Do I need a better hitch??

[Mark Gross]

I have a question; I'm sitting here thinking about towing that 901 around this summer and wondering about my hitch.Last year I towed the 170TF around with just the hitch on the bumper of my F 150 (which is built Ford tuff I might add),BUT THE 901 is a bigger and heavier boat.Should I spring for a regular hitch.if so what kind.Reese?

 

[Staci Matheis]

Yes! Spring for a REAL hitch!

Class III, of course.

I've never seen anything that would indicate that one manufacturer is better than another.

 

[Steven Atwell]

If the bumper hitch is rated for the tongue weight of that boat and trailer, stay with it, no problem. I'd let that decide.............sa

 

[Jim B]

Get a class III or Class IV hitch. While the bumper may carry the load you will never be able to get the trailer level and you need it as level as possible for the brakes to function properly. With a reciever hitch you can get the right draw bar and the trailer will be level. The last hitch i bought that wasnt factory installed was a draw-tite and it was very good. I liked that i didnt have to drill any holes on the frame it bolted up to the factory holes. another option is have one installed by a u-haul place, i have a buddy who swears by them. If you didnt know already you will also need a 5 flat plug for the free backing brakes on the trailer. Also if you dont have an aux tranny cooler yet get one because with all that extra weight your going to be towing the extra cooling will protect your tranny.

 

[James D.]

i agree about getting a hitch as i think you should. U-Haul was the best deal around when i was looking. takes about 1/2 hour to put on. they were much much cheaper than anywhere else i found and they use either a reese or drawtite brand also.

jd



YES!

 

[Chad Mitchell]

How many times have yall lost a trailer by it pulling the bumper apart? What did people do before receiver hitches? If the bumper is rated for the trailer it will work.

 

[Scott Cross]

Mark



Get a universal plug for your truck if you don

 

[James D.]

my bumper was rated for it but it started drooping down. i would hate to see a lot of droopy bumpers out there. a hitch is much better and won't lead to droopy bumpers and also allows to set the tongue of the trailer level. i didn't want to have to get one either, but i'm very glad i did. i can honestly say that i have never pulled the bumper off though. another good thing about the hitches is when you turn real tight corners (like backing around a real tight area when you almost have to jacknife it to make it) and the trailer tounge starts bending the bumper and messin up the chrome. probably some other advantages too.

jd

 

[Bill McElroy]

Mark,..you'll need a Class 3 hitch (2" Ball) and a 5 prong harness connector (4 females and 1 male).....You can get the connector at a trailer supply place in MN or have Craig (our parts guru) send you one,...make sure the blue wire in the harness is connected to your back up lights...this will disengage the brake solenoid on the trailer and allow you to back up without the surge brakes locking up. You'll be good to go!!

Mac

 

[Michael Snow]

I used a Reese hitch. It's a multi-fit and on my Chevy Silverado (2001 and now a 2003), no drilling. I got it for around $100 from Academy (don't have those stores up yonder yet), but you should be able to get one elsewhere. Installation was quite easy.



One more thing, with the receiver hitch, you move about 6" or so further back from the bumper, so you have a lot more room before you "jack-knife" backing up and causing damage to the tow vehicle.

 

[Travis Smith]

Does anyone own a 911 and had to get a bigger drop on their hitch?



We sold our boat last year ('88 Procraft) and updated into the 00's and the hitch we had was a 3 in drop and when we went to pick up our boat we noticed the boat was tipped backwards and when we went fishin the first time with it went on the trailer kind of hard. Then we did some brainstorming and figured out we needed a bigger drop for our boat. We wound up by getting a hitch with a 6 in drop with this the boat went on the trailer better and towed a lot better.



We tow with a 2002 Ford (Built ford Tough) 250 Lariat.





Travis

 

[Scott Wildwood]

Mark I towed my PAV 16' for 1 season off the bumper no problems. 2nd season I put a class III on and noticed a world of difference. The class III gets the tongue load lower.



Best regards

Wildwood

 

[Bill McElroy]

Mark,...bottom line is this,..the bumper hitch WILL NOT be strong enough to hold/pull a 901!!...you need atleast a class 3 or stronger hitch with a 2" ball..(consider it mandatory!!) Mike's comment about the 6" set back is an excellent point...you'll want to have room for tight turns at ramps and parking spots!! (Take good care of my baby,..she'll treat you well!!..ahahaha....a good hitch is cheap insurance!)

