Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

[petriw]

I know this will likely start a long discussion. Time has come to replace the current vehicle. Sold current one to my daughter. I would like to hear about forum user experience with Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Tundra, F150, Silverado any others. I am pulling 2500-3000 pound boat, 4500 pound trailer. Won't be buying new. Likely a quad cab and 4X4. Please share your experiences both good and bad. I don't want to make a mistake and will likely own this until retirement. I don't want any more vehicle than I need and I definitely want the most frugal mileage I can get.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Wade

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

Lots of 2000 and newer Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukons with relatively high miles around for a bargain these days. They make great tow vehicles although a set of air bags/air shocks might help with the rear sag depending on tongue load. Love my Yukon and it gets good mileage. Good being a relative term. If you drive a peanut car during the week a big suv will be fuel eater of gargantuan proportions. If you understand that you are moving 5000# pounds of iron and plastic around with another 5000# behind you it should fall into perspective.

 

[90stingray]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

What did you have before? Will be looking at a 1/2 ton pickup? Dodge ram hemi v8 will pull the heck out of that but would net some low mileage around town (w/o trailer). Silverado 5.3 v8 will get it done as well and should get you a little better around town (w/o a trailer). Ford 5.4 v8 will be similar to chevy and may get a few more mpg depending on year of truck purchased. Not up on imports... but the fullsized trucks with v8's will do the job as well. It depends on what your budget is and what you have to have... v8? 4x4? Etc...

Either way mileage sucks pulling with a gas motor and it's not much better unloaded. I like my supercharged 04 Silverado Goodluck!

 

[brianvolt7]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

I have a 90 Bayliner cuddy with a 120 Force. Here is what I know. I have pulled this boat with three 4x4s, I live in snow country. I am currently towing with a 2001 Chev Silverado Z71 (first summer with this), before this I had a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder for two years and 1 year with a 2003 Ford explorer. The explorer did good, never had issues with that, but it had a new tranny at 51K, just before we bought the boat. You would think the Silverado would be the best, larger motor (5.3) larger vehicle etc., but for handling and POWER the Pathfinder for sure.
This is just my opinion, but I would go with a Nissan.
How did you get away with SELLING your rig to your daughter, my wife would skin me if I tried to sell a car to my sons. I would have to give it up for free. This is why I trade in.

 

[etracer68]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

I have had my 1999,1/2ton,4x4,5.7, Suburban, since new. I wouldnt think of buying anything else. Its got 161,000 miles on now, and still runs, and drives great.

 

[642mx]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

I've got an 08 Tundra TRD D-Cab 5.7L 4x4 that is a freaking TANK! I guarantee you it will pull better than some 3/4 tons. If you get a 4WD, they all have 4.30 gears with a 6 speed trans. The ring gear is 10.5" which is heavier/larger than a 3/4 ton superduty. On our local boat ramp, it actually shifts into second gear pulling the boat out of the water. I've never had the truck in low range... I don't see a need for it.

Don't let the 4.30 gears scare you off, it will still get 17 mpg if you "light foot" it down the highway. In town it gets 14-15 depending on traffic... and with the boat in tow, its somewhere around 12-13. The engine is a 5.7L that makes 401 foot lbs of torque and 381 horse. Oil changes are easy, but the skid plate is a bizotch to remove/re-install. In typical Toyota fashion, the drive line has multiple grease fittings (wish they would put some on the rod ends & ball joints).

My complaints are few.... but the TRD editions have Bilstein shocks that are pretty stiff. The truck rides 100 times better when you pulling something! My FIL has a regular 4x4 Tundra that rides a bunch better. The paint seems a little thin, but so does the paint on our 2011 Mustang... maybe all the manufactures are skimping?

Anyways.... take a look at a few of them... read the common issues on the forums and get what you like.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

Toyota, Nissans, etc are all crap imho. Any GM, Ford or Dodge full size pickup will do the job today.

But if your question truly asked what was the best tow vehicle, my money would be on a 1960's full size GM or Ford sedan with a tow package and a V8.

 

[109jb]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

I want one of these:

View attachment 110948

I reality, for what you have described any 1/2 ton truck will do. I get the feeling you are looking for a pickup because of your listed choices. Many of the mini or mid-size trucks will tow that much load too. Really not much to go on. You mention quad cab. If that is because you want to haul 4 full size men sometimes then the mini and mid size trucks are probably not the best choice due to rear seat room. I have a 2003 GMC Sierra 2500 HD crew cab diesel. For your hauling needs you don't need the diesel or the 2500. I really like my truck and would buy a GMC again. The only problems I have had have been minor fit and finish and diesel injectors that were covered under warranty. Have owned GM gas trucks in the past and have been very happy with them. Also owned Ford and they are fine too. Dad has a Dodge and it is fine too.

 

[Black Snow Slide]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

A good friend of mine has a F150 quad cab, Larrame with the little diesel. He tows a 5k pound trailer 4 days a week covering 1500 miles. I was with him on one of his 4 day trips. It is a real nice truck. Comfortable when empty. Pulls the trailer with ease. Transmission is not surching for a gear. Mountain passes are a slow and steady pace but its more to do with his driving style then his trucks ability.

Dont be shy about asking the dealer if you can take it for a test drive with it towing and empty. The built in electric brake that Ford has is real nice.

