Bill, We tow our M-17, "LITTLE BREEZE" with my Toyota Prerunner Pickup with a V6. Tows great but slows to 50 on steep hills (3-4% grade). I avoid leaving the OB on the boat, preferring to carry it in the back of the truck. I towed her from Norcal to Oregon with NO problems.. Regards Arnold On Jul 25, 2009, at 5:34 PM, Bill Wickett wrote:
We are looking at an M17 and thinking about tow vehicles.
Any M-boat owners tow an M17 with a Ford Ranger or Dodge Dakota?
Ranger with a 4 liter engine is rated at 4000 lbs tow capacity. Dakota is not as clearly defined in the manuals, but says it is up to 7,000 with correct equipment. I think that would be the 4.7L V-8 and tow package. I see that the Dakota has an overdrive override for towing hauling.
I think the Ranger might be a bit narrow, but have not compared the width of the 2 vehicles. Need to do a bit of on-line research. I think the M17 on the Pacific trailer is probably 7' 6".
The mission would be for towing 1 hour from home to launch and return, with two to four longer trips each summer of 3-6 hours distance. 6 hours would get us to the North Channel of Lake Huron.
Any experiences you have to share would be appreciated.
One last question, does anyone trailer with the O/B mounted on the boat (adjustable bracket) or do you stow the motor in your vehicle? Stowing in the rear of an SUV does not seem all that safe to me, unless it is strapped down. That is why we are looking at the pickup option.
Thanks much to all.
Bill Wickett, Ontario _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
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