Picking the best budget tow vehicle

[consolenut]

The older trucks were "trucks" not more like a passenger car that you can tow with.

[D1109]

I can only speak to my personal experience I’ve owned a 2500 ram 6.4 hemi and pulled a 8,000 lb trailer I did not get very good gas mileage and the truck kept trying to go into overdrive it was very annoying Now I own a 3500 ram dually 6.7 Cummins and pull a travel trailer that weighs almost 12.000 pounds I have no issues pulling and stopping with engine brake The truck is rated to pull 30.000 pounds But I wouldn’t pulling the trailer is not an issue but stopping is very important And also the dually rear wheels help to stabilize the trailer I don’t even need to run stabilization bars I’m not promoting ram I just don’t know much about Chevrolet are fords I wish you lots of good luck You will find what your comfortable with

[forkman]

Do yourself a favor and go with diesel, preferably a one ton. You never know what may lay ahead in the future in terms of an upgraded RV. It would be nice not to be limited to what you could pull with a gas truck. I am speaking from experience.

[09 harley]

#1 rated to tow 11k. I would check the actual rating. Rated at 11k comfortable at 8k. Don’t waste your money.
#2&3. Too many miles and the previous owner got the trouble free ones. Your expenses will be higher.
Save your money and buy a newer rig. This is an expensive hobby and if you are on the edge cost wise then I would recommend looking for another hobby.

[Paul Foster]

I highly recommend you watch these videos and also google "bulletproof" if you are considering a pre-2012 diesel Ford. It took Ford a long time to get the diesel emissions stuff to work properly without eventually causing an extremely costly failure, quite frequently $8-10K.

I finally came to the decision that a good and reliable truck that can adequately tow a decent-sized fifth wheel (12K-16K lbs GVWR) was going to be a post-2012 long bed 1 ton diesel, and preferably a dually ($35-40K). That is when I decided to look at Class As instead.

Also, as others have pointed out, either pick the trailer you want to buy ahead of time, or at least know all the specifics about it, before you buy the truck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh8Ee-v7dhI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qCG0tznROE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhgdjyuIUXE

[trailering texan]

A lot of people are going to disagree with me....but here is my opinion. Check into a Chevy Silverado 1500. It's a half ton and can pull many travel trailers, but you will need to watch the weights. Get one with a towing package if possible. We did this years ago and use it to tow our 27 foot TT and as a driving around vehicle. I think the diesels and larger gas trucks will cost you more in fuel. Now I must say, we do not do a lot a mountain towing. We can and have done some, but must admit we aren't racing up the hills. Good enough to keep out of trouble and stay in our budget. You never know when you circumstances change and you need to use that oversized truck for more than the RV. Another suggestion that others will disagree with...look for a TT without a slide. Sides add quite a bit of weight and if you aren't full timing aren't necessary. Good luck, set a budget and stick with it. The salesmen will try and pull you into more debt than you want.

[Jshopes81]

8-10k failure with a 6.0 is just not knowing any better. A 6.4 on the other hand, thats what youll hope for. Do not bother with a 6.4. A 6.0 is about the cheapest diesel you can work on and they arent hard to work on either.
Common rail is nice for the benefits that it offers, but any repairs on any common rail motor are going to be expensive. If an injector hangs open with a cr motor, your bottom end is finished. Check out commercial truck trader, even if you have to make a drive you shouldnt have much trouble finding a gas 1 ton truck.

Is this btbrv clown week on this forum? Ive never seen so many of his videos posted on this forum. We're usually way better than that here.

[davis2]

Originally Posted by williet34

Definitely haven't seen anything like that in my market.. would be willing to look into it though if one did come up. I'm still going to be pretty cautious about a 6.0 or a 6.4 though..

I have been keeping a very close eye on my local market for several months now. Again, I'm sure trucks like that are out there, they're just not in my market...

Where is your market?

[NevadaNick]

Buy the newest, lowest mileage gas powered pickup thatt you can afford and enjoy life.

[merc123]

Here are a few things from this past weekend.

Friend has a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 4WD with the 5.7L hemi with 235 HP / 300 TQ. His TT max weight is 6,000 pounds.

I have a 2000 Ford F350 with the 7.3L 235 HP / 500 TQ. My 5th wheel empty weight is 6,700 but I usually pull around 8,000.

His truck could definitnely out pull me off the line at a red light but I'd kill him on hills. He couldn't keep the up even with the lighter trailer. Whatever 7.3 you're looking for make sure it has a turbo. They are dogs without. They love tuners. The transmissions don't. I have 176k miles on mine and it's on borrowed time. I've left it stock. Most of the 7.3 auto transmissions go out (torque converter) around 100k miles or less. You should get an EGT gauge for any diesel.

