Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

[superpop]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

I think the OP said he needed to have seating for 7. None of the trucks y'all are talking about can haul that many people. So he needs an SUV, I would look at the Sequoia. Personally I would not give a squirt of **** for a Nissan or a Domestic but I have been burned by both. My Tundra with tons of miles has run flawlessly since day one, and is still worth something even with high miles. I hear good things about the new Chebies but I am a convert, I drove Fords for years and they always died way before 100K, or at least they started rattling and feeling like a worn out vehicle way to soon. My Tundra still feels like a new truck, there is a reason Toyota has such a following and quality is a big piece of that. The Yota will easily pull your load and you can get the proper hitch for it no problem.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

I tow a 29' travel trailer with a slide with my '96 Grand Cherokee with no problems at all and it has 185,000 miles on it, it has trailer brake set up and a WDH hitch on it as well as airbags, I would guess, fully loaded it weighs in around 5000 to 5500 pounds, I also have a double sway bar set up on it..little slower on the hills than I like and the gas mileage sucks, its full time 4wd, but it gets the job done..my boat is small enough, that it is no problem at all..

 

[road kill]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

i wouldn't just limit it to domestics... toyota tundra has a tow rating over 10000 pounds, depending on model/specs. as far as I know, no domestic 1/2 ton can do that.

you also gain on average vastly better build quality, and in most cases buying foreign supports the american worker, vs buying 'american' and supporting the american CEO, and mexican worker. (my last ford I owned was built in mexico. My current subaru, japanese car, built in indiana by americans)

I don't know about the others here, but I buy American, that means I have three brands of truck to choose from. I don't want anything made by or badged under a foreign brand no matter where it was made. If the time comes that I can no longer find an American made truck, I'll buy another used one that was made here.
If you think for a minute that if buying a Toyota doesn't get some Toyota executive rich in Japan, think again. If they didn't make money here, they wouldn't be here. That money is going overseas, plain and simple.

Now as far as the original topic, I've tossed several OEM GM hitches, mainly the tubular built ones on the half ton trucks. For the most part the Ford hitches I've seen have been pretty decent, but if your in doubt, like was said before here, buy a hitch with a suitable rating and install it yourself. I wouldn't let a $200 hitch make or break my decision on a truck.
If it were me, and I was regularly going to tow 6500lbs, I'd be looking to buy a 3/4 ton truck, it will handle the load far better and last much longer.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

dont know about the new ones but Ive driven an 05 nissan titan quad cab 4x4 @ work since 05.the eng.and 5 speed trans are fantastic,smooth and powerful.tachs like 1800 @ 75mph.but the brakes were a different story.working hard to stop the truck w 5/700 lbs shell and equipment in the back.had a recall on the calipers I believe.it was better after replacing those but still weak in my opinion.a heavy trailor has been towed a few times and the rear end is now leaking.ive heard the rearends are kinda weak.but dont know about the late models.i assume the Armada and the Titan share the same or similar drivetrain.Ive had a toyota 4x4 since 85 its been four wheeled,rolled over,wrecked on the interstate.and comes back for more i cant bring myself to sell it.as it has been very tough and reliable when its not in need of occasional repairs.I overheated it w 135k. thermo. didnt open and it soon began to get coolant in the cyl.i still drove it until AF started pissin out the tailpipe!! 6 months or so.235,000 mi on the orig.trans/transfer case,turning 33s its whole life.a friend has an 09 tundra 4x4 and loves it,he says its the fastest new truck hes ever driven and very tight.

 

[superpop]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

I don't know about the others here, but I buy American, that means I have three brands of truck to choose from. I don't want anything made by or badged under a foreign brand no matter where it was made. If the time comes that I can no longer find an American made truck, I'll buy another used one that was made here.
If you think for a minute that if buying a Toyota doesn't get some Toyota executive rich in Japan, think again. If they didn't make money here, they wouldn't be here. That money is going overseas, plain and simple.

Now as far as the original topic, I've tossed several OEM GM hitches, mainly the tubular built ones on the half ton trucks. For the most part the Ford hitches I've seen have been pretty decent, but if your in doubt, like was said before here, buy a hitch with a suitable rating and install it yourself. I wouldn't let a $200 hitch make or break my decision on a truck.
If it were me, and I was regularly going to tow 6500lbs, I'd be looking to buy a 3/4 ton truck, it will handle the load far better and last much longer.

