Too much to tow?

[KLFinden]

My husband and I are newbies. Well actually we haven't purchased yet. We have owned both a bumper pull and gooseneck horse trailer. We far preferred trailering the gooseneck. So based on that we're leaning to entering the RV world with a used 5th wheel. We haven't purchase our towing vehicle yet. We like the Toyota product reliability but are aware that is has a limited towing capacity (10,400). The used trailer that we're looking at states unloaded weight is 8546 and GVWR 11,176. Is that cutting it too close?

I know these type of purchasing mistakes can be costly! Thanks for your assistance.

Are there any reviews out there regarding the reliability of the F250 vs the Ram 2500, etc?

[ryand]

Welcome! The question you have asked is a hot button topic around this forum. With any 1/2 ton no matter what brand, the Payload capacity is going to be the limiting factor. Do you have these numbers? Payload for the truck and the pin weight of the trailer? This is the real drawback to a 5th wheel and 1/2 ton combo...It can be done and there are others who do so without incident and are within the specs. My gut is saying you are looking at a 3/4 truck. Plenty of info on the Ford vs Ram. I honesty you cant really go wrong with any of the big three's offering in 3/4 gas or diesel. Good luck!

[itat]

I agree with ryand. For a 5er that has a sticker saying unloaded weight is 8546# the actual weight when you've loaded it ready to camp will likely be more than 9500#. The pin weight on a 5er is generally 15-20% which will be in the range of 1500 to 2000#. That doesn't account for the weight of the hitch in the bed nor the occupants and gear in the truck.

You can order a 1/2 ton spec'd to handle it (you won't find one suitable equipped on a dealer's lot) but you're really in 3/4 ton territory.

Like you, I really like Toyotas but IMO the Tundra is overpriced compared to the big 3's offerings in the pickup truck market and the Tundra has common 1/2 ton payload specs. As you go up in trim level, the available payload goes down.

I just upgraded to a 3/4 ton because I was over my truck's 7200# GVWR by 600# pulling my 7300# (loaded) travel trailer with a family of 5 onboard.

[timfromma]

I have a Toyota Tundra and the limiting factor is the payload capacity which in only 1700lbs. This figure includes all passengers, cargo and the weight of the trailer. With the 8500lb 5er your looking at, you've already got about 1200lbs of trailer weight before you even begin loading it with stuff.

I love my Tundra and it works great for my trailer but you really need to look at a 3/4 ton truck at least for what you are planning to buy.

[Iwannacamp]

Hello from me as well. Please do check the payload specs(yellow sticker on door post) on your tow vehicle. My old 2005 Dodge 2500 4DR 4x4 diesel... it will tow anything right? Everybody knows that. WRONG
I have a 2065 lb payload capacity... not even a medium sized 5th wheel capacity. So do you tow illegally or get a bigger truck or get a TT? I chose the option of a lighter 5er. No truck payment and within limits.

I looked at a 2012 Ford equal to mine(as close as a Ford gets HA HA) and it had a 2001 lb capacity with a factory 5th wheel system. What a shame.

If you choose a 3/4T and want more cargo then the gasser is a better payload capacity. Towing? but legal capacity

[CaptnJohn]

Short answer ~~ YES it is too much for a 1/2 ton. On the verge of too much for a 3/4 diesel. Might be OK with a 3/4 gasser. Any 1 ton would be good, give you room to grow as well.

[DickiedooFlagman]

Don't forget to include the weight of your TV fuel, at about 8# per gallon.

[TandSH]

Gas is ~6.2 lb/gal, diesel is ~7.1 lb/gal, water ~8.3 lb/gal, DW = light as a feather. That's my story and I'm stickin' with it!

[Ian Walker]

Dear itat,
I'm the proud owner of a 2010 Toyota Tundra 5.7L with tow package.
I agree with your assessment of the payload but not your assessment of
Toyota's being overpriced. I never buy new & I know from past Toyota's I'll
get 15 years out of the vehicle.

[larryandamy]

I also love Toyota for reliability, but I agree that you need 3/4 ton at least and should go to 1 ton.

I have owned Tacoma's and a Tundra and now I have a 2008 Sequoia (5.7L V8).
It has the Tundra body and drive train and I tow a 27 foot Stealth SS22-16 toy hauler. (5200lb dry weight, max 9200lbs.)
It has plenty of power and is rated to tow 9600lbs.
On my recent Alaska trip I got average of 9.1 MPG over 11,000 miles.
The trailer loaded was about 7300 lbs.

