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brwn234
12-22-2007, 07:06 PM
I'm currently towing my 22zx with a 97 GMC 1500 Xcab short bed. I've found a great deal on a 99 2door tahoe with only 63k miles. What do you think of towing a boat that size with a shorter wheel base vehicle? My concern is with bad ride and possible problems with panic stop situations. I know lots of people that tow with much smaller midsized suv's without problems. I'm also thinking about adding brakes to the rear axel in addition to the front.

Last Tango
12-22-2007, 07:16 PM
I'm towing my 22ZX with an '05 JEEP Grand Cherokee Limited 4WD with the 5.7L HEMI. No problem. Adding brakes to the second axel on the trailer is an extremely good safety idea.

brwn234
12-22-2007, 07:37 PM
I remembered from reading your post you drive a GCherokee. My buddy also tows a 22' bow rider with the same suv. Do you have any problems with the boat pushing the truck side to side when braking hard at high speeds? Thats my big concern.
Also how do you tie down your boat. I've got a fast load alluminum, very similar to yours. The trailer has no tie loops to tie too. Directly down from the stern eyes are the trim tabs and they get in the way of straping the boat to the trailer.

Last Tango
12-22-2007, 08:18 PM
The pushing you are describing is common to pickup trucks. They are inherantly light in the back. When stopping, the trailer tends to raise the rear of the truck and thus lighten the rear even more and reduce the coefficient of friction for the rear tires. Pickup trucks in heavy rain have very little rear traction because of the lack of equal weight distribution.
SUV's are far more heavy in the rear. So under breaking they have more resistence to lifting.
Short wheel base is not the issue. Vehicle weight versus towed weight is the more important. The truck must provide a substantial resistance to the towed weight.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with HEMI, 4WD, automatic, and a plethora of conveniences weighs in at 2 1/4 tons - 4500 Lbs. The 22ZX dry weight is 3800lbs, plus trailer, fuel, and "stuff", is about 5500 Lbs. The JEEP also has huge brakes, ABS, and Stability Control.
My trailer has 4 wheel disc brakes. So the trailer brakes are stopping the trailer and the JEEP has very little more to stop than itself.
I have experienced only barely detectable trailer sway in heavy crosswinds.

As for the safety tie-downs on the stern, I have two 2" adjustable lever-style tie-downs that hook onto the transom rings. I pass them outside the trim tabs, and I do a single wrap around the rectangular trailer frame crossbrace, and hook back to the straps themselves, making certain I get all the strap fabic inside the curvature of the lower hook. I also keep the bow strap very tight, and I also have a strong safety chain with very little slack attached from the bow eye to the ring for that purpose at the base of the winch support.
I have towed the 22ZX in that fashion and with that vehicle for two years, several thousand miles, all types of wind and rain, interstate and hilly back roads, and have had absolutely no safety issues, or damage to the trim tabs, even under surprise heavy breaking or swerving (DAMN TOURISTS!!!).
I also have a Sunbrella ****pit cover that I leave on to tow. It came with two twist stop eyes at the front and a few dozen snaps elsewhere, and I had 6 more twist stops added. Two more on each side, and one at each rear corner of the cover. I also use an adjustable vertical stantion in the center of the cover to keep it taught for towing.

Last Tango
12-22-2007, 08:27 PM
HEY MADPOODLE or HARBORMASTER! I can't write the word ****pit because of your vile words filter. So I guess I must find a different spelling. How about kokpit?

synack
12-25-2007, 01:23 PM
I towed my 1997 22ZX with a 2003 Grand Cherokee with the 4.7HO. It has only a 106" wheelbase and it towed quite well just about everywhere cept some steep hills... and the only problem there was it just slowed a bit on the inclines. But I guess that's more engine than vehicle size.

Definitely have good brakes on the trailer no matter what. Do an upgrade if necessary.

MOP
12-25-2007, 06:30 PM
One must learn to speel correctly it id KOCKPIT!

MOP

BigGrizzly
12-26-2007, 10:32 AM
?Brown, I tow a 22ZX and my Criterion with both a 5.4 Expedition or my jeep grand Cherokee I have no problems. I added a second set of diska to the rear axle and it made a big difference, especially in the rain. I would do it a gain in a heart beat.