Can I tow this much weight?

[dantebelmonte]

The last boat I had was a 2021 Yamaha AR190. Yamaha says dry weight on trailer is 3,111 lbs. Add 40 gallons of fuel at 6 lbs per gallon, that is another 240 lbs plus another 200 lbs in misc gear on the boat. Total weight of 3,551 lbs I was towing and I had no issues.

I tow with a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6. Jeep states that with the tow package (which I have) I can tow 6,200 lbs. Towing last year with the Jeep for the AR190 was no issue. I could certainly feel that I was towing something when driving but never gave me any issues.

This year we upgraded and bought a 2025 Yamaha 222S. Yamaha says dry weight on trailer is 4,992 lbs. Add 75 gallons of fuel at 6 lbs per gallon, that is another 450 lbs plus another 200 lbs in misc gear on the boat. Total weight 5,642 lbs.

Here is my question:
Is towing 5,642 lbs with a 6,200 lbs tow capacity going to be cutting it to close? We usually only tow it about 45-60 minutes away from us to the lake. I can take all back roads and its usually not super hilly to get there (with the exception of one lake we go to that is a decent chunk of hills). Would love any feedback anyone has here or am I just overthinking it?!

Thanks group!

 

[Neutron]

The last boat I had was a 2021 Yamaha AR190. Yamaha says dry weight on trailer is 3,111 lbs. Add 40 gallons of fuel at 6 lbs per gallon, that is another 240 lbs plus another 200 lbs in misc gear on the boat. Total weight of 3,551 lbs I was towing and I had no issues.

I tow with a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6. Jeep states that with the tow package (which I have) I can tow 6,200 lbs. Towing last year with the Jeep for the AR190 was no issue. I could certainly feel that I was towing something when driving but never gave me any issues.

This year we upgraded and bought a 2025 Yamaha 222S. Yamaha says dry weight on trailer is 4,992 lbs. Add 75 gallons of fuel at 6 lbs per gallon, that is another 450 lbs plus another 200 lbs in misc gear on the boat. Total weight 5,642 lbs.

Here is my question:
Is towing 5,642 lbs with a 6,200 lbs tow capacity going to be cutting it to close? We usually only tow it about 45-60 minutes away from us to the lake. I can take all back roads and its usually not super hilly to get there (with the exception of one lake we go to that is a decent chunk of hills). Would love any feedback anyone has here or am I just overthinking it?!

Thanks group!

Dont forget you need to add passengers and gear in the vehicle. So make sure everyone takes a dump first.lol

 

[anmut]

Don’t think about the towing part. Think about the braking part, and the recovery at the boat ramp part.

 

[dantebelmonte]

Dont forget you need to add passengers and gear in the vehicle. So make sure everyone takes a dump first.lol

LOL my understanding is my max towing capacity of 6,200 lbs is assuming vehicle is at max cargo capacity (which includes passengers). So 6,200 lbs is pure tow weight, nothing to do with passengers or what I have in the trunk. I could be mistaken

 

[dantebelmonte]

Don’t think about the towing part. Think about the braking part, and the recovery at the boat ramp part.

I would imagine I am safe with braking and pulling out of the ramp if I am under the 6,200 lbs. I'm not sure of any other way to calculate breaking and pulling out of the launch. When I ask about towing I am including all towing activities (braking, in and out of ramp, up hills, etc.)

 

[Neutron]

LOL my understanding is my max towing capacity of 6,200 lbs is assuming vehicle is at max cargo capacity (which includes passengers). So 6,200 lbs is pure tow weight, nothing to do with passengers or what I have in the trunk. I could be mistaken

 

[dantebelmonte]

View attachment 233381

Good to know! I will literally be at the tow limit

 

[drewkaree]

Can you? Yes. SHOULD you? No.

A lot can happen in 45-60 minutes, especially when you consider that an accident usually only takes seconds to occur. If you had my situation, I'd tell you yes. As far as I know, @WiskyDan might be the closest in least amount of distance needed to tow the boat to the launch. I'd risk it from my house to my launch. You? Not so much.

 

[anmut]

I would imagine I am safe with braking and pulling out of the ramp if I am under the 6,200 lbs. I'm not sure of any other way to calculate breaking and pulling out of the launch. When I ask about towing I am including all towing activities (braking, in and out of ramp, up hills, etc.)

Being so close to max, I would for sure:
1) Drive as slow as possible and leave as much room as possible
2) Double check your insurance coverage on vehicle/boat/trailer
3) Check your brakes to ensure they're in good condition (vehicle and trailer)
4) Check your tire pressure/wear bars and, if boating at a ramp that's steep and/or frequently slippery, your 4wd system

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

LOL my understanding is my max towing capacity of 6,200 lbs is assuming vehicle is at max cargo capacity (which includes passengers). So 6,200 lbs is pure tow weight, nothing to do with passengers or what I have in the trunk. I could be mistaken

Your owners manual should have a work sheet in it for determining the max tow weight. As @Neutron stated, you have to subtract persons, that is, other than the driver, and gear from the max tow weight.

