First Truck for a Tractorman

[StanInCalif]

Glenn-
Excellent debate- I'm in the 3/4 ton camp, but you seem to want to get by with a 1/2 ton. It may be that terrain will be the deciding factor. If you have many hills to deal with, a heavier tow vehicle will be better. As was mentioned, though, 8000# sounds a bit high, and a 16' car hauler would be plenty of trailer for this. You could further reduce the towed weight by putting one of the implements in the truck. I'm thinking that one of the "in between" models that Kelvin mentioned would be right for you. For lack of a better term, I call them 5/8 tons. They were produced somewhere around late 80's- early nineties. They carried the designation of the previous 3/4 tons- eg. F250, and the real 3/4 tons became F250HD. Also, I would stay away from pre- '84-'85 without fuel injection, as the humble carburetor was in it's death throes and it wasn't pretty.

 

[PBMAX]

glenmac,Just to give you an IDEA My company truck is a 2001 F150. It's rated at 5000lbs with a class 3(III)receiver.If you add what is called a Weigth Distribution Hitch(this hitch has chains that hook to the frame to even the load out more between the truck and trailer) it will carry 7000lbs. Yes the towing capacity includes the trailer and its cargo...GWR Gross weight ratio....and I wouldn't tow it with a car of any kind.Also keep in mind state requirements.Here in Bama I have been told that any vehicle under 1ton towing a trailer 16' or longer.The trailer has to have brakes on atleast one axle. Also remember you have to subtract the trailers weight from the laod capacity of the trailer.Ain't this fun?????I've been looking at trailer myself for a while.Have found here in BAma the price for a new 6' or 6 1/2' X 16' trailer sales for between 1k and $1500.Some come with brakes on one axel some don't.it's about $130 to add them and then you need a controller...Another $70 or so...If you are not going far you may not need brakes but I like the idea of slowing down all that extra weight.It's quite HILLY AROUND THESE PARTS!!!!!!/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Some one with a 3/4 ton could prob tell there max towing cape...But I belive its 10k or close there abouts...
Laziness is the Father of invention.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Lil' Paul
Proud owner of TC21D<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by pburns on 07/28/01 00:04 AM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[DrDan]

As you will soon find out (the first trip down a long hill) it ain't what it will pull, but more importantly what it will STOP! Trailer brakes are a must on trailers used to pull tractors, cars, etc and the bigger the truck the easier it is. Any truck has ratings EG GVW, hitch weight, etc. Need to look at them BEFORE buying. I have a 1 ton turbo diesel and for me there's no other way. The diesl gets 20+ mpg unloaded and has the engine, tranny and brakes for up to about 10,000 # on the trailer.

Go diesel!!!

Dr Dan

 

[cowboydoc]

Glenn,
Just so you know Toyota Tacoma is a light duty half ton pickup which means you don't have much for a towing vehicle. Mileage is not good, less than 10 if towing a heavy load and the people that i know that have had them and towed alot burned up transmissions, rearends, brakes, etc. They are just not meant to haul a heavy. 5000 lbs. towing is pretty much max! Ideally you don't want to be near max. It's like running your temperature gauge at the highest allowable level all the time, not a good thing to do. The new Fords, not to say Chevy and Dodge don't just not as familiar with them, are every bit as reliable as the Toyota and get better fuel economy towing and about the same not towing. Toyota is ok as a pickup and LIGHT DUTY towing but it's not a towing machine like a 3/4 or 1 ton is. Plus they are VERY expensive. Also they are a relatively new design and they have been redesigning them ever since they came out to get them right. So unless you want to buy yesterdays mistakes not a good thing to consider. Now don't get me wrong Toyota makes some fine vehicles but they are not yet in the same class as Ford, Dodge, or Chevy when it comes to pickup TRUCKS. Dan mentioned the diesels. You can buy a late model diesel and probably drive the wheels off that thing before you have one lick of trouble with the drive trane. Just depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[DrDan]

Right on Richard... I HATE driving something that makes you constantly wonder what's gonna happen at the next hill or if someone pulls out in front of you. I'd rather overdo it a little and not have to be a bundle of nerves when behind the wheel. I think since pickemups got so popular there is lots of "light duty" junk out there. Put in 3 or 4 grocery sacks and they be struggling - LOL Just kidding (almost), but if you want a truck - buy a truck. I just bought my 1 ton diesel on eBay for $11,500 (1994 F-350) and I am dumping bucks into it making it perfect, but gosh this is a 300,000 mile motor. It will be with me for many years to come and I ain't making any payments!

Go for a real truck (Real trucks don't have sparkplugs).

