Toying with the idea of this
Who has a dedicated tow vehicle to tow their boat? I'm in QLD. Is there a restricted rego for the vehicle if you only do it every now and then?
I guess an old v8 truck or something the rego would be high. Probably better off with a diesel hino or izuzu or something.
Anyone care to share what they do? What the bills are? How much more of a PITA it is to something that is legal
What sort of money and vehicle can you get away with? do you ever tow it far?
I manage my load to keep my BMT just under 3500kg, but I tow it with a 4500kg rated F250. I think if you are towing a big boat long distances, then a powerful tow vehicle is wise. Not sure how well the small trucks would tow or how comfortable they'd be on a long tow. FWIW, I have towed Townsville to Karumba and back, plus Townsville to Brisbane with both a diesel Patrol and the F250, and the extra power and comfort of the F250 was awesome. Makes passing road trains a breeze, let alone semis on the Bruce.Originally Posted by myusernam
How big/heavy are you looking to go?g
PS, when I got my F250 it was my daily driver, but now I'm back in Brisbane, its sole purpose is to tow the boat.
I have a 2270 glacier bay that is suspect is over 3.5t fully loaded. Tow it with a dual cab cruiser- it handles it but would always love more torque and power... I've now relocated the boat ALOT closer to my fishing spot but if i had to do it again, i would go a light truck (which also aligns itself to the nature of my work)...
Hi I am at 4 ton and tow with a old F250 diesel and it's sole purpose in life is for towing the boat and going to the dump. Rego is no different for limited use so yes you just pay full amount. Depending on how wide your boat is rules change for towing which you can get from the Queensland transport department web site. If you are over wide and require flags/lights/signs if is no big deal and also you may have some restrictions on when and where you can tow. There are also speed restrictions but go to the web site and have a read. If you are thinking of a small truck just be careful as some don't actually have the tow capacity. Cost of a older F250 depending on what you will live with will be some where around the $20,000 and rego a year is just over $1000. I picked up my truck for a good price as I had plenty of time to wait, for $10,000 with a diesel in it. Do a fair amount of work on vehicles so have been slowly restoring and have spent about $4000 on upgrading the cooling system and other shits and bits. If you are towing around the max of the vehicle you need to make sure everything is happy such as water/oil/transmission temp so be prepared if you get something you may have to spend a few more dollars to get it right. I would say I will spend another $4000 on it buy the time I give it a coat of paint and build a tray for it. Remember these prices are without labour. The plan is to tow as far as Carins from Brisbane and every where between. If you are going to do this do it properly and stay on the right side of the law or you will have no insurance. And yes it all cost money so every year before you pay the rego on the trailer you are required to have a inspection of the trailer which will cost you $150 and it goes up every year. Hope this has given you some idea.
I was talking to a Isuzu truck dealer today and was surprised that the smaller trucks(4.5 to 6.5tonne) are only rated to 3500kg's towing.
You need to get into the bigger trucks(7.8tonne) to get the 4500kg's towing capacity. I don't know how a F250 gets rated to 4500kg's.
Cheers
sportfish58 I went down that road when I was trying to work out what to tow with also. You can do it with a fifth wheel set up but then the smaller trucks either have a 4 or 6 cylinder diesel and don't expect any great speed. I had a ford trader 4.5 ton that I hooked up to the boat with to see how it would preform and if you where only going a few km's to the ramp it would do it but but you would have some traffic behind you that wouldn't be to happy. Your V8 cruisers and a like will pull with no problems just not rated. You are limited when you try to stay within the regulations and there are plenty of people out there that don't comply and seem to be fine with it. myuserrnam you are doing the correct thing asking questions on this subject as there are certainly plenty on this site towing the over 3.5 ton warships around and a lot of good information to be had off them. They certainly helped me out when I was setting up my project.
I had a Haines 800 Patriot that was just under 4t.
I bought a Landrover Defender that was rated to 4t to tow it.
Stupidest decision ever!!
Whilst it was rated to 4t, it never had the power or stability to do it safely...
Cheers
Pete
We towed previously 4ton+ with a v8 land cruiser on gooseneck trailer. Have now upgraded to a 4x4 Truck with gooseneck.
If only towing short distances in QLD it seems you can get a dyna/isuzu/pantech style diesel truck fairly cheap. (like for the cost of one years marina mooring) I prefer the idea of a dedicated tow vehicle rather than throwing 15k per annum into the water on berths. I was thinking I might even be able to buy the truck it its the kind of thing that K's dont matter too much, and let a mate with a business use if he pays the rego and mantains, and just lets me use it when I want to launch the boat. I'd rather a four or six cylinder (diesel) purely for the rego if im paying. V8 rego is over a grand. Is light truck rego similar to a car? I suppose its more.