I have an 09 f250 deisel. I think my truck would be over kill.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

Another fan of old Suburbans here....

1997 1500 2wd. Bought it new, have 180k miles on it now. Still gets 18mpg highway when I'm not towing. It's been a good vehicle; things wear out of course but have had NO maintenance issues on non-wear items.

 

[jkust]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

Any GM with a minimum of a 5.3 liter will do. Keep in mind that if it is a GM you want to make sure it has the Eaton Locking rear differential known as the G80 (the RPO code) plus get the optional rear end gear ratio as well. I recently drove a loaner 2011 Silverado for a week and couldn't figure out why it was such a dog compared to the identical 2011 Silveraldo loaner I had for a couple weeks just prior. The reason was because it had the 4.8 liter base engine and the base ratio not adept at towing. On paper the 4.8 looks acceptable but it really was lacking compared to the 5.3 which on paper isn't that much better. I'm not a foreign car person because while foreign and american cars compare in price when new, the foreign are more expensive when used. I don't like to spend more money for the same or less product so I buy used American.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

A good friend of mine has a F150 quad cab, Larrame with the little diesel.

I'm assuming this truck had a diesel engine swapped for a gas engine (Ford hasn't produced a F150 diesel)? Or perhaps you're on the other side of the pond?

 

[drrpm]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

I had a F-150 supercrew with the 4.6 l V8 and it was fine. I now have a Toyota Tacoma X-tra cab and it tows better than the Ford did. Its about 1.5 feet shorter too which makes manuevering with the trailer slightly easier. I think any of the choices listed by the OP would be more than adequate.

 

[jkust]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

I like my supercharged 04 Silverado

Is that a boosted 5.3? Did you add an Eaton supercharger? What kind of HP and TQ do you get on the dyno?

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

Toyota, Nissans, etc are all crap imho. Any GM, Ford or Dodge full size pickup will do the job today.

But if your question truly asked what was the best tow vehicle, my money would be on a 1960's full size GM or Ford sedan with a tow package and a V8.

That's interesting, because I've come from a long line of owning Fords, GM's, chevys, and even two AMC's. (can't get much more american than AMC!) They all spent their fair amount of time in the shop, numerous engines, transmissions, etc... I currently own 3 foreign vehicles, first ones i've owned, and with 300,000 miles between them, they have spent ZERO time in the shop for repairs. (outside of maintenance/wear items)

If I was buying a new full size pickup, a ford f150 v6 ecoboost would be my first choice, followed closely by a tundra. If I was buying used, tundra would be absolutely #1 choice.

As far as your best choice, they are good choices, assuming you don't actually want to stop. Your pick of vehicles also had HORRENDOUSLY bad brakes. Most of those were still front drum brakes. Of course, that is from a time when speed limits were 55, and people didn't sue you if you bumped into them at 5 mph. Unless there has been a disc retrofit done, those vehicles should barely be on the road, and certainly not with a trailer.

 

[bunker108]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

We tow with a 2008 Nissan Xterra Off Road that we bought new( mehanically the same as Frontier). It is rated to 5000lbs, the Frontiers might be rated higher. It is a a great daily driver for my wife and a great tow vehicle for the family. We pull a Coleman Evolution 1 pop-up that grosses a little over 3000lbs. We also pull a 1973 Starcraft 18' SS which is quite a bit lighter than the camper. It pulls both effortlessly. The pop-up has brakes and I use a prodigy brake controller in the TV. The 4.0 V6 is strong and reliable but thirtsty...but I tow fast. I pull the pop-up at 75mph+ and the boat just shy of 70mph. After a 400 mile rounf trip pulling the boat this weekend I got 14mpg...I get around 12 pulling the pop-up. It is also very capable off-road...and towing off road! I almost forgot to mention the side rails, rear bumper steps and factory rood rack are very convinient and useful for boat loading/unloading, especially solo!

That being said, we eventually want to get the wife a vehicle that gets better mpg's and reserve the Xterra for camping and boat duties which it is very good at. The current Xterra/Frontier came out in 2005, so you should have plenty to choose from. I also really like 2006 Tundra, the last yeat before the current body style.

 

[JWFails]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

I have a 07 Chevy 1500HD crew cab with 6.0L engine,tow/trailer pkg, 4 wheel disc brakes and have no probs. I can hardly tell I'm pulling anything. Gas mileage sucks, 12-13 mpg, whether towing anything or not. I balance the mpg with my daily driver an 06 Corolla that gets 32 city/ 38 highway.

 

[grzzzz]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

View attachment 111201

2011 4X4, crew, 250 diesel, I get around 20 mpg, the hardest thing is to keep remembering I have something behind. It hardly notices.

Grzzzz

 

[petriw]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

Daughter got her first car "free" in college and "dear old dad" forked over the down payment on her condo. Mom says no way on free car this time. Her two brothers are right behind her age wise and they both got their first car gratis also.

 

[1216bandit]

Re: Best tow vehicle - Opinions and recommendations please

If I were to buy used I would really look at the Dodge Ram 2500 with the Cummins diesel. A good friend has I believe an 03 that he chipped and it gets crazy fuel economy even when towing. I tow with a Z71 Silverado 4x4 with a 5.7 and although it gets the job done easily, it really doesnt compare to the diesel in economy or brute power.