Trailering a 340 EC

Paul;
Is taking off the arch a "big Deal" ? I really like the looks of "Duceornothings" rig without the arch better than the newer models. Staying on lakes I really have no need for a radar arch. If there are cover plates, etc available thought I might just take the arch off and leave it off. Sure would simplify trailering and IMHO looks better also.
Norris


Or hinge the arch.
 
Paul;
Is taking off the arch a "big Deal" ? I really like the looks of "Duceornothings" rig without the arch better than the newer models. Staying on lakes I really have no need for a radar arch. If there are cover plates, etc available thought I might just take the arch off and leave it off. Sure would simplify trailering and IMHO looks better also.
Norris


On mine there are 8 bolts total holding it on. There are 4 on each side. There are access doors that let you do it pretty easily. On a '91 310 of my friends he pulls his down every winter to get it in his building. Again bolted, but a bit differently. You could eliminate the arch but I would not recommend it. If you capped the holes permanently you would be hurting your resale. Also the removal requires disconnecting the wires for the lighting and electronics (tv, radio, radar if equipped). When we removed ours it took at least 3 or 4 guys to help. The '91 310 2 people can do it. Also if you remove it you have to think about canvas. Mine is integrated into the arch.

My buddy's 310 is shorter and he does not have to do any removal; he throws it on the trailer and he goes. He also lowered the bunks on his trailer to the lowest possible so he would be comfortable.

Like I said before when we go down the road and know the over-passes are going to be greater than 14' we just clear the electronics off the arch. Takes about 10-15 mins. I often wonder if I even need to do that, but it is an expensive gamble. I also have a forward leaning arch so I cross lines from my bow rails to the arch so that low hanging wires will get pushed over rather than caught in the arch. You can see them in the picture if you look closely. I know that was utilized once. This happened in a residential area going to a landing.

Tilting arches are a possibility. I have a friend who had one but on a rough day it would rattle a bit. I would be careful on who and how it is done. Also, his factory canvas never fit right again after the hinge mod raised the arch slightly.
 
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Here's my 83 310 coming out on a trailer. We had the truck in 4 low and it almost didnt come up the ramp. Sea Ray said my boat weighted 13k, from the way that truck pulled it I was thinking closer to 20k.

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Actual measurments of my boat is 37.5ft long 11.11 wide.

I used to drive oversize loads for a living. In GA we didn't need escorts for anything that you could pull behind a pick-up. You can get a blanket permit for the year otherwise you will have to get permit for each way you move it and you will have to give the state your route.

Older SeaRay 340s are a max boat for modern 3500 series diesel trucks with good working brakes, exhaust/transmission braking systems, and a good inertial e-brake controller. Sounds like you have OVERSIZE experience, so this helps. Max highway speeds of 55-60mph in the best of conditions.

Not enough trailer under this boat, IMO - after trailering 500K miles about the US and Canada with boats 28'-36' LOA. Your engines should be forward of the midpoint of the center axle on the trailer, it appears that you have only 15" rims and rubber. Boat is too far back + trailer tires overloaded = formula for disaster on a hot day, downhill on the way home.

More of a concern is it appears you have too little tongue weight on the truck. With this boat, you'd want 800-1000# transferred from boat/trailer onto the truck at the hitch. With proper weight, your truck would be sitting level, rather than the 'rear up' attitude as pictured. This is very problematic, when combined with the undersized tires. Look at the left rear tire in the picture above...does it look happy under this load?

Also with the undersized trailer - there is no place to safely strap the transom of the boat to the frame ends of the trailer. In an emergency situation, the boat and trailer will part ways in this configuration. The pictures appear that you are just pulling out, but where do you strap the boat down?

Not enough trailer. Maybe enough truck. Not enough tongue weight. There are ALOT of things that could go wrong here, and its easy to get lulled into a sense of complacency, especially if you tow short distances on level ground again and again. Then the BIG trip comes up...sure...why not... (with hills, mountains maybe, a hot day, and a blown tire...you are a$$ over teakettle.)

Bigger trailer (36-38' long from hitch to frame ends) equipped with with 16" rubber - 235/70R16 rubber on three 7K# Dexter axles with good working brake system. Electric over hydraulic systems are the best.


Good luck to you. You might need it.


Mark Rinker
Former Owner/Founder
www.MREBoatTransport.com
 
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We just towed this 2 miles down the road to a boat yard. I wouldn't have taken it any further. Trailer was too small but that diesel should have pulled it better. I pulled 30k on a daily basis with my F-350 and I never had a problem. Maybe Chevys just don't have the ass a Ford does.
 
We just towed this 2 miles down the road to a boat yard. I wouldn't have taken it any further. Trailer was too small but that diesel should have pulled it better. I pulled 30k on a daily basis with my F-350 and I never had a problem. Maybe Chevys just don't have the ass a Ford does.
With those oversized tires on the Chevrolet I guess not, if you fool with lift kits and oversized tires it hampers the towing BIG time.
 
We just towed this 2 miles down the road to a boat yard. I wouldn't have taken it any further. Trailer was too small but that diesel should have pulled it better. I pulled 30k on a daily basis with my F-350 and I never had a problem. Maybe Chevys just don't have the ass a Ford does.

30K# behind a 3500 series truck...on a "regular basis". I'll assume over some distance, and at highway speed? Evidently never into a DOT scale house!

Ford guys...always exaggerating :smt021
 
30K# behind a 3500 series truck...on a "regular basis". I'll assume over some distance, and at highway speed? Evidently never into a DOT scale house!

Ford guys...always exaggerating :smt021

TRY A FORD: YOU"LL LIKE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never pulled 30K behind my truck. Only 28K ! But then my truck is only a gas F-250 and the Arkansas mountains are not as high as your Rockies ! To be fair: My truck has overload springs and is a 10 cylinder gas burner; the dual tandem gooseneck trailer I use is actally rated for 30K. You Dodge and Chevy guys just don't know what a real truck is!

