How much truck do I want?

[superbenk]

I have a semi-long term plan of getting a bigger truck followed by a much bigger boat. I want to look for a truck that will be capable of towing the bigger boat when I get there. The ideal boat is something in the 24-26' range small cruiser so that it's still trailerable, but comfortable for weekends out on the water.

I currently have an '03 Nissan Frontier XE CrewCab 4x4 which will tow 5000lbs and it does a great job with the ~3500lbs I currently have, but obviously won't get close to a 24-26' boat My question is, what kind of truck should I be looking at? So far the Nissan Titan is topping my list as it seems to be capable of ~9500lbs towing even in older models. The Tundra, F150, 1500 Sierra or Ram looks nice too, but they all seem really limited on towing for anything around 5+ yrs old (generally seem to be ~6500-7500lbs towing capacity). Is that enough?

I've already had a couple heart attacks looking at 5 yr old 1/2 ton truck prices, so I'm afraid to start looking at 3/4 ton or diesel. This also needs to be a daily driver for myself. What kind of mileage should I look for as a cap? I've been thinking <80k miles so far. $20k seems like the magic number on a budget (or less of course).

 

[superbenk]

Re: How much truck do I want?

Also, 4 doors is a must (I have kids).

 

[cribber]

Re: How much truck do I want?

Depending on your current rig, you might just be in that sweet spot for towing your new cruiser on the water. My advice would be check out what ya want to float and tow before buying a new tow rig. That way you'll get both of them right.

 

[79Glastron]

Re: How much truck do I want?

20K will get you a nice Ford Super Duty, if you want a diesel go `06 or newer to be safe.

 

[dave11]

Re: How much truck do I want?

20K will get you a nice Ford Super Duty, if you want a diesel go `06 or newer to be safe.

Love those Super Dutys. I have a 23ft cruiser that I pull with a Ford F250 SD. I did not want a diesel, so I got one with the V10 engine. Four wheel disc brakes are a must.

 

[Josh P]

Re: How much truck do I want?

my 2004 ram 1500 will tow 8550 with the factory 20'' rims and 4x4 extended cab (4 real doors) with the hemi, i paid 17000 out the door with 70k miles on it i see 14mpg around town and i got 19mpg this weekend on a 350 mile trip, on the hi way.(unloaded ,just passengers) towing my 3500lbs boat it gets about 12mpg.
just give you an idea good luck on your search. i also daily drive my truck as well

 

[Dkrager]

Re: How much truck do I want?

How far to you tow?

If you don't tow very far a 1/2 ton might do it, but you won't be happy.

Anything over 6,000# I would be looking at a 3/4 Ton.


Also, remember to get max towing capacity you must move to a weight distributing hitch. So usually a 1/2 ton truck is rated for 8500# or whatever, but anything over 5-6k you have to use a weight dist. hitch.

 

[superbenk]

Re: How much truck do I want?

How far to you tow?

If you don't tow very far a 1/2 ton might do it, but you won't be happy.

Anything over 6,000# I would be looking at a 3/4 Ton.

I'd like to think if I get into a 24-26' boat that I'll have a slip most of the time which would mean that if I'm towing, I'm towing for a significant distance. We vacation every year up in the Finger Lakes which is about 250mi away - I figure that'd be somewhat typical when towing.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: How much truck do I want?

Looking for a tow vehicle NOW for a boat you will have LATER is not a wise idea in my view. By the time you get that "later boat" the "now truck" may have way more miles on it and you will be ready to trade again. That is -- unless the "later boat" is only a year or two away and you don't put on a ton of miles. What you look for in a used vehicle depends on the annual mileage you accrue. If you put 50,000 miles on a truck each year you don't buy a 70,000 mile truck and finance it for four years. You will be upside down on the loan in a heartbeat and looking for another truck well before the other one is paid for. If your annual mileage is kept low (12 - 15K is average) you can buy a well cared for higher mileage vehicle, take advantage of the lower cost and have it take you 4 years or so easily.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: How much truck do I want?

I'd just get a Cummins and get it over with.

 

[superbenk]

Re: How much truck do I want?

Looking for a tow vehicle NOW for a boat you will have LATER is not a wise idea in my view. By the time you get that "later boat" the "now truck" may have way more miles on it and you will be ready to trade again. That is -- unless the "later boat" is only a year or two away and you don't put on a ton of miles. What you look for in a used vehicle depends on the annual mileage you accrue. If you put 50,000 miles on a truck each year you don't buy a 70,000 mile truck and finance it for four years. You will be upside down on the loan in a heartbeat and looking for another truck well before the other one is paid for. If your annual mileage is kept low (12 - 15K is average) you can buy a well cared for higher mileage vehicle, take advantage of the lower cost and have it take you 4 years or so easily.