If your tow limit is 6200# then it is 6200#, (edit) minus people, cargo and accessories. All newer vehicles use the SAE standard for tow ratings, which is pretty stringent, and that is what the vehicle is rated for in terms of stopping, engine and drive train cooling etc. if your truck has a tow / haul mode use it. Make sure all the tires are set to max cold inflation pressure, and all fluids in the truck are set properly.

But, you have to allow extra room to stop, just like the manual will instruct you to do. The surge brakes on your boat trailer will be effective at helping to stop the truck and boat, the harder you apply the brakes the harder the surge brakes are applied.

I did a quick search and found this online calculator…insert your weights and it will calculate your max trailer weight.

Towing Capacity Calculator: Estimate Your Vehicle's Towing Limit - TowStats.com

Find out how much your vehicle can tow with our towing capacity calculator. Get accurate results based on your vehicle specs for safe towing.

towstats.com

By the numbers you’ve provided you’ve got 558# left for people… provided you don’t have any other accessories you may have added to the vehicle.

 

[2kwik4u]

I don't think I would push that myself.

With that said, I'm going on gut feel based on HP/Torque ratings on that jeep compared with what I've experienced before. Our Traverse didn't mind the AR190 until we put 4 adults and 3 kids in the vehicle for a long day. Our Q7 drug around 7k like it was nothing, with people in the car. Q7 had significantly larger brakes, wider tires, more hp, more torque, stronger transmission, better cooling, and a stiffer chassis than our Traverse; despite them both being "midsize SUV's" like your Cherokee. Our TBSS was somewhere between the two. It towed REALLY REALLY well, but got absurdly poor fuel mileage (6.0L V8 with short gears and only a 4spd trans will do that), and brakes that faded when you looked at them funny.

I think the Cherokee will be down on power a little, and the brakes/tires aren't going to do you any favors either. Chassis and transmission should be sorted well though. I'm completely unknown to that cooling system.

I, personally, wouldn't let that hold me back from getting the boat though. The boat isn't abusively oversized for the vehicle, and you could make a couple test trips with relatively high confidence of making it home. If it does well, you're set. If not, well, you can see where my priorities are

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

@dantebelmonte. May I ask where your 6200 lb. number has come from? Is this a generic number or the number for your specific vehicle? I ask because how an individual vehicle is equipped will affect the actual towing numbers for that vehicle?

Jim

 

[dantebelmonte]

@dantebelmonte. May I ask where your 6200 lb. number has come from? Is this a generic number or the number for your specific vehicle? I ask because how an individual vehicle is equipped will affect the actual towing numbers for that vehicle?

Jim

My owners manual states 6,200 lbs with the tow package I have on it

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

You're over thinking it. The numbers are super conservative. You will have no issues. I've seen a Jeep Gladiator pull out a huge boat out of the water before with ease. I've seen some pretty crazy towing situations in FL, all those cars are somehow doing just fine. Being at the boat ramp a few hundred times a year will change your perspective a bit.

There is good advice here, but it is everything you should do with general towing. Keep good distances and maintain your car.

 

[2kwik4u]

all those cars are have somehow doing just fine not failed yet.

There, fixed that.

I've preached safety factors and personal risk assessment for years, I won't rehash it all here. I'll just note that most persons from the general towing public aren't as diligent with those things as the members on this board.

 

[anmut]

You're over thinking it. The numbers are super conservative. You will have no issues. I've seen a Jeep Gladiator pull out a huge boat out of the water before with ease. I've seen some pretty crazy towing situations in FL, all those cars are somehow doing just fine. Being at the boat ramp a few hundred times a year will change your perspective a bit.

There is good advice here, but it is everything you should do with general towing. Keep good distances and maintain your car.

Gladiators have surprisingly high tow ratings.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

My owners manual states 6,200 lbs with the tow package I have on it

Personally, I would use the owner manual tow info only for general info. Your specific truck numbers would be based on how your Jeep is equipped. Is there any payload/towing info on the drivers side door sticker? Sometimes you can also find payload/towing capacities by VIN lookup. I’ve done this with my Ram and the numbers in my signature reflect on how my Ram was factory equipped.

Jim

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Gladiators have surprisingly high tow ratings.

Depends on when manufactured and how equipped. When I looked at them in 2020, tow capacities were 4,000 - 7,600 lbs, one of the reasons I bought my Ram instead.

Jim

 

[WiskyDan]

Can you? Yes. SHOULD you? No.

A lot can happen in 45-60 minutes, especially when you consider that an accident usually only takes seconds to occur. If you had my situation, I'd tell you yes. As far as I know, @WiskyDan might be the closest in least amount of distance needed to tow the boat to the launch. I'd risk it from my house to my launch. You? Not so much.

I think you got me beat by about 20 yards.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

There, fixed that.

I've preached safety factors and personal risk assessment for years, I won't rehash it all here. I'll just note that most persons from the general towing public aren't as diligent with those things as the members on this board.

I get it 100%. There is also what seems to be scare tactics used (not saying you but in general in these threads), like if you go over 1lb that your car will fail and you'll cause a multi-car/fatality crash. That simply isn't the case.

The OP can the tow boat for years and will never have a single issue, assuming common sense and safely towing. Tire pressure, driving distance, etc. are all basic towing items that everyone should be doing regardless if you are near max capacity or have 7k of overhead.