 

[Rich Stern]

Bumper hitch is fine. If you're worried about, just put some 50lb. Fireline through though bow eye and tie it to the license plate bracket.



Seriously, the bumper hitch is probably rated for 3500lbs, and the 901 will be pushing that when filled with fuel and gear. I'd go with a class III hitch.



A hitch is very easy to install. You can order one from my friends at FordPartsFast.com. Email or call them and ask for Rusty, he will set you up with a Ford OEM hitch, for less money than anywhere else on the planet. Great company to deal with.


http://www.FordPartsFast.com

 

[gone bye bye]

Get the Ford hitch mentioned by Mr. Stern. I warn people about it all the time, some listen some dont. In the end they ALL get one.



Mini

 

[Michael Snow]

I have a 911CDC. I've seen people complain about how close to the ground the trailer is, but with that 911 behind me, I'm lucky if I can see anything but the boat out my rear-view. The two center consoles have the break between them, which is taken up by the motor . That's the ONLY drawback I have with my 911. I can't imagine it being taller.



I have a Silverado 1500 2wd, and I have a 1" drop maybe. I had it upside-down for my other boat (xpress aluminum), but had to lower it for the 911. It rides about level, which is as it should be. With a 3/4ton, especially if you have 4wd, I can see you needing that much drop. Nitro's do have shorter trailers (height) than most other brands.

 

[Travis Smith]

yes mike we noticed that too that we had to get a lower drop for our 911CDC also. Why is this?



Travis

 

[Mark Gross]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.I'm thinking for peace of mind I'll go with the class III I have a 2" ball and a 5 wire flat plug factory installed.Besides Mac suggested it and if I'm not nice to him he could change his mind and not sell me the boat.lol

 

[James D.]

i think on the lower trailer height issue i read in a notro brouchure that the trailers had some sort of drop axle or something. one thing i can think of is maybe they don't have as high an arche in the leaf springs.

jd

 

[Bob G.]

1fishwonder,



Before receiver hitches, real cars and trucks had real bumpers! The bumpers on modern trucks are not as heavy duty and cars don't even have real frames anymore! I live in northern VT and I have seen rusted bumpers on trucks that I would not hook a garden cart to!!



The best option you can get on a truck is the trailering package. It usually comes with a class III or IV hitch, factory harness, heavy duty flasher, bigger transmission cooler and bigger radiator. Sometimes you get an oil cooler and high output alternator. You cannot add these items after the fact for the price of the option.



Bob G.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

You DO need a class III hitch minimum for that sized boat and a class IV for peace of mind. I've been towing a long time and for those who asked, YES I did literally rip the ball right out of the bumper of Dakota some years back. And that was with only my tin Super-Guide. Some yahoo yanked out in front of me and I jammed on the breaks. When everything was done I had heard a real "whack" in the rear and the towing was really goofy, being only held on by the safety chains. I had ripped the ball completely loose, still in the tongue of the trailer which flew into my tailgate. I had to leave at a friends down the road until I got my hitch on. For what it's worth, look at the pros for these kinds of things. The people that depend on this equipment for their livelyhood don't bumper trailer, why should you with a $30k boat? For the extra $250, you will have what Tracker, your vehicle mfr, and the rest of the civilized world recommend for towing. Good luck.

 

[Steven Atwell]

My Gambler trailer, like Travis' required the tongue to be pretty low. It does have a drop axle. Also like Travis I drive an F250, and the height of the hitch reciever is significant. My trailer is also heavy. Therefore I use my towing package.



HOWEVER, if none of these issues were there, like when I used to pull my small duck boat and trailer around in my old F150 by the bumper, then I'd stay with the bumper hitch..................sa

 

[Rob LaMoy]

For a small duck boat sure, but not 2 tons of fiberglass, steel trailer, gas, and gear. Bumpers are OK for small boats, but not any serious weight. Remember that the bumper mounts were made more for misc, occasional towing, not serious over the road, bigger weight towing applications. It's just not what it was designed for. I wonder what is stated in owners manuals for bumper towing. Anyone have one handy? Where's MO when you need him? LOL

 

[Mark Gross]

Rob , Good point.I do plan on doing a lot of travrling to the tournements I want to enter this and next season.I wouldn't want to have to slam on the brakes at say 55mph to see what happens. Also think I'll check into a trany cooler.Sounds like a good idea.



Thanks all,