Pulling boat with receiver hitch or bumper?

[Brent]

Just wondering what type of receiver hitch to use for pulling a lund 1850 tyee? Do most people use a v-5 or v-6 hitch for pulling. I will be pulling the boat with a chevy silverado with the 350 motor. Also, I have heard that some people just hook the boat up to the bumper and pull that way. I know that on the chevy silverado pickups they normally come with a heavy duty bumper that is rated to pull up to 6,000 pounds. So if someone could please tell me if either way is acceptable or if they like pulling just from the receiver hitch or bumper hitch. Thanks for the information.

[Gilligan]

Brett.. IMHO you would be much better served to add a hitch rather than pull off your bumper. I've seen many a bumper regardless of make/model bent out of shape from towing. My last truck Dodge 1500 had a bumper rated for 500# tongue/5000# tow weight. I was pulling less than 50% of it's rating and bent it. Manufacturers grossly over rate these bumpers. If you are a do it yourselfer you can add the hitch for about $75.

[T-Mac]

I have a Silverado, and tow Lund and Ranger boats almost daily. You want a receiver hitch. You have to get the trailer level for the surge brake couplers...if for no other reason.
It is worth the extra $$.

[Kaz]

Brent: I would get a Class C hitch. This is a almost 2 sq in slide in reciver. Anything else is not strong enough. Also I would opt for the ball that has the 1" bolt, fine thread. Put all the muscle you can between the truck and that most valuble BOAT!! A tranny cooler is also a great idea. Most trucks with a trailering package will have the the Class C and cooler. Many have a heavier duty braking system too. Good luck TOWING....Kaz

[JK]

KAZ is 150 percent correct. Do not try and go cheap on your trailer hitch. Take care of your tow vehicle, better to pay a little more now than a lot later.

[MK]

It might be safe to pull, repeat might, but a buddy of mine pulling a similar boat had to slam on the brakes and the bumper bent downward about 30 degrees. It didn't break off but he had to replace it when he got home and then he put on a frame mounted receiver.

[fishy1]

The chevy silverado usually has a receiver hith on it already If not get one My boat came unhooked a year ago and if it wasn't for the hook points for chains there probably would have been a BIG dent in the pocket book,also a classIII hitch by reese hitches will be plenty for the 1850tyee unless youre loading the boat full of camping gear, which in turn would be overloading the trailer

[Ness]

Hi, Brent. We've got a Dodge 3/4 ton that has a very heavy bumper on it.
Almost everything that you can imagine has been pulled off that bumper from loaded hay wagons, to balers, to tractors... But when we got the boat, hubby said no way was he pulling it off the bumper. He felt that it just wouldn't handle it and got a receiver hitch and I might add he bought the best he could find too because he said he'd get a good one and that's one less worry.

[Walteye]

I have a K1500 Silverado pickupthat I pull my Crestliner with. I had started with using the bumper due to its rating, but your turning radius is greatly reduced with the bumper hitch. After ripping up the plastic cover on the bumper,and kinking the the bumper,
a class 3 hitch was installed. Remember, all turns are not created equal, along with all ramps, and additional swing is the best you can do with your truck, because when your bumper stops bending , your trailer hitch and or frame starts to bend!!!!
Walteye

[Phil T.]

Actually, it depends on the bumper. There are after-market bumpers that are really reciever hitches with a chrome face. My brother-in-law had one on a 3/4T Ford.
Factory bumpers aren't suitable for serious trailering.