Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

[Tea Bag]

I currently have my boat slipped and I have been borrowing buddies truck to pull it in and out twice a year. I have needed a truck for other things as well but have yet to get one. I would like to get a 1500 truck but do not know if it is capable of pulling a 5,300 lb boat plus a 1,500 lb trailer out of the water? What are your thoughts? Thanks

 

[tnduc]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

I know this is obvious- but check the tow rating for whatever truck you are looking at. That will give you the "safe" answer.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

this one does,and has for may thousand mile and mountain pass's.
if you get into slick ramps the 4 W D is a must. i have only needed it a few time to pull out, but when you do its nice push the button and idle out.
don't know what boat and trailer weigh separately but have weighted together and they go from 7200# to 7500# depending on scale and day

towing is the easy part. stopping is what you have to watch out for

 

[Dave1251]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

Most 1/2 ton pickup trucks with tow packages will easly tow 7,000 lbs. But not all 1/2 trucks have tow packages or large enough engine to tow this weight. You must read the manual to see what the tow rating are for each truck.

 

[mwhitten]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

I have been more than impressed with my Tundra.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

I currently have my boat slipped and I have been borrowing buddies truck to pull it in and out twice a year. I have needed a truck for other things as well but have yet to get one. I would like to get a 1500 truck but do not know if it is capable of pulling a 5,300 lb boat plus a 1,500 lb trailer out of the water? What are your thoughts? Thanks

this truck came form georgia and some way made its way to colordo. nothing to do with you question but see your from atlanta

 

[IVAZ]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

It depends on how the truck is equipped. The newer half tons with tow packages are between 9000-10000 lbs capacity. I bought my wife one of the new 403hp 1/2 ton Chevies recently. Her truck will pull a load that size without blinking. You just have to make sure you get the tow package to get the max towing capacity.

 

[mddubya]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

If your planning on buying a new truck all of the 1/2 ton trucks now boast a towing capacity well in excess of 7,500 lbs. Some of them now claim to have a capacity of over 10,000 lbs. I would certainly specify the towing package though.

But if you are looking to buy an older truck, you may have to do a little research.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

Or you could just get a 3/4 and not have to worry about it. Why max out a 1/2 when a 3/4 will fit the bill easily and safely.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

If your only putting it in/out twice a year stick with a 1/2 ton. You don't need a 3/4 ton. It sounds like you wouldn't be hauling it very far. 1/2 ton will be more than enough. The worst case scenario if you haul it for long distances is, you may want to install load-leveling airbags in the rearend if it sags too much. I did that at one time when I hauled a tractor around with a '93 1/2 chevy w/ 5.7 motor. Plenty of power.

 

[rbh]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

There is more than towing capacity to worry about there is the tongue weight as well.
rob

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

There is more than towing capacity to worry about there is the tongue weight as well.
rob

More than likely will want an equilizing hitch and that opens up a whole another story concerning surge brakes.

 

[Tea Bag]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

wow, thanks for all the great responces, now the only thing i might look into is a 4x4 1500.

 

[insanity]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

I was able to tow 7000 pounds cross country, with a dodge ram 1500 and it has the 4.7 v8. It was dogged in the hills but made it up after a little persuasion. Also you will need a breaking system on the trailer in most states a load that heavy they are required, and just a smart thing to do. Being pushed by a load that weighs more than your tow rig is scary.

 

[JSGOLD]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

There usually are more than one option for axles on trucks....I had an older Ford F150 that because of the particular axle could not tow near that much, maybe 5000 max. And some trucks have fine print that certain equipment such as oil coolers etc. have to be added for cooling. It is a given you need surge brakes. Best bet, a nice V-8 motor, tow package(confirm this, tranny cooler, oil cooler, axles, etc. ).

 

[199675hpforce]

How could it tow that?

How could it tow that?

Something a good tow vehicle must have new decent rated tires, decent brake system,new shocks maybe stiffer. 5000 would be all a halfton can handle. A new ford could do that load there more superduty.

 

[elkhunter338]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

I would recommend a 3/4 ton. 7,000 is pushing it with a 1/2 ton mainly due to braking and tongue weight. If you are carefull and only tow the tailer for a short distance you could get away with a 1/2. If you are going to tow that boat all over or in hilly areas make sure you have good trailer brakes on that boat trailer even with a 3/4 ton. I pull a 4,500 lb trailer with a 3/4 ton dodge with disk brakes all the way around. My trailer has no brakes. Up and down hills I think I am pushing the limits. My truck weight is 9300 + 4100 = 13,400 lbs , I am stopping this with just my truck brakes. That truck only has a canopy and camping supplies. When I add a 8.5 camper I am going to install Kodiak disk brakes on the boat trailer with probably a electric/hydralic brake set up for the trailer. Many states outlaw surge brakes.
1/2 will have no problem pulling the boat out for cleaning if you have a 4x4 and use low range so you do not burn up your clutch or auto tanny

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

There is more than towing capacity to worry about there is the tongue weight as well.
rob

now the only thing i might look into is a 4x4 1500.

I had a 4X4 Chevy silverado 1500, You can also install a frame hitch if it doesn't have one already, will make a big differance, I used mine for tree work for pulling about the same weight in peoples back yards with out getting stuck. I installed mine myself(4 bolts) and onlt cost me $50 to buy it, tow ratings are on the bumper for the bumper, a frame hitch you don't have to worry about tearing your bumper off, it wouldn't be good since you hook your chains to it too.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

Tow ratings here

 

[Tea Bag]

Re: Can I tow 7000lbs with a 1/2 ton pickup?

Well, I orginally planned on either a ford or chevy. However I wanted a close to mint condition fully loaded 1500 4 door with under 75k and a tow package for under 13k. After doing extensive research i found that , that kind of situation does not exsist. So i raised my limit to 15k and all that i found was a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 with a hemi. It needed new tires, so i haggled that into the price. I got it out the door for 13k and financed it through my credit union for 6.3 percent. It is a gold color fully loaded, mint condition and has a tow package. With new tires there is no doubt that , that truck can pull my boat. Granted i did come across some base line models with plastic floors, but the bodies had been dinged and scratched etc <--- those were the fords and chevys. I feel pretty good about my purchase. The reason i was hesitant about Dodge was becasue of the rumors about the transmissions that suck. After doing some research on that i found that. that is typical with their minivans currently and was a problem with most dodge/chrysler vehicles back in the 80's and 90's. The Rams made after 2000 seemed to not have significant tranny probs. Thanks for all your inputs and advice.