Towed the boat - no worries with 6k+ pounds!

nom3rcy · #1 05-02-2010, 04:25 AM

With summer right around the corner it was time to pick up my dad's boat from winter storage. It is a 23' Excalibur with an iron block 454, dual-prop outdrive and a full 80 gallon tank of gas - not a light boat by any means. I haven't had it on the scales but dry weight is around 5200 lbs and combined with the steel trailer and full fuel load I'm sure well over 6k lbs.

I have always borrowed other people's vehicles to tow it, either my father's 08 Suburban, or friend's trucks including everything from Wranglers

to F-350 duallies. It has always been a pain in the butt to borrow a truck so the towing capabilities of the X5 played a big role in my purchase.

So I hooked it up and hit the trail. Initial impressions were great! The air system leveled out the truck as designed and it was very easy to maneuver out of the tight space it was in. Using manual mode acceleration was very steady and controllable, plenty of oomph for the job that's for sure. Made it through some side streets and braking/maneuverability were great. There was a lot of noise transmitted through the hitch. Creaks and clanks on the trailer reverberated through the quiet cabin of the X5.

Once on the highway I got it up to about 65 in 5th gear. It is definitely important to keep it in manual mode to avoid constant hunting for gears. It had no trouble keeping up with traffic, but the weight of the trailer pushed it around more than the Suburban I normally drove. Most of the motion was in the rear end, side to side. It would settle well in a corner but on center it was a bit looser than I would like. Otherwise well-mannered, and always predictable, but not necessarily stable.

Overall the impression was good, and I'm very happy with the X5. I knew it would be a daunting task for such a light vehicle but it held it's own! It will have no problem with my M3 on an aluminum open trailer that's for sure!

Here's a pic to commemorate, really puts it in perspective!

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TheGodfather · #2 05-02-2010, 04:38 AM

That picture is effing awesome.

I love seeing beautiful X5's utilizing their rugged capabilities and actually pulling some weight...

dragoncoach · #3 05-02-2010, 12:19 PM

Very cool but don't get into an accident. Your insurance company may very well decline any claim you make due to overcapacity weight of the boat/trailer. Something to be leary about.

wallyx5 · #4 05-02-2010, 03:18 PM

Nice Pic!!

blktoptrvl · #5 05-02-2010, 04:06 PM

God damn that's a big boat!

nom3rcy · #6 05-02-2010, 04:18 PM

I'll check into the insurance thing. I wonder how likely they are to cross check the loaded weight vs the rated capacity - I'm sure if the accident is related to being overladen it would be much more likely vs something cut and dry like someone pulling out in front of you.

TowX · #7 05-02-2010, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nom3rcy

I'll check into the insurance thing. I wonder how likely they are to cross check the loaded weight vs the rated capacity - I'm sure if the accident is related to being overladen it would be much more likely vs something cut and dry like someone pulling out in front of you.

Not only will the insurance company check for an over-weight condition but so will the state police in most states. Exceeding the tow rating is illegal in almost every state. I had a friend who was over the rating with his 2006 GMC Yukon when he jackknifed his enclosed trailer in the rain. He got a ticket from New York's finest, had his Yukon impounded, and insurance (USAA) denied the claim on the Yukon and the trailer. The only good news was that the 911 inside the trailer was unhurt.

I'm glad your trip was uneventful but be very careful.

nom3rcy · #8 05-03-2010, 02:33 AM

That sounds like a nightmare to deal with.

I decided to do some math and figure out how much the rig actually weighs.

Turns out the boat dry weight is only 3800#, so I was way off. Not sure why I thought it was 5200#... maybe that is the capacity or something. Add in the trailer at 1900# and that leaves 300 pounds for fuel before going over 6k.

As long as I don't fill it past 2/3 tank I should be good to go for insurance/DoT purposes. I should probably take it to a weigh station to be sure, I wouldn't even want to know what the repair bill would be if something major happened.

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