Hauling Machines

[gordon]

Brad A very good post but,,,R/V dealers are notorious for this?????
For what understating the towing numbers???
You know how many sales we loose because we tell the customer the truth on what the truck will handle. And another thing some truck makers strech the numbers that some trucks will handle right off the bat---fact.
Alot of trailers weight tags are pure fiction as well, but thats what we have to deal with on a day to day basis.
Not all R/V dealerships are the same in reguards to telling the customer the truth and by doing that we make repeat customers instead of one time customers. My two cents /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Gordon

 

[MChalkley]

Ben - I'd say the Tundra would handle an L35 fine, as long as you're planning to hook a tow bar to the FEL and just pull it - but I wouldn't plan on doing it if you have to load it on a trailer first. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

MarkC

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I'm envious of the chap with the dump bed P/U but it probably isn't first choice to emulate for hauling. I too have a specialty rig, '97 Dodge Ram 3500 extended cab with a Grand Challenger utility bed. The Cummins is a GOOD THING but the Dodge autotrans needs help. I have added three BD brand tranny upgrades but then Dr. Performance has waved his wand over my injectors and pump adding 110 hp and a load of torque so I was afraid to leave that puny trans stock. I'm real careful keepiing records and funny thing, I get better mileage as well as far better performance. Anyway if you don't need to put folks over about 5' 5" in the back seat for more than an hour or two the Dodge extended cab is luxurious and for a diesel, quiet. I have the 6 CD changer and enjoy music with a wide dynamic range so quiet is important to me. Of course if you are pulling your heavy loads and not carying them in the bed the 3/4 ton is the real deal. I often carry a LOT of weight and sometimes pull a 25 foot steel tandem util trailer (car hauler) but not at the same time. I have 4X4 but like the 12,000 pound front bumper mounted winch don't use it much. But like anti-venin it is great to have when yo do need it. I go places where getting stuck is not an inconvenience, but can easily be LIFE threatening (deep in Baja California, Mexico). There is no substitute for reliability, almost isn't good enough. Tundras... OK out of kindness I won't call'em girlie trucks but I agree with the gent who said real trucks don't have spark plugs. (Some of the best trucks also don't have glo plugs)

 

[Billc]

Gordon, I know the Ford Crew cabs are too big...but that big...no HUGE, back seat makes it worth it. Whenever we put folks in the back of our Dodge the front seats are all the way forward, and the people in back are sitting sideways. Not too comfortable.

I love the sound of the Dodge 100% more. When it's at idle it's saying "BA DA DA DA DA...". When my Ford is at idle it's saying "fart-fet-nu-gun, fart-fet-nu-gun,..."..."or maybe "Wankel, Wankel, Wankel...". The Cummins is a medium duty diesel engine, the Power Stroke is a light duty diesel engine. BUT, the folks at Ford are at least smart enough to make a crew cab. Hope the Dodge people make a crew cab before they switch over to the Benze diesel...and I really think they will make the switch because of the 2002 rule.

As to pull throughs, my 5er is 38 feet, I almost always go for a pull through.

Some said the Dodge trannie is crap. I've got about 100k and have had to rebuild the trannie. Just so y'all know, the Dodge trannie is o.k. (not great), it's the dang torque converter that's crap.

We really need to take this to the TDR board.

Oh, one last thing, we take our camper on the road a good bit. I've noticed that throughout the country when you pull into a campground the tow vehicles are mainly Ford and Dodge, almost no Chevys. Maybe the new Chevy diesel will change all that.

 

[bsauter]

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

Brad A very good post but,,,R/V dealers are notorious for this?????
For what understating the towing numbers???
You know how many sales we loose because we tell the customer the truth on what the truck will handle. And another thing some truck
makers strech the numbers that some trucks will handle right off the bat---fact.

<hr></blockquote>

Oops, sorry Gordon. Don't mean to tick off the reputable RV dealers! But around here they don't care what you have and will sell anything to anyone. Looking at Ford-Diesel.com, TDR etc. there seems to be quite a bit of that around. BUT, sure, there are dealers who care about the customer and what they really can do with their tow vehicles.

And yes, it seems like some trucks are overrated. Some specific trucks come to mind and a lot of SUVs. And people wonder why they have to change underwear every time a semi passes them on the interstate while they struggle to keep the little truck with the heavy trailer going straight.

When we looked at an RV show for a travel trailer we were thinking about for our 3/4 ton diesel Suburban a few years ago I was told by a salesman AND his boss that we could handle a trailer for 9,000lbs wet. Sorry, it's rated for 7,500lbs and even that can get to be hairy. "Oh, that diesel will tow anything in the lot!" they say. Yeah, right. Some of these guys are dreaming (about the $$$ and not safety).

Can you tell I hate to see overloaded tow vehicles on the road? /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

Personally I would rather tow with a Freightliner FL70 or something but my wife won't let me!

Brad, Kubota L3010HST, loader, R4 tires
Pictures at http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=179207&a=9183978

 

[RobertN]

My concerns are more about the business practices of the mother company, ie dumping on our markets past and present.

Many people misunderstand my stance on these issues. I firmly believe Toyota builds very good products. The 22R is one of the best motors ever built, by anyone.

I take issue with the Japanese companies and government lack of concern, regarding dumping on other markets. They are notorious for this in micro-chips.

I also disagree with the Toyota Tacoma, being "made in the USA". It is final assembled in the US, using subassemblies from Japan. They do this to get around our tax structures for imports. It is still a good solid truck; I just don't agree with thier strategies.

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[RobertN]

Remember, no matter what truck you buy, you gotta include everything in your weight figure. That means:
tractor
trailer
attachments
tools
"stuff"

example:
6800 L35 tractor
2000 ~trailer
600 average scraper
500 tools, lumber, sack or two of concrete
----
9900 pounds of stuff hook to you truck

Could a Tundra/F150/K1500/w1500 Toyota/Ford/GMC/Dodge do it? Yes, they could. Could they do it safely? No... especially when that kid runs in front of you, chasing a ball or puppy.

something to keep in mind...

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[gerard]

ditto on the "right sizing" issue. From what I've been told the issue is more being able to stop safely rather than being able to pull the load. You might be able to get up to speed with a 1/2 ton but a quick stop mght be a different story. I have a 3/4 ton Ram and there's a world of difference between a 3/4 ton and a 1/2 ton P/U.

 

[MChalkley]

We've thrashed this topic pretty thoroughly before, but it was a while back. "Right-sizing" is very important, as is making sure your bases are covered. For example, I regularly gross out at 20-22k pounds with my '93 Dodge W250 Cummins 6-speed w/3.07 gears. I have no trouble pulling this load anywhere, but that doesn't mean you can count on stopping it quickly and safely in a panic situation unless special precautions are taken. For that reason, the brakes on my truck are heavier duty than standard (taken from bigger trucks), and the trailer is a custom-made 3-axle job with extra-heavy duty brakes and wider tires on all three axles, giving it 54k pounds of braking capacity. Normally, when loaded I stop the whole rig with the trailer's brakes alone. The brake controller I've discussed in a separate thread, too, but it assures that the trailer's brakes always lead the truck's, eliminating the danger of jack-knifing and providing much better control during stops.

MarkC

 

[FlynG]

We have a '97 Ford F-250HD 4x4 Powerstroke 5-speed 4.10 axle crew-cab short bed. I believe that this is the best truck I've ever used. 18-19 mpg empty about 13 mpg pulling a heavy steel 3 horse goose neck trailer. With the short bed it is not too bad to drive around in parking lots. Not having duallies makes it a lot less stressful on our narrow streets and highways. Pulls fantastic and stops good too.