BUT...
All that said... I am selling both and buying a 1 ton truck (350) with diesel engine. I am reluctantly being pulled into the diesel world kicking and screaming and will be forced to buy a Ford or Chevy or Dodge and will just have to put at least $1000 in repairs in my budget per year to keep them running.
I had a Dodge RAM350 1989 15 passenger maxi van that i loved, but I had to spend average of $1000 per year to keep it running.
I know the big 3 have been working of reliability and I hope they can at least come close to Toyota reliability now.

Thanks

[ccsvolsfan]

People pull marginally safe setups all the time. They usually have white knuckles and the smell of fear on them when they reach destination. They also have a DW that isn't real happy either. Eventually you will see the wisdom in having a tow vehicle worth of the job. Go big or go home. Just my humble opinion.

[Ray333]

I faced the same quandry earlier this year. I have a Tundra 5.7 DoubleCab SR5 and purchased a 2014 Rockwood Ultralite 5'er, Model 8285IKWS dry weight is 7700, and pin weight is 1180 (dry). My Tundra's payload capacity is 1380. With 2 people in the truck, fuel, hitch/rails I am at 1750lbs and that's without any other freight. I try to put more weight in the rear of the trailer to lighten the pin weight I have read about others with the same situation who also claim it's fine but you can see the reality from the numbers.

My "on the road" experience after 3,000 towing miles is that my rig tows/feels just fine but you can see that it is over the recommended payload weight by a good deal. stopping power is good. Transmission seems fine and not overworked except on some very steep hills. My springs are at their limit. The truck is just slightly nose high but there is no impact on steering. ( Some people install airbags to fix the level but this does not increase the payload carrying capacity.) It tows fine in undulating country at 55-60 but on hills with a 6% grade I can only do 45mph.

1.Check the exact specs on your Tundra. The numbers your need are in the manual under specifications. You need the model code off the certification label on the drivers side door frame (mine is USK56L-CRTSGA). Payload capacity is what you want to find. Make sure your Tundra has the factory tow package and look for the numbers * with the tow package. 2WD and long bed versions have substantially more payload capacity.

2. Shop for a lighter trailer - other posters got it right - that one is more than likely way too heavy for a Tundra even if you have a long bed and 2WD.

3. If I was buying a truck, I would have bought a 3/4 ton - mostly for peace of mind, esp as we start to travel more and longer distances.

Hope this helps.

[JR Smith]

All the big hree have problems and all are good trucks,I have a Ford F 350 with the 6.7 powerstroke.It costs twice what my 2002 7.3 did but it is at least four times the truck.Differance between gas and diesel are mainly power and milage.Gas has less of both.If you want a ford diesel dont buy anything but 7.3 or 6.7 the rest are no good.with Ford you want a truck with camper and trailer tow package. (Camper pac gives you overload springs)

[Seachaser186]

Yeah don't get caught up in the Tundra towing hype. Some of these guys think they have a lot more than they really do.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by Seachaser186

Yeah don't get caught up in the Tundra towing hype. Some of these guys think they have a lot more than they really do.

X2

[KLFinden]

Okay! That's what we were thinking. We're giving ourselves time to do our homework. We had a F350 dually when we trailered horses. It was nice power wise.

We were thinking if we buy american that maybe new is the answer so that we have the warranty and buy a used 5th wheel to help compensate for the expense. I'd been looking at F250/Ram 2500 but I'll had the F350/Ram3500 to our list of trucks to investigate.

Can't tell you how much we appreciate the help.

[Signguy71]

For a little extra you can buy a one ton instead of three quarter ton. If you don't, in a few short years you will be asking if the three quarter can pull it.

Ask me how I know that.

[Torch]

I made the mistake of buying a 2012 Ram 1500 QC,short bed with a towing package, year and a half later I got a Ram 2500 with a Cummins diesel, while the diesel might not be necessary, the towing is so much better with the 3/4 ton, I did love the 2012 thou for everything else.

[rockfordroo]

My Silverado 2500 gasser's tow capacity is 13,000 lbs and payload is 2906 lbs, FYI.

[Seachaser186]

If you can afford it take a look at the 2017 Ford Super Duty. Maybe a couple years down the road for me if I can stomach the price.