My last truck, a ford was made in the USA but mostly with Mexican and Canadian manufactured parts, and it was a pile of junk at 80K miles. If you want to spend your hard earned money on an inferior product, out of some misplaced sense of loyalty to a US founded company then knock yourself out. Fact of the matter is that it is nearly impossible to buy a product like a car or truck that is truly made in America. I work for a Japanese company selling their medical equipment and they pay me a lot of money to do this, they also pay several thousand Americans that I work with, lots of money to sell and support their products, if some jap over across the pond is getting rich as a result of this, I could care less, they are paying me stupid amounts of money to enjoy the American dream. I do not care where a product is made, I buy the best product for the money. I hope the American companies can get it together, as I would love to see the USA dominate in this area again, but I think that is wishful thinking, we live in a global economy now and in the long run that is probably better for everyone. This concludes my non topic related rant.

 

[superpop]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

And I think the Japanese, just like us Americans, have made some **** poor products as well, I have owned one Nissan in my life, and I will never buy another one. That car left me stranded on the side of the road more times than I can remember.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

My wife got a new 93 nissan 240sx 5 speed.it ran well for 14yrs.good gas mileage and power.it was very fun to drive.I inherited it the last 5 yrs.we had it and drove the snot out of it almost daily until we sold it!it was a good car.the odometer quit weeks after a clutch replacement,by a shop.I told them I think someone forgot to unhook it!!they wouldnt fix it and I didnt either.but I think it had 150.000mi+/- when sold.estimateing my oil change data before odometer broke.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

Don't understand why you are having that much trouble. Class 4 hitch is an option on every half ton I looked at. My 09 Ram came with a Class 4 from the factory.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

My last truck, a ford was made in the USA but mostly with Mexican and Canadian manufactured parts, and it was a pile of junk at 80K miles. If you want to spend your hard earned money on an inferior product, out of some misplaced sense of loyalty to a US founded company then knock yourself out. Fact of the matter is that it is nearly impossible to buy a product like a car or truck that is truly made in America. I work for a Japanese company selling their medical equipment and they pay me a lot of money to do this, they also pay several thousand Americans that I work with, lots of money to sell and support their products, if some jap over across the pond is getting rich as a result of this, I could care less, they are paying me stupid amounts of money to enjoy the American dream. I do not care where a product is made, I buy the best product for the money. I hope the American companies can get it together, as I would love to see the USA dominate in this area again, but I think that is wishful thinking, we live in a global economy now and in the long run that is probably better for everyone. This concludes my non topic related rant.

In all fairness, there was probably a few years difference in the two models. As with everything else, newer products are built with better tech and should be better. You're comparing apples to oranges...rather than, say, an 08 Toyota Tundra to an 08 Dodge 1500.

 

[road kill]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

And I think the Japanese, just like us Americans, have made some **** poor products as well, I have owned one Nissan in my life, and I will never buy another one. That car left me stranded on the side of the road more times than I can remember.

I think your missing the point here, I don't care which is better, the money in the end when you buy American goes to an American company, regardless of where they buy their parts. It goes to pay American assembly line workers building American vehicles. Not to the country that bombed Pearl Harbor.
What's next, Iraqi built vehicles?

Let's see:
1986
Toyota 1 Ton - 7' bed, won't hold a sheet of plywood, 2.4L four banger motor.
VS.
Dodge Ram 1 ton, 360ci engine, 8' bed
Ford F350 460ci engine, 8' bed (or diesel engine option 6.9L V8)
Chevy C30, 454ci engine, 8' bed (6.2L V8 diesel option also available)


Current models:
Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan
VS.
Any Dodge, Ford, or GM diesel, or large V8, try being 6'5" tall and driving one of those Jap clown cars. Face it, they build cars to fit persons well under 6' tall. Anyone over 6' suffers. Of the American cars, Ford is the tightest fit, with Dodge being the best for a big guy.

I drove the Toyota Tundra on one of their test drive offers at the local farm store. They gave away $50 store credit vouchers for test driving a Toyota Tundra. They had 4 trucks set up, all were extra cab trucks, all had hitches, all were all prettied up. Not a work truck with an 8' bed in the bunch.
When I asked if they made an 8' bed, they said it could be ordered but only with a regular cab and a V6. This contradicts the web page but the dealers all say the same. It's either an el strippo model or a four door kiddie hauler.

