I towed a 22 ft donzi from cape cod mass to bolton landing ny .the boat weighs about 4000 lbs without the trailer. I do not know the weight of the trailer. I would guess maybe 800 to 1000 lbs. So I guess the answer is yes I have towed a 5000 lbs boat with the vx. It towed just fine. But I would not do it on a regular basis. The short wheel base and the weight of the vx make for an accident waiting to happen. This was with a dalan hitch and it is welded to the frame to make it stronger. I really do not know how safe it was ,but would not tow anymore than 5000 lbs down the road. Stopping that much weight in an emergency would not be fun or safe. I have moved larger boats at work with the vx just around the yard ,the hitch handled it no problem . But it would not be safe towing a 9000 lb boat down the road. shawn