Opinions on towing 21' bassboat with Jimmy

[Hotrod2066]

I'm looking for some opinions as to whether or not my 99 Jimmy will tow my new boat, a 21' triton with a 225. It has a dual axle trailer with brakes.

[Billy Bob]

If I remember correctly the Jimmy has V-6 Vortex engine with about 200 hp. What does the boat weight FULLY loaded. Your Jimmy is probably rated for 3500 lbs but always figure only 80% of that rating ESPECIALLY if you are towing in mountains or high hills. So if your bass boat weighs more than 2800 lbs loaded you are pushing the envelope. Now if your only doing local towing (50 or less) you can get away with pushing it a bit but if your talking trailering this boat hundreds of miles I would say don't do it.

 

BTW make sure those trailer brakes work. The Jimmy has never been know for good brakes as you might already know.

 

Bob

[largemouth]

my buddies 2005 V8 ford explorer doesn't enjoy pulling his 21' bass boat with duel axle trailers, it does it but he doesn't think it will last this up-coming season without transmission work (yes he has a cooler installed).

 

But its a ford, so.....................

[johnnyb]

You could always call your local GM dealership and ask for a sales rep...people do it to me alllll the time. 'cept I don't work at a GM store....so I can't help ya there. HOWEVER, after goggling "99 Jimmy V6 tow capacity" I came up with a 5000 lb tow capacity, pretty quickly...didn't dig too deep though.

Owner's manual might tell you as well.

Edited April 15, 2008 by johnnyb

[steelhedrmatt]

My 97 Jimmy sounded like it was going to explode when I towed Iceguy's 19' sylvain to Niagra. Then this past weekend it puked. I would have to say, probably not.

[Hotrod2066]

The boat weighs about 4500 pounds fully loaded, and you're right billybob the brakes on a jimmy are crap.

[misfish]

I pulled an 18 ft ranger for 2 years,single axle. My ford f150 is a 6 cyl 4.2,five speed manual. It seemed to do the job just fine. Most of the guys I have noticed have 8 cylinders to pull the bigger rigs.Although,I have seen many with these mini gm vans,and they seem to do ok.

 

But its a ford, so.....................

 

Ford trucks,built tough.

 

Enjoy your new toy.

[charlesn]

It should be fine in terms of "can I do this". I tow a 20' boat with a 225 that probably doesn't much less than your rig with a V6 Trailblazer which is about the same amount of truck. It was fine even when one of the calipers on the trailer brake snapped in half and I had to disable to trailer brakes.

 

I know at least 2 others that tow 20-21 foot rigs with a Jimmy/Blazer.

 

However, when the lease is up on the Trailblazer I'm going to a Silverado King Cab V8. The gas mileage I get when trailering with the Trailblazer is pretty ludicrous.

 

Charles

[HTHM]

I wouldn't tow with Jimmy he's an Take George along instead. He at least knows how to joke and have fun.

[Gerry]

That boat, fully loaded, weighs 3500 to 3800 lbs. I owned a 2002 for 6 years and towed it with a Ford Expedition and F150. The Jimmy will pull it but not well. And it's not a safe ride if and when you have to take a sharp evasive action or stop quickly. But, if that's all you have then.....that's what you should use. I did have an Explorer V8 (5.0 Litre) to tow a Lund ProV and it didn't do a good job.

[Silver Tracker]

I have a 2002 Jimmy- I trailer a 20 Foot Fiberglass Walleye boat Tracker- same as a Ranger 619 with a 150hp- No Issues.

 

Your engine is a little heavier but not much.

 

But hey- if you need to buy a new truck--- Avalanche does the job real nice- my buddy tows his Ranger 521 no problem.

[Silver Tracker]

Check the weight- I dont think its 4500 lbs- what kind of bass boat?

[danbo]

Sounds like an excuse to get a Hemi-Powered Dodge Pickup to go with yer boat!

[lookinforwalleye]

Probably not something I would do, a 6 cyl. would struggle but hey there are people on here that tow 16 and 17 footers with 4 cyl. compact cars.

Edited April 15, 2008 by lookinforwalleye

[Maverick]

Sounds like an excuse to get a Hemi-Powered Dodge Pickup to go with yer boat!

 

Yeah if you are into stopping at every gas station with your 6mpg HEMI, when it starts.

 

But check your glove box for towing capacity, that's where it is on my truck.

Edited April 15, 2008 by Maverick

[Hotrod2066]

I phoned the GM dealer, he said the towing capacity was 5200 lbs, so I should be more than okay. The boat is a 2001 tr 21dc with a 225 opti, the guy at the marina where I bought it said it was 4500 lbs fully loaded. I know it will suck gas, but I only intend to do a few tournies where I'll have to drive 3-4 hours. Thanks for all the responses.