Dr Dan

 

[johnjc]

I tow my L48 that weights just under 8K to my camp located 75 miles west of where I live.
My truck is a 94 Dodge 250 4x4 with the Cummings Diesel, and the trailer is a Southeast with a 12000 GVW rating and brakes on all 4 wheels.
After one trip there is no way I would try it with anything smaller. Through town people pullout in front of you and you need to stop quickly. There is a fairly steep mountain (foothill to you westerners) and a smaller ridge, I think they are 6% grades. I have to shift down 3 gears going up and down and still work the brakes pretty well.
If your weight estimate is correct, for safety sake get at least a ¾ ton truck.

 

[rmorgan]

Glenn--

Richard's post omits discussion of the larger Toyota trucks, the Tundras, which actually have a 7100-lb tow rating and a 1450-lb load rating. I have an F150 now, and I believe the rated tow capacity on the F150s is 6100, about 15% less than the Tundra. Mr brother-in-law is an information obsessive and recently decided on the Tundra.

For tight budgets, however, the Tundras are out; they've not been available for long and hold their value as well as other Toyotas. Unfortunately for shoppers (but good for owners) pickups generally hold their value well. They also last well.

I don't do a lot of towing, but see lots of folks towing a Bobcat, compact tractor, or trailers loaded with mowing equipment with an F150 or equivalent. I used to have an old (mid-80s) F250 4x4 and a tiny, 2-wheel-drive Toyota. The F250 was not something my wife was especially comfortable with, but it was also a beater; the Toyota, on the other hand, was really handy for yard work, but with a yard of dirt in it the wheel wells would scrub the tires. I've got a yard-plus of crushed limestone in the F-150 right now, on the other hand, and it barely compresses the springs. When I decided what to replace these two with, I looked at what my primary uses would be---that is, hauling construction and landscaping materials, firewood, etc. (as well as cruising the parking lot at Tractor Supply), and made sure to get enough oomph to tow my tractor or rental equipment on occasion if need be. For these uses, the 15/150/1500 series are common choices in these parts. Oh, yeah--having had several trucks without an extended cab and now having one with, we won't go back.

--Rick

Rick Morgan

 

[kerr]

I am a firm beleiver in toyota..For everything but towing around in hills a tacoma will be fine.If you are a bigger fella and are gonna haul around a helper and a dog or two and ya want some elbow room,keep looking.If you are new to pulling a trailer do your homework.Load placement,securement.Stopping an inproperly loaded vehicle can be very "deletrious"to yer drawers.All kidding aside,very serious subject,a fullsize p/u would be a better choice for a puller.

 

[glennmac]

Hmmmm, can't we ever give a unanimous and simple answer to anything on this forum! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

So I surfed on trucks last night. I know a little more. Looks like the extended cab is a good idea. Storage space for things other than **** sapiens--like the back seat of my Mustang. Dont need quad-cab: kids are gone and they seem to compromise the pickup bed function.

The towing issue seems to generate a lot of the conflicting views. Could someone please explain exactly what "towing capacity" and "GVWR" mean. The 6-cylinder Tacoma has about 5000 lbs of each. Do I have to figure out the weight of the proposed load (tractor equip, which I can estimate) and the weight of the proposed trailer in order to relate to these towing specs? How do I know the weight of a trailer I dont have? Could someone give an estimate of the weight of a 16' trailer.

There is a Dodge dealer two blocks from me. Dont like Chryslers (more of a Ford guy), except that my copper-colored 1969 Dodge Charger was my first new car and I loved her and still miss her. Maybe I'll look at the Dakota club cab on the way back from test driving an 3010, Woods 7500 backhoe and Bush Hog rollover box&%$#@ -- uh, forget that last part.

 

[Bird]

GVWR=Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (that's the truck and everything in or on it)
GCVWR=Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (that's the truck AND the trailer and everything in or on them)
towing capacity=total weight of the trailer and everything in or on it.
The towing capacity may be "reduced" if the truck is too heavily loaded. In other words, you don't want to exceed the GCVW.
And remember that the same make and model of truck may have entirely different ratings depending on which engine, transmission, type of hitch, etc. it has.

Each of the manufacturers have charts showing the different ratings; however, I've found that often the salesmen don't even know it. Several years ago, I stopped to look at a new Ford pickup and a young salesman came out quickly to tell me how great it was. I asked him which engine it had, and he said, "V-8." So I asked, "Which one?" Blew his mind; he didn't know Ford made more than one V-8. So I asked about the tow ratings chart and not only did he not know there was one, no one in the dealership knew it./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Finally one guy told me that one of the "old" salesmen kept up with those things and he was off that day.

Bird