How much truck do I want?

[superbenk]

Re: How much truck do I want?

According to this a towing package also tends to include a beefier (lower geared) rear differential and/or stronger tranny as well as potentially stiffer suspension:

http://www.trailerlife.com/images/towratings/2006/Towing_p34_36.pdf

I'm sure it depends on the truck, but that's the part that confuses me - which trucks truly require a special towing package to achieve the ~9000-10000 lbs towing capacity I'd want in a big truck & how can I be certain the trucks I'm looking at have those options?

I don't think slapping on a hitch (I can put a class 4 hitch on my Frontier, but it doesn't mean it can magically tow 7000lbs!) and turning off overdrive necessarily means I have a towing package.

 

[18WCmerc]

Re: How much truck do I want?

hmmm, possibly owning a frontier has clouded your judgment of what a truck actually is.

It is not rocket science and most certainly does not need a 100 posts to figure out. Ive spoken with engineers from the most well respected automotive manufactuars. here is what we have come up with:


item weighs "X"lbs
truck can tow "X"lbs.

Does truck "X"lbs exceed Item "X"lbs?

Yes: pick favorite color and proceed to checkout.

No: find bigger truck

 

[superbenk]

Re: How much truck do I want?

hmmm, possibly owning a frontier has clouded your judgment of what a truck actually is.

It is not rocket science and most certainly does not need a 100 posts to figure out. Ive spoken with engineers from the most well respected automotive manufactuars. here is what we have come up with:


item weighs "X"lbs
truck can tow "X"lbs.

Does truck "X"lbs exceed Item "X"lbs?

Yes: pick favorite color and proceed to checkout.

No: find bigger truck

I understand the concept of getting a truck that can tow more than the payload weighs. That's not really the question. The question is more what kind of truck should I be looking at to tow a 24-26' boat. I'm *guessing* I should be thinking about something that can tow around 10k lbs. That being said, a 1/2 ton Titan can tow ~9500 lbs (with the proper tow package) while a 3/4 ton F250 can tow ~10500 lbs (again with the right package). Those tow ratings aren't vastly different, but those are 2 very different trucks. I'm trying to understand which type I should be considering given my rough future plans.

This isn't a "can my Frontier which is rated for 5k lbs tow a boat that weighs 10k lbs?" thread.

 

[18WCmerc]

Re: How much truck do I want?

ok gotcha, sorry about the confusion, just got more difficult than it should be.


then my answer is simple. FORD

you will love having a 3/4 ton, and most titan folks wish the nissan made one.

I personnely haul around 3500ish lbs with a 1/2 ton ford f150 v8, and i really really wish i had a 3/4 ton.

There is no way! no way i would feel confortable hauling almost 10k on a 1/2 ton. Good luck steering, cuz your front wheels would never touch the ground.

 

[Philster]

Re: How much truck do I want?

A tow package can be anything from a hitch + tranny cooler right on up to different rear gears, upgraded alternators, beefier shocks and different computer modes... even sway control, and other sweet gizmos like that.

So... when buying a truck, you might decide that you don't need a tow package from the manufacturer if checking it adds 0 lbs to the tow capacity and only means they toss a Class III hitch onto a truck that can tow more than 5k lbs. However, if checking the box costs X dollars, gets you a bunch of goodies and adds 2000 lbs to the tow capacity, then it's up to you on how to spend your money. If X is worth it, and/or essential to allow the truck to meet your demands, you might need to get the tow package.

 

[18WCmerc]

Re: How much truck do I want?

oh yeah, the dealer can print you out its options sheet. Called a V.I.P. this will have every detail down to the sales code for interior fabrics. after reviewing this you should be good to go.

 

[jrs_diesel]

Re: How much truck do I want?

