1/2 Ton Truck Decision

[TnWV]

Well almost a year ago I sold my 2004 Ram 1500 Quad Cab with a HEMI. The truck was paid for and I now know that I should have kept it. I loved the truck except for one downfall, the MPG was terrible, rarely got more than 11mpg unloaded. That is the reason I sold it.

Now I am needing to get another truck. I plan to drive this truck daily to work (19 miles each way) and to pull my boat, 1994 Maxum 23' cuddy cabin. I have no idea how much the boat weighs, I'm guessing 5000-6000 lbs and has a tandem axle trailer with brakes. My previous dodge pulled it perfectly.

I have pulled the boat with a friends 2009 F-150 with 4.6 and my father in laws 2010 Silverado with 5.3, both pulled it just fine and get much better mileage than the HEMI. I am not willing to spend the money for that new of a truck unfortunately.

I will be buying a used 2004-2006 model truck. 4 independent doors and 4x4is a must. I have my eye on a 2006 dodge with the 4.7 in it. I really liked the look and feel of my previous dodge, although I have always been a Ford man just like my father was.

The main reason for this post is to get advice from others on the performance of the dodge 4.7 or my pulling and what kind of MPG I can expect.

Other trucks in my price range that I have looked at (online) include:

2004-2005 F-150 Crew Cab 4x4 with 5.4 - I really like these trucks but am having trouble finding one equiped the way I want local enough to go get.

2004-2005 Nissan Titan Crew Cab 4x4 with 5.6 - I also like the looks of these trucks, but have never driven one and don't know anything about them. Same about finding one local.

My perfect truck would be a 06 dodge 5.9 diesel, but definitely cannot justify the cash those trucks are bringing for what I am going to use it for.

I hope to purchase by the first of next year so I still have plenty of time to look around. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Dmace]

If you can find a 2008 RAM with the 4.7l V8, that was the best and last year of that engine in the RAM with 310hp/330lb.ft vs 235hp/295lb.ft for the 2002-2007 years. Also if you find a RAM Hemi 2006 or newer, those have the MDS (Multi-Displacement System) which deactivates up to 4 cylinders when the engine is not under load and many have found much better fuel mileage with them.

What rear end ratio did you have? 11mpg sounds pretty low. I know when I first got my truck (03 RAM 1500 4x4 QC 3.73 rear) I only averaged 12-13mpg but that's because it was so fun to matt it after every stop sign. I learned to drive lighter and now averaged 15-16mpg empty.

I am sure DP will chime in on how he thinks the Titan is the greatest truck ever made (until he buys something else), but keep in mind you can either have GOOD POWER or GOOD MPG's but hardly ever both. Also, a 2004-2006 RAM with the 4.7l is only rated at 6,100 lbs with the 3.55 rear axle or 7,100 with the 3.92.

For the light towing your doing, any 1/2 ton would pull it fine so find one that's most comfortable and easy to live with.

 

[Diamondpilot]

The F-150 with the 5.4 will do what you want but its a trap shoot on the mpg. I had one with 3.73 gears that turned in 15.5mpg each and every tank and got 9 mpg pulling my 23' Ebbtide Cuddy that weights right at 7,000#. Your Maxum is every bit of 6,000# with fluids and gear in it. My neighbor had the identical truck but his was a 06 and mine was a 07. He rarely got over 13 mpg unless he was driving purely highway then he would get high 17's. I never keep millage records that close, just averages. You do not want a 4.6 for pulling. Its fine for other duties but not for you.

I currently have a 08 Titan and its a beast compared to the F-150. It has the Big Tow Package. The down side is it only gets 14.5 mpg at best and averages about 13.5 mpg. It will get 12 mpg pulling the same load.

I do not think you would be happy with the 4.7 in a Dodge.

I hate to say it but the best bet for you in my eyes would be a GM truck with the 5.3L engine. Its way less powerful that the Nissan and has a little less grunt than the Ford but will pull what you want and give you the MPG range you are looking for. The down side is the cab size and the overall fit and finish in them years. The Ford and Dodge have a much nicer cab. Just be careful with GMC trucks and gear selections. They built tons of them in that year range you are looking in that have 3.42 gears or higher to get he good mpg claims. They are gutless with these gears for towing. The made about 25% of them with 3.73 gears which is a good match for the engine.

Be patient and do your homework and you will find what you need.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

I am sure DP will chime in on how he thinks the Titan is the greatest truck ever made (until he buys something else), but keep in mind you can either have GOOD POWER or GOOD MPG's but hardly ever both.

For the light towing your doing, any 1/2 ton would pull it fine so find one that's most comfortable and easy to live with.

