Official Scale/ Weight Results- 280 DA.

KHARRIMAN

KHARRIMAN

New Member
Dec 15, 2008
203
RIVERSIDE,CA
Boat Info
2005- 280 DA
AIR,WATER HEATER,
5K GEN, 2007 DODGE 3500
Engines
TWIN MERCRUISER 5.0
BRAVO III DRIVES
Just thought I'd put an fyi out there... I made a trip to the truck scales(OFFICIAL) yesterday and the totals are:

Ram 3500= 7220 #
Tongue weight= 1240 #
Boat weight across the three tires= 11,860 #

That is with 1/4 tank gas, empty water, empty holding...

Also my boat is 12' 6" from ground to top of glowmex while on the trailer. I know this gets asked alot! :grin:
 
You know I don't know the trailer metal type(metalcraft)... it's powder coated and I actuallly think it's aluminum.... I'll look on the placard.

What I really wanted was the weight on EACH axle b/c the rear tires are significantly heavier than the front and I have just a little play where I could move the bow stop forward and re-distribute some weight.

Hey PRES...
just know I thought of you because I remember your post about all the "necessities" you bring along!

I went because I just re-packed all my bearings this weekend and I was out doing a run to make sure everything was running cool! And my truck is adequate but is still workin hard on my tows! Just a reminder for all those who under- value the necessities of a large tow vehicle.
 
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Isn't the rule of thumb 10% tongue weight?
 
KHARRIMAN said:
I went because I just re-packed all my bearings this weekend and I was out doing a run to make sure everything was running cool! And my truck is adequate but is still workin hard on my tows! Just a reminder for all those who under- value the necessities of a large tow vehicle.
Click to expand...

Please correct me if I am wrong but as I understood it- (generally speaking) the only thing a 1 ton (F350/RAM3500/GM3500) offers over a 3/4ton (F250/RAM2500/GM2500) is a higher tounge weight limit and more stability when towing. I have done some comparison on a few models and it appears towing capacity is typically the same between 3/4 and 1 ton models. I believe there are many towing 280s with a F250. The only reason I even bring all this up is I have been looking for a tow vehicle for my 280 and a rental F250 seems to fit the requirements and would love to hear some additional comments if others believe that is sufficient. It seems to fall within the weight limits for the later models. I am a little concerned that the rental F250 I have in mind is 2WD and not sure if I would need 4WD to get up the ramp or not.

Jason
 
ALL OF THIS IS PERSONAL OPINION!:grin:

Some of it will depend on the gear ratio on the truck...
I personally don't feel that a F250 would be enough or really any 3/4 ton. I also know that many feel differently! Then the argument is made that it's not the pulling but the "stopping" that they are concerned with. I'll tell you from experience with boats of this size you have to be CAREFUL stopping regardless. My trailer has ALL axles rigged with electric brakes and it'll take a good 50 ft to slam stopped. On the other hand... when I picked it up.. the brakes didn't work and I drove 7 hrs with only the truck brakes just fine.
I really am concerned with mileage... can I AFFFORD to burn 5 MPG.. sure do I want to...nope. As you get close to the top end of the capacity( my 3500 rated @ 15,900) it's really hard on all your systems to tow that ALL the time(trans etc...)
Now for a temporary tow veh. maybe you could wing it since its a rental anyway but I would try it cautiously at first!

BTW where can you rent 3/4 or 1 ton trucks... are they like u-hauls or one of the main companies?



http://www.trailerlife.com/images/towratings/07towratings.pdf
 
KHARRIMAN said:
BTW where can you rent 3/4 or 1 ton trucks... are they like u-hauls or one of the main companies?
Click to expand...

No, I called ALL of the "Big Companies" none of them will knowingly rent you a truck for towing a boat. A couple will do it if you are a licensed business and have a business insurance policy. I was not willing to mislead them and take a chance of something happening and be on the hook.

Uhaul and Penske (as I recall) will rent you a moving truck with the understanding it will be towing one of their trailers or tow dollies only.

Caution: A couple people I talked to initailly told me "no problem" then when I asked them to double check with their management they came back and said no. Enterprise and Hertz said this is a company wide policy. Just saying- don't just take their word.


Luckily, there is a local "mom&pop" type rental company that does rent F250 trucks at a very reasonable rate and he does not care what you tow with it as long as you are insured and it is within the weight limits.
 
Presentation said:
Great job!

13,000 lbs. OK.

Aluminum trailer?

My weight of 15,500 was with a steel trailer, full fuel / water / provisions.
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Presentation... my weight actually matches yours. The previous post was ~1,500 low at least for me too. (Although I have a Ford F350, not sure if this also makes a difference).
 
Presentation said:
Great job!


My weight of 15,500 was with a steel trailer, full fuel / water / provisions.
Click to expand...

They keep saying the younger generations are getting fatter and fatter!! :lol::smt043

My 89 300 DA with an 11 foot beam weighed in WAY less than your 15,500 lbs!! I was coming out of winter layup and had it scaled. It weighed 12,000 lbs with 900 on the hitch. Later fully loaded, fueled and watered I weighed it again and it was a whopping 13,900 with it's homemade steel triple axle trailer!

You guys need to put your younger boats on a diet! :grin:
 
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I say 4wd is a must. There were a few ramps I would not have got up without it.
 
My steel Eagle tri-axle weighs 2,089#. Is it possible that Pres puts over a ton of extra stuff on his boat? He's shown us his list but I never considered what those items weighed.
 
Thanks for this great information. We are looking to upgrade to a 2002-up 280DA (and actually have an offer in at this very moment on one) and being able to trailer it home for maintenance, winter, hurricanes, etc. is a must for me. Great info.

I'm looking to upgrade from my current Chevrolet K1500 ext. cab to a K2500 crew cab. From what I have read, it is within the specs (2001 and newer I think) and it is what most people tow with that I've come across.

Tom
 
Jason,

2wd with a limited slip differential will probably work on our lakes. However, if you plan on retrieving in Charleston at low tide, you will likely have issues.
 
I've never towed my 280 but in the early 200's I had a marine construction company and I towed our work barge (12,000-14,000lbs depending what was on the deck) with my 2002 Chevy 2500 Crew Cab 4x4 but it was a diesel with Allison transmission. Since we moved the barge weekly and the breaks on the trailer were always a problem I removed them and relied on my truck brakes. Over a 5 year period I never had a problem. I still have the truck (77,000 miles) and just replaced the brakes. I'm not sure if I'd trailer something that heavy cross country but for mid distances it was never a problem.
 
I have a 2007 280da and I am looking for the hull specs for the guy thats building a custom trailer for me. I have 2 water intakes that the bunks need to avoid. Anyone know where to find these specs??
 
I'll hold a tape measure and snap a pic tonight for you...
 
I don't know if there are "specs" per se... There are three spots to avoid if your SD is so equipped, The a/c intake left, generator intake right and keel transducer(although nobody puts bunks on the keel) but needs to be wide enough..
 
KHARRIMAN said:
I don't know if there are "specs" per se... There are three spots to avoid if your SD is so equipped, The a/c intake left, generator intake right and keel transducer(although nobody puts bunks on the keel) but needs to be wide enough..
Click to expand...

I will add to this- If you have Closed Cooling, you have two additional Thru-Hulls to worry about. If you have a Macerator, there is a third in addition to those already mentioned.
 
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