[Gerry]

The rated towing capacity includes the weight of the vehicle. If your vehicle weighs 2500 lbs (with fuel, passengers and stuff) then your left with a true towing capacity of 2700 lbs......a little sort of what you need! And, the towing capacities that manufacturers promote are always exaggerated, you should always discount them by at least 20%.

[lew]

and you're right billybob the brakes on a jimmy are crap.

 

In my opinion, there's your answer right there.

 

Getting your rig moving is one thing, but more importantly if you say the brakes are crap, I don't think I'd even consider pulling that boat with it. It won't be a pretty picture if you need to make a quick stop somewhere and that big heavy boat just keeps on pushing you straight ahead

 

The trailer brakes may be up to the job, but I think the brakes on your truck are just as important and they should all work together.......at least in my mind anyways.

[Billy Bob]

I had a Ford Escape with a V-6 201 hp engine and it towed my boat OK but not beyond that. I always felt I was being pushed down the highway with it. I had to plan my stops leaving PLENTY of room between myself and the vehicle in front of me. Last year I traded in the Ford on a new Toyota Tundra and wow what a difference in my towing experience now. I wanted something that when I was towing I wouldn't know it's back there and that's just what I got now. And the mileage is the same when towing between the Ford Escape and the Tundra. Of course the Escape got better overall mileage when not towing but you have to pay for it on one end or the other. I like the extra safety that I gained with the Tundra truck. However, if gas prices continue to rise the way they are going this week I am going to have give up driving and walk somewhere to fish

[Terry]

my 1990 blazer towed my 19.5 ft nitro around no problem

[misfish]

my 1990 blazer towed my 19.5 ft nitro around no problem

 

Yeah,but yer just a little guy.

[Sinker]

IMO, your pushing your luck. Should anything happen on the road, your screwed. Not to mention, your going to drive that jimmy into the ground. If your gonna be towing around a rig like that, the first thing you should think about is your tow vehicle!! Get a real truck!!

 

Sinker

[irishfield]

My F150, with the tiny 4.6 litre Triton 8 in it, pulls my 22 foot Baron just fine. Boat/trailer/80 gallons of fuel and fishing gear gotta be up around 5500lbs. I don't even know it's there. Fuel consumption does.. but driving wise no issues. Of course the Jimmy has a short wheel base.. and that would be my fear as Gerry has pointed out when you need to swerve.

 

Remember it doesn't take long to add up the weight. That boat's probably 1900lbs.. motor 650.. fuel 6lbs per US gallon..fishing equipment 400+lbs(oh.. only me..lol.. remember downriggers/planner masts/tackle boxes/supplies)..kicker motor another 125.. trailer 1000lbs or so..etc. The one thing I do when I can is to wait until destination to fill the tank.. especially with mine holding almost 500 lbs of fuel.

 

Oh.. and don't forget to buy a set of mirror extenders. Nothing erks me more than people towing stuff and they can't see where they've been (ie if anyone is behind them/beside them to make safe lane changes and driving decisions.

Edited April 15, 2008 by irishfield

[Bernie]

In my opinion you will be overworking the Jimmy. It may do the job but it will be taxing the drivetrain. Most engine compartments are tight these days but the Jimmy/Blazers, water would have a hard time flowing down through . All the heat developed in the engine/transmission and front axle just builds up in there. Full size long bed or extend cab pickups work the best for towing (o ya suburbans and avalanche too). If you are determined to use it get a very good trans cooler installed. Make sure you keep your A/C condensor and radiator clean to allow good airflow to keep things cool as possible. Get some top line brake pads installed. The Wagner Thermoquiet pad has very good stopping power and is resistant to brake fade. There are other pads on the market that work well too but these have been the best for me in customer satisfaction. Just dont cheap out on friction materials there is a tremendous difference in performance and longevity.

Trailer brakes need to be maintained as well. The brake shoes on trailers seem to come apart yearly. Not sure if it's because they sit for long periods or if they are just crap to begin with. If they are a hydraulic surge brake make sure the master cylinder is full of brake fluid and not water. Seems every other one I check is half water. If electric brakes check the wiring to them. More often than not there is a broken wire or two. Ice chunks seem to pull the wires off if used in winter. When you have the drums off apply the trailer brakes and make sure each magnet is working. They can go open circuit internally.

[John Bacon]

The rated towing capacity includes the weight of the vehicle. If your vehicle weighs 2500 lbs (with fuel, passengers and stuff) then your left with a true towing capacity of 2700 lbs......a little sort of what you need! And, the towing capacities that manufacturers promote are always exaggerated, you should always discount them by at least 20%.

 

The weight of the truck itself does not count toward the towing capacity. However, it does include the weight of any passengers and cargo inside the truck. A couple of big guys can take four or five hundred pounds off of your towing capacity.