Towing a 230BR

C

csellers

New Member
Apr 20, 2009
17
Central FL
Boat Info
2000 180BR
Engines
3.0L Alpha
Hello CSR. My wife and I recently purchased a 97' 230 BR. I have been borrowing my Father's Diesel truck to tow but it has become cumbersome. I personally have a 04' Nissan Frontier V6-2wd 4-door, which is supposed to tow up to 5k lbs. It tows my 180br with no problems. The 230 trailer is dual axle with disc brakes. Would you think I would be ok towing this boat?
 
Well, you're easily going to have a "wet" weight in the 5,500 - 6,000lb range, possibly as much as 6,500. Can your vehicle do it? Probably, but it is going to be heavy for that vehicle. You'll certainly feel it - not only when you're accelerating, but also braking - especially if you have to swerve while braking. Test that out in a parking lot so you know what to expect. You'll have to make the final call. Don't forget that any weight you put in the truck, other than yourself, detracts from your tow rating.

Does the trailer have brakes on both axles?

Things you can do to help:

It's an auto tranny?

- Keep the RPM's in the 3,000 - 3,500 range - the engine will be more efficient there and it will stay cooler.

- Allow lot's of room for braking

- Have an auxiliary tranny cooler installed. They're not expensive and your tranny will love you for it.
 
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If you are considering a different tow vehicle, and you like the frontier, move up to an '05 or newer. The newer VQ engines will pull that thing with no issue. I don't blame you for not wanting to put it behind the 3.3, though. That engine is way underpowered.
 
Thanks for the fast reply everyone. I agree my 3.3 is underpowered. (180hp vs. 260 on the 4.0) My truck wont get out of its own way!! Of course 6 months after buying mine the new one's came out. Oh well. I am not really wanting to upgrade if I don't have to being it's paid for and all. It is a 5spd and the trailer has disc brakes on the front axle only. I usually don't go too far and the ramps are always nice. The brochure I have for my boat shows it at 3800lbs dry. I am sure the trailer weighs more than 1000 lbs. I know this is pushing the limit but.........
 
csellers said:
Thanks for the fast reply everyone. I agree my 3.3 is underpowered. (180hp vs. 260 on the 4.0) My truck wont get out of its own way!! Of course 6 months after buying mine the new one's came out. Oh well. I am not really wanting to upgrade if I don't have to being it's paid for and all. It is a 5spd and the trailer has disc brakes on the front axle only. I usually don't go too far and the ramps are always nice. The brochure I have for my boat shows it at 3800lbs dry. I am sure the trailer weighs more than 1000 lbs. I know this is pushing the limit but.........
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3,800 with the small block and Alpha drive. That big block and Bravo drive is quite a bit more. Figure the trailer to be about 1,200 - especially by the time you add the second axle brakes - which is a must. Besides, in some states it's illegal to not have brakes on all axles. Don't forget the weight of fuel, batteries, oils, gear, etc, etc. Do you have the on-baord fresh water system? That's another 100lbs.

I don't know the reliability of your particular manual tranny, but stick to the RPM guide I said above. Also, if you can, don't tow with a full tank - you can fill the boat's tank when you get close.
 
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csellers said:
Thanks for the fast reply everyone. I agree my 3.3 is underpowered. (180hp vs. 260 on the 4.0) My truck wont get out of its own way!! Of course 6 months after buying mine the new one's came out. Oh well. I am not really wanting to upgrade if I don't have to being it's paid for and all. It is a 5spd and the trailer has disc brakes on the front axle only. I usually don't go too far and the ramps are always nice. The brochure I have for my boat shows it at 3800lbs dry. I am sure the trailer weighs more than 1000 lbs. I know this is pushing the limit but.........
Click to expand...


IMHO - Get a bigger tow vehicle. You really don't want to exceed 75% of your tow rating. Your already over it and you have not even started to put stuff in the boat or vehicle.
 
About any vehicle on the road can tow anything. Heck, if you watch the commercials some trucks can tow a freight train. The real question is do you have enough vehicle to stop!

I've got about the same boat. Mine empty is 3,900 lbs. Add another 500 lbs for a full gas tank(72) and water. Remember the boat is still empty, you've got to add all your toys. And last add another 1,200 lbs for the trailer.

You are now over your limit.

I would be concerned about stopping especially with the way people drive nowadays.
 
csellers said:
Hello CSR. My wife and I recently purchased a 97' 230 BR. I have been borrowing my Father's Diesel truck to tow but it has become cumbersome. I personally have a 04' Nissan Frontier V6-2wd 4-door, which is supposed to tow up to 5k lbs. It tows my 180br with no problems. The 230 trailer is dual axle with disc brakes. Would you think I would be ok towing this boat?
Click to expand...

