Actual Tundra Towing Capacity

[john_bud]

How about finding out which truck is easier to load 8 dead deer into? Or clean the frozen blood out of? Which paint get fewer scratches going 2 1/2 miles down an old overgrown logging trail to your hunting shack while pulling a utility trailer with 4 wheeler and gear for a weeks hunt for 4 guys?

I would like to see which one pulls a max load in heavy traffic on a 100F day best ...


Maybe WE should do the next CR truck test?

jb

 

[Jaybr]

How about finding out which truck is easier to load 8 dead deer into? Or clean the frozen blood out of? Which paint get fewer scratches going 2 1/2 miles down an old overgrown logging trail to your hunting shack while pulling a utility trailer with 4 wheeler and gear for a weeks hunt for 4 guys?

I would like to see which one pulls a max load in heavy traffic on a 100F day best ...


Maybe WE should do the next CR truck test?

jb

I can guarantee you both my Tundra and my Titan passed the deer, mud, and ATV test

How about a 21' enclosed trailer with 4 atv's, 30-40 gals fuel, food, beverages, camping gear, and 3 guys from VA to CA for several days riding at the Glamis dunes? Or maybe the same 21' trailer from VA to IA for a 12 hour atv race in a rain storm, parked in a field where 1/2 the trucks had to be pulled by dozer out of the mud?

You also forgot hounds! I have dog boxes for all my trucks and carry 10-20 hounds all deer season and weekend field trials through out the year. Guess what? The hounds don't come looking for the truck at the end of the hunt, you have to go get them via whatever path or goat trail gets you closest.

 

[schmism]

there ant nothing more burtial then trying to tow west across kansas fighting a 25 mph head wind trying to do 65 in rolling hills in 95 deg heat with the sun bakeing through the HUGE front winshied on ya so no matter how hight you turn up the AC your either froze to death because its blowing directly on ya, or your sweating because the sun is beating down on ya and you turned the d@mn AC vent the other way.....

meanwhile the semi in front of you is doing exactly 3 mph slower than you are and if you slow down even that much it feels like your just crawing along at 20mph and CO will NEVER get here, but if you try to pass it takes about 20 min as all you can muster is about 68mph....meanwhile theres quite the backup of traffic behind you as you take FOREVER to pass the semi.

you keep nerviously looking at your temp guage wondering is it ever going to read normal again (quick glance at the trans temp says the same thing) and HOLY **** batman the gass gauge was full not an hr ago and now its on a half tank!
ITs then you relize your 100 miles into a 430 mile trip across h3ll.....

did i mention i hate driving across kansas..... (nebraska isnt any better)

 

[MikePA]

The thing is, if you really use a truck for its' intended purpose, and not for picking the kids up after ballet practice, then the CR ratings on full-size trucks are relatively meaningless.

When will C/R throw a snowplow on the front of a full size and see who's truck plows the best? When will C/R hook up a dump trailer and see who's pulls 5 tons of topsoil the best?

Maybe they could put a utility body and a lumber rack on one and see who's handles a load like that? Maybe they could even be so gracious as to drive it across a muddy jobsite or a farm field to see who's handles it the best off road?

Maybe then they'd become more legitimate if they did that rather than testing the sun visors, cup holders and running it on the vaunted C/R wet slalom course to see whos' handles the best in case we ever get into a wet slalom racing contest in a full size work truck???

If they're gonna test, test like they get used in the real world, not like a soccer mom uses it.

They test vehicles the way the majority of their readers use the vehicles. Simple concept. It obviously doesn't apply to you.

 

[familyman]

Well, I'm with L39builder on that one.
Yeah, I pick up the kids, took it Jeep shopping with the wife; but hauling lumber, concrete, topsoil, decorative stone, mulch, and towing heavy stuff is what it needs to handle. I need it to be that strong often enough that it matters. I think their testing does cover that, too, but being able to do it and able to do it well and often are two different things.

 

[Dmace]

Speaking of the new Tundra, any new owners blow their engine yet. If you have, here is the recall coming out soon for the camshafts.

