Trailer Speed

[TheMaestro]

Im curious what is considered a safe speed for highway driving with a trailer with boat on. I know it probably varies according to tire size and weight. Ive got 12" tires on my rig, and its an older heavy steel trailer from the sixties, but the frame is solid, and the axle and bearings are excellent. Being a Canadian, most of our major highways and backhighways are posted at 90-100 kmh, which is about 50-55 mph. Ive been sticking to about 90, sometimes creeping to 100, even though traffic around me is going more like 120 (65mph)... What are others usually going here?

 

[rickybobbybend]

I have a Calkins with 12 inch tires hauling the rig below (with a total weight of 600 lbs. including trailer). I try to stick to the 55mph limit. No problems at all. Haven't had it yet on an interstate with a 65mph limit, so cannot say how it would ride. BTW, the trailer specs include a top speed of 45mph, but that seems crazy conservative. Frankly, I have been more concerned about how fast I could bring it to a stop in an emergency.

 

[PATRIOT2]

I run at freeway speed 65-70 with my 12" but they are 6-ply tires.

 

[TheMaestro]

Ive seen the 45 limit (90 kmh) on delivery trucks and trailer specs too, but I agree its pretty conservative. So far, 55 seems reasonable.

 

[sawmill]

I have been watching here to see the comments on speed. I have a trailer that I use to go to Canada a couple times a year and it has 12 inch tires on it. When I was in Mich I would travel 70 to 75 MPH without a problem. The trip was usually 500 miles one way. A trick that I learned from my FIL was to check the hubs for heat and the tires everytime we stopped. I would grease the bearings when I got the boat out in the spring and would check them again before the long trip. I think the biggest thing on traveling highway speeds was to make sure the bearing were greased and adjusted properly and tire condition is everything.

 

[azekologi]

Well, there's a few things to consider...

I'm going to wager that your tow vehicle doesn't have 12" tires, probably more like 15"+. That means that if your vehicle is traveling at 55mph, and you have smaller tires on the trailer than on your vehicle, the wheels on your trailer are actually traveling at a higher RPM, therefor they are actually moving at an equivalent speed greater than your vehicle :shock:. That said, they're still moving at the effective speed of the vehicle, just at a higher RPM. You'd have to do the math to figure out how exactly how much faster :?:, but what I'm getting at here is that your trailer, with a smaller wheel diameter, is actually seeing more wear (that means tires, bearings, grease, all components of the trailer's system) than your vehicle is.

Now, theoretical mathematics aside, what's a safe speed? Well, that depends on a number of factors...load weight, traffic conditions, road conditions, weather conditions, etc. Most of the time when I'm towing my boat/trailer I'm going on a weekend camping/fishing trip 150-200+ miles from my house, into the mountains (6000-7000ft elevation gain), and with a loaded vehicle and loaded boat (vehicle full of passengers + some gear, boat full of the remaining gear and passengers who complain 8) ...just kidding).

For the most part, the lakes I frequent are off of well maintained (major) highways with speed limits of 65-75mph. With no boat/trailer/load I easily drive 75-80mph on these highways, loaded with a trailer I keep it to 60-65mph, more like 60mph. I'd welcome 55mph, but at that slow of a speed I seem to be impeding traffic rather than traveling at the slower end of it. Although it may be safer to tow at that speed, it becomes more dangerous being the really slow guy amongst the rat race speeders. You have to keep your head on your shoulders and driver smarter, not harder. :wink:

Obviously, you'll also need to adjust your speed (slower) for weather, road conditions, traffic, etc.

I'm kind of anal about towing, but people seldom realize how deadly driving an automobile is, and how MUCH MORE DEADLY towing is, rather, can be. That said, I check my load (boat tie straps, tarps, netting, etc.), safety chains/hitch, and tires/hubs whenever we stop for a nature break, food, etc. It's just good practice. I'd rather catch a problem early, then be subject to a roadside emergency...it's that ounce of prevention, pound of cure philosophy.

Anyway, I don't mean to be so long winded, I just wanted to take the opportunity to remind the readers that towing is a dangerous thing...too many people don't give it the respect it deserves...know your rig, know your trailer, know your load, don't be a "sheeple". 8)

 

[donmac]

If I am towing a boat with 12" or greater size tires that are in good shape, with new bearings, that is less than half of the tow vehicles tow capacity, I wouldn't hesitate to tow at 70-72mph. I have towed boats up and down the east coast at those speeds on a regular basis.

If your tires and bearings are in good shape, the next thing you should be concerned about is the size of your tow vehicle. But honestly, assuming we're talking about a tin boat, we're not talking about much of a load at all. Most full size trucks barely notice they're back there...

