Towing with H3 w/ I5 ??

[4508js]

Hey all, I was wondering if there are any Bass fishermen here that tow a 21 foot bass boat with an H3 w/ I5 ? Pretty much wondering what to expect as far as stopping and overall towing, my H3 has stock brakes and I am running 285's. Was also wondering about steap hills, how much the I5 will bog down ? My boat is a 1996 Stratos 201 Pro with a tandem axle trailer w/ brakes. Thanks in advance for any help and it info.

 

[is350]

how much does the trailer and boat weigh together?

 

[4508js]

Based on several posts on a fishing forum I'm going to say around 3,000-3,400 lbs. That figure is based on boat, trailer, motor, and fishing gear.

 

[SolidusJ]

I pulled 5,000LBS 1,3XX miles with out a problem.

 

[Green 1]

Never pulled a boat with the H3 but did pull a 3400lb Camaro on about a 1000 lb trailer. It was ok on smooth ground and I did not get in a hurry so on hills I just let the truck slow down a little and did not push it. The truck drove fine. I would not pick an H3 I-5 for a normal tow truck but on occasion not bad.

 

[HUMMER INVESTMENTS]

We've pulled our 4-wheelers up and down in CO, and here in the Black Hills. All togather I think we where around 3000 lbs. including lugage. The H3 did pretty well, the only parts we saw that it struggled were some of the steeper hills in CO

 

[mkmcgreg]

Be prepared for it to shift frequently in and out of o/d but it will be fine I tow this on occasion with no trailer brakes and it does fine. I

I think it weighed around the 3500# mark

 

[SolidusJ]

 

[supersapper-rpm]

I tow my jet boat short distances fairly often and have taken it on 500mi+ trips a few times. Braking hasn't been an issue for me and east coast mountains at highway speed aren't that bad either.

 

[4508js]

Cool thanks for all the info guys, I'll give it a try and see how it goes now

 

[Chook]

I tow a 21ft boat and a big army trailer (bothe around 2000Kg, 4400lb) and no real issues. (though it does suck a lot of gas) I had to select the Auto box as it is the only one rated to 2000Kg (manual gearbox is rated a lot lower around 1200Kg)

 

[Bigunit]

Don't mean yo hijack this thread but 4508js, you have a beautiful K9 companion! My wife and I are doglovers and we have a keen interest in supporting law enforcement amd military K9s. :cheers:

 

[4508js]

Don't mean yo hijack this thread but 4508js, you have a beautiful K9 companion! My wife and I are doglovers and we have a keen interest in supporting law enforcement amd military K9s. :cheers:

Thank you, K9 working dogs really are amazing and they make the best partners. I appreciate your support and interst

 

[shawndondo]

4508js, I have towed close to 6,000lbs 5,841 to be exact. This is when I was PCSing from Ft Bragg. I didn’t have an issue until i ran into some hills. Just take it easy on the skinny pedal and all will be ok. I regularly tow a R-Vision QB-23 Travel trailer, loaded about 4,000LBS or our Boat Searay 175 Sport. Both trailers have brakes and i have the prodigy II Brake controller that works amazingly. I will recommend getting a good brake controller if you’re going to tow heavy. All of the wires are under the dash by the driver’s side floor light.

Prodigy BRake Controller: http://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Controller/Tekonsha/90885.html

 

[SolidusJ]

4508js, I have towed close to 6,000lbs 5,841 to be exact. This is when I was PCSing from Ft Bragg. I didn’t have an issue until i ran into some hills. Just take it easy on the skinny pedal and all will be ok. I regularly tow a R-Vision QB-23 Travel trailer, loaded about 4,000LBS or our Boat Searay 175 Sport. Both trailers have brakes and i have the prodigy II Brake controller that works amazingly. I will recommend getting a good brake controller if you’re going to tow heavy. All of the wires are under the dash by the driver’s side floor light.

Prodigy BRake Controller: http://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Controller/Tekonsha/90885.html

View attachment 7155View attachment 7156

OK you got me beat, I had to PCS from Bragg to Hood with this behind me.

 

[H3nightrod]

Towing with H3/I5

I have had to do some last min tows at work. Here is my H3 Alpha with superchips set at Tow mode hauling 22ft trailer. I have a set of Firestone Air Bags that I inflate to 70 psi to keep her level. Dont recomend this as I only haul for less than 30 miles and at low speeds. Not fun on a windy day or above 50 mph.

Just wanted to share this pic I had saved up

 

[SickStringC]

I tow a 18' 5" Ski Boat with a Mercruiser Alpha One outdrive with my '07 I5 and I definitely feel it back there, but it tows it fine. I keep the boat in the garage and tow up and down some reasonably steep hills to get to Lake Austin from my house almost every weekend in the summer. I have recently added the PCMForless tune as well as exhaust and intake, but I towed before all of that and it still did fine. Don't get me wrong, there's very little 'get up and go' on the highway with the boat behind me, but it definitely gets the job done. Stopping isn't really an issue either, but I have had 315s on it since I got the boat so no idea how much of a difference that makes as I don't have a before / after comparison.

 

[f5moab]

Well, I'll fill in my info tomorrow or Sunday after I drive back from Denver with a new Flagstaff tent trailer, slightly customized with a 4 inch lift, dual tanks, dual deep cycle batteries and a lot larger tires than factory. It should be fun on that long ass hill going west out of Denver up to the tunnel.