fine as kind with a v8

[Amistad Tackle]

3/4 ton is not needed for any bass boat. 1/2 ton with V8 and proper differential is the way to go.

[n2ratfishin]

I had zero problems towing to southern Florida and back (about 2000 mikes) with My Tundras. No need for a 3/4 ton. I will say a diesel will likely last longer pulling all the time.

I’ve pulled both a Cougar and 520L down there. My buddy had a 21 Skeeter we pulled down with his Hemi Ram. Once again, no issues pulling. Expect 12 MPG with a half ton gasser pulling 70-75 mph.

[Trxtx]

You will be fine. I have made many long trips pulling a 6000 lb travel trailer with a 1/2 ton and no issues.

[Transom]

I assume we are talking a bass boat. If so then yes a 1/2 ton V8 will tow it without any issues. Since you are going to be mainly towing with it get a rear end gear biased towards towing instead of unloaded economy.

[ajw18]

There's not a half ton made that can't tow any production bass boat. Most will do it comfortably. Like mentioned above, proper gearing and maybe trans/oil cooler help.

[DaveBrabec]

Just make sure the trailer brakes are in good shape.

[BMCD]

no issue with the boat, squat would be my main concern. Adding weight to the bed, and a trailer will make it squat. But that is your only concern in my opinion.

[jb882]

my .02 as a half ton owner..... Any half ton with a v8 will tow any bassboat, i don't think there is any question there. That said if i were in your shoes i would want a 3/4 ton for that kind of towing. Why? Durability and capability. Specifically axles, and suspension and also better brakes and a bigger cooling system.

When it comes to axles the full floating design on a 3/4 ton is a lot stronger than the semi floating setup on a half ton and is much better setup to carry weight day in and day out, mile after mile. You can also get better axle ratio's with the 3/4 ton trucks. I would want 4.10's no mater what if i chose a gasser for that kind of towing, I am of the opinion that mechanical advantage is is everything when it comes to towing. Some of the half tons you cant get higher than 3.42(GM) which is a joke. Some people claim the 8 and 10 speed speed trans mitigates the tall rear end ratio but my experience tells me otherwise. I tow in the north east where it is not at all flat ground, in the mountains you want gearing. My last GM was an 8 speed with 3.42 gears since that was included with the "max tow" package when combined with the 6.2l motor, it absolutely sucked towing on the freeway. With the boat in tow (Nitro Z7) it never got beyond 6th gear(1:1) and would downshift constantly most of the time into 4th or 3rd any time it hit a hill, torque converted never locked up, and trans always ran hot at like 220deg which is a life killer for a transmission. That truck did not make it to 12000 miles before the transmission failed and i only towed regionally with that truck maybe a grand total of 3000 miles a season. I had two transmission failures in two years with that truck which is not a very good record, my prior track record with GM 1/2 ton trucks was zero transmissions in many hundreds of thousands of miles. Until that 2017 i always has 3.73 or 4.10 gears. These days I have a Ram 1500 with 3.92 gears and the 8 speed. It runs 7th most of the time on the freeway which is overdrive at .8:1, it almost never shifts and the trans runs 175deg all the time. I also own a travel trailer now that i tow regionally that is a lot heavier and the Ram runs the same with it.


Suspension, since you will likely be carrying a bunch of stuff with you, you may easily max out the cargo capacity of a half ton depending on how the truck is configured. Once you subtract the weight of the tongue weight of the boat and your own weight you may not be left with as much as you think. My ram for instance had a 1500# payload because its a 4wd and has a fully loaded interior. When i take away the weight of my boat and myself i'm left with ~1000# of stuff i can carry, add passengers and it drops even more. If i was traveling all over the country and bringing all the stuff i need, tools, spare trailer parts etc that i think i would need that may not be enough. You can get a 3/4 ton up to a 4000# payload depending on the configuration. How much stuff you plan to carry needs to be a part of the consideration, you want to be able to do it safely.

Brakes are also kind of a biggie. 1/2 tons have come a long way with brakes in recent years but more is always better here if your trailer brakes decide to stop working. Same with the cooling system, bigger is always better here too especially when you are racking up the miles between stops.

Bottom line is i would look at what you are towing and how much stuff you will be bringing, do the math on it and your truck and work from there. If you are anywhere close to 75% of the max for your truck its time to move up to a 3/4 ton, I think you would have a much more dependable and safer rig going down the road. As i mentioned i tow regionally with a half ton, been doing it for a long time. If i was going cross country i would move up to a 3/4 ton, for me its a no brainer. A buddy of mine has always told me that the HD badge on the side of his truck stands for huge difference.

[ChuckHannaford]

You may only "need" a half ton but here is where I differ with previous posters. I have towed distance with a half ton and while it is sufficient, I would opt for a 3/4 diesel. Is a 3/4 necessary...no but it is much more comfortable. I have a 2500 Ram/Cummins, can put on cruise control without the truck shifting all the time, weight of truck makes it safer, and arrive more rested. It is personal preference.

