I am getting ready to buy a new tow vehicle, but I am having a hard time making a decision. Since this will be my DD in heavy traffic, I am not looking for a huge 1 ton truck. All things being the same pulling a 6000-7000lb trailer which of these would be the best

option 1
262hp
323ft/lbs
4959lbs curb weight
109.8" wheel base
6500lb max towing

option 2
268hp
328ft/lbs
5596lbs curb weight
112.2" wheel base
6500lb max towing

option 3
271hp
313ft/lbs
5020lbs
140.5" wheel base
6500lb max towing

Please don't tell me I need to buy a new Mega Cab, Diesel, Dually since I could never drive that in downtown DC.

Thanks,
Ryan.

I drive a 99 2500 CTD QuadCab shortbox. For 2 years, I drove it around the Chicago area, now I'm commuting in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I have no problem getting around with it.

The only real substantial difference I see between your 3 options is wheelbase. Up to you and how you can drive it.

well those all sound like 1/2 tons. and since you said youll be towing 6-7k lbs worth of trailer and all those trucks have a max tow rating of 6500lbs....youre gonna be over, or right at your limits of the truck which isnt such a great idea. get a 3/4 ton truck. theyre all the same physical size for the most part. i drive my ram 2500 anywhere i gotta go, whether its downtown or on the highway or wherever. if you get a used truck theyre all about the same price between a 1/2, 3/4 and 1 ton anyhow give or take a thousand or two $..... if youre gonna be towing alot, get a truck that can handle it and wont break from being overused. theres my .02

Get the long wheelbase(Xtra cab or long bed), Tows better

Get the long wheelbase(Xtra cab or long bed), Tows better



if youre gonna be towing alot, get a truck that can handle it and wont break from being overused. theres my .02



I agree with both these.. A truck towing at or near its rated capacity will wear out alot faster than a truck that is at the lower end of its capacity.. also a longer wheelbase will be much more stable than a short wheelbase.. you may save a little money up front by buying a 1/2 ton but the added maintenance cost from parts wearing out quicker will quickly nullify the savings and end up costing more in the longrun..

I agree, the half ton just isn't worth the hassle. I tried it. Towed my runner once with my '03 F50. It worked the snot out of it climbing the grades to Rubicon.
Now my daily driver/commuter, tow rig, race car is an 04 F250 CC, SB. Still easy to get around with, with the short wheelbase and tows everything I put behind it.
I tow my 27' boat almost every weekend in the summer and also my 33' toy hauler (5th wheel) with no complaints at all.

are those options even a full size truck? they sound like toyota tacoma, nissan, maybe even a s10 or dakota.

go with a 2500 single cab short bed of sorts. you shouldn't base your tow rig on parking/driving in the city.:shaking:

I have a 02 quad cab long bed CTD DD/tow rig/hot rod and I drive through NYC almost every week. :rolleyes:

quit yer bitchin and dont try towing with those under equiped trucks, it's unsafe and you'll be wishin you had bigger one. trust my experience. just learn to push the cabs and copcars out of your way

I blew my motor on my half ton tow rig and all the while getting 5mpg.

bought a Diesel 6 years ago and would never go back to gas no matter how much bigger it is then my 1/2ton was. now I get 14-15 mpgs with a load on it. :smokin:

my.02

Another vote to belly up to the bar and get a 3/4 ton. I know thats not what you want to hear.

When I was looking for a used rig, I would (infrequently) run across short box, single cab dodge diesels.

I towed with a half ton for two years, and I feel a THOUSAND times safer towing with a 3/4 ton now. I went with a quad cab long bed, which means I just park in the backs of all the parking lots, and avoid Downtown areas :) I am very jealous though every time I drive my girlfriends Civic CRX that gets 40mpg, and can practically park in a motorcycle parking spot :eek:

I live in San Jose, CA.

you may save a little money up front by buying a 1/2 ton but the added maintenance cost from parts wearing out quicker will quickly nullify the savings and end up costing more in the longrun..

All depends on how much towing he is doing.

When it comes right down to it, my 5.9L gasser in my half ton seems to be a LOT more reliable than the diesels being used by others on this website. You always hear about part x or part y breaking on those things and costing hundreds, if not a grand plus to fix.

Yet mine chugs along happily, needing nothing more outside normal tune up maintenance than 1 tranny rebuild at 140,000 miles, a new radiator, a new cat/muffler and a new fuel pump.

Not bad for a "piece of crap" tow rig if you ask me.

[QUOTE=Travis Waldher]All depends on how much towing he is doing.

When it comes right down to it, my 5.9L gasser in my half ton ......[QUOTE]

Ditto here....but those ratings seem really low for a 1/2 ton....more like something you'd get from a Tacoma or mini-van or something.....I thought most 1/2 tons were rated for 8k plus????

A 1/2 ton gasser will work fine, but those look like the tow ratings of a V6 gasser or something weak....

When it comes right down to it, my 5.9L gasser in my half ton seems to be a LOT more reliable than the diesels being used by others on this website.


Its not so much the motor I had a problem with on my half ton. The motor just determines how quickly you drive up the hill.. no big deal. Its the "other stuff" that made me nervous. My brakes would smoke coming down Ice house every time. Thats with the trailer brakes turned way up. My tranny would frequently get hotter than I was comfortable with. If you tow with it stock, your suspension will suck. But you can fix that with some airbags or helper springs.

I just never felt safe towing with my half ton. It was fine on Interstate 5 tooling down the road with no obstacles to overcome, but if I had that "out of the ordinary" situation to encounter, it was sketchy. Wasn't safe for me, or those around me.

