www.iFourWinns.com

Well 2 years ago I bought a 2005 234 funship and I had a 2007 Dodge 1500 to tow it with. It worked fine but it seemed to really be a strain on my truck. I had to have a large lift on the hitch and it still dropped the truck down alot. But I just picked up a 2012 Dodge 2500 and I can wait to see the difference when I get to take the boat out in the spring. I am guessing that my 2500 should not have a problem with the weight of my 234.

Let us know! My FS 214 sure makes my Tahoe squat down.....

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

A 23 foot boat should have been within the tow limits of a Dodge 1500, how much tongue weight was it set up with? With the 5.7 V-8 the tow limit of that vehicle is more than enough to tow a 23 foot boat. The 2500 Ram should do better because the suspension is made to carry quite a bit more weight than the 1500 series. You could have used either a WD hitch (best solution to deal with tongue weight) or air bags to keep the rear end from sagging. I have a feeling that the trailer may have been set up with too much tongue weight. I used the air bags in the rear coils of my 98 Jeep and they work very well. With the air bags at the max inflation pressure of 35 psi the rear suspension is so stiff there is really no sag to speak of at all. Of course my '88 H-200 is not near the weight of the 23 footer either. Nice thing about the bags is that when you have no load you drop the inflation down to 5 psi and you don't feel them there at all.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

One of the bigger questions here is, rear end. What is your your rear end ratio? Most salespersons don't understand this when it comes to towing!! I like F-150s, so when I traded my last one in, I told the salesmen that I wanted the same truck. Well, I went from a 3.73 to a 4.1 rear end. What a difference in towing!! I brought the truck back & had a small fight over it, because it was 3 or 4 weekd later. There thing was, you will get better gas mileage. I want to be able to tow heaver loads.

I have 3.73 rear end currently. I have also thought about installing a weight-distribution system. I usually only tow to our local lake which is about 9 miles away. Would a weight-distribution system be helpful? The dry weight of my 234 is right around 5000 lb ( according to the internet).

With the 2500 suspension you might not need it, but its a good thing to consider if you do tow it at higher speeds over long distances. My 88 H-200 is probably 3800-4000 lbs and the air bags allowed my 98 Jeep which weighs about the same to tow it without squatting and the bounding motion that the tongue weight causes with a soft suspension. If you do go that way you need to use one that works with surge brakes, not all of the WD hitches do.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I use a WD hitch for longer towing trips with the Tahoe. I'm contemplating the air-bags for the suspension....

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

The Tahoe's got rear coils, right? If so I bet its an easy install, the air bags are easier to install on coil sprung vehicle because there is no bracket to mount like with leaf springs. I disconnected the lower shock mount, removed the wheel, and there is a clip that holds the spring in on the lower control arm. I removed that, pushed down on the wheel studs and was able to remove the spring pretty easily. I sprayed silicone spray on the bag and slid it into the spring. Then I just hooked up the air line and fed it through the hole in the lower spring mount, zip tied the air lines to the axle, and ran them up to the hitch area and mounted the valve stem under the bumper. Took about an hr to install, some vehicles do require drilling a hole in the spring seat to run the air line but not a big deal. For the money you can't beat em.....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II