tow vehicle

[robby]

hello got a 50 ft narrow boat and my own trailer `need to pull my boat up a slipway incline about 12 degrees rise what road car would be strong enough to do this considering just in low gear

Edited December 18, 2016 by robby

[Graham Davis]

How much does the boat and trailer weigh?

[Chewbacka]

How much is the combined trailer and boat weight?

 

Added - great minds think alike

 

I doubt if a road car is suitable. Maybe a chain block?

Edited December 18, 2016 by Chewbacka

[Paul C]

The obvious is a Land Rover (not Freelander) since they have permanent 4WD and a low low-range box (3:1, where most manufacturers are in the region of 2:1). Toyota Land Cruiser and Merc G Wagen are also similarly capable. Failing that, if the tow is straight then most larger 4WDs including double cab pickups could do it using 4WD (but it would lock front and rear axles together, so turns would stress the transmission).

 

I doubt if its cost effective to buy a road car simply for this task alone though. A more sensible option might be to hire a suitable 4WD or tractor. In fact, a tractor would find this task well within its capability and of course the available gears are much lower, and traction much higher.

[Stilllearning]

Borrow a tractor, but remember to pull it out with the tractor going backwards up the ramp.

[robby]

the total weight would be about 15 tons very easy going trailer last time i used the clubs 3 ton dumper and it came out with no problem but they have stopped me using it i have got a xtrail but i dont think it would pull my hat off the club will not let me have any other vehicle than my road car and i am ready for a change of vehicle

Edited December 18, 2016 by robby

[Athy]

Tractor is the way to go - the clue's in the name. Lots of boatyards use them for exactly that purpose.

[Paul C]

Borrow a tractor, but remember to pull it out with the tractor going backwards up the ramp.

 

Why?

 

In fact, regarding a 4x4, I suspect you'll reach the limit of acceptable noseweight imposed on the hitch before you run out of traction or power. It depends what kind of trailer, if its a 4 wheel non-close-coupled variety, then that problem is avoided (but I suspect its not).

the total weight would be about 15 tons very easy going trailer last time i used the clubs 3 ton dumper and it came out with no problem but they have stopped me using it i have got a xtrail but i dont think it would pull my hat off

 

Why have they stopped you using it, or were you never able to officially in the first place?

[hounddog]

 

Why?

i was puzzling that little teaser.

[robby]

something to do with insurance they never thought my trailer would work and that it would have strength problems but it worked very well, it took me 6 months to build and now they are not very happy about me having my own trailer, it by passes the slipway team if they take me out we are given 2 weeks but i want my boat out next year for 6/8 weeks to give my boat a complete repaint when you are outside you just don't know how long you are going to be

and as i said i am ready for a up grade from my Xtrail .

[Slim]

I would doubt that anything short of a tractor would manage it.

 

Last year I watched a 4 x 4 double cab pickup (large Japanese type) pull a 28 -30' narrowbeam plastic cruiser out on a good surfaced slip. The clutch smell had to be experienced to be believed. If it wasn't dead it wasn't far short.

 

Know what you mean about the X Trail , had one!

[Paul C]

What noseweight does the trailer impose, what is the coupling type and what type of brakes does it have?

[robby]

i wish i could put up some pictures but don't know how the trailer is designed for narrow boats so there is a back trailer and a front trailer the back is 4 wheels across and carries 3/4 of the boat the front is 2 wheels under a turn table to steer the boat and the front and back are joined with a extendable 4x4 box section so the trailer can carry any boat from 20 ft to 70 ft nice long draw bar at the front sorry no brakes

Edited December 18, 2016 by robby

[Bewildered]

Humvee?

[Stilllearning]

i was puzzling that little teaser.

Tractors can flip over backwards when pulling heavy loads up a hill, it was a suggested way of avoiding that. It's why they have to be fitted with safety cages.