This is definitely a concern of mine as well. An alternative plan is to replace my antique boat (not really, but it feels like it sometimes) with something newer in the sport/runabout range (sub-21') and enjoy that for the next couple years until the Frontier dies then upgrade both boat & truck then (finances permitting). The larger truck would be nice for other things like camping, etc. but I'm not sure it'd be nice enough to be worth the cost at the moment.

Of course personal patience is another issue entirely

 

[Philster]

Re: How much truck do I want?

Silverado or Sierra w/ 5.4 V8
F150 w/ 5.3 V83
Ram w/5.7 V8
Tundra w/ 5.7 V8
Titan w/ 5.6 V8

I pull close to 7000 lbs with a 4-door Ram. It's a walk in the park. I've towed 10 miles, 200 miles and 400 miles. When I got the boat, we pulled it with a F150 and it was about the same feeling.

When looking at these trucks, the essential thing is the tow/trailer package AND make sure the correct V8 or larger is in it. There's a crapload of weenie, sub-5.0 V8s that reduce towing capacity.

All trucks listed will be a perfect balance for what you want. But note the engines AND bend down and look at the hitches. Some will have Class III hitches rated for 5k lbs.

Don't get the small V8's they offer and check to make sure she has a Class IV hitch.

 

[superbenk]

Re: How much truck do I want?

Excellent info! Is there any way to find out if a truck has the tow package installed from a VIN online? I've been poking around on some car sales sites and see a lot with those engines listed, but vague or no mention of tow packages usually. I realize the best thing to do is just go look at them, but for right now we're still in the considering stage and don't want to spend the time looking at inventory we're probably not going to actually buy. We just want to get some feel for what we're looking at.

I'll also say that I've found the Trailer Life towing guides to be an excellent resource!

http://www.trailerlife.com/output.cfm?id=42175

 

[NYBo]

Re: How much truck do I want?

Silverado or Sierra w/ 5.4 V8
F150 w/ 5.3 V8

You have those engine sizes reversed.

 

[642mx]

Re: How much truck do I want?

So usually a 1/2 ton truck is rated for 8500# or whatever, but anything over 5-6k you have to use a weight dist. hitch.

What?... I pull 6000 lbs behind my Gen II Tundra and it doesn't even squat. Its rated for 10600 lbs... hopefully some day I will have a boat that weighs close to that...lol

 

[Subliminal]

Re: How much truck do I want?

It seems that most trucks have hitches installed, but one without shouldn't be a deterrent. They're a few hundred bucks and a snap to install.

 

[superbenk]

Re: How much truck do I want?

It seems that most trucks have hitches installed, but one without shouldn't be a deterrent. They're a few hundred bucks and a snap to install.

I'm not worried about the lack of a hitch per se, I'm worried about the lack of a towing package. Towing package adds higher gears for more pulling power and from the Trailer Life towing guides seems to affect towing power by as much as 2000-2500 lbs. For instance, the Titan without a towing package tows 7200 lbs while it tows 9500 lbs with the package. There's more to it than just a hitch (from what I gather).

 

[18WCmerc]

Re: How much truck do I want?

hmm, im not sure i understand what you mean about a truck w or w/o a towing package. maybe the foreign trucks do there thing backwards.

...also lower gears is what increases towing power...low end torque ie.) some mcnasty 4.10:1 is a lower gear than a 2.55:1 as an example.

I was a dodge tech for a long time, the trucks towing capabilites was always based off of the truck package, ie.) engine/trans/axles/gearing/suspension etc.... the "towing package" your describing is just an acc. that you pick up from the parts dept. on your way out the door.

If you buy a brand new truck, with some smooth talking you can coax the salesman into throwing in a hitch and installing it for free, just to make a deal.


other cents...four door is important, if you have a big boat that seats ten but your truck seats two....hmmmm yeah.

diesel= fuel effiency and longer dependabilty which fits your "long term" plan. 100k on a cummins is no biggy. just broke her in really.

like others have said, best to know what your gonna haul before you buy a truck. however, if you buy a big nasty deisel dodge 3500, im pretty sure you wont have much problems hauling anything you buy.

im ford/dodge biased....sorry i really really really really dont like chevy, new ones anyway, maybe the C-10 back in the day was a good one, or a cheyenne. but since then....meh.

thats my input...back to work

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: How much truck do I want?

OH yeah it's also the tow mode switch that changes your computer settings for your motor and trans.

I wouldn't be afraid of looking at bigger trucks than the Tundra though cause the bottom dropped out on their value so you can get great deals on them.

(04' Silverado 2500HD w/ 6.0 gas motor 4x4 9000lbs)

And if you get a ford try to get the 7.4 not 6.0 diesel (much better motor International calls it the T444E) and if you get a newer one notice how you have to lift the entire cab off the truck to do ANY maintenance to the motor!

And yeah ALL those max rating are with a weight distribution hitch.

 

[bsktball55]

Re: How much truck do I want?

The tow package that you talk about usually includes a transmission cooler, oil cooler, larger alternator along with the hitch and wires for it. At least that is what came with the tow package on my Tacoma.