The 7.3 and the 5.7 got about the same mileage towing. I have oversized, off road tires so it drops my gear ratio from a 3.73 to about a 3.25 or so based on math I did a while ago. So it's not the best towing ratio. I got 15 MPG unloaded previously but get 11-12 with the new wheel/tire combo. I've also used a V10 to tow a 9,000 pound trailer. I liked it better than my 7.3 on the road I was traveling but I think the 7.3 would reign supreme on the highway.

Diesels can go "forever." 300k miles is just getting broke in say alot of people. Also remember though, the body and parts have 332k miles. They don't call them Super Duty for nothing. Better have a super duty wallet when you want to fix or replace something. Brakes are the weak link on the 99-03 F350's. I got extrememe duty pads and calipers from AutoZone with a lifetime warranty. I've been through 8 COMPLETE sets in 9 years. What happens is the caliper brackets are too tight and when you get some brake dust on the clips the pads want to seize against the rotors. I finally got some new brackets and noticed the brake pad channels were grinded/opened up a little to allow for more movement in the pads. Glow plug relays are another weak point so you'll want an aftermarket GPR. Injectors are $350-400/each if one goes out. At 300k if they haven't been replaced you will eventually.


The 99-03 F350's also use a leafspring suspension. They are ROUGH. I hate it. I really want a smoother riding truck.



All in all, I would buy the newest truck with the lowest mileage that you can afford for comfort. The wife will thank you.

[Paul Foster]

Originally Posted by Jshopes81

8-10k failure with a 6.0 is just not knowing any better.

Umm, nope. There are 5 well known problem areas which afflict Ford 6.0 diesels.

https://www.bulletproofdiesel.com/Articles.asp?ID=345

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPl2UwOePak

Originally Posted by Jshopes81

Is this btbrv clown week on this forum? Ive never seen so many of his videos posted on this forum. We're usually way better than that here.

That is probably because most people realize and understand incredibly good advice. But not everybody does.

BTBRV has 222,000 subscribers and an outstanding reputation in the RV and truck industry. He frequently goes to trade shows and talks knowledgeably with industry reps about a variety of truck and RV topics.

https://www.youtube.com/user/CorpusChristiGuy/about

"My channel is focused on providing honest, real, and credible reviews of new Pickup trucks, SUVs, RVs, and Accessories. My goal is to give my viewers a better perspective of buying as well as owning trucks and RVs.

Big Truck Big RV (BTBRV) is an opinionated YouTube Channel that may provide personal suggestions and recommendations on various topics, but you should, and must, do your own research. This channel for entertainment and general viewing purposes only. BTBRV also participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites."

[Jshopes81]

Originally Posted by Paul Foster

Umm, nope. There are 5 well known problem areas which afflict Ford 6.0 diesels.

https://www.bulletproofdiesel.com/Articles.asp?ID=345

That is probably because most people realize and understand incredibly good advice. But not everybody does.

BTBRV has 222,000 subscribers and an outstanding reputation in the RV and truck industry. He frequently goes to trade shows and talks knowledgeably with industry reps about a variety of truck and RV topics.

https://www.youtube.com/user/CorpusChristiGuy/about

"My channel is focused on providing honest, real, and credible reviews of new Pickup trucks, SUVs, RVs, and Accessories. My goal is to give my viewers a better perspective of buying as well as owning trucks and RVs.

Big Truck Big RV (BTBRV) is an opinionated YouTube Channel that may provide personal suggestions and recommendations on various topics, but you should, and must, do your own research. This channel for entertainment and general viewing purposes only. BTBRV also participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites."

1. Spending 8-10k on "bulletproofing" a 6.0 is just stupid. Most shops will do headgaskets, head rebuild, studs, egr delete, and turbo rebuild for under 4k.

2. Btbrv is full of false information pedaled as fact. The guys an idiot.

[FredV]

If the 2007 Chevy is an early production truck with a VIN code 2 or D engine, than it should be more than capable of pulling the size trailer that you are talking about. The 8th character in the (VIN) Vehicle Identification Number is the engine identifier. If the 8th digit is not 2 or D, the truck may be a bit anemic in the towing department.

[tuffr2]

What claims has BTBRV made that are bogus? Can you please put some examples behind your "clown" comment?

I will admit he is a bit long winded but I do not believe his statements are bogus.