I towed my '99 230OV with both 1/2 Ton Suburbans I had. The V8 and 6000LB rating was their capacity. I don't think I'd trust the V6 and smaller towing capacity of the Nissan. I agree with Chuck. Get a Bigger Tow Vehicle. Get a Used Suburban, you'll love it.
 
I can tow my boat in and out of my garage and around the property with my lawnmower tractor. Anything can tow.

Stopping, however is the part that towing capacities are more or less based on.

You are over the limit with your truck. Nothing may ever happen, but if it does, your insurance company may have a view of paying you that you may not like :smt001
 
I have an '06 Fronty 4x4 auto that I pull a '97 190 open bow with. Little higher tow rating, and it handles the boat well, however, I wish there was more power for the interstate runs. Sliding down the slick ramp with the brakes locked isn't fun either. I would recommend a bigger tow vehicle.
 
chuck1 said:
IMHO - Get a bigger tow vehicle. You really don't want to exceed 75% of your tow rating. Your already over it and you have not even started to put stuff in the boat or vehicle.
Click to expand...
+ 1. You ignore engineering limits at your peril, and the peril of others on the road. Please get a tow vehicle with a rating above the weight you plan to tow. The life you save could be mine.
 
Chris,

No need to look up the tow rating for your Nissan. Simply tow your 230 to the nearest ramp and if you garner a crowd with digital cameras, you'll know whether or not you have enough vehicle.

In all seriousness, your rear view mirrors will be useless as the boat will be considerably wider than your truck. It's also possible that your 230 could weigh nearly twice as much as your 180. Retrieving could be an issue even on relatively shallow wet ramps. Your clutch may get quite a work out to say the least. If your Nissan does not have a locking or ltd. slip rear differential, you may even get your own ramp follies video on You Tube.

Our 230s have an advertised dry weight of 3,800 lbs. as you pointed out according to SR literature. Your 454 with a Bravo drive will weigh even more as others have pointed out. Fuel at roughly 6 lbs./gallon (57 gallons total) plus water, an ice chest, anchor, life jackets and other equipment will add up quickly. FYI, my galvanized Load Rite trailer weighs 1,600 lbs. Assuming your boat has an empty weight of about 4,100 lbs., you'll easily weigh 6,000 lbs. with fuel and gear. Adding a couple of passengers will simply compound the problem. Weighing the boat trailer combo. would answer the question.

When I bought my boat I had a 2wd Expedition with the tow package, 4.6 ltr V8 and a ltd. slip differential. It did an OK job as long as the roads were relatively flat. I now have a 4wd F-150 SuperCrew with a 5.4 liter V8 and a ltd. slip rear end. For my purposes 4wd is really overkill and the 5.4 liter makes a lot more power across the rev range than the 4.6. The difference in torque is quite noticeable when retrieving and climbing grades. Both vehicles (Expedition and F-150) have a fair amount of stopping power. My suggestion would be to buy a half ton truck with a tow rating in the 8-9,000 lb range for your 230.

Take care.
 
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My 240 is similar to ya'lls 230. Advertised wt is 4500 dry. Real weight with galvanized trailer and load is 8400 lbs per Cat scale. Plan accordingly. Searide gave some good advice. Ford may even be in buisness if you need service.
 
I've got a 07 frontier 4wd and it has no problem pulling my 220br (3800 dry trailer is 800). Not sure what the power differences are between the older versions and the newer versions, but I have yet to have any trouble with it.
 
For several years I towed my 98 230 with a Toyota 4Runner Ltd V6. No problems at the ramp or on the highway however I had the trailer brakes set up such that it provided significant braking power. Traded up to an 08 Tundra Crewmax LTD and what a difference! I tend to agree a full size truck is required for safety.
 
Mr Happy said:
About any vehicle on the road can tow anything. Heck, if you watch the commercials some trucks can tow a freight train. The real question is do you have enough vehicle to stop!
Click to expand...

True - if you have brakes on both axles and they work well I would not hesitate to tow it. If not, I wouldn't tow it much. Sounds like your brakes are good, so you may be good too.

The power is not really an issue, I have a half ton pickup with a 4.3v-6 that I've used to pull my 270 a very short ways. the 4.3 is 200hp. The 270 tips the scales at 10,000lbs on the trailer.
 
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Thanks for all the advice. I think I will be looking to see if I can trade my truck for something full size.
 
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