Half Ton Tow Vehicle Owners Unite!

[wandering1]

Originally Posted by ykcamom

Lots of discussion here on tow capacity of 1/2 ton trucks. So I thought it might be fun for owners of 1/2 tons to post what truck they have and what they tow with it!

We have a 2012 F150 V8 3:73 axle, and a 2014 JayFlight 24FBS.

GO!

I think it would be more interesting to find out what they safely tow with it.

[hondavalk]

Tundra 5.7. I tow what ever I need to move. LOL

[Superslif]

14' Tundra Limited double cab 5.7 ( rated at 10,000 )

Tow a 2013 25' Aerolite hybrid weighing in at about 5000-5100 lbs.(wet)

Have not towed with the Tundra yet, but should be no problem. Before that I towed the tt with a Toyota 4Runner 4.7 (V-8) (rated at 7,200). Ordered the tundra with the factory tow mirrors, so don't have to be attaching un-attaching the tow mirror for the Runner.

[1 Texan]

This debate has been going on for over two years. People fail to understand that the newer 1/2 tons are no longer "1/2 tons". Yes, some with the small V6 and high gears for mpg are indeed 1/2 tons. But, in the last 2 years, since 2011 with introduction of the F-150 with Ecoboost or the GMC with the 6.2 and add in max tow packages and you have towing capabilities beyond a "3/4" ton which hasn't changed since then. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

So... What do I tow with my GMC Sierra 1500, 6.2, 3.73, max tow package? We have put over 10,000 miles pulling a 29 ft. 5'er in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, New York and points in between.

My advice, do your own homework. Don't take the word of the truck or rv dealer salesperson. And by the way, take it to the scales for your own peace of mind.

Rodney

[Superslif]

If you have been RVing for many years, pulling a few different types of RV's over different areas of the country, you will surly know what your tow vehicle will handle. If not, you will see to it that you upgrade to that level of safety and capacity. I think the demographics of RVers in general allows them to be able to afford the right vehicle to tow their unit. Either new or used.

[DreaminBig]

Our little trailer is 4080 empty/dry. We loaded all our "stuff" in it and weighed it again. 4510. We camp within 2-3 hours of home--our favorite spot is about 40 minutes away. We never camp without water & electric, so cant imagine having to tow with a full tanks. According to the book on my truck, I have plenty of truck for my X-lite.

[RustyJC]

I don't see much discussion in this thread regarding the GVWR of the various 1/2 ton trucks. That's interesting since GVWR, not the manufacturer's fictitious trailer tow rating, is going to be the limiting factor in most trailer towing applications with a 1/2 ton truck.

Rusty

[JIMNLIN]

Originally Posted by ykcamom

Lots of discussion here on tow capacity of 1/2 ton trucks. So I thought it might be fun for owners of 1/2 tons to post what truck they have and what they tow with it!

We have a 2012 F150 V8 3:73 axle, and a 2014 JayFlight 24FBS.

GO!

I'll repost the OP thread which asked a simple question. Seems like the same folks are continually hijacking a thread they don't agree with.

Its been years since I used a 1/2 ton truck to pull or carry a RV. My first RV was a 8' slide in truck camper on a '67 "heavy half" ton chevy.

Had a '72 chevy 1/2 ton that pulled a 22' Nomad.

Moved up to another "heavy Half" '84 chevy and a 24' Aljo 5th wheel trailer. We bought a 5th wheel trailer so we could pull the boat to the lake.

[Kingw2001]

Rusty, enough is enough. You are the biggest Debbie Downer I have ever witnessed. I can't go on a single tow vehicle thread without you bashing someone's choice of tow vehicle. From all your opinions it sounds like the only trailer that anything less than a DRW 1 ton diesel can pull is a 5x8 utility trailer (of course it will first need to be weighed loaded with family, dogs, q-tips, toilet paper etc.) Am I the only one that is sick and tired of this?

[Fast0ne]

Originally Posted by Kingw2001

Rusty, enough is enough. You are the biggest Debbie Downer I have ever witnessed. I can't go on a single tow vehicle thread without you bashing someone's choice of tow vehicle. From all your opinions it sounds like the only trailer that anything less than a DRW 1 ton diesel can pull is a 5x8 utility trailer (of course it will first need to be weighed loaded with family, dogs, q-tips, toilet paper etc.) Am I the only one that is sick and tired of this?

I am with you on this. As far as this site is concerned if you don't have a 2500 or 3500 truck or a semi truck you can't haul anything.

Now for my set up. Sorry not a half ton truck.

But I use my 2006 chevy colorado crew cab xtream to tow my 2012 20ft holiday rambler aluma-lite trailer. Trailer weight is 3000 dry and not sure fully loaded but stay at full hook ups most the time. But have towed full with water and 3 days supplies had no issues at all. Towed over 5000km this year all the way north and back home here in bc Canada.

Having lots of fun and that's what counts.

[SeabeckS]

[10Boomer]

Originally Posted by emptypockets

We have a 2004 1500 HD Chevy & pull a Rockwood Mini Lite 1809S TT & love the combination. We downsized from a 31 foot 5th wheel with two slides pulled by a one ton Dodge diesel dually. At our age (79) smaller is better.

2013 f150 Lariate Ecoboost, with tow/load package & pull a Rockwood Mini Lite 2109s TT, we love our combo, just right!

[caissiel]

Originally Posted by Kingw2001

Rusty, enough is enough. You are the biggest Debbie Downer I have ever witnessed. I can't go on a single tow vehicle thread without you bashing someone's choice of tow vehicle. From all your opinions it sounds like the only trailer that anything less than a DRW 1 ton diesel can pull is a 5x8 utility trailer (of course it will first need to be weighed loaded with family, dogs, q-tips, toilet paper etc.) Am I the only one that is sick and tired of this?

Well said.
I towed a 5600 lbs 5th wheel with a 1/4 ton Ranger for 3 years all over the eastern states and it was a great combination. Within the trucks specs.
Towed same unit with a 1/2 ton GM diesel. Was fantastic and moved on to 3/4 tons with much heavier units.

[PJL]

Yeah, Rusty is passionate about weights. But we have to remember that a lot of newbies (myself included) sometimes have a tendency to read stuff on forums about what seasoned vets may tow and therefore assume they are ok without really understanding how to really figure out if their TV and trailer are within manufacture specs. Folks like Rusty may just save a newbie (or even a seasoned vet) a lot of headaches, or better yet, a life.

When I was a child, my mother used to nag me all the time to brush my teeth. At the time, I too thought "enough already". As I've grown, I have come to appreciate that she probably saved me from a cavity or two. So, let's actually appreciate that folks like Rusty may actually be making the roads a little safer for all of us.