minivan, SUV or 1/2 ton for TV

[bakken]

The domestic pickups are priced very well these days, are better built, and will last longer than most SUVs and such.
Although a lot of foreign vehicles are now bouilt here, I still prefer to buy "american".
We pull our fifth with an old Ford diesel, but my everyday "car" is a Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab. The crew cab, with the larger rear seats, is even nicer. I have the 4.7 L engine with the 6-speed tranny, which would easily pull your camper, and I get 20 mpg running around empty. And it is roomy and super comfortable.
My friend just bought a Ford Ecoboost, but that has far more horsepower that you could ever use, and it is a tad more expensive. Beautiful truck though.
Lots to consider. Good luck!

[rce]

Have looked at new Nissan & Toyota trucks. Will look at Ford's offerings next. Prices make no sense at times. Today Toyota Tundra was priced lower than Toyota Tacoma!?

[Great Horned Owl]

I just bought a 5th wheel, so I had to get a truck to pull it. I traded in my car on a 2500HD, crew cab, long bed. I am 70 years old, and this is my first truck.

I have been surprised at how much I like using it as a daily driver. I have found it to be so useful that I am wondering how I ever got along without owning a truck.

Joel

[rce]

Originally Posted by transamz9

What year Frontier did you look at? Did you drive it? The reason I ask is that we bought an '07 Frontier 2 wheel drive crew cab one time to make it easier for my wife to park than our quad cab short bed Ram. We test drove it and it was a really nice small truck. First trip to Wal-mart and trying to pull into a spot , it came badly clear that it would not turn as sharp as our big truck. Just make sure you drive a few different trucks and sizes. Might want to test drive a few mid-sized SUV's. I think our Jeep Grand Cherokee had a 7'000# tow rating. There are others that I'm sure are capable.

Drove a new Frontier crew cab. Quite liked it actually but the key question remains will it be enough TV for me with so many suggesting stronger TV.

[rce]

Originally Posted by Great Horned Owl

I just bought a 5th wheel, so I had to get a truck to pull it. I traded in my car on a 2500HD, crew cab, long bed. I am 70 years old, and this is my first truck.

I have been surprised at how much I like using it as a daily driver. I have found it to be so useful that I am wondering how I ever got along without owning a truck.

Joel

Good points! As I test drive more and more trucks I'm getting a lot more used to and enjoying the drive. DW is clear it would be nice to have a truck for those occasions we need/want to haul stuff!

[myredracer]

Having just finished an 1800 mile, 17 day trip towing a TT with our F150 V6 truck, I definitely have an opinion on this now!

Much of our driving was on hilly and twisty roads and up to 4,000 feet. Our trailer has a dry weigh of just over 3,800 lbs but the batteries, jacks, propane tanks, etc. (the mandatory add-ons) plus all the interior mods and upgrades plus all the camping gear added another 1200 lbs for a total weight of 5,000 lbs. If we wanted to dry camp and fill the fresh water tank, that'd be another 300lbs. My point is, you may think you have a light trailer but you need to account for the total weight of all the add-ons. Your nice lightweight trailer might not be so lightweight as you think. And as someone pointed out, you will lose 190 lbs of towing capacity for every 1,000 feet of elevation you climb. That never occured to me before and that could really hurt if you are already pulling on the edge of your limit.

While our V6 1/2 ton was kinda okay for power, it really struggled up some hills and could only make 30-35 mph up some of them flat out. I tried downshifting to 1st but when I picked up speed and shifted into 2nd, the rpms were too low and we would slow down again. Transmission gear ratios is something to consider for towing.

Gas mileage with the V6 REALLY sucked. I mean, you could hear the gas being sucked out of the tank and see the needle goin' down fast. Our best run was 10.8 mpg but only because we were on a very long downhill run. Worst run was 6.8 mpg with the average trip mileage being around 7-8 mpg. The only good thing was gas prices are down somewhat at the moment and we gassed up once at $3.19/gal. A V8 would give better mileage. When I bought the truck nearly 10 years ago, I never thought I would own a TT, otherwise I would have at least bought one with a V8.

