Half Ton Tow Vehicle Suggestions

[Bhrava]

Regardless of brand. What is MOST important is payload. Anything with 1800 pounds or more is what to look for.

HP and TQ is all up to you. If you want power to tow easily, 3.5 Ecoboost or a large diesel. Since Diesel are hard to find and the small ones are mediocre at best in the 1/2 ton segment, you can get an Ecoboost or a massive 6.2 in a GM. All the rest trail behind in power and torque.

Keep one thing in mind on all trucks, the more bling, the less payload, the less trailer you can tow. For a 7600 GVWR trailer you need at least 1800 pounds.

[IDRVer_lovinit]

I have a 2020 22RR. The 3500 lb axles were 1/2" away from the frame when it was fully loaded AND just under the max rated weight. (Rzr in the back) After one of the axles was bent, I upgraded to larger axles and 15" E-rated tires.

I love my 2019 F-150 with the 3.5L Ecoboost and Max tow package. I live in the Rocky Mountains and have never had problems at high altitudes. Sway hasn't been an issue, even with cross winds. My only complaint is the side mirrors. Ford failed in many ways. Even the rt side "blind spot" corner mirror is useless. I have snap-on mirrors that work well.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[linedriver]

I pull a Coachmen trailer with a gross weight of 7600. I pull with a 2500hd 6.6 gas. I could certainly pull it with a half ton, but I prefer safety and comfort when towing in windy conditions. Half tons don't have the frame or suspension to handle the wind. You can get the 2500hd for about the same price with 3500 lb pay load.

[ThePennsylvaniaJays]

Towing 5,000 lbs with a RAM 5.7 Hemi and 3.92 gears won’t be a problem. I’ve had a couple of RAMs, including a 2013 Laramie 4x4 Crew Cab 1500 5.7L with 4.10 gears pulling 7,800 lbs with 800 lbs tongue weight and no problem. I upgraded to a 2016 RAM 2500 6.4L w/4.10 pulling the same trailer even easier. You’ll be fine with the RAM and 3.92

[jtsriding]

Originally Posted by Bramic71

Hello gentlemen and ladies. I know a lot of you have probably ly had multiple campers along with different tow vehicles over the years. Soon we are going to purchase another half ton, crew cab, 4x4 for what we hope will soon be our new camper.
Our camper will more than likely be a Grey Wolf 19RR or 22RR. Both with a dry weight that I believe is shy of 5000lbs.
That being said, we are looking at the Ram 1500, Ford F150, and the Chevy Silverado 1500. All of them with V-8's. The Ram would for sure have 3.92 gears, but not sure about the others. What are your thoughts about the stability, tow abilities, and dependability of these three in your first hand usage.
Thank you for any input as I have always only owned Rams.

ford f 150 Lariatt with the ecoboost 3.5 max tow package. more than enough and great gas mileage with or without the trailer.

[2010wing]

Bramic71
1st I want to mention how I towed a 2019 22rr with a Goldwing in the garage, with a Ford F-150, Crew cab, with the 3.5 ECO boost. This combination work fantastic. I towed it in the mountains, a went across country from NC to AZ twice. Got good mileage & never a problem pulling hills.

[Bramic71]

Thank you guys for the ton of replies. One major pattern I am seeing is 3.5 EcoBoost, followed by the 6.2. The EcoBoost must be one heck of an engine.
I'm seriously thinking about something other than another Ram. I ran Redline oil and a Wix XP in my truck and still had lifter noise. It was pretty depressing after having high hopes on the Hemi. I would love to have the power and towing capabilities with the interior comfort of the Ram. Unfortunately I can't have the best of both worlds.

[Gooster]

I’ve pulled a 22RR for many thousands of Km’s with a 2016 Silverado 6.2L. Definitely no issues in pulling the trailer in any conditions so far from prairies to mountains.. Decent fuel mileage and plenty of power. Using an equalizer hitch and dual sway bars smooths the ride and makes travel stress free. No thoughts of changing tow vehicles any time soon.

[Bramic71]

Originally Posted by Gooster

I’ve pulled a 22RR for many thousands of Km’s with a 2016 Silverado 6.2L. Definitely no issues in pulling the trailer in any conditions so far from prairies to mountains.. Decent fuel mileage and plenty of power. Using an equalizer hitch and dual sway bars smooths the ride and makes travel stress free. No thoughts of changing tow vehicles any time soon.

