SeaRay 330 trailering disaster

[markrinker]

(I want to be sensitive to this situation, as it is likely that the owner of this truck/boat/trailer combo may be a ClubSeaRay member, or a future one as he is obviously looking for a new boat.)

Met a tow truck driver that was on scene Memorial Day weekend, when this accident occurred on a Wisconsin divided highway. Tow driver said SeaRay 330 and Loadmaster triple axle trailer were being towed by a Ford Excursion. Tow driver reported that Excursion tires were 'bald', vehicle blew a steer tire, crossed median into oncoming lanes. No injuries, thank God.

No speculation beyond that, but suffice to say that even a maxed out Ford Excursion diesel has an 11K# tow rating, and this boat/trailer combo with reasonable gear and fuel load could easily go 18K# or more. In practical terms, this means that a SeaRay 280 on a well maintained trailer would be and ideal SeaRay/trailer load - behind a well maintained diesel Excursion.

As I often say, " You could tow it with a lawn tractor - across the parking lot. You could probably tow it down the highway behind a Camaro. Its the stopping that becomes problematic."


BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

 

[DouglasMB]

ouch

 

[rondds]

There was much ado about this a couple of weeks ago. Now we know what happened. That's a real shame...
http://clubsearay.com/showthread.ph...led-by-SUV-along-Highway-41?highlight=trailer

 

[Pachanga Boy]

Ford Excursion towing a 330, that's ignorant. I'm sorry but for me towing outside your limits is like drinking and driving, the risk isn't an Individual one, your risking others.

 

[markrinker]

I saw the boat and the trailer in person. It was a great custom trailer, capable of the load. However, it needed to be behind a 3500 series truck (or bigger) with 'E' rated rubber in good shape, with brakes working and hopefully engine braking capability on the truck. The tow driver reported that the driver had flagged the boat and truck, but did NOT have oversize permits. Weekend oversize movement (travel) after 12noon is restricted in Minnesota from Memorial Day to Labor Day Not sure if he would have been issued a permit at 12' wide for Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend, but not speculating further here.

Again - I want to be sensitive to this as I have had the experience of jacknifing a Monterey 340 behind a 3500 at 50mph in a poorly designed construction zone - one that claimed a life a few days later when another truck/trailer lost control and crossed the same barriers that I bounced off of. I was experienced, within hauling limits, great equipment, permitted, legal, and on my specified route. and it still happened. Its not a ride that anyone wants to take - especially with the precious cargo of family. I sincerely feel for the driver. My heart was racing as I walked around this boat, having hauled many of them. Hopefully his misfortune, and God's grace in this situation will help someone else make a better decision.

" Hey honey. My buddy Jim from work has a Ford F350 and offered to tow the 330 to the lake for us. We'll go Thursday afternoon before traffic gets bad. You and the kids can catch up with us Friday in the Excursion with all the food and gear, okay? "

 

[keokie]

Okay, I have stayed out of this, but....

Bald tires on any tow vehicle are a bad idea. Plenty of fatal accidents have occurred from vehicles on bad tires towing nothing.

The Excursion had the same frame, brakes, axles, etc. as an F350. Also, a single wheel regular cab F350 carried the same tow rating as a crew cab dually (12,500lbs) a mere 1500 lbs more than the EX.

What 3500 were you pulling that 340 with? I am certain, you were WAY past the RATED limits of the 3500.

I am not assuming you were irresponsible. With the right equipment, a 3500 could safely do it.

Like you, I have sensitivity to this. Most people who tow boats are doing so well outside of various manufacturer's ratings, and often have no idea...

 

[chandalen]

I hope the offender IS a board member, and I hope they DO get their feelings hurt. They were F'n Stupid to even attempt this tow. I think the ONLY thing they got right was the oversized load banner. Did they have a permit to travel on the highway... NO.. the DMV would never issue a permit for that configuration.

I hope his insurance pays for the other drivers, drops him like a bad habit and say's "oh by the way you were pulling out of mfr spec's so we dont have to cover your losses. Have a nice day."

Harsh? No... that could have been mine, or YOUR family this dumb butt crashed into and ruined OUR lives. Thank God that some Guardian Angels were working overtime that day.

 

[keokie]

Chandelan, It is not that easy. I'm not sure if you read the other thread or not, but this was talked about some.