So long as it pulls 80 or 90k on the flat I think I'd be happy - I think if I had a boat that size if I want to go north or south it's probably just as economical to drive the boat as it is to tow the thing. Plus I dont have to be so anal with wheel bearings. Tri-axle trailer means three sets of wheel bearings. what a mission. I've seen some huge boats with dual axle landcruiser hubs. Think I'd prefer that..
our boats are just under 3.5tonne but often when we up spec them they push 4t or 4.3t ,
We have towed with a Chevrolet silverado and f350 ford. here in victoria we can tow over 2.5mt wide with a wide load sign and clearance flags without a permit. up to 2.999mt wide.
i have towed a 3.3t Jeanneau with a 4c Ford ranger and it was very very very noticeable. so if money allows , the larger america pick up trucks are the way to go
V8 rego is about 1200 per year. Lt is roughly 2k per year.
We have done the marina berth thing. It is good but you are restricted moreso to your local area.
Towing is way more efficient than running up the coast in a boat.
We run tri axle trailer and it tows very easy.
The problem with getting a cheap tow vehicle is breakdown on the side of the highway. USA trucks are nice for Towing but Aus lacks a decent parts and service network for these style of Utes
I've gone from toying to due diligence on a specific boat. In Qld everything over 3500kg u need a safety certificate every year. And a pintle hook instead of a standard ball. (Non gooseneck) does everyone get their safety certificate? I'm guessing many don't but it would be the same as driving an unregistered vehicle if involved in an accident (and even in the 2 ks of Backstreets to the ramp I could run up someone's arse pretty easy at an intersection with four tons behind me) The boat I'm currently looking at is tri axle with all the braking gear but it certainly needs maintenance on the brakes, would need to pass inspection to be handed over, then I would need an inspection cert every year with the associated ordeal of getting the brakes working again each year. I'm thinking boat in for an overnight at the marina and working bee with crew for 6 lots of wheel bearings and brake pads and hub cleanup. Would probably be easiest to get it inspected without the trailer if that's possible. For towing looking at an old six wheel cruiser. Its sole purpose would be to tie the boat under 3k to the ramp. I can get around weight by having a fuel pump in the back of the cruiser and filling diesel and water at the ramp (or turning the tap on after I run over someone😀.
Would be easier to fill that way anyway than taking the monster to a servo.
Assuming you're planing on carting the diesel in the cruiser with your pump keep an eye on the GCM of the whole package. Using a 200 series cause the numbers are available:. I can get around weight by having a fuel pump in the back of the cruiser and filling diesel and water at the ramp (or turning the tap on after I run over someone😀
Would be easier to fill that way anyway than taking the monster to a servo.
GCM = 6850
Kerb weight = 2740
Trailer & Boat = 3450
Balance allowed in Landcruiser = 6850-(2740+3450) = 660
Two "blokes" = 180kg
esky full of beer and ice = 40kg
All the other crap bolted to or stored in car (bullbar tank etc) = 150kg
Total = 370kg
290kg for fuel (350L diesel or 385L petrol)
Regarding yearly inspection. You need show your inspection slip to pay and renew your rego. Not really a big deal. If your trailer doesn't pass inspection it shouldn't be on the road anyway.I've gone from toying to due diligence on a specific boat. In Qld everything over 3500kg u need a safety certificate every year. And a pintle hook instead of a standard ball. (Non gooseneck) does everyone get their safety certificate? I'm guessing many don't but it would be the same as driving an unregistered vehicle if involved in an accident (and even in the 2 ks of Backstreets to the ramp I could run up someone's arse pretty easy at an intersection with four tons behind me) The boat I'm currently looking at is tri axle with all the braking gear but it certainly needs maintenance on the brakes, would need to pass inspection to be handed over, then I would need an inspection cert every year with the associated ordeal of getting the brakes working again each year. I'm thinking boat in for an overnight at the marina and working bee with crew for 6 lots of wheel bearings and brake pads and hub cleanup. Would probably be easiest to get it inspected without the trailer if that's possible. For towing looking at an old six wheel cruiser. Its sole purpose would be to tie the boat under 3k to the ramp. I can get around weight by having a fuel pump in the back of the cruiser and filling diesel and water at the ramp (or turning the tap on after I run over someone😀
Would be easier to fill that way anyway than taking the monster to a servo.
nah 6 wheel cruiser. secondary manufacture plate so i think it's good for 4.5t (1.5 times the gcm)
boat is too big to tow anywhere. just over 4t empty. currently overhight but can modify to legal.
economical enought that ill take on own bottom everywhere. has a long range. limited to own area but bonus is multiple night ability
will keep 2.5klm over flat ground from the only boat ramp it will ever see. (unless my mate with a truck wants to tow it but i doubt it) only needs me in vehicle plus fuel
no haul out trailer facility here, so only option other than a berth, which is not an option at 15k p.a. plus its a sterndive.
costs per annum will be rego of vehicle, safety cert. rego probably more than my current under 3500kg trailer. oversise permit. flags
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