Towing 10.1K with either Toyota Tundra SR5 OR F150 which is better?

[Too many Kubotas]

I pull a 7000 lb. 16 ft tandem axle closed side trailer with my 1/2 ton. Yeah, you know it's back there and the mileage takes a hit, but otherwise no issues.

No, there generally aren't any issues...until there's a need to stop really quickly like in a curve, or the trailer brakes decide to quit when going down a grade, or there's a sudden gust of wind (with an enclosed trailer), etc.

What I don't like is that there really aren't any reserves with a 1/2-ton if something does happen. I felt far better puling doubles with my Peterbilt than I did towing that empty 16' flatbed with the Ram 1500.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I pull a 7000 lb. 16 ft tandem axle closed side trailer with my 1/2 ton. Yeah, you know it's back there and the mileage takes a hit, but otherwise no issues. I'm only doing local hauling of machinery and firewood, so not a problem on either count.

Tow vehicle has 5.7L Hemi with ZF 8HP trans 3.92 rear and factory "heavy duty" rear springs, for what it's worth. Both the 3.92 rear and the springs were special order items from Ram, but I can't imagine why anyone would ever order a truck without these two options. It also has 10-ply rated tires, as the stock tires were fine when unloaded, but got a little squirrely approaching full load.

That's how my old Ram was outfitted; that was a good truck, it deserved better than being totaled.

 

[mikester]

No ricer trucks for me. Buy built in America by UAW employees or ride a bicycle.

Unfortunately the bicycle will most likely have been made in china. I'm for buy local too.

 

[Fixastuff]

Unfortunately the bicycle will most likely have been made in china. I'm for buy local too.

Taiwan is what I see on most bikes worth owning.

 

[WinterDeere]

No, there generally aren't any issues...until there's a need to stop really quickly like in a curve, or the trailer brakes decide to quit when going down a grade, or there's a sudden gust of wind (with an enclosed trailer), etc.

What I don't like is that there really aren't any reserves with a 1/2-ton if something does happen. I felt far better puling doubles with my Peterbilt than I did towing that empty 16' flatbed with the Ram 1500

I've never pulled doubles with a Peterbilt, but I'm unsure why you'd think that pulling a 7000 lb. trailer with a 5000 lb. truck (1.4:1) is worse than pulling 130k lbs. of combined trailers with a 20k lb. tractor (6.5:1)!

That said, I'd also prefer a heavier truck, especially if I were towing that kind of weight at highway speed. If I were doing that, I'd have likely bought the 3/4 ton. But since I only use that particular trailer fully loaded for local use, it really wasn't worth the cost and everything else that comes with jumping from 1/2 ton to 3/4 ton. All of my highway-speed trailering is with lightweight sailboat trailers, most of which weight only 1/4 to 1/2 of the tow vehicle.

 

[LD1]

Dont listen to the nay-sayers that think a 1/2 ton is just a car with a bed and incapable of towing.

20-years ago we were all pretty comfortable towing 7k with half tons.....and they have came ALONG way.

A 20 year old 3/4 ton truck vs a modern 1/2-ton.....no comparison. The modern truck trumps the older one. Bigger/better brakes, better trans, more power, etc etc etc.

^^^ winter deere touched on the point I was gonna make after reading this thread....

Why is it okay for a 20k tractor to tow 4x its own weight?
Or a modern dually that weighs 8-9k can tow 3x its own weight easily
Yet a 5k truck cant tow 2x its weight give me a break already.

But Im sure there are some on here that think you need an F450 or F550 to tow your 10k load....lol

And everyone wants to make the same old argument that "its not about power its about braking"......

Well let me tell you....it dont matter how heavy the trailer is. The trailer has its OWN brakes that account for its OWN load. A proper setup with proper brake controller....towing a trailer you should stop just the same as if the trailer wasnt back there. PERIOD.

This non-sense of people wanting to say "what if". Like "what if the trailer brakes fail"......Well we can play the what-if game all day long. What if you have a tire blow? What if a tie-rod snaps and you loose steering? What if the truck brakes fail? What if the engine blows and you have no power steering or brake boost? You simply cannot plan for all the what-ifs....just maintain your equipment.

But I will say....IF trailer brakes do fail.....Id rather have 10k behind a 5k truck (2x) than have a 25k or 30k behind a 9k truck? But somehow thats okay right?

Bottom line.....dont matter what you are towing....if trailer brakes fail you are in for a bad day. And simply having a 3/4-ton truck that only weighs ~1000lbs more than a half ton is gonna be little comfort when when you have 10k pushing you down a hill.

But of course its all options too. You can equip a f150 4x4 crew cab and be at 5900# curb weight. OR you can get a 2wd regual cab F250 and be about 300# lighter.....so saying go to the heavier truck....maybe the F150 is heavier? And if the small difference in weight between F150 and F250 really made that much difference....why the push to make trucks lighter? Like aluminum body?

Now with regards to the toyota vs F150......I havent looked up specs on either....but assuming the way you want them optioned they both have the towing capacity and payload to handle the 10k you want. And if thats the case.....put on the blinders and dont look at the brand. Go drive them both and see which one you like best. Which rides the best, handles the best, is the most comfortable, etc etc. Thats what my decision would come down to

 

[WinterDeere]

Dont listen to the nay-sayers that think a 1/2 ton is just a car with a bed and incapable of towing...put on the blinders and dont look at the brand. Go drive them both and see which one you like best. Which rides the best, handles the best, is the most comfortable, etc etc. Thats what my decision would come down to

Best post on this thread, so far.

 

[workinonit]

Sometimes the people on here remind me of the engineers I encounter in nuclear power plants. I don't see how either of them get anything done at all. And when they do, it costs so much they would be better off hiring someone else to do it. I have a 14K trailer I pull with my 08 2WD Tundra with my 8500# 5090 plus 2000# more in loader and other equipment. It tows fine. Heck, I towed it for a year with no brakes on the trailer. It was fine then but since I got the brakes hooked up it is worlds better. That said, I didn't tow it very far at all. To the dealer and back a few times. That's less than 10 miles and no major highways.

 

[John0829]

This reminds me of when I was on a couple of RV forums, I got fed up with people saying you needed a 3/4 ton to pull a popup sized camper and a ton truck for anything slightly bigger. And even a ton was not good enough (according to some) for pulling a 5th wheel.

To many on-line "experts" that really have no clue or experience but yet express opinions they pull out of their back side.

 

[Torvy]

Find me a new F150 that is a "half-ton". (Same with similar other brands)

Lowest payload I could find was a raptor supercrew 4wd at 1400 lbs (almost 3/4 ton). The 2wd basic trucks are almost 1T payload. That's what those labels were about. Payload. You cannot compare old truck labels and new trucks because they are apples-oranges.

That being said, going over listed capacity violates your warranty and is illegal if on a public road. Think about the max weight you can lift. Now think about how much you can lift while jogging 100 meters. How about a 5k? Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. My body is reminding me about those things I did when I was young (under warranty) that were ill-advised.