Thank you for the reply. I am going to go out and drive the GM and the Ford, and check the specs. I like the fact that the 6.2 is NA.

[FrankG]

If I had to do it over again I would get a F150, Max tow package, Full Hybrid PowerBoost with the 7.2KW onboard power supply. The ability to plug in the TT to a 240V 30 amp outlet any where at any time even going down the road is off the chart. Your only issue is finding one, they are out there.

BTW I am seriously happy with our 21 with the 5.0 Coyote 3.73 gears. The PowerBoost, above, and the 3.5 EcoBoost will outperform the 5.0.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by FrankG

If I had to do it over again I would get a F150, Max tow package, Full Hybrid PowerBoost with the 7.2KW onboard power supply. The ability to plug in the TT to a 240V 30 amp outlet any where at any time even going down the road is off the chart. Your only issue is finding one, they are out there.



BTW I am seriously happy with our 21 with the 5.0 Coyote 3.73 gears. The PowerBoost, above, and the 3.5 EcoBoost will outperform the 5.0.

As I own a F150 Ecoboost, I wonder how much the Powerboost option lowers the truck's payload capacity.
The large battery and equipment are not light.
My F150 has 1828lbs of payload capacity and I wouldn't want any lower amount.

[IvoryHemi]

Originally Posted by Bramic71

Thank you guys for the ton of replies. One major pattern I am seeing is 3.5 EcoBoost, followed by the 6.2. The EcoBoost must be one heck of an engine.
I'm seriously thinking about something other than another Ram. I ran Redline oil and a Wix XP in my truck and still had lifter noise. It was pretty depressing after having high hopes on the Hemi. I would love to have the power and towing capabilities with the interior comfort of the Ram. Unfortunately I can't have the best of both worlds.

Biggest issue with getting the 6.2L is being stuck with the small 24-gallon tank. You’ll be stopping often.

I came close on a 2019 3.5L EcoBoost w/ Max Tow, but found unless you get HDPP the F-150 payload isn’t anything special.

[njfishing]

Originally Posted by bikendan

As I own a F150 Ecoboost, I wonder how much the Powerboost option lowers the truck's payload capacity.
The large battery and equipment are not light.
My F150 has 1828lbs of payload capacity and I wouldn't want any lower amount.

Yep that’s the issue with the power boost. All those extra components add weight and reduce your payload.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by njfishing

Yep that’s the issue with the power boost. All those extra components add weight and reduce your payload.

Following a thread on the Airstream forum, seems like Power Boost is about a 200lb hit.
Several people have gotten one and most of the posts have been positive relating to boondocking.
Folks have said the truck engine noise is quieter than even a Honda gen. Engine has been off more than running.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

Following a thread on the Airstream forum, seems like Power Boost is about a 200lb hit.
Several people have gotten one and most of the posts have been positive relating to boondocking.
Folks have said the truck engine noise is quieter than even a Honda gen. Engine has been off more than running.

But the Airstreams have very low tongue weights, compared to similar sized conventional TTs. So payload capacity is less of an issue.
Not a fair comparison.

[Mike134]

Originally Posted by njfishing

Yep that’s the issue with the power boost. All those extra components add weight and reduce your payload.

Looks like Ford addressed that by giving it a 7350lb GVWR falling between the more typical 7050 or the HDPP of 7800LBs

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by bikendan

But the Airstreams have very low tongue weights, compared to similar sized conventional TTs. So payload capacity is less of an issue.
Not a fair comparison.

Not necessarily. Depends on model. I've read a number of posts with folks claiming their Airstream has a TW of 900 lbs. or more. Current Airstream brochure for the Classic models state TW of 850 for the 30RB and 1000 for the 33FB, 28' Pottery Barn model is listed as 900. Those are equivalent or heavier than my actual 900 lb TW for a 29' trailer ready for camping.

In any case, Ford PB is reported to be a 200 lb option which can be applied to the calculations for any trailer. Also, on a related thread here with folks talking negatively about the Power Boost option, I was just passing on that some real users are posting positive reviews.

[ppine]

Anyone pull with a hybrid half ton? Having a battery is handy but reduces the payload.

[njfishing]

Originally Posted by ppine

Anyone pull with a hybrid half ton? Having a battery is handy but reduces the payload.

Been told the hybrid components reduce payload by 200 pounds.