New to me, truck for towing

[Soundguy]

yeah.. parking garages are no fun.. I think my f450 may not fit in one due to having an aluminum scoop on the top..

 

[tlbuser]

The new 1/2 tons are better trucks than a 3/4 ton gas truck of 10 years ago. My 08 Nissan Titan 1/2 ton will stomp all over a 3/4 ton gas truck built in the late 90s when you look at brakes, power, towing, ect. The only place a 3/4 ton gas would beat it is payload and not by much. Its not just the Titan, its all the trucks from GM, Dodge, Ford, and Toyota.

The game has changed. Forget everything you know about trucks and start over. These new motors like the 3.5L Twin Turbo Ford Eco Boost puts down more power and out pulls the Big Block 7 and 8 Liter motors of just 10 years ago.

Chris

You can't put 2 atv's on the back of a 1/2 ton AND pull a 5000 lb. trailer.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You can't put 2 atv's on the back of a 1/2 ton AND pull a 5000 lb. trailer.

I have put 2 Jet Skis in a F-150 and towed a 8,600# boat 900 miles. It can be done with the right truck. Got right at 8.5mpg.

Chris

 

[ahlkey]

Trying to balance daily driving with pulling capacity is not an easy task. I do agree overall that having two vehicles can be more costly when you factor in all the "true" costs of ownership. I have a 2002 Superduty F250 V-10 6.8L 4X4 manual transmission with the lower 3.73 rear end. I bought it used and I really thought I needed an automatic, diesel, and the higher gear ratio but the lower gear ratio and the manual transmission allows me to get around 15-16 mpg on the highway empty (as long as I drive reasonably)and it can still pull a 10K trailer/load without any issues. I have another larger diesel truck for heavy pulling up to 24K but the combination of this truck as performed well for me. Just something to consider ....

 

[Soundguy]

my 6.0psd and 373 inmy f250 does pull decent.. and gets ok milage unloaded.. as long as you keep your foot out of it. trouble is keeping your foot out of it. due to that.. I get ner same fuel ecomomy out of my 7.3psd and 4.10 rear end.. just have more pull capacity/ feels better.

it's not a huge gap mind you like one is way way better. both have thier plusses for sure.. i like the 40g tank on the f350...

 

[flusher]

Yeah but if he is just commuting to his job most of the time, and it takes him an hour to get to work and another hour to get home, that's a lot of miles! This is why I am suggesting he think about getting a second vehicle for commuting, or be careful about buying something that may be expensive to drive / maintain.

I'm with you. My truck is a 2004 Isuzu NPR/EFI stakebed (8x14 ft Supreme bed) with the GMC 6.0L LQ4 8-cyl Vortec gasser (12,000 lb GVWR, 18,000 lb GCWR). Engine is spotless. Only gets 12 mpg unloaded, 10 mpg carrying my parade tractors (4000 lb max). Not a problem--I only put about 1500 miles per year on it. Compared to my 2001 F150 that I traded in, the plates and insurance are about $400/yr more for the NPR. Got the NPR off eBAy for $11K with 49,500 miles showing.

My "green" vehicle is a 2009 Ford Focus 4-dr ($13K with 31000 miles showing at purchase). Gets 34.5 mpg the way I drive it.

So I paid $24K for the two vehicles which is about what you'd pay for a 5-year old 3/4 or 1T diesel PU with less than 50,000 miles showing.

 

[tlbuser]

I have put 2 Jet Skis in a F-150 and towed a 8,600# boat 900 miles. It can be done with the right truck. Got right at 8.5mpg.

Chris

Just because others have done things, does that justify telling others it's ok to do? nissan titan, toyo tundra, ford, chevy, etc. 1/2 ton p/u's have a maximum load capacity of 1600-1900lbs (unless specially equipped, door sticker may be lower). That's for passengers and cargo. So, for easy math, 2 atv's @ 500 each, cargo rack is ~200, 2 adults @140 each, 2 kids @ 80 each is 1640 lbs.

 

[Kioti guy]

Ok so , it took me five months, but i finally found my new to me truck. After looking at literally dozens of trucks of all brands I bought myself a 2003 Gmc 3500 crew cab dually 2 wd with a 8.1. (gas). After seeing the condition the truck was in I couldn't not buy it ,113000 kms (75ish miles) no winters meticulously maintained not a mark anywhere. Thanks everyone for the origional responses it really helped clarify n my mind what I wanted the truck to be able to do.........Craigi

 

[Soundguy]

she does look clean.

bottom line.. if she does what you want and are happy with her, that's what counts.

 

[Kioti guy]

I finally got a chance to get my truck set up with my new deck to carry the two ATV's and my camper and got away for a last weekend camping before winter starts. The set- up work's excellent. Just what I was hoping for.......Craig