FWIW, I have a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500, with the Cummins diesel. Mine equipped with an auto tranny, 3.55 rear end ratio, and 2 wheel drive. I can tow up to 13,500 lbs with that setup. If I had 4.10 gears I could tow more. A Ram 3500 dually (same year, 2001) with a Cummins and 4.10 gears could do 16,000 lbs, which is the highest rated version. That is straight out of my factory owners manual.

Just food for thought.

 

[iop]

Re: How much truck do I want?

I would think any full size pick up with a towing package rated at over 8K should do the job... pick one to your liking.

 

[dave11]

Re: How much truck do I want?

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.

I love that comment about the "weenie, sub-5.0 V8s". It is nice to have enough power to be able to pass another vehicle on a two lane road.

 

[642mx]

Re: How much truck do I want?

ok gotcha, sorry about the confusion, just got more difficult than it should be.


then my answer is simple. FORD

you will love having a 3/4 ton, and most titan folks wish the nissan made one.

I personnely haul around 3500ish lbs with a 1/2 ton ford f150 v8, and i really really wish i had a 3/4 ton.

Most minivans will pull that. Buy a truck with some motor next time, Fords current 1/2 tons are a joke in the power department.

There is no way! no way i would feel confortable hauling almost 10k on a 1/2 ton. Good luck steering, cuz your front wheels would never touch the ground.

You should try it some time. I drove the Gen II Tundra for the first time at the Toyota "Prove It Challenge". They had a 2WD D-Cab 5.7L V8 with 10K lbs on a trailer. They let us drive it in some stop and go situations and then we got to hold the throttle on the floor from 0-60.... I bought one as soon as I could afford one.... they are that good.

 

[79Glastron]

Re: How much truck do I want?

On the Ford end, you'll have a hard time finding a 7.3 diesel that doesn't have over 200K. They stopped making the 7.3 is early 03. Any 6.0 past mid year 05 will be fine if maintained, like anything else on the road.

 

[Gromulin]

Re: How much truck do I want?

I'm in the market for a bigger tow vehicle also...good info.

Some of us tow uphill also. Our Landcruiser has the factory tow package and is *rated* for 5000 pounds with the 4.7. If you are towing across flat ground...sure. But try going up the Sierra's to 4000' and you'll find out FAST that you want a truck that is rated at least double the weight of what you are hauling. My boat/trailer, loaded for a camping trip, is over 4000. I'm looking at nothing less than 8000 rated capacity in a tow vehicle.

 

[baylinermosquito]

Re: How much truck do I want?

You would probably want a Chevy or GMC, due to the fact that the new GM gas and deisels have more overall power than the 2011 Ram or Super Duty. There set up for towing and do a really good job of it. But there is an alternative where you could get an older rig thats set up for towing, like my trucks a 79 Chevy k20, witch is set up for towing, because it has a 1 ton rear end, and heavy duty leaf springs. Something with a rebuilt motor would be perfect, but you would want to break it in after a few thousand miles, then id start towing with it.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: How much truck do I want?

TO THE O/P

If you learn anything certain from this thread it will be that you won't EVER get a straight consistent answer to this question..... Pick the answer you want to hear from this mess and go with it...... My .02 is that you can't EVER have too much truck.... My 99 powerstroke dually crewcab 4x4 cost me $8500 with 280,000 miles on it.... I tow up to 16,000 lbs with it and I now have 306,000 miles on it.... I have been VERY happy with it and I love the safety margin of the extra two tires on the rear... You will never apreciate the advantages of a bigger truck untill you try one towing

I only wish I could spend 20 k on a truck and be able to go sub 100k miles.... You should have no problem finding a truck that fits your needs with that budget.

The simple answer is find the weight you want to haul and pick a truck to do it... Or get a dually and sleep well knowing that if it's towable you're ready for it

 

[bowman316]

Re: How much truck do I want?

my 26 ft sailboat weighs 6,000 lbs, without the trailer factored in.

i guess a 26 ft power boat might be in the 8,000 lb range?

the real issue is how much weight you expect to be towing.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: How much truck do I want?