Norris
 
Jim:
I believe you must be thinking about a 390. Stopping is no trouble. All large trailers have brakes tied to the trucks braking system through a brake controller under the dash in the truck. When you step on the brakes you are braking 10 wheels (4 on the truck and 6 on the trailer)

I wouldn't make that statement comfortably. My 280 loaded for Bimini trip on trailer weighed in around 14500. I posted the weight slip here somewhere. I have all new tires brakes and hydraulic actuator. It stops but it does have a pucker factor to it traveling on I95 in South Florida traffic. I have been wanting to install the pump for electric to hydraulic and dump the surge actuator but have had no time to think about the boat. Anything larger than a 280 should be towed with dually. IMHO..anything weighing more than 18000 shod be pulled with 550 or Kodiac. Pulling is very easy with my juiced up Dmax, control, stopping and safety is another story.
 
TRY A FORD: YOU"LL LIKE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never pulled 30K behind my truck. Only 28K ! But then my truck is only a gas F-250 and the Arkansas mountains are not as high as your Rockies ! To be fair: My truck has overload springs and is a 10 cylinder gas burner; the dual tandem gooseneck trailer I use is actally rated for 30K. You Dodge and Chevy guys just don't know what a real truck is!

Norris

Bla Bla Bla...

I have towed all my life, read hundreds of towing showdowns and found little difference in similar trucks from any manufacturer. They all have had their good ones and bad ones. An F250 would usually not be rated over 14,000 lbs. It is quite risky to double the mfg tow rating. Glad you are not on the roads my family uses.

MM
 
Bla Bla Bla...

I have towed all my life, read hundreds of towing showdowns and found little difference in similar trucks from any manufacturer. They all have had their good ones and bad ones. An F250 would usually not be rated over 14,000 lbs. It is quite risky to double the mfg tow rating. Glad you are not on the roads my family uses.

MM
Agreed
 
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Wait where am I????

I thought this was a boating thread...don't we get enough of this stuff on the TheDieselStop.com....

Just so everyone is aware up until recently there was no standard for the industry when it came to rating a vehicle's ability to tow something. Up until now it was Marketing and Engineering coming up with their own number by company. 2013 was the first year a standard was in place across the domestic manufactures (SAE J2807). However, the only foreign company I have heard off using it is Toyota.
 
30K# behind a 3500 series truck...on a "regular basis". I'll assume over some distance, and at highway speed? Evidently never into a DOT scale house!

Ford guys...always exaggerating :smt021

01 F-350 7.3 diesel automatic
T200 bobcat weighing it at just under 10,000 without any mud on the tracks.
341 Bobcat track hoe weighing just under 14,000 without any mud on the tracks
25ft tandem dual gooseneck trailer weighing just under 6,000
2 bundles of 8ft long 6x6 timbers (tried to get them delivered as much as I could)

No exaggeration. I used to build retaining walls in downtown Atlanta and the equipment would have been stolen if left overnight. Traveling from Cumming to Atlanta was about 30 miles each way. DOT would have had a field day with me but this was before they needed money and started stopping every truck they see. No way you could get away with this now.
 
I wouldn't make that statement comfortably. My 280 loaded for Bimini trip on trailer weighed in around 14500. I posted the weight slip here somewhere. I have all new tires brakes and hydraulic actuator. It stops but it does have a pucker factor to it traveling on I95 in South Florida traffic. I have been wanting to install the pump for electric to hydraulic and dump the surge actuator but have had no time to think about the boat. Anything larger than a 280 should be towed with dually. IMHO..anything weighing more than 18000 shod be pulled with 550 or Kodiac. Pulling is very easy with my juiced up Dmax, control, stopping and safety is another story.


Rollsrite built me a gooseneck with the electric over hydraulic disc brakes and I kept burning the pumps up. I ended up with a electric drum brakes after sending the trailer back to Florida 3 times. I would research your conversion a bunch. I can't for the life of me remember the brand they used on my trailer.
 
My point here is this was not started to compare trucks, like some are on this thread. I would not put it past someone to pull a large boat with a half ton especially with most half tons claiming to have tow capacities over 10K LBS. Just trying to inform people of the new standard in my last post and stop the stupid talk about my truck is better than yours:smt021. My 2000 F250 4x4 had a tow capacity in the manual of less than most half ton's do today. It was rated at 10K lbs. Personally, my truck pulls 10K like there is nothing back there and stops just fine. I believe most trucks built today are pretty equal. Yeah they all have their +'s and -'s. Buy what you trust and like. The rest is just manufactured from slick sales and marketing departments and trumped up by owners that watch too many commercials.

I do agree with you and believe you do open yourself up for additional liability if you tow any load, but If you follow your states laws and follow their OVERSIZE LOAD permit and have some common sense you can transport these boats just fine.
 
Has anyone taken into account that 340's are so big they don't go under some bridges? When we had ours delivered on a low-loader they had to take some of the electronics off the radar arch to get under some of the bridges enroute (I know it depends on where you are going). If you had to do that to take a trip out for the week-end it would just be a big PITA without regard to any permits that may be required for a wide load. Understand it's not the trailering heavy loads it's the stopping you have to worry about and climbing back up the ramp lol. And, if you tow anything that's considered too heavy for your tow vehicle's rating just watch your insurance company do a "crab like" maneuver. The thought of an accident and the repercusions are mind boggling :smt101.
 
Exactly. It has NOTHING to do with the brand of the truck. It has to to with braking capabilities. I am certainly that you could TOW a 540 on some trailer behind a 3500 series truck. Its the STOPPING that gets interesting.
 

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