The worst thing about pulling with a 1/2 ton truck is that it is really hard to hold the truck in a straight line due to all the wind buffeting at speeds above 50 mph. We even have new Bilstein shocks so the truck is as stable as it can be. It is really, really exhausting on a long trip like we did. You can't relax, you need two hands on the wheel (at least if over about 50 mph) and you can't glance around and sightsee. You are always doing little mini-adjustments to the wheel to keep it pointed down the center of the road. A better WDH hitch might help this?? We are definitely going to upgrade to a 3/4 ton in the near future for more relaxed driving. I can't imagine how how doing this with an SUV would be.

One thing to think about a pickup versus an SUV/minivan is that a truck has a longer wheelbase and wider track. It will inherently be more stable. Trucks have beefier brakes, suspension and drivetrain. Trucks are built with a frame while SUVs and minivans are unibody construction. They just can't take the abuse like a truck can. The newer trucks have factory towing packages in them and they are putting in things like beefier front brakes even in the 1/2T models.

With a truck, you have the bed for cargo. It's surprising how much bulky stuff we've been taking along - firewood, pop-up canopy, portable cooler, garbage can, and more. Also gives you space to bring stuff back home you might buy while away.

Unless your camping trips are only going to be short occasional local ones, I'd say you can live with the appropriate SUV like say a Toyota Highlander (rated to tow 5,000 lbs). For longer trips, hilly roads, up mountain passes, freeway driving, twisty roads I'd definitely go for a 1/2 ton with a V8 or maybe even a 3/4 ton.

The best thing you could do, and it's maybe not possible, would be to do a demo with a truck and then an SUV with your trailer hooked up and head out on to a highway for a spin.

Anyway, just another over opinionated opinion....

[rce]

Thanks myredracer for taking the time to relate your experience. Certainly leads me to further consider all those who are saying bigger is better.

I actually have an F150 in the driveway(on demo) from a dealer. Also he has a 2010 F150 with 9500 lb rating I believe coming in in a week with only 6000km!!! which he will let me use for a weekend with my trailer to see what I think. Guess what I'll be doing soon?

[myredracer]

rce, you're welcome.

Like many things in life, it really pays off to do your due diligence and check out every thing you can think of and then some. You want to make the best choice that will keep you happy for years to come.

Happy camping!

[Rsgtivr6]

Originally Posted by myredracer

The worst thing about pulling with a 1/2 ton truck is that it is really hard to hold the truck in a straight line due to all the wind buffeting at speeds above 50 mph. We even have new Bilstein shocks so the truck is as stable as it can be. It is really, really exhausting on a long trip like we did. You can't relax, you need two hands on the wheel (at least if over about 50 mph) and you can't glance around and sightsee. You are always doing little mini-adjustments to the wheel to keep it pointed down the center of the road. A better WDH hitch might help this?? We are definitely going to upgrade to a 3/4 ton in the near future for more relaxed driving.

Might be the WDH and/or sway combo. I only had issues with tracking and sway for a 3-4 hour period between Lake Michigan and Superior coming through the U.P., but that was because of the heavily gusting winds. That is with a 6k+ lb, 34' (w/rear rack down) TT and only one sway control on the passenger side. The rest of the trip was mostly one handed and calm at about 59-64mph.
Also, the Hemi is a beast. with 91 in the tank, that thing climbed decent grades quite well with little to no struggle. Lowest I hit up a long grade (approx 2 miles) without a downshift to 3rd (5sp with O/D locked out) was coming into WI from MN at 40mph after getting to 55. I didn't get a great start from the stoplight near the bottom and short flat before the hill (7-9% grade). Also averaged 9 MPG for the 3k mile trip.

