ISO New to me Tow Vehicle

[cfb1141942]

I have no desire to spend 40-60k on a new tow vehicle. I have been looking at used TVs around 20K here PA and surrounding states. I have been gravitating to the Ford F150s and Chevy Tahoe/Suburbans. Great upgrades and at 100k miles or so lots of life left it wouls seem. Those should run well over 200K when properly maintained. Just wondering if there are any experienced Travelers that have recommendations. I pull a 2750# TT with my jeep. Which is fine if I stay within a couple hours and avoid the mountains, but Id like to do some touring in 2020. Thanks!

[Kimber45]

Never thought id buy new either till I compared 0 or .9 % interest on new to 2-3 % on used and the used stuff in my area with 20-60k miles on it was only a few thousand less then new.

[Scrapper]

I agree with Kimber45. I was looking at getting a newer tv, I looked at a '14 Silverado 2500, 6L extended cab with 53k miles and '16 F150 3.6 Ecoboost with 36k miles. I settled on a new '18 Silverado 5.3L, 4dr, 4wd for $31k. With the dealer employee cost for everyone incentive and $13k for my '11 Silverado trade-in I couldn't pass. The 2018 has extra CC and GCWR.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by cfb1141942

I have no desire to spend 40-60k on a new tow vehicle. I have been looking at used TVs around 20K here PA and surrounding states. I have been gravitating to the Ford F150s and Chevy Tahoe/Suburbans. Great upgrades and at 100k miles or so lots of life left it wouls seem. Those should run well over 200K when properly maintained. Just wondering if there are any experienced Travelers that have recommendations. I pull a 2750# TT with my jeep. Which is fine if I stay within a couple hours and avoid the mountains, but Id like to do some touring in 2020. Thanks!

Can you explain why one is a truck and the other a SUV?

A F150 will be a more superior tow vehicle to a Tahoe/Suburban SUV. Same for a Chevy truck, compared to a Chevy SUV.

Also, are you planning on upgrading to a bigger trailer in the future?
Makes a difference in suggestions.

[MillMitch]

Probably because it’s only a 3000# trailer. A truck or SUV will tow it just fine.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by MillMitch

Probably because it’s only a 3000# trailer. A truck or SUV will tow it just fine.

My question related to why you would even choose a SUV over a truck, for towing. SUVs have lower payload/towing capacities and softer suspensions, compared to a equally equipped truck.

[clarkbre]

For that weight trailer, any full size truck or SUV would to it and tow it well. Don't be discouraged by others, the tahoe/suburban is built on a 1500 or 2500 body on chassis and will be fine.

My only caveat would be, if you think you're gonna upgrade trailer in the next 5 years, but the tow vehicle for that.

I had a truck, bought a trailer....bought a bigger truck! I'm happy with my set up but wish we would have purchased a slightly smaller trailer to keep the old truck.

Whatever you get, make sure it has been well cared for. If purchasing under 100k miles, research if there are any common engine or transmission problems with that vehicle and prepare for it.

For your trailer weight, any 1/2 ton truck or SUV built in the last decade should serve you nicely. Please let us know what you purchase.

[cfb1141942]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Can you explain why one is a truck and the other a SUV?

A F150 will be a more superior tow vehicle to a Tahoe/Suburban SUV. Same for a Chevy truck, compared to a Chevy SUV.

Also, are you planning on upgrading to a bigger trailer in the future?
Makes a difference in suggestions.

I have 3 big dogs, so prefer SUV, and the right Tahoe pulls up to 7500 so that would be plenty even if I upgrade TT a bit

[cfb1141942]

Originally Posted by clarkbre

For that weight trailer, any full size truck or SUV would to it and tow it well. Don't be discouraged by others, the tahoe/suburban is built on a 1500 or 2500 body on chassis and will be fine.

My only caveat would be, if you think you're gonna upgrade trailer in the next 5 years, but the tow vehicle for that.

I had a truck, bought a trailer....bought a bigger truck! I'm happy with my set up but wish we would have purchased a slightly smaller trailer to keep the old truck.

Whatever you get, make sure it has been well cared for. If purchasing under 100k miles, research if there are any common engine or transmission problems with that vehicle and prepare for it.

For your trailer weight, any 1/2 ton truck or SUV built in the last decade should serve you nicely. Please let us know what you purchase.

Thanks for the input. If I upgrade it wouldn't be only by a few feet and maybe a slide. My mechanic who is certified GM saves me a ton of $$, and recommends Tahoe and Suburban. Thats another reason to lean that way. Hes been steering me the right way for 15 years. New is tempting.

[Dalin]

I've had about 8 or 9 various types of RV's over the years and my thoughts for you are if you want something not new and with some miles on it, the GM engines have been getting some awesome miles lately, I've had friends with Chevy trucks or SUV's with well over 200k miles on them still running like new. And that of course depends on upkeep. If you have a friend that knows a person has one for sale and you know it's been well cared for, that would be what I'd would look for. I towed a 30 foot Terry camper with my 2000 chevy ext cab truck once to myrtle Beach and left it, near 5 hours away, and after 5 years towed it home and sold it, but...the half ton and the 4.8 V8 engine handled the job ok but the rear suspension was over it's capability, I wouldn't do that again. I would say with your weight, you would be ok, mine was close to 6000 lbs loaded, when I did it. I now have and will always have a dually 3500 which I bought used to be able to pull a 34 footer weighing about 8500 lbs. I have no issues but with a 454 engine, it gets about 6 to 7 mpg at best. The new style 2500 with a 6.0 or even a 1500 with the 5.3 will do all you need, unless you go buy something heavier then get a 2500. Look for a vehicle that you know someone was happy with when they towed something. A Ford might also be fine as well. I have never had a Ford other than a custom van once. My wife has a Tahoe and I wouldn't recommend that for anything bigger than the one you have, a 2500 Suburban however should do fine, or else a Chevy Express van with tow package. It would be easier to make a recommendation knowing only the experience that i have had but, myself, I won't ever tow again without a 3/4 or 1 ton vehicle. I love the feel of using my dually on the road when passed by a large truck, it never moves to the side or fish tails as it used to do back in the day with a half ton vehicle.
As you can see, I also have a class A, and have both types of RV presently, looking to do something with the trailer even if it comes to leaving it permanently on a campground site but for now we use them both. Have a good time camping and stay safe.