They had one set up to haul a short weighted trailer marked 10,000 lbs. When I mentioned that I'd like to hook one up to my trailer weighing in at 9,200 lbs at 28' long, they declined and wouldn't have any part of it. The trailer they were using was about 10' long and had steel plates weighing it down, four 8 ply tires and huge electric over hydraulic brakes. In the real world, trailers don't come set up that ideally when hauling weight and quite often weight can't be perfectly distributed. That's when the big dually diesel American built truck comes in. I just made a drive to and from Homestead, FL from north east PA, I went down empty hauling a 42' flatbed, came back with a conversion van and a diesel dually pickup on the trailer. Do that with a Toyota or Nissan pickup. Total weight was upwards of about 16K, and I had no problem keeping up with traffic and got nearly 18 mpg doing it with my 13 year old Ford with 310,433 miles on it.

My neighbor has a Nissan Titan, he has trouble breaking 13 mpg just going back and forth to work everyday. Not to mention it's got a useless 5' or less long bed.
When he needs to tow something big, he borrows one of my trucks.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

The foreign/domestic argument ends now or this thread will be locked.

 

[642mx]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

. That's when the big dually diesel American built truck comes in. I just made a drive to and from Homestead, FL from north east PA, I went down empty hauling a 42' flatbed, came back with a conversion van and a diesel dually pickup on the trailer. Do that with a Toyota or Nissan pickup. Total weight was upwards of about 16K, and I had no problem keeping up with traffic and got nearly 18 mpg doing it with my 13 year old Ford with 310,433 miles on it.

Your comparing apples to oranges. Of course a Toyota or Nissan isn't going to pull 16K lbs like your dually will. It wasn't designed for it. The Toy and Nissan are 1/2 tons... and they compete very well against the Dodge, Ford, and Chev. In most cases, they out perform.

 

[searay175snyder]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

look just stick with dodge 2500 dea

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

If your hauling 6500 pounds+, I would think you should stick with something like a 3/4 ton truck.

WOW! I'm very cautious but tht's overkill! He'll have cargo capacity issues long before he has issues with towing.

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

Armada is Titan-based and rated at 9100. More than a Tahoe. I need a 3rd row of seating.

A 3rd row of seating? What PU will provide you with that? Looks like either a SUV or van is your answer.

 

[642mx]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

WOW! I'm very cautious but tht's overkill! He'll have cargo capacity issues long before he has issues with towing.

Some of these guys think you need a dually diesel to pull an inflatable dingy...lol

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

I did some checking concerning the use of a 6000 limit on hitches. It has nothing to do with the vehicle. It is all in paperwork. When a vehicle is registered, most states automaticly enter 6000 pound on the reg. All you need to do is go to DMV and purchase a "weighted tag" and specify the weight according to what the manufactory has listed the for the vehicle. As an example, a full size p/u with a v8 with a type III hitch and WDH can safely tow up to 18,000 add a class IV hitch and the max weight can go as high as 28,000 All the paperwork does is protect you if something happens. no lawsuits. no roadside DMV checks and tickets.

Cool! Do you have a link to this?

 

[mike343]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

As long as you stay under 500lb tongue weight and under the max tow weight rating you will be OK with half ton rigs.. Read your trailer manual--get one if you don't have one--you will find it specifies 5-10% tongue weight. 6-7 is usually good enough for tandem trailers. The The truck guys specify 10% to account for all kinds of trailers, so if the rig weighs more than 5000 lbs you would need a WD hitch brcause of the 500 lb dead weight limit.

 

[Philster]

Re: Looking over new full-size trucks, finding only Class III hitches (5000lb max)

A 3rd row of seating? What PU will provide you with that? Looks like either a SUV or van is your answer.

UPDATE: I started this thread a while ago. The goal at the time was a Full-Sized, truck-based SUV such as the Tahoe/Yukon, Armada, Sequioa, etc equipped with a Class IV hitch. Three rows, big tow capacity, etc.

We've decided to use the old Ram for pulling (and can squeeze us all in) and got an Acura MDX for shuttling the six of us around. The Ram has 3.92 gearing and even loaded like a pig won't strain, and the temp gauge won't budge. I've had it checked and serviced, and at 107k, she's ok with the load.

Still, this thread can be helpful to others, as you should double-check full-sized truck tow rating and truck-based SUV tow ratings, as well as the hitch and the options to get you the advertised capacity.

Yanking around 8500 lbs isn't a matter of picking up a Chevy Tahoe and hitching up the load. Check all the options, bend down and check the hitch and determine what the actual towing capacity is. Don't be fooled by ads and boosted towing limits that require weight distribution accessories (if that is not your thing).

My stable now includes my Infiniti G35 coupe (six speed stick) our new-to-us 2007 Acura MDX and our Dodge Ram workhouse with the 3.92 gearing.

Yeehaw.