[Transom]

my .02 as a half ton owner..... Any half ton with a v8 will tow any bassboat, i don't think there is any question there. That said if i were in your shoes i would want a 3/4 ton for that kind of towing. Why? Durability and capability. Specifically axles, and suspension and also better brakes and a bigger cooling system.

When it comes to axles the full floating design on a 3/4 ton is a lot stronger than the semi floating setup on a half ton and is much better setup to carry weight day in and day out, mile after mile. You can also get better axle ratio's with the 3/4 ton trucks. I would want 4.10's no mater what if i chose a gasser for that kind of towing, I am of the opinion that mechanical advantage is is everything when it comes to towing. Some of the half tons you cant get higher than 3.42(GM) which is a joke. Some people claim the 8 and 10 speed speed trans mitigates the tall rear end ratio but my experience tells me otherwise. I tow in the north east where it is not at all flat ground, in the mountains you want gearing. My last GM was an 8 speed with 3.42 gears since that was included with the "max tow" package when combined with the 6.2l motor, it absolutely sucked towing on the freeway. With the boat in tow (Nitro Z7) it never got beyond 6th gear(1:1) and would downshift constantly most of the time into 4th or 3rd any time it hit a hill, torque converted never locked up, and trans always ran hot at like 220deg which is a life killer for a transmission. That truck did not make it to 12000 miles before the transmission failed and i only towed regionally with that truck maybe a grand total of 3000 miles a season. I had two transmission failures in two years with that truck which is not a very good record, my prior track record with GM 1/2 ton trucks was zero transmissions in many hundreds of thousands of miles. Until that 2017 i always has 3.73 or 4.10 gears. These days I have a Ram 1500 with 3.92 gears and the 8 speed. It runs 7th most of the time on the freeway which is overdrive at .8:1, it almost never shifts and the trans runs 175deg all the time. I also own a travel trailer now that i tow regionally that is a lot heavier and the Ram runs the same with it.


Suspension, since you will likely be carrying a bunch of stuff with you, you may easily max out the cargo capacity of a half ton depending on how the truck is configured. Once you subtract the weight of the tongue weight of the boat and your own weight you may not be left with as much as you think. My ram for instance had a 1500# payload because its a 4wd and has a fully loaded interior. When i take away the weight of my boat and myself i'm left with ~1000# of stuff i can carry, add passengers and it drops even more. If i was traveling all over the country and bringing all the stuff i need, tools, spare trailer parts etc that i think i would need that may not be enough. You can get a 3/4 ton up to a 4000# payload depending on the configuration. How much stuff you plan to carry needs to be a part of the consideration, you want to be able to do it safely.

Brakes are also kind of a biggie. 1/2 tons have come a long way with brakes in recent years but more is always better here if your trailer brakes decide to stop working. Same with the cooling system, bigger is always better here too especially when you are racking up the miles between stops.

Bottom line is i would look at what you are towing and how much stuff you will be bringing, do the math on it and your truck and work from there. If you are anywhere close to 75% of the max for your truck its time to move up to a 3/4 ton, I think you would have a much more dependable and safer rig going down the road. As i mentioned i tow regionally with a half ton, been doing it for a long time. If i was going cross country i would move up to a 3/4 ton, for me its a no brainer. A buddy of mine has always told me that the HD badge on the side of his truck stands for huge difference.

This is the first post I have ever seen on here pointing out the biggest and really only true difference in a half ton and a 3/4 ton truck. The way the weight is supported on the axles.

[tanner101]

You might even look at towing with a Suburban. On the road that much, that's a ton of secured storage space and a much better ride.

[CJ1]

I am fortunate to be able to choose either a half ton f150 or a f350 diesel to do most any of my trips. Both trucks are 2020's and both trucks have 3.55 gears with 10 speeds. I set all of my trucks up with air bags so carried weight is not a issue as long as it is close to spec of the truck. The half ton has absolutely no issues with a boat and all the gear for 5 guys and normally gets used before the f350 just because the lower ride height and better ride is easier to live with on long trips. Brakes and axle capacity is light years ahead of trucks 10-15 years ago. As far as trans temps go ford actually has thermostats in the trans cooler that keeps the trans at 200deg and above. My f350 runs at 215 all the time once warm, It doesn't care if I am empty or pulling 15k+ at expressway speeds. If I was to pick a truck for long distance use and light to medium loads the 1/2 ton with the right equipment would get the nod. The 10 speed helps with gear selection but the lower gears will tow better, remember the 10 speeds have 3 overdrive gears so locking a few out is to be expected. So for 800-1klbs of gear/people and a boat that weighs 4k is no problem for a well set up 1/2 ton. CJ

[CJ1]

This is the first post I have ever seen on here pointing out the biggest and really only true difference in a half ton and a 3/4 ton truck. The way the weight is supported on the axles.

A whole lot more than just that, in fact not much is shared between the 2 in most brands other than the cab. CJ

[Alumicraft145]

If I was gonna go back on trail again my tow vehicle choice would be 3\4 ton 2wd. And a nice cap. 4:73 gears.

[joebone1]

a 3/4 ton is not necessary, but it does make for a more comfortable tow. My old GMC 1/2 pulled just fine, but pulling with a 3/4 ton seems for enjoyable for longer distances.