[Paul C]

The "no brakes" issue combined with the slope troubles me. Effectively, there is a calculation to be done (and a suitable margin of safety to be decided upon) to ensure that the combination can remain safely under control, I suspect the tractor would need to be on the larger side (eg a JD6000 series with additional weights) to be safe. Without going into too many details, I imagine even the heaviest Land Rover or similar 4x4 is unable to have a tow hitch fitted which is safe for unbraked 15 ton trailers, and its weight (even though they weigh something like 2700kg) is marginal. Remember that towing a trailer up a slope means the overrun brakes are not effective at stopping it rolling back so it would be down to the tow vehicle's brakes and weight alone.

 

A tractor typically has hydraulic brakes (some have air) which means they are effective forwards and backwards. And tractors are designed to be able to safely tow up to 3000kg (I think?) unbraked on the road up to 20mph, since there is an exemption for ATAC class trailers (Agricultural Trailed Appliance Conveyor).

Tractors can flip over backwards when pulling heavy loads up a hill, it was a suggested way of avoiding that. It's why they have to be fitted with safety cages.

 

A tractor's hitch imposes the load below the centreline of the rear wheels, thus a pulling force on the hitch pushes the nose DOWN, ie the reverse of flipping backwards (wheelstand). Since it is a non-close-coupled axle configuration, the noseweight imposed will be low too, so the weight distribution remains acceptable on a 12% slope.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Paul C

[robby]

dont think about the over all weight, the pull weight is only a small amount 2/3 tons at the most and there is no speed involved dont forget a 3 ton dumper with a small engine has already done it

so a 4x4 of some kind should do it and my Nissan Xtrail i am concerned about not being big enough and i am not brave enough to find out, slipway is only 20ft long and then the boat is entering the water

and the weight is disappearing the tow hitch is long enough so the tow vehicle don't enter water

Edited December 18, 2016 by robby

[RichM]

Tractor would be best.

But if you wanted a vehicle that could do it on the odd occasion; Providing the weight of the boat/trailer is not directly transferred to the vehicle, you could do it with a large 4x4 as mentioned with low-range gearbox (a must) A Land Rover Defender 110 may be suitable (heavier than a Defender 90) If you need something a little more road-going then I'd suggest a Land Rover Discovery 2 or newer. These are heavier than Defenders so have an advantage in that respect. None are the most reliable of vehicles. A Toyota Land Cruiser may also do it but I don't know so much about them.

 

Also depends on the amount of traction and whether or not there's any complications, but I've seen these things tow 44t articulated trucks, in the snow!

[robby]

Tractors can flip over backwards when pulling heavy loads up a hill, it was a suggested way of avoiding that. It's why they have to be fitted with safety cages.

If ever you are pulling with a tractor on a very heavy load you go in reverse

[Paul C]

If ever you are pulling with a tractor on a very heavy load you go in reverse

 

This troubles me.

[bizzard]

A vehicle with a transfer reduction box like a Land Rover, Subaru Forrester ect should do it comfortably. A 4x4 vehicle which just has 4 wheel drive and only the normal road speed ratio gearbox like, say a Toyota RAV4 would probably burn the clutch out trying. A long chain or cable between the tow vehicle and the trailer so that the tow vehicle is clear of the ramp and on the level would help a lot.

[Murflynn]

good luck !!

 

I go with the requirement for a tractor.

 

alternatively borrow a 4x4 with a winch and secure the vehicle before winching (keep clear of the winch wire - it can cut your legs off).

[robby]

my boat club is not very helpful we have a JCB but only one man uses it with the slip way team, it is a bit like using a sledge hammer to crack an egg though so the best way is to be

independent but how to achieve this i think i will invite the local land rover club to have a go as do not want to get wet

[Paul C]

I suspect they're being cautious when it comes to towing around unbraked 15 ton trailers.

[Boat&Bikes]

I suspect they're being cautious when it comes to towing around unbraked 15 ton trailers.

What could possibly go wrong?

 

Ian.