On the Ford end, you'll have a hard time finding a 7.3 diesel that doesn't have over 200K. They stopped making the 7.3 is early 03. Any 6.0 past mid year 05 will be fine if maintained, like anything else on the road.

Early motor just breaking in then, they are used commercially and get that many plus more in under two years. (still way better motor)

New truck you have to pick cab up off truck to do anything but oil change.

YOU know two big straps underslung from a lift, pick whole cab up cause of bad injector you thought a van was a pita to work on.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: How much truck do I want?

Well, adding my 2 cents in will bring it to an even dollar. I'll go in a slightly different direction. I have an 03, Chevy 2500HD with the 8.1 liter big block. This truck will pull down a house without breaking a sweat. I have overloaded my equipment trailer to the tune of 16,200 lbs (yes, it was weighed when leaving the lumber yard) and it had no difficulty pulling it 150 miles back home. BUT - unloaded, driving back and forth to work - I get around 9 mpg. My next truck will be lighter duty. My thought is size the truck smartly, not to max capacity. If you will be towing that big boat once or twice a year, I think you will have no problem with a half ton from any of the mfg's. Will it down shift going up hills - yup. Will you have to think about it when passing someone - yup. But it will get you there and back just fine. The other 99% of the time, you will enjoy the better mileage, not to mention gettgin a better condition, newer, lower mileage truck for the same money. Just my opinion - worth what I charged for it!

 

[superbenk]

Re: How much truck do I want?

Well, adding my 2 cents in will bring it to an even dollar. I'll go in a slightly different direction. I have an 03, Chevy 2500HD with the 8.1 liter big block. This truck will pull down a house without breaking a sweat. I have overloaded my equipment trailer to the tune of 16,200 lbs (yes, it was weighed when leaving the lumber yard) and it had no difficulty pulling it 150 miles back home. BUT - unloaded, driving back and forth to work - I get around 9 mpg. My next truck will be lighter duty. My thought is size the truck smartly, not to max capacity. If you will be towing that big boat once or twice a year, I think you will have no problem with a half ton from any of the mfg's. Will it down shift going up hills - yup. Will you have to think about it when passing someone - yup. But it will get you there and back just fine. The other 99% of the time, you will enjoy the better mileage, not to mention gettgin a better condition, newer, lower mileage truck for the same money. Just my opinion - worth what I charged for it!

I think this post sums up my general thinking at the moment perfectly. It needs to be a daily driver (I don't have the luxury of space to store an exclusive tow vehicle or the money to have a separate tow vehicle). I'm re-evaluating my priorities somewhat now. I'm wondering if that large of a boat is truly practical for what we'll do with it (maybe we want to be more portable than big). I'm also pretty uneasy about dropping $20k on a new vehicle that will cost me potentially more in insurance & gas.

Bottom line, I love all this info, it's been really valuable! I'm starting to weigh the idea of a new truck (probably 1/2 ton ultimately) vs. a new small boat (<21') that I can possibly even tow behind my current Frontier (though it doesn't like the hills!).

If only I was filthy rich and could just buy everything I wanted all at once

 

[18WCmerc]

Re: How much truck do I want?

buy american.....that should solve all of your problems.

 

[Nutt]

Re: How much truck do I want?

I have a 01 PSD 7.3 Diesel. On the highway I get 20mpg. in town i get 16-17mpg.

The best part about a diesel is that towing 10k lbs I still get way more mpg than any gas truck will. She has 250k on her and is a beast still.

Diesel is 33 percent more efficient. I have an array of fuels to choose from. I am in aviation and run Jet-A, Mil-H-5606"hydraulic fluid", transmission fluid, what ever I want. With no loss in power.

I have always like boating but until last year didn't need a large truck. Well I decided to go ahead and get a vehicle that would last 10years and tow anything I want it to. So now when I go to upgrade boats I don't have to ask these questions.

BUY ONCE, CRY ONCE. This is just my opinion of course.