Mcdonald is a supporter of the
general tire brand, and changes out
his factory boat trailer tires to
altiMaX rt43s. he says he easily gets
35,000 miles out of a set.
all tires on his truck and trailer
are properly balanced at a service
station to ensure best performance
and even wear. and a b&w
adjustable hitch allows for the per-
fect tongue height, with the boat
level on the hitch and a significant
amount of weight toward the front,
thus preventing any trailer sway.
proper loading of the boat in tow
is also important. In general, tongue
weight should equal 15 percent or
more of the overall trailer weight,
and 60 percent or more of the load
should be in front of the axles.
while modern bass boat trailers
feature wheels placed very near the
rear, remember, the heaviest item on
your trailer – your outboard – is in the
far back. Improve weight distribution
by placing the heaviest parts of your
load up front, including heavy tackle
items (tungsten), extra outboard oil,
coolers filled with drinks and ice, and
bulk bags of soft plastics.
Brian latimer:
Go diesel, stay diesel
gas or diesel is a common debate
among the bass boat-towing crowd.
flw pro brian “b. lat” latimer opted
for a 2016 chevy truck featuring a
duramax diesel.
he didn’t go that route because it
was the trendy thing to do.
remembering his rookie season,
where a truck camper and heavy
load required gas stops every couple
hours, b. lat eventually went the way
of the heavy haulers. he was imme-
diately impressed.
“the big thing is that I don’t notice
any real difference in mileage, no
matter what I’m hauling,” latimer
says, though he’s quick to dispel
claims of 20-plus-mpg fuel economy.
he says mileage in the “teens” is
common, even with boat in tow and
a camper on top.
those considering the diesel
option would be wise to do the math
based on fuel costs. currently, gaso-
line is priced about $.30 per gallon
less than diesel, but the efficiency
difference can outweigh that cost.
using our pros’ reported mileage
(10 mpg for Mcdonald’s gas burner
Fall 2019 I FlWFIshInG.com
and 14 mpg for latimer’s diesel), and
the u.s. average fuel prices per gal-
lon at press time of $2.82 for gas
and $3.15 for diesel, we can see the
difference over a 500-mile trip.
Mcdonald would burn 50 gallons,
while latimer would burn 35.71 gal-
lons. latimer pays more per gallon,
but less per mile. In this example,
Mcdonald would spend $141 to tow
500 miles, and latimer would spend
about $112, for a savings of about
$29, which could really add up over a
long season.
Negative factors must be consid-
ered, as well. diesel trucks are more
expensive to purchase than compara-
tive gas models. service issues can be
much more costly, including trans-
mission flushes and filter changing,
and modern diesels demand def
fluid for emission control.
this seemingly archaic environ-
mental fix-all is likely the biggest
downside of diesel engines, as def
monitoring errors can result in a
total shutdown of the engine. In
addition, def fluid must be added
regularly; my figuring equates to
about $20 worth of def fluid for
every 100 gallons of diesel fuel.
latimer is a fan of diesel, regard-
less of any negatives.
“the biggest benefit is the power,”
he says. “I can pull my boat any-
where in the country and never take
my truck out of cruise control.”
research confirms the torque –
and, therefore, the ability to pull a
heavy load – of latimer’s duramax
diesel motor is in a whole different
category than comparable gasoline
engines, coming in at 765 foot-
pounds.
In addition, diesel engines last
much longer than gas – quite often
reaching hundreds of thousands of
miles – resulting in higher resale
value. In all, consumers must consid-
er how often they tow extra-heavy
loads, what they tow them through
and how long they plan to keep a
truck.
finally, consider additional ways
to gain a 1/2 mpg here and there.
avoid filling fuel tanks on your boat
until you reach your destination. a
full tank on a ranger Z520 comes in
around 330 pounds. this could
reduce fuel efficiency by as much as
1 mpg.
the same goes for aerodynamics.
some boat covers ride high and
catch the wind. removing pedestal
seats can further streamline a boat’s
profile. and consider a pick-up top-
per to add a slip-stream benefit to
your trailing rig. for some long-bed
trucks, the topper increases mileage
quite a bit.
gas prices go up and down
beyond our control. but you can do
the research to maximize mpg. It all
adds up in the end.
Y OUR PERSONAL LIF
FE GU ARD
“ Th
his is a s ys stem that c an
sav ve e y yo our life e! I use it e ve ery
tim
me I fish, whether alone
or with
w friends & fa
amily”
Brian Latimer ,
FL W Pr o Angler
45