Actually no, I think a GM truck is his best option. :confused2::confused2:

Kind of makes me sick to my stomach but for pulling a 6,000# load its plenty capable with the right gear and it will give him the mpg range he is looking for.

Chris

 

[TnWV]

Wow, thanks for the quick responses guys. DMace that is exactly the kind of infor I was looking for on the Dodge 4.7. I have no idea what rearend was in my 04 but boy was it a beast. I absolutely loved that truck. The MPG was not a big deal then because I didnt drive it everyday. I have an 02 Malibu that I inherited from my mother when she passed. Unfortunately it is on its way out. Going through oil as fast as gas it seems sometimes. I only sold the dodge because my wife became pregnant and I freaked out and started selling everything to quickly. I may still look at newer HEMI's. Just have to stay within the budget, probably $18,000 or so, as we just bought the wife a new car when I sold the dodge and used all the money as a down payment.

Diamond Pilot, first off nice boat and truck. I am a boat fanatic and love spending days on the lake. The lake we go to seems like it is uphill both ways about 115 miles from the house. The dodge took a whole tank to get there pulling the boat and camping gear. I am not a GM fan, never had good luck with the three I have owned, but after driving pulling my boat with my F-I-L's I started considering it. Only problem is I absolutely do not like the older body style and cannot find a newer one in my price range. Maybe if my car holds out long enough.

I know that no full size truck is going to be great on gas, but the 11mpg that my dodge got unloaded was just unacceptible if you have to drive it everyday, even for short distances. I am not sensitive to any brand, I just want to get the most for my money and be able to pull my boat and reasonably drive it to work. 15 mpg would be acceptible as I will probably not get above that in any 1/2 ton as most of my driving is rural roads.

Thanks again for the replies.

 

[George2615]

I have a 2008 Chevy Ext cab 1/2T 4x4. In winter its my daily driver (17 mi, each way) back and forth to work. It has the 5.3 (w/ energy management system) and 3.73 gears. In my opinion the mileage isn't that great (16.5 MPG empty, I expected it to be closer to 20), but while towing my tractor on the trailer (about 6500-7K) the onboard computer says I'm getting 11-12 MPG at a 55 MPH steady speed. Either way its better than the 11 MPG the truck OP just sold.
A friend of mine has an 08 F150 EC 4x4 w/ 5.4 (don't know the rear ratio) and he only gets 15 mpg empty.
Can't help on Dodge truck info since none of my friends own one.
3.42 gears would give better MPG but as DP said towing performance would probably suffer.

 

[TnWV]

Since the topic of rearends was brought up, what ratio should I be looking for in any of the trucks mentioned?

Thanks

 

[Diamondpilot]

I am down your way all the time with my boats hitting Lake Laurel, Lake Norris, Lake Cumberland, and Dale Hallow so I know all about the hills. I try to make 3-4 trips down each year. I can make it all the way from my house in North Eastern Indiana to Lake Cumberland on a single tank of fuel in the Titan pulling the boat pictured. By the way, its for sale.

I know all about the horrible MPG in the Hemi powered trucks. I had a 2500 Hemi 4x4 with 3.92 gears I think. It was a 8 to 10 mpg truck.

You should be able to find a 05-06 truck with 60,000 or so miles for about that money. Keep your eyes open and you will get what you want.

Too bad you did not chime in a few weeks ago. A customer of mine traded his 07 GMC 1500 4x4 5.3 with 3.73's for $17,800 toward a new one. It only had 30,000 miles. It was cloth but a well keep truck. I though he let it go too low but I looked it up for him and that was trade book on it.

Its tough to find much lower than 3.73 gears these days. I had a 01 F-150 with 4.10's and it was a great truck. I would not want anything than 3.73's or higher in these 4 speed trucks. The new ones with 5 and 6 speed trannys can get away with higher gears due to the deep low gears at the trannys bottom end.

Chris

 

[George2615]

Since the topic of rearends was brought up, what ratio should I be looking for in any of the trucks mentioned?

Thanks

For towing the weigh you mentioned I'd stay in the 3.73 range. It really depends on how often you need to tow. If you only tow a dozen times a year go with a lower gear ratio such as 3.42 for better MPG while empty. If you need to tow a dozen or more times a month then 3.73 or 4.11 would be easier to tow with.

 

[TnWV]

George2615 - Your truck looks just like my F-I-L's 2010. His has the 3.42 rear end and it pulled my boat fine but I only took it about 8 miles to get it winterized. Even with the 3.42 he is saying he gets about the same MPG as you are with the 3.73. I would love to have a truck like yours I just cant seem to find one that is crew cab in my price range. After having the 4 independent doors on the dodge, I am not sure I want to go back to the traditional ext cab setup. This may change as I compromise between what I need and what I want for the money I can spend.