At least my Hemi Ram can go more than 40k miles with no maintanence other than regularly scheduled stuff.

 

[Builder]

They test vehicles the way the majority of their readers use the vehicles. Simple concept. It obviously doesn't apply to you.

It may be a "simple concept", but it's a flawed concept, too.

When Alan Meyers or one of the huge construction companies needs information before they buy a hundred F-250's or GM 2500's for their fleets of trucks, do you think they would value the information that C/R would provide?

Do you have any idea how many trucks are sold that will be used for construction, mining, oil fields, landscaping, snow removal, tree work, etc.? More than the ones who buy them for picking up the kids from soccer.

So no, they actually DON'T test full size trucks "the way the majority of their readers use the vehicles".

C/R caters to the minority of users when it comes to full size trucks.

On edit: I'm not trying to make you upset, Mike. I think C/R does a great job testing products for the average homeowner, but when they step into the "working world", they have left their area of expertise.

 

[Dargo]

L39, CR doesn't test trucks that I drive and, what I assume, you drive. I'd really like to see them test 3/4 and 1 ton pickups; especially the diesel pickups. It is very rare that I ever drive my truck without using it to pickup a very heavy load or pull far more than any half ton can. Unless I missed the report (which, I admit is possible) I have only seen them test 1/2 ton pickups. Half ton pickups have their place, but it is not what I need. I can't say for sure that a one ton pickup is designed to be used for moving heavy loads over 90% of the time it's moving, but that's what I do with mine. I do know that the manufacturers do in fact realize that most half ton pickups are used almost exactly the opposite as I use my truck; about 90 percent of the time or more they are not hauling anything but a perhaps a passenger and a lunch bucket. With that being the case, I can see why CR doesn't put half ton pickups through any serious working tests. They simply aren't generally used for such. In my case I decided that I'd likely be best suited to go with a F450 rather than another one ton if I replace my old Cummins in the Dodge coat.

 

[patrick_g]

When will C/R throw a snowplow on the front of a full size and see who's truck plows the best? When will C/R hook up a dump trailer and see who's pulls 5 tons of topsoil the best?

If they're gonna test, test like they get used in the real world, not like a soccer mom uses it.

They will test snowplows, PTO accessories, HD towing characteristics and such when the majority of their readers do these things. We REAL HE MEN are in the minority. Soccer moms ARE the majority users!

The ads show hairy chested bulging bicep equipped male models doing amazing work day feats while swimming in a sea of testosterone but the folks using the trucks are more like soccer moms.

We are not disagreeing. We are in VIOLENT agreement and didn't know it. Your real beef isn't that CR isn't doing what they do correctly and honestly, your beef is that CR isn't satisfying and catering to our little minority niche. Get over it. They are going where the MASSES are and we aren't even close to mainstream.

We come together in a forum like TBN (birds of a feather) and think, gee, I like to hang here with these guyswho are doing the RIGHT STUFF and it sort of anesthetizes us and we start to forget just how small of a minority we represent in today's population.

We need a publication with an approach similar to CR but centered on OUR NEEDS, concentrating on HD usage with little or no thought to the layout of the radio buttons or coordination of fabric and paint colors. OF course, given the limited circulation the subscription costs will have to be greater. Lets see a show of hands of who will pay 500-1000 a year for a subscription to "AG & Industrial Products & Equipment Reports." Oh well, it was worth a try...

Pat

 

[Builder]

I agree with a lot of what you say, but will leave you with these thoughts:

IF C/R actually tested 1-ton pickups with diesel engines, I'd bet the ranch that they'd test them the exact same silly, useless way they test an SUV or 1/2 ton pickup.

Believe it or not, a huge amount of 1/2 ton 4x4 pickups are used as work vehicles and should be tested as such.

I do understand that many people feel the need to look tough so they buy big, rugged 1/2 ton 4x4's. I guess C/R feels the need to cater to them and forget about testing them in the enviroment they were designed by the manufacturer to be used in.

Maybe they should test Prius hybrids with 10K dump trailers behind them since they feel the need to cater to people who will use the Prius for other than what the manufacturer designed it for?

LOL