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DISCLAIMER - I do NOT recommend doing as you see here. This post is meant to inform and potentially discourage others. Fully aware you guys will probably rip me.
Bronco Specs:
Towing Weight:
I towed this boat, with my dad in the passenger seat, approximately 70miles home down a flat stretch of straight interstate with occasional short hills/bridges. So, how did it tow?
From dead stops, the manual transmission required light throttle blips and careful clutch slips to keep the 2.3L happy. The weight of the boat was obviously noticed by the 2.3L and the turbo need to stay spooled constantly (2000rpm +). The interstate on-ramp was inclined but the Bronco was still able to hit 60mph by the time I was merging. Once on the interstate, I left it in 5th gear and held a speed of ~65-67mph. At this speed/gear, the engine was around 2300rpm. 6th gear was not usable at this speed since the engine RPM was not high enough to spool the turbo. The trailer had no sway and the Bronco was not bossed around by it, even on a long bridge with a decent cross wind. At one point on this bridge, the evenly spaced bumps from the bridge segments began to, with lack of better term, "buck" the Bronco so I reduced the speed to get out of that rhythm. Hottest the engine got was ~220°F which appeared just above halfway on the gauge. Since the trailer does not have brakes (not a requirement for this size where I live) I left plenty of room between me and vehicle ahead. Once I was in town, it stopped the trailer "acceptably" but not great. I would recommend surge or electronic brakes.
I have launched a 21' Sea Hunt (deep-vee) which weighs a few hundred pounds less than this and the Bronco was able to pull it up the ramp, in 4WD, no problem. But, I will be launching the Contender this weekend so can report back how that goes.
My "home" port for this boat is 2 miles from my house through a residential neighborhood. Seldomly, I may tow it ~10 miles down a country road to a different launch. So for now, I'll stick with the Bronco but if I want to explore other areas of water, I'll be phoning my fishing buddies for their trucks.
Bronco Specs:
Year - 2022
Trim - Black Diamond
Engine - 2.3L I4 (Sport Mode Enabled)
Transmission - 7 Speed Manual (heh)
Rated Towing Capacity - 3,500lbs
Mods - 3" Spacer Lift and Sasquatch Wheels/Tires
Boat Specs:Year - 1998
Model - Contender 21 Open
Engine - 2017 Suzuki 200hp I4
Towing Weight:
Dry Hull - 2,300lbs
Engine - 500lbs
Full Tank - 90gal x 6lbs/gal = 540lbs
Trailer - ~1000lbs
____________
TOTAL = 4,340lbs
I towed this boat, with my dad in the passenger seat, approximately 70miles home down a flat stretch of straight interstate with occasional short hills/bridges. So, how did it tow?
From dead stops, the manual transmission required light throttle blips and careful clutch slips to keep the 2.3L happy. The weight of the boat was obviously noticed by the 2.3L and the turbo need to stay spooled constantly (2000rpm +). The interstate on-ramp was inclined but the Bronco was still able to hit 60mph by the time I was merging. Once on the interstate, I left it in 5th gear and held a speed of ~65-67mph. At this speed/gear, the engine was around 2300rpm. 6th gear was not usable at this speed since the engine RPM was not high enough to spool the turbo. The trailer had no sway and the Bronco was not bossed around by it, even on a long bridge with a decent cross wind. At one point on this bridge, the evenly spaced bumps from the bridge segments began to, with lack of better term, "buck" the Bronco so I reduced the speed to get out of that rhythm. Hottest the engine got was ~220°F which appeared just above halfway on the gauge. Since the trailer does not have brakes (not a requirement for this size where I live) I left plenty of room between me and vehicle ahead. Once I was in town, it stopped the trailer "acceptably" but not great. I would recommend surge or electronic brakes.
I have launched a 21' Sea Hunt (deep-vee) which weighs a few hundred pounds less than this and the Bronco was able to pull it up the ramp, in 4WD, no problem. But, I will be launching the Contender this weekend so can report back how that goes.
My "home" port for this boat is 2 miles from my house through a residential neighborhood. Seldomly, I may tow it ~10 miles down a country road to a different launch. So for now, I'll stick with the Bronco but if I want to explore other areas of water, I'll be phoning my fishing buddies for their trucks.
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