Anyone ever pull a 20 safari with a toyota sienna (07)?

[Tiny]

The ramp's really close. It's nice to be able to make some longer runs, a couple times a year. It's getting it out at the ramp that I was hoping to get some first hand experience on. Sounds like it should get the job done. If anyone's done it let me know!

[FishStretcher]

You want something like this. 1995 F250 powerstroke diesel with all new parts.

20 MPG and you won't even remember there is a 20 footer behind you.

http://daytona.craigslist.org/cto/4413072040.html

[FishStretcher]

You Floridians have these nice easy ramps it seems, but FWD would be sketchy. At least with RWD in a pickup, tongue weight and weight in the bed helps with traction. I dip my 20 in the Gulf of Maine with broken asphalt ramps where they are "wicked" steep due to the 9 foot tides. That gets really dicey with RWD and no LSD. I don't think any FWD could do it. Unless Kenworth makes one.

[Tiny]

Originally Posted by FishStretcher

You want something like this. 1995 F250 powerstroke diesel with all new parts.

20 MPG and you won't even remember there is a 20 footer behind you.

http://daytona.craigslist.org/cto/4413072040.html

That's for sure. I've already got one of those, a 7.3 superduty, but it just sits here, waiting to go to the boat ramp and back...very sad.

[NoBones]

Originally Posted by FishStretcher

You Floridians have these nice easy ramps it seems, but FWD would be sketchy. At least with RWD in a pickup, tongue weight and weight in the bed helps with traction.

Dats' cause we is flats down here....

No bumps in da road...

Less you get into da panhandle....

[Normagain]

Originally Posted by FishStretcher

You want something like this. 1995 F250 powerstroke diesel with all new parts.

20 MPG and you won't even remember there is a 20 footer behind you.

http://daytona.craigslist.org/cto/4413072040.html

This is why I drive the 06 Dodge sans 5.9 Cummins. 140k and not much has needed changing... knock on fake wood look plastic.

Don't chip it btw unless you have the willpower to not use it. You will blow injectors at minimum.

[flyingfrizzle]

Originally Posted by Normagain

This is why I drive the 06 Dodge sans 5.9 Cummins. 140k and not much has needed changing... knock on fake wood look plastic.

Don't chip it btw unless you have the willpower to not use it. You will blow injectors at minimum.

Love my diesel F-250 6.0 I have had little problems until recently. Got a fuel/pump injector issue right now im trying to figure out but I had it 7 years with no problems till then. It is a 2003 model. The 7.3 is much more bullet proof tho

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Tiny

The ramp's really close. It's nice to be able to make some longer runs, a couple times a year. It's getting it out at the ramp that I was hoping to get some first hand experience on. Sounds like it should get the job done. If anyone's done it let me know!

Tiny,

I figure my Seafari weighs about 3200 lbs with a full load of gas, but I carry about another 600 lbs of gear when I go cruising, and the big EZ-Loader trailer weighs 900 lbs, so I figure I'm towing about 4700 lbs when I head out to the Keys or some other trip around the state. Will e-mail you a spreadsheet from when I once weighed all the gear on the boat . . . it really adds up!

What sort of tow vehicle you can get by with depends on where and how far you want to tow it. I originally towed my Seafari for about 5 years with my old '66 'Cuda with a 340 cube V-8 & HD Torqueflite, mostly just to the North Palm, LP, and Jupiter ramps, never over about 45 mph. At 3100 lbs with a Sure-Grip rear, air shocks, wide tires, and roller trailer that I didn't have to dunk, it did ok, although the east Jupiter ramp was a little tricky at low tide, and I ALWAYS (and still do) chocked all 4 wheels when cranking boat up on trailer! I had to go real easy on the throttle pulling out or it'd smoke the tires! I even towed my previous 18' boat down to Islamorada one time with that rig and no trailer brakes, but I was young and dumb then!

Towed my Seafari for another 19 years (I buy a new vehicle about every 20 years, whether I need it or not!) with a 79 Chrysler wagon that weighed about 3800 lbs. With Sure-Grip rear, air shocks and a 360 V-8 it handled the boat fine at all the local ramps, but I never towed it any distance. In 1998 I ordered a 2WD Dodge Dakota Club Cab with Sure Grip, 5.2L V-8, HD towing/cooling/electrical packages. It's been a great rig and I've towed the boat all over the state with it. Even towed Skip & Carla's old 21' race boat down to the Keys with half their garage piled in it when they moved! With a long 131" wheelbase, front and rear sway bars, and 10" wide 60 series tires, it's very stable towing the boat, even in cross winds at 65 mph. I've yet to have a problem pulling up a ramp, even on the steep Jupiter ramp at low tide.

That FWD SUV still probably weighs more than my 'Cuda, so it might work for local towing, but you might want to look at putting a hitch on the front, where the trailer tongue weight would provide a little more traction on steep ramps. However, if you want to tow it in heavy traffic down the Turnpike to Keys, I'd use the F250 and make sure the trailer brakes are working!

[Normagain]

Originally Posted by flyingfrizzle

Love my diesel F-250 6.0 I have had little problems until recently. Got a fuel/pump injector issue right now im trying to figure out but I had it 7 years with no problems till then. It is a 2003 model. The 7.3 is much more bullet proof tho

Just bustin your chops. I had a 96 Chevy 1500 V8 before this. Loved the truck but hated the brakes. It had enough trouble stopping the truck alone, small disks in the front, drums in the back. With trailer brakes much better but they would wear fast!

[Terry England]

This will show my age -
Pulled my '71 Safari that had a 3.0 Mercruiser with a Toyota Hi Lux pick up that had an R-18 engine (I think) with a 4 speed manual tranny. Used the Fort Desoto ramp whenever I could because you can back down on a long angle across one of the ramps and turn the trailer perpendicular to the shore line when the wheels go in. Then you can just pull out "across" the ramp and not straight up which was hard on everything. The rig was real "spooky" in the rain. Jack-knifed it one day in the rain and ordered a brand new F-100 step-side with a 300 CI six and a 5 speed OD gear box. Marsha was OK with that - I was in Heaven.