[2Susan]

something to consider not previously mentioned - are you bicycle folks? You shouldn't hang your bicycles off the rear trailer bumper (use the search feature on this forum for extended converstations and heart wrenching pictures of the consequences). So if you plan to bring along bicycles having a pick up means you have a place to put them (in the bed of the pick up).

I totally understand making the transition from ultralite backpacking / climbing to having an RV. You go from working to eliminate grams to finding yourself taking along a rice cooker. From planning every meal and packaging only exactly what you will need to having staples on hand (butter, flour, sugar) as well as baking pans and the vitamix for smoothies. You can shop at local farmer's markets along your route and savor farm fresh instead of freeze dried. You can bring your hobbies, your instruments, the spinning wheel sewing machine, art supplies and a selection of books and enjoy your creativity along the road. Being able to take full advantage of the places you go and enhancing your experiences is what having an RV offers.

I mentioned before that our pick up gets the same mileage loaded / unloaded. Why not bring your water from home and the cast iron dutch oven for the campfire? Having a tow vehicle that isn't anywhere close to being marginal means that bringing float tubes or a kayak is also possible.

[rce]

Originally Posted by 2Susan

something to consider not previously mentioned - are you bicycle folks? You shouldn't hang your bicycles off the rear trailer bumper (use the search feature on this forum for extended converstations and heart wrenching pictures of the consequences). So if you plan to bring along bicycles having a pick up means you have a place to put them (in the bed of the pick up).

I totally understand making the transition from ultralite backpacking / climbing to having an RV. You go from working to eliminate grams to finding yourself taking along a rice cooker. From planning every meal and packaging only exactly what you will need to having staples on hand (butter, flour, sugar) as well as baking pans and the vitamix for smoothies. You can shop at local farmer's markets along your route and savor farm fresh instead of freeze dried. You can bring your hobbies, your instruments, the spinning wheel sewing machine, art supplies and a selection of books and enjoy your creativity along the road. Being able to take full advantage of the places you go and enhancing your experiences is what having an RV offers.

I mentioned before that our pick up gets the same mileage loaded / unloaded. Why not bring your water from home and the cast iron dutch oven for the campfire? Having a tow vehicle that isn't anywhere close to being marginal means that bringing float tubes or a kayak is also possible.

Funny, but seriously encouraging at the same time! Thanks for the comments. The DW has always jokingly said she would like a scooter along when we go camping so that might even be possible. It will be nice to take along a few extra "essentials" like a couple of bikes.

[dwaynerz]

my thoughts on a trailer that weight would be a used jeep liberty with the crd engine. 5000 lb tow rating, diesel torque and decent fuel economy when not towing. iirc, they also had decent mileage when towing as well. certainly in line with a v6 pickup. plus the added advantage of 4wd.

in my part of the world, you cant hardly throw a dead cat without hitting a liberty, so parts would be reasonable i would think (for the liberty, not the cat).

[rce]

A bit of an update hopefully to help others a little in their TV predicaments. Ended up buying a 2010 Ford F150 through a family member. Has complete tow package including factory hitch, 7 pin hook up and factory trailer brake control with 5.4 L engine and higher transmission ratio. Rated for 9500 lbs.

Pulled it first time today, just to the Hitch installer to get a WD hitch put on. Pulled real nice but no real test yet. Guy at the hitch place couldn't figure out why I wanted a WD hitch as the truck only sagged 1 inch when trailer was attached without one.

Skipped the sway bar for now as he was out of stock and really puzzled about my wanting one. He's been installing hitches and related for decades.

So maybe I bought too much of a truck for light trailer but the deal was too good to pass up and we'll see how the gas mileage goes. First fill was $130 (CDN)

Hope to actually go camping in the next week or so.

Thanks for all the input and recommendations. Really helped a lot!!!!!!!!!

