Z-Michigan
Veteran Member
I'm looking to buy a new truck and need some guidance on whether to get another 3/4 ton or go to a 1/2 ton. I don't want to just knee-jerk buy a heavier duty truck, because over 90% of the time this truck will be used like a car, not doing heavy work.
Details: my wife has two horses, which are ridden occasionally (not every week). Back in 2006 we bought her a Dodge Ram 2500 diesel 4x4 and a 3-horse slant load gooseneck trailer. That trailer weighs about 5000lbs empty and maxes out around 10k fully loaded, but is rarely used over 8k or so. The Dodge has a tow rating of 12k with a gooseneck hitch, so we've never even come close to straining it. You don't even notice a 5k trailer while driving, and even at 10k it's not too bad.
For various reasons we are looking at selling/trading that trailer and downsizing a bit, probably to a 3-horse bumper pull type trailer, which weighs around 4k empty and would max out around 8500 loaded, but rarely be used at more than 6500, and most often at just 5300 or so (one horse and some tack). The new trailer will have electric brakes like the current one and we will get a quality brake controller. We will get a weight-distributing hitch if that's indicated, which it most likely will be.
Our Dodge/Cummins has been awesome for power and highway cruising, but it's also been awesome for the mechanic and the dealership, who have together received something like $12-15,000 from us in repair bills since it went off warranty in 2009. This is a truck with only 75k miles and only about 4-5k of those have been towing anything over a ton! None of these repairs are from accidents, all are supposedly from either routine operation and wear, or not being used enough and supposedly wearing out from sitting (!). (There was a year or two when the truck was only driven about once a week, occasionally even less, because of newborn children.) We're tired of repairs, and we're ready for a new truck with a warranty. Our current 3/4 ton is the only heavy duty truck we've owned, and it's been expensive. I had a 1/2 ton Suburban for 5 1/2 years and it had no repairs other than normal wear and tear like I'm used to with cars (one set of tires, one set of brakes, not much else). It didn't do any towing but otherwise was used harder than the truck.
Whichever size truck we get we're leaning towards Chevy, but would consider Ford, Dodge, or Toyota. Brand is not my focus right now.
I'm hoping you can help me out on three things:
1) Will one of the current 1/2 ton pickups rated for 10k or more in towing be adequate for use that is probably 90% grocery-getter, 8% towing 6500lbs or less, and 2% towing 8500lbs?
2) Hypothetically, if you used a truck only as a car (4 passengers + a couple hundred pounds of stuff), would a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton have less repairs and maintenance? (I know the 1/2 ton is likely to use less gas, and we are probably doing a gasoline engine this time.)
3) For the mix of use I described, will we have noticeably lower maintenance and repair costs with a 1/2 ton style pickup than with a 3/4 ton, or vice versa, or about the same?
Details: my wife has two horses, which are ridden occasionally (not every week). Back in 2006 we bought her a Dodge Ram 2500 diesel 4x4 and a 3-horse slant load gooseneck trailer. That trailer weighs about 5000lbs empty and maxes out around 10k fully loaded, but is rarely used over 8k or so. The Dodge has a tow rating of 12k with a gooseneck hitch, so we've never even come close to straining it. You don't even notice a 5k trailer while driving, and even at 10k it's not too bad.
For various reasons we are looking at selling/trading that trailer and downsizing a bit, probably to a 3-horse bumper pull type trailer, which weighs around 4k empty and would max out around 8500 loaded, but rarely be used at more than 6500, and most often at just 5300 or so (one horse and some tack). The new trailer will have electric brakes like the current one and we will get a quality brake controller. We will get a weight-distributing hitch if that's indicated, which it most likely will be.
Our Dodge/Cummins has been awesome for power and highway cruising, but it's also been awesome for the mechanic and the dealership, who have together received something like $12-15,000 from us in repair bills since it went off warranty in 2009. This is a truck with only 75k miles and only about 4-5k of those have been towing anything over a ton! None of these repairs are from accidents, all are supposedly from either routine operation and wear, or not being used enough and supposedly wearing out from sitting (!). (There was a year or two when the truck was only driven about once a week, occasionally even less, because of newborn children.) We're tired of repairs, and we're ready for a new truck with a warranty. Our current 3/4 ton is the only heavy duty truck we've owned, and it's been expensive. I had a 1/2 ton Suburban for 5 1/2 years and it had no repairs other than normal wear and tear like I'm used to with cars (one set of tires, one set of brakes, not much else). It didn't do any towing but otherwise was used harder than the truck.
Whichever size truck we get we're leaning towards Chevy, but would consider Ford, Dodge, or Toyota. Brand is not my focus right now.
I'm hoping you can help me out on three things:
1) Will one of the current 1/2 ton pickups rated for 10k or more in towing be adequate for use that is probably 90% grocery-getter, 8% towing 6500lbs or less, and 2% towing 8500lbs?
2) Hypothetically, if you used a truck only as a car (4 passengers + a couple hundred pounds of stuff), would a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton have less repairs and maintenance? (I know the 1/2 ton is likely to use less gas, and we are probably doing a gasoline engine this time.)
3) For the mix of use I described, will we have noticeably lower maintenance and repair costs with a 1/2 ton style pickup than with a 3/4 ton, or vice versa, or about the same?