Whatever you do, tow slow, and give yourself plenty of room. Yesterday, coming down ice house I had to slam on my brakes for 6 deer standing in the middle of the road (around a corner), had I been in my half ton, I would have plowed right into them. as it was, I was inches from hitting them. A buddy behind me wasn't able to stop in time, and ramped my trailer :eek:

Could have been much worse, but thanks to big brakes, I drove away from it shaken, but not stirred.

When it comes right down to it, my 5.9L gasser in my half ton seems to be a LOT more reliable than the diesels being used by others on this website. You always hear about part x or part y breaking on those things and costing hundreds, if not a grand plus to fix.


those are also the ones that have chips,CAI's,high boost(higher than stock)Bigger turbo's/Dual turbo's.. I had a 94 with a fuel plate in it.. The only problem I had with it was I bought a DEFECTIVE turbo from DIESEL INJECTION SERVICES and it shucked out in less than 30 days.. I then bought a used turbo off E-bay and drove the truck with that turbo for a couple more years till I sold it..

option 3 :smokin:

I am getting ready to buy a new tow vehicle, but I am having a hard time making a decision. Since this will be my DD in heavy traffic, I am not looking for a huge 1 ton truck. All things being the same pulling a 6000-7000lb trailer which of these would be the best

option 1
262hp
323ft/lbs
4959lbs curb weight
109.8" wheel base
6500lb max towing

option 2
268hp
328ft/lbs
5596lbs curb weight
112.2" wheel base
6500lb max towing

option 3
271hp
313ft/lbs
5020lbs
140.5" wheel base
6500lb max towing

Please don't tell me I need to buy a new Mega Cab, Diesel, Dually since I could never drive that in downtown DC.

Thanks,
Ryan.


Ryan,
Speaking from an insurance stand point, if you are towing over cap. and get into a accident you will be at fault :( according to dmv and state law. I found this out the hard way!!!! plus your ins will drop you and good luck getting new ins co. to cover you. trust me if your gonna tow that kind of weight get a truck rated for it. Not to mention the extra wear and tear on the light duty trucks from towing the extra weight. good luck any way you go.

I am getting ready to buy a new tow vehicle, but I am having a hard time making a decision. Since this will be my DD in heavy traffic, I am not looking for a huge 1 ton truck. All things being the same pulling a 6000-7000lb trailer which of these would be the best

option 1
262hp
323ft/lbs
4959lbs curb weight
109.8" wheel base
6500lb max towing

option 2
268hp
328ft/lbs
5596lbs curb weight
112.2" wheel base
6500lb max towing

option 3
271hp
313ft/lbs
5020lbs
140.5" wheel base
6500lb max towing

Please don't tell me I need to buy a new Mega Cab, Diesel, Dually since I could never drive that in downtown DC.

Thanks,
Ryan.


Ryan,
Speaking from an insurance stand point, if you are towing over cap. and get into a accident you will be at fault :( according to dmv and state law. I found this out the hard way!!!! plus your ins will drop you and good luck getting new ins co. to cover you. trust me if your gonna tow that kind of weight get a truck rated for it. Not to mention the extra wear and tear on the light duty trucks from towing the extra weight. good luck any way you go.

look at the gmc/chevy 1500HD. What vehicles are the three options? the tow ratings seem low for the HP and Torque ratings or visa versa.

Option #1 Lexus GX470
Option #2 Toyota LC
Option #3 Toyota Tundra DC V8

I was looking for a nice comfortable ride for 90% of my time since I only tow about 1 every 2 months. I guess I will look at the domestics.

Thanks,
Ryan.

Option #1 Lexus GX470
Option #2 Toyota LC
Option #3 Toyota Tundra DC V8

I was looking for a nice comfortable ride for 90% of my time since I only tow about 1 every 2 months. I guess I will look at the domestics.

Thanks,
Ryan.



go with a gmc/chevy if you want a comfortable ride. guaranteed the best ride (and best many other things :flipoff2: ) of the full size line. that's too much weight for a non full size and even high for a 1/2 ton.

go with a gmc/chevy if you want a comfortable ride. guaranteed the best ride (and best many other things :flipoff2: ) of the full size line. that's too much weight for a non full size and even high for a 1/2 ton.

Ditto. Get a 3/4 ton gmc. They ride pretty nice. None of the three (non)options have even close to enough stopping power or weight to handle what your asking. If you are that determined to tow with a Toyota then look into getting an aluminum trailer and look into shaving some serious weight off your wheeler.

Mike

go with a 2500 single cab short bed of sorts.

Who the fawk makes that?

Pete

Nissan has a 9600lb tow rating. Now here's the part where everybody insists that's wrong...

Nissan has a 9600lb tow rating. Now here's the part where everybody insists that's wrong...

9600 lbs + D44 = kaboom!!:laughing:

Nissan missed the boat on that one....should have gone with at least a semi float D60.

Option #1 Lexus GX470
Option #2 Toyota LC
Option #3 Toyota Tundra DC V8

I was looking for a nice comfortable ride for 90% of my time since I only tow about 1 every 2 months. I guess I will look at the domestics.

Thanks,
Ryan.

I have spent a lot of time around the Cruiser and the Lexus. The GX is not a big enough (weight or length) to tow a rig on a trailer in my opinion. 2 or 3 are much better options.

That being said, I trailer tow my TJ with a 05 Yukon and it does ok. I also bumper pull it with the Yukon or a 98 Tahoe. towing with a light duty truck takes a bunch more discipline than with a 3/4ton or more. When I borrow F-250's I have no problem towing at 80, where as I never go over 65 with the Yukon because it doesn't feel as safe.

If you go with a smaller vehicle, use a wd hitch, trailer brakes and load carefully. I have also though about buying a lighter trailer to tow with.

It can be done, it does take patience.

Who the fawk makes that?

Pete


you got me.

2500 long bed of sorts:flipoff2: