1/2 ton with best tow ratings

   / 1/2 ton with best tow ratings #61  
The reason for the difference is that if you want a real truck you have to go for their HD'S with the required price hike and it is substantial IMHO.

That's why a lot of the readers including myself own older 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, and as far as mileage goes they can get close to the new 1/2 tons while hauling some heavy loads with some extra beef built in- at least in the case of the pre emission diesel versions..

but they aren"t brand new trucks
 
   / 1/2 ton with best tow ratings #62  
That's why a lot of the readers including myself own older 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, and as far as mileage goes they can get close to the new 1/2 tons while hauling some heavy loads with some extra beef built in- at least in the case of the pre emission diesel versions..

but they aren"t brand new trucks

You mean my seventeen year old truck ain't like new no more?:thumbsup:"
 
   / 1/2 ton with best tow ratings #63  
I'd like to answer one question on the Toyota Tundra. I have an '06 Tundra double cab, 4x4. I love the truck but it has one weakness I noticed some pushing aside on this thread. The brakes. MOST of the issues of the brakes on older 1st generation Tundras, were cleared up, but it still has a more mushy pedal than I really like when towing. There's no air in the line or anything like that. I have read of some owners swapping out the brake lines for braided re-inforced ones and do claim that helps a lot.

To crazyal
On your 2000, have you done anything to it? Improvements? Do you know what your axle rario is? Mine is factory 3.90. I pull a 5200lb 5th wheel and it does fine until I hit long grades around 6-7%, and then it slows down to about 35-40mph. Slower than I would like. Theoretically it should do better, since it's rated 290hp and 315lbs torque (I think) with the variable cam timing. I realize I have it near the "rated" limit but I don't cherish going up that type of grade in 2nd gear, on a 5spd transmission.
 
   / 1/2 ton with best tow ratings #64  
I'd like to answer one question on the Toyota Tundra. I have an '06 Tundra double cab, 4x4. I love the truck but it has one weakness I noticed some pushing aside on this thread. The brakes. MOST of the issues of the brakes on older 1st generation Tundras, were cleared up, but it still has a more mushy pedal than I really like when towing. There's no air in the line or anything like that. I have read of some owners swapping out the brake lines for braided re-inforced ones and do claim that helps a lot.

To crazyal
On your 2000, have you done anything to it? Improvements? Do you know what your axle rario is? Mine is factory 3.90. I pull a 5200lb 5th wheel and it does fine until I hit long grades around 6-7%, and then it slows down to about 35-40mph. Slower than I would like. Theoretically it should do better, since it's rated 290hp and 315lbs torque (I think) with the variable cam timing. I realize I have it near the "rated" limit but I don't cherish going up that type of grade in 2nd gear, on a 5spd transmission.

Toyota: Dead last (2013 models)
2013 Light-Duty Challenge: Braking - PickupTrucks.com Special Reports

The entire read:
PickupTrucks.com - Special Reports
 
   / 1/2 ton with best tow ratings #65  
   / 1/2 ton with best tow ratings #66  
I've got that 6 liter in a 3/4 ton. I like it but it can pass everything but a gas station.
 
   / 1/2 ton with best tow ratings #68  
I had 1996 Dodge 1/2 ton. Decent truck. Not too much squat. Then I had a 2007 Chevy 2500 6.0 liter. HORRIBLE gas mileage. 11 in town and 15 highway. It would squat majorly when pulling about 9000#. I now have a 2009 Ram 2500 4X4 diesel. I have had 2000# in the bed while pulling 10,000# without much squat at all. 16/19 Mpg. Towing 14mpg. Great truck.
 
   / 1/2 ton with best tow ratings #69  
I'd like to answer one question on the Toyota Tundra. I have an '06 Tundra double cab, 4x4. I love the truck but it has one weakness I noticed some pushing aside on this thread. The brakes. MOST of the issues of the brakes on older 1st generation Tundras, were cleared up, but it still has a more mushy pedal than I really like when towing. There's no air in the line or anything like that. I have read of some owners swapping out the brake lines for braided re-inforced ones and do claim that helps a lot.

To crazyal
On your 2000, have you done anything to it? Improvements? Do you know what your axle rario is? Mine is factory 3.90. I pull a 5200lb 5th wheel and it does fine until I hit long grades around 6-7%, and then it slows down to about 35-40mph. Slower than I would like. Theoretically it should do better, since it's rated 290hp and 315lbs torque (I think) with the variable cam timing. I realize I have it near the "rated" limit but I don't cherish going up that type of grade in 2nd gear, on a 5spd transmission.

The truck is stock. I do believe it has 3.91 gears from the factory. The only improvement I've done is added headers, just this year. The exhaust gasket had a small leak, passed inspection just fine but the ticking noise when cold was enough to get me to replace the gasket. I read that some Tundra's had exhaust manifolds that cracked so I figured if I was going to replace the gasket I might as well play it safe and replace the exhaust manifold as well. The brakes were OK when it was new but once I wore out the tires and replaced them with BFG KOs they felt much better. Once the brake pads wore out and being after hours I replaced them with Autozone brand pads, they were terrible. I have been told by coworkers that the 07 and newer brakes are great but haven't tried one yet.

There's one section of interstate (I-89) that I would climb and I would slow to about 45 mph unless I pushed hard on the pedal and it shifted down to 2nd. But I was towing a lot more than 5000 lbs and the enclosed trailer I was pulling was an older 26' HaulMark trailer with a flat front. Being 8' high and 8'6" wide it had a lot of wind drag. I don't know the grade but I believe it's around 6%. If any Vermonter knows what the grade is on I-89 near Barre please chime in.

I was borrowing a 2003 GMC 1 ton with a Duramax Diesel and a 2004 F250 Super Duty with a 5.4 Triton from a friend who owns a sprinkler business. But after an issue with the GMC's antilock brakes failing and loosing all brakes (Needed to use the manual controller to max out the trailer brakes) I backed out of using their trucks. The diesel did pull the trailer up the hill better but the Ford was about the same. Both gas engines needed to have your foot planted firmly on the gas pedal or you would slow down on that hill. Because of that flat front and back on the trailer a head wind would make it feel like you were towing an anchor while a tailwind would almost push you.

I did read your thread about replacing your Tundra. I try not to get between the "buy a XXXXXX brand" truck guys. What I can tell you is that I wouldn't trade your tundra for a similar year 3/4 ton gas engine truck. Any engine HP you gain will be marginal without going to something like the V-10 in the Ford. That friend of mine traded his 04 f250 for a 06 f250 with the v-10 and said his mileage dropped from about 14 mpg to 11.5 mpg unloaded and 10.5 pulling a trailer with a total weight of about 7k. Not sure if the trade off between lower unloaded mpg vs better loaded mpg is worth the difference. I will say that he traded his 5.4 because of engine issues, I would avoid that engine.

I'm thinking about replacing my Tundra with a 2007+ Tundra with the 5.7 engine. There's nothing wrong with mine but now that I rarely drive it fuel mileage isn't an issue. I'm currently putting 2k miles a year on my Tundra. Like you I would like more power for towing. For me I occasionally want to tow my Kubota with an attachment could be in the 8k lb range. I figure anything I buy should be used with low mileage as it'll last me for decades.

I look at the other brands and talk with owners and I keep coming back to Toyota. When Toyota had the rusty frame problem, frames made by Dana Corp, they stepped up and replaced mine. Around here any daily drivers that see winter will last about 10 years before rust gets to them. I had more than one Chevy and Ford owner mad because I was getting a new frame while they were getting ready to turn their trucks into plow trucks for yard use only.

My 2000 Tundra has been great. Over 150k miles on it and the engine is as smooth as the day I bought it back in 2000. It doesn't burn a drop of oil and the transmission doesn't slip a bit. I have never changed the transmission fluid (a friend does oil analysis and tested it a couple of times). I worked the heck out of it building my house. Because I was doing the work and at the time didn't have a cell signal I would spend the day working and then buy supplies for the next day at Home Depot (thank god they were open until 10 pm). More than once I have overloaded it with materials that I needed. For example I made a 12' platform that I could support with ratchet straps from the pipe rack. I would often have 30 sheets of 1/2" sheetrock in the bed, half 8' half 12'. Lots of plywood and other types of lumber. I even overloaded it with shingles. Katrina hit and building supplies were being bought up like crazy and I didn't want to take the chance, once I found a store that had them but couldn't deliver them for a week, of getting a phone call a few days later saying they can't find the shingles they sold me. Hard to switch brands when my Tundra has gone so far beyond what it was designed to do.
 
   / 1/2 ton with best tow ratings #70  

Darn good article and test. Thanks for the link. And to think the brakes on the current Tundra are better than mine........one of the reasons I am considering a change of trucks. Spend 2K on brake upgrades or another truck?

I've been told by coworkers that the tires Toyota use suck for braking. They are almost car tires and once you replace them with real truck tires you notice the difference.
 
 
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