Towing A27

[kneedeep50]

Has anyone tried towing A27 with a 1/2 ton 4x4?

[DesertAlbin736]

I don't know about towing an A27, but unless you're talking about short runs on mostly flat ground, I'd say a 3/4 ton truck or SUV would be highly recommended, either 4x4 or 2WD. Actually, 2WD would have slightly higher towing capacity than a 4X4 due to not having the extra weight of front axle & transfer case. If you expect to encounter any long, steep 5% to 7% mountain grades like we see out West I would definitely go with 3/4 ton or even 1 ton. Even back East there are some serious hill climbs, like for instance on I-68 in western Maryland between Hagerstown, MD and Morgantown, WV, as steep as almost any I've seen out West. So having good E load range tires less than 5 or 6 years old on the truck, and good tires on the trailer is equally important. Doesn't have to be a fancy new truck, a basic work truck will do. Remember, it's as much about being able to stop as it is about getting moving & able to pull up hills.

Another important thing to remember is tongue weight on the hitch, which should be around +/- 10% of the whole trailer weight. Otherwise with insufficient tongue weight you end up with fishtailing stability issues. Keeping as much weight forward on the boat in terms of gear stowage is also important. Not sure, and A27 guys you know more about this, but I'd estimate an A27+trailer would be in the ballpark of 10,000 lbs, maybe more. Always safer to not be towing right at or near a truck's published towing capacity. Well maintained trailer brakes are especially important if you're going attempt to tow with a 1/2 ton truck.

We once used a 1/2 ton Chevy Tahoe SUV to tow a 1989 Catalina 25 sailboat from Phoenix to San Diego (earlier style C25 with 1,700 lb lead wing keel, not the lighter waterballast C250) that tipped the truck scale at actual weight of 8,300 lbs including the trailer. For those not familiar with Interstate 8, the stretch from El Centro, CA to San Diego goes from below sea level at El Centro, crosses a series of summits that top out at about 4,500 feet and back to sea level at San Diego in 113 road miles. We made OK, but it was a bit of white knuckle driving, which is why we now have a 3/4 ton Dodge Ram diesel 4x4 to tow our 6,800 lb A25 & trailer.

We've hauled our A25 over 13,000 miles without incident (except for some trailer brake repair issues on the 2015 east coast trip), and right before we sold the sailboat in 2013 we towed it over to San Diego and back with the Dodge in 2012, a round trip distance of 720 miles. MUCH less stress. I've seen instances where improperly loaded & set up sailboats on trailers pulled by trucks that weren't up to the job ended up being flipped on the highway. Not pretty! Pays to be safety conscious when trailering.

[Beta Don]

I suppose it's possible - Our 27 on it's trailer tipped the scales north of 10,000 lbs which is pretty close to the maximum rating for most 1/2 ton trucks

I agree that short trips around your local area is probably doable, but for long distances I would want at least a 3/4 ton and preferably a dually

Don