[handbuilder]

Congrats on your TV purchase! You should do great with your selection. I used to pull my previous TT with a mid size V6 SUV - using a WDH and it did great with the exception of hills...but nothing towsed it better than the F150! Eventually we sold our 186 TT and this year bought a hard sided pop up which I tow with the beastly Titan...DH says the same - its alot of truck for such a small trailer...still have my SUV as the go to town rig. Gas is better with the Ford 16 mpg because its not 4wd..Titan does about 14+ mpg hwy - my 4wd SUV does about 16...

[PawPawJim]

Originally Posted by rce

Ended up buying a 2010 Ford F150 through a family member.Pulled real nice but no real test yet.

First of all, congrats on the new truck...

I can't imagine being without a pickup, and for many years had two of them as our only 4 wheeled vehicles.

Originally Posted by rce

Guy at the hitch place couldn't figure out why I wanted a WD hitch as the truck only sagged 1 inch when trailer was attached without one.

Skipped the sway bar for now as he was out of stock and really puzzled about my wanting one. He's been installing hitches and related for decades.

In the oilfield we say it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. This is exactly the case for both the WDH & the friction sway control. Trust me on this one, being flipped by a passing 18 wheeler is not fun. I was lucky it wasn't me as well, but seeing it happen is something I will never forget.

Originally Posted by rce

So maybe I bought too much of a truck for light trailer but the deal was too good to pass up and we'll see how the gas mileage goes. First fill was $130 (CDN)

The stouter the truck the better, if I had known I was going to get another TT our new truck would have been stouter as well. I'll know after our trip to NC next week if I am going to have to trade in our new truck for another one or not.

As for gas mileage, it's been my experience that once a certain weight/wind drag is reached every gas engine I've towed with didn't vary enough in mileage to make it worth noting. YMMV of course...

I'll never forget meeting up with a friend from work at a campground in Louisiana many moons ago. He pulled in with a 37' 5th wheel behind an old Chevy crew cab 1ton dually with 454 v-8. I told him I was glad I wasn't buying gas for it. He looked me in the eye with a straight face and said....

"Heck I get 9mpg with this thing.....

6 on the HWY, and 3 in town"....



Good luck with your new rig, hope y'all have many trouble free, fun filled miles out on the road...

[TeresaInCAL]

I LOVE having a truck. I hope to never be without a truck, trailer or no trailer.

End of discussion.

Lol

[stevem]

you'll like the truck, i sure like ours

last week we replaced our aging ford windstar with a dodge dakota 4door and in the last 24 hours, we towed for 1800 km(1200 miles).

we pull a 21 ft 2600 lb(dry) travel trailer

[dretired]

i just replaced a 2010 F150..5.4..Supercab ..4x2..tow rating of ..9,800lbs...with a ..2012 F 250 Super Duty...Supercab..Diesel..4x2..its tow rating... 14,000 lbs conventional TT...16,300 lbs..5th wheel... there may be a bigger 5th wheel in our future ??

[whj77372]

I have a 2011 F250, CC, diesel, longbed, rwd and the 5er limit is 16,200 lbs with a combined limit of 23,500 lbs and the combined limit and pin weight will be the limiting factors. If you take the truck weight, ready to go, plus pin weight you are near the 10,000 limit for the truck. Take the 10,000 from the 23,500 and you can pull a 5er of 13,500 lbs not the 16,200 lbs.

[dretired]

Originally Posted by whj77372

I have a 2011 F250, CC, diesel, longbed, rwd and the 5er limit is 16,200 lbs with a combined limit of 23,500 lbs and the combined limit and pin weight will be the limiting factors. If you take the truck weight, ready to go, plus pin weight you are near the 10,000 limit for the truck. Take the 10,000 from the 23,500 and you can pull a 5er of 13,500 lbs not the 16,200 lbs.

Looking at the "specs" in the back of the 2012 Ford Superduty brocheure.. F 250 Super Duty.. Supercab ..diesel..MAX.. loaded 5th wheel ...16,300 lbs..conventional trailer 14,000lbs..