My little Subaru Outback can tow my tin boats at 70mph with ease.

If I am towing my big boat (>7Klbs) on a tandem axle trailer (with trailer brakes and full size tires of course), with my full size truck, I'll be going slow on the back roads but will still hit 65mph on confortable sections of highway.

 

[thegr8cody]

i tow a 1648 welded with 13" tires. probably around 1100lbs loaded with a chevy blazer and i cruise all day at 55-60 . i dont wanna go any faster because my trailer bounces a little. LA doesnt have the best roads....

 

[earl60446]

I tow a 16ft fisher, whole rig is probably 1300, 13" tires, use my rav4 which is rated for 1500 lbs BTW so I normally travel around 60mph tops and then I always tow in drive not OD. No problems have been encountered at all. When I go up north with my buddy, he tows it with his f150 and drives as fast as he can get away with. probably 75-80, I always check stuff when we stop. Speed is not gonna cause the problem, improper maintenance will. Oh yah, my buddy hitting curbs won't help either. I mentioned to him my "new" boat trailer was wider than his truck, his response "Hey, I used to drive a truck for a living" Neglected to ask him how many curbs he hit with that truck. I'm sure truck drivers hit more curbs than anyone (at least my buddy).
Tim

 

[spotco2]

I drive the same as I always do, loaded or not. I'm driving a 2WD Silverado with either my bass boat, 12' Tracker or 16' Fisher.

Never a problem.

 

[GYPSY400]

IMO 65mph is the limit you should stay under.. Two reasons: first is being able to stop or slow down safely.. Doubling your speed increases the stopping distance by 4x, this is not factoring in the extra weight of the trailer. Check out this link for a basic chart: https://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/stoppingdistance.shtml

Second is aerodynamics: above 65 mph (about 105km/h) wind drag is the leading cause of fuel consumption.. If you hold your arm out the window at that speed, you can imagine how much muscle it takes to keep it straight, now imagine how much your engine has to work pulling your whole rig down the road.

So stay under 65mph, and you will get there safety, eventually..

 

[azekologi]

IMO 65mph is the limit you should stay under.. Two reasons: first is being able to stop or slow down safely.. Doubling your speed increases the stopping distance by 4x, this is not factoring in the extra weight of the trailer. Check out this link for a basic chart: https://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/stoppingdistance.shtml

Second is aerodynamics: above 65 mph (about 105km/h) wind drag is the leading cause of fuel consumption.. If you hold your arm out the window at that speed, you can imagine how much muscle it takes to keep it straight, now imagine how much your engine has to work pulling your whole rig down the road.

So stay under 65mph, and you will get there safety, eventually..

Gypsy - =D> THANK YOU for talking some sense here! This is what I'm talking about when I said "drive smarter, not harder"! I had to come back and check this thread b/c I wanted to see what additional responses were going to be posted after I did.

I don't care how little that tinny weights behind "meh big 'ole truck"; the bottom line is that the trailer and boat weigh more than the truck alone, are hitched to the tow vehicle, therefore the STOPPING DISTANCE IS GREATER THAN THE VEHICLE ALONE. :shock:

Speed is not gonna cause the problem, improper maintenance will.

[-X I respectfully disagree, BOTH are going to cause a problem, and speed will probably be the more dangerous of the two...ever see a "runaway truck ramp" on a steep downgrade? Every see one with a truck in it buried in gravel? Not pretty, neither is the cost to tow it out. It is cheaper than recovery over a cliff-side, AND you get to walk away from the runaway ramp. Failing breaks may be due to improper maintenance, may be due to poor driving...either way, SPEED and NOT RESPECTING YOUR LOAD were the cause of the problem.

I drive the same as I always do, loaded or not.

Spot, please understand that I'm coming from a heartfelt place when I say this, and that I'm not wanting to start an argument [-o<. But this is just wrong...what I mentioned in my previous post...perhaps you missed it as I was too long-winded, but TOO MANY people don't respect towing, heck, most people don't respect that when they sit in the driver's seat they're in control of one of the most dangerous weapons ever built.

Any way you slice it towing is more complicated than not...your mom's out their on the road, maybe your wife, daughter, son, whatever...so is mine...respect the job you're doing and take the necessary precautions to ensure your safety and the safety of others.

 

[nomowork]

I drive at the posted speed limit these days and tow at the required towing speed limit. I hate traffic school!

 

[TheMaestro]

Well, I just returned from my trip, and I travelled 6hrs each way at a max speed of 60mph. Trailer was very good for handling and bearings didnt get hot. 12" wheels, all new tires and new bearings Im sure helped. And dont forget the all important tire pressure, whic Im sure alot of people forget to check!