People drive on old, bad tires all the time. Sometimes this leads to fatal accidents. Insurance covers. People speed excessively, run red lights, etc., and cause fatal accidents. These things are ILLEGAL, and insurance pays. I have never, seen a law that says it is illegal to tow more than the manufacturer's rating. If insurance were not payable based on poor judgement, most claims would be denied.

And DMV's do issue permits for this. I personally know a number of folks who have requested and received oversized permits for loads more than double their vehicle's ratings.

 

[rondds]

I seriously doubt that , at the average DMV, there is anyone who is bothering to look up what the vehicle's towing capacity is. They are there to tell you if you need an escort and to collect the appropriate fee.

Anyone getting involved in this fray really needs to read the other thread. Much of this was already covered.

 

[keokie]

Scott, I appreciate your thoughts. I think there was some judgement lapse here, too. If this had been a crew cab dually of the same vintage, this would likely be looked at differently, even though the dually only has another 1500lbs worth of rating.

In addition, most people who tow boats of any size are violating a number of ratings (very often double or more), but the vast majority of us are completely unaware, so no judgement.

Ratings are interesting things... I know a guy who tows a car hauler professionally with a dodge dually. His truck is now certified to tow 30,000lbs via a gooseneck (twice the factory rating). I asked what he had to do for the rating. The answer, "paperwork". The concerns were mostly about weight per axle, for the roads...

Boats in that 330's size range are very commonly towed out here in the west. I have a buddy going to pick up an '05 340 Dancer tomorrow from Lake Mead and bringing it back to Phoenix (about 250 miles each way).

 

[markrinker]

I am not familiar with Ford Excursions, but have been told that they use a softer suspension, less brakes, etc. than their F250 counterpart. Their intended purpose is clearly passenger hauling, not heavy load hauling.

I agree that tow ratings and the reality of what is being towed today are two different things, and don't intend to debate that - or berate the guy that made this mistake. As for them having 'the same frame as the F350'...well that may well be part of the problem here...too much flex.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhqjuCret8o

The dually example is a good one. It would and should be looked at differently, because the owner would have been perceived as taking proper and reasonable care to put enough truck in front of the load. The dually has enough tires, brakes, and weight to tow the 330. It is designed for that purpose. Any Ford Excursion does not have that capability.

 

[chandalen]

Was this the diesel version of the Excursion? (which is 11k) If its not the tow ability was 7,400 lb. Which is just below what my Surburban was. I towed my camper, with weight distro hitch, and power brakes and was close to the max tow ability of the Surb (had set up weighed before we moved mainly because I got paid for what I moved by weight)

I was about 300lb under the mfr max for towing, even with good tires, new brakes, it was hard.

 

[keokie]

I know, I know. We could do this all day long. Judgement is important.

Here are some facts. The only difference between the dually and the EX is the springs, tires, and the body. Everything else is the same including the brakes. Springs and tires are easily addressed. Due to the body, the Ex is both heavier and more rigid than the dually.

Scott, you have proven your good sense and judgement here repeatedly over the years. Did you tow your 280 with a weight distributing hitch? If not, you were at nearly triple your rating. If so, you were still significantly overloaded almost certainly violating the ratings of your trailer brakes, and likely the trailer manufacturer. Having said that, I don't doubt you towed your 280 safely.

 

[keokie]

Scott, nice set up. It also looks like you had either straight electric or electric over hydraulic brakes. Most surge brake manufacturers do not approve of the use of weight distribution.

It gets a lot of people fired up, but safe towing has far more to do with hitch, weight distribution (hitch and total weight), brake capacity, sway control, and driving skills than it does the tow rating of the vehicle.

I'll defer back to my earlier comment about your judgement... It is clear you did the research about how to tow safely. And I think you did just that, even though you were well beyond your truck's rated capacity

 

[markrinker]

That looks like a reasonable load to me. What I like about this trailer is how far rearward the axles are.

 

[EricW]

Many interesting points of view on this thread. Different opinions about the "acceptable" level of risk.

It's a shame the guy didn't just check over the Excursion properly, and make sure he had done everything possible to reduce the risk exposure. Nice new E rated tires and this probably never would have happened. He did some things right, by having a nice trailer and the wide load banner.

I tow my 94 290 somewhat regularly with my 2001 2500 Burb with the 8.1. No problems, and it seems well within the vehicle limits. Sometimes I think I could upgrade to a mid 2000s 300 DA with no major change in the towed load or risk factor. If a small amount of risk is OK, why not go for just a bit more? This thread has made me reconsider......