[HoustonTex56]

I've had two Ford f150s. One with the 5liter v8 and the current with the big v6 EcoBoost. I loved the way the v8 sounded and performed, but the EcoBoost gets incredible mileage driving without the trailer. When pulling, it perfoms well, but gets about the same mileage as the v8. Re: Chevy, the people I've known that have hundreds of thousands of miles on there trucks, own Chevys.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by cfb1141942

I have no desire to spend 40-60k on a new tow vehicle. I have been looking at used TVs around 20K here PA and surrounding states. I have been gravitating to the Ford F150s and Chevy Tahoe/Suburbans. Great upgrades and at 100k miles or so lots of life left it wouls seem. Those should run well over 200K when properly maintained. Just wondering if there are any experienced Travelers that have recommendations. I pull a 2750# TT with my jeep. Which is fine if I stay within a couple hours and avoid the mountains, but Id like to do some touring in 2020. Thanks!

For what there getting for used high mileage trucks is crazy . at 100,000 miles most likely no real maintenance has been done other then oil changes . at the 100,000 mile mark then things need to be replaced stuff starts going bad and seems it will nickle and dime you to death Brakes, shocks, belts, u-joints, sensors,and numerous other things . I've looked at used and set my mileage limits at 30,000

[pdqparalegal1]

Originally Posted by Kimber45

Never thought id buy new either till I compared 0 or .9 % interest on new to 2-3 % on used and the used stuff in my area with 20-60k miles on it was only a few thousand less then new.

Same here. Innerded the factory warranty also

[2rad4u]

I'd vote for the Suburban. I towed my pop-up and my first TT with a 1999 Tahoe. Only modification was a set of Timbrens. The TT was around 3k pounds and IIRC the tow limit for the Chevy was 6500 or so. Never had an issue.

Sold that beast @ 275K and the new owner was happy to get it!

I say Suburban for the extra room. The longer WB is good for space and towing.

If you can find a 2500 Suburban I'd jump on it! They're hard to find but make even better TV's (and give you more future capacity).

[beechjet16mf]

We tow our Flagstaff 27RLWS with a 2009 1500 Suburban and have been doing it for 6 years. Never a problem with it at 150,000 miles. The only thing we did was go to Michelin 10 ply tires and an extra transmission cooler. Have towed the trailer 25,000 miles so far all over the western US, Canada, and Alaska.

[SalemCanada]

Hi,

We purchased a 2015 Tahoe fully setup for towing with the integrated brake contoller and a 3.42 gear ratio in the spring of 2015. It was a GM executive vehicle with 17,000KMs on it and we bought from a GM dealer. We tow a 2015 Salem 28RLDS with the Tahoe. Initially we used an old Husky WDH rated at 10,000LB along with an add on friction sway bar. The unit pulled and stopped well but we encountered some sway especially in windy conditions. In the winter of 2016 we found a Hensley Arrow hitch for sale on Kijji and purchased it. Once we got the hitch set up with help from Hensley we have travelled across Canada and much of the US with this combination and been more than pleased with the performance. When not towing the Tahoe is a daily driver and makes sense because of its size and versatility. A pickup or Suburban would not work well for us.

[HangDiver]

Originally Posted by MR.M

For what there getting for used high mileage trucks is crazy . at 100,000 miles most likely no real maintenance has been done other then oil changes . at the 100,000 mile mark then things need to be replaced stuff starts going bad and seems it will nickle and dime you to death Brakes, shocks, belts, u-joints, sensors,and numerous other things . I've looked at used and set my mileage limits at 30,000

That has not been my experience at all. I've owned 48 cars/trucks so far in my lifetime, only two of those 48 have been new. Years ago the advent of the 24 month & 36 month lease made buying a late model used car or truck quite rewarding. There's a plethora of late model reasonable priced cars and trucks (for the astute buyer) that someone else paid for the 1st 3-years of depreciated cost.

Same for travel trailers, btw...

[MikeRP]

If you can find a suburban 2500 or a used 2500 Yukon xl they are wonderful capable vehicles. I had a white one -loved it! I had the LTZ but here’s a nice LT.

Image-1.jpg
I thought you would like this 2007 Chevrolet Suburban for $18,700 on Autotrader

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1df526f8

[doc73]

Originally Posted by MikeRP

If you can find a suburban 2500 or a used 2500 Yukon xl they are wonderful capable vehicles. I had a white one -loved it! I had the LTZ but here’s a nice LT.

Image-1.jpg
I thought you would like this 2007 Chevrolet Suburban for $18,700 on Autotrader

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1df526f8

I used to drive a suburban duramax for work.. Loved that thing! Was a beast!

[MikeRP]

Image-1.jpg
I thought you would like this 2003 Chevrolet Suburban for $18,980 on Autotrader

http://atcm.co/S2PVDP/1dca8063

This one is even more rare with the 8.1 L V8 tow beast!