Which Tow Vehicle ?

[twiggw]

How do you plan to use the truck? Daily driver? Just for towing? Percent of time running around town vs percent towing. It's real easy to overload a truck by just throwing misc stuff in the bed. I'd opt for the 2500 then you know you're OK. Towing the TT is one thing and stopping it is important too. Lots of things to consider. Enjoy the journey

[asquared]

Would a 3/4 ton be more comfortable? Absolutely. Is it necessary? Depends on your usage and what you want. Many tow that weight with a properly equipped half ton and do just fine. I would recommend the f150 ecoboost HD with max tow/max payload. It will easily handle that trailer. We did upgrade from a half ton suv (armada) to an f250 diesel to tow our old 30' tt that weighed 7300 lbs loAded. It didn't even know the tt was back there. A diesel is not necessary for that weight, we had just come across a good deal on ours. Unfortunately it didn't have enough payload for a fiver (only 1500 lbs). Bottom line, know the weights of your tt (loaded tt weight and loaded tongue weight). Then make sure the tow vehicle you buy has enough payload on the tire loading sticker to accommodate your family, pets gear and tongue weight. Make sure it has enough tow capacity as well.


Ps- if doing a lot of mountain towing you may want the diesel for the ease of towing up and down the mountain.

[NOREASTRV]

Thanks everyone! I am looking today, I understand tow capacity and combined weight, I believe for a 7700 lb trailer I would need a class IV hitch, as I am looking at trucks is there an easy way to see if the truck I want has the correct class hitch?

[saltyman]

A 2 inch square hitch with a pin hole of 5/8 inch will visably indicate a 10,000 lb hitch.

[WolfWhistle]

Originally Posted by NOREASTRV

I have done all the research and now would like your opinions please. I have a 2015 Rockwood 2703W Ultra Light 6,000 lbs plus dry and 7,000 lbs plus loaded. I looked at a GMC Sierra 1500 I was ready to purchase and found the rear axle ratio is 3.08 which I was told won't do the job not to mention I would be at the max tow capacity from what I can determine. I was told 3.42 is the way to go which I found in a Silverado. My question is should I be looking at a 2500 instead of a 1500 ? What are you using and how does it tow? Thanks is advance. Tom

A lot of people have good advice, as you know there are as many opinions as there are people. So, let me throw one more at you and this reflects some of what others have stated. Don't buy the vehicle that will just barely do it for now. The truck with a 3:08 isn't for towing larger than a popup. Consider, if you are like the rest of us, the TV will be around longer than the current trailer. Are you going to be normal, only you can say. I just thought how that sounded, sorry. What you get with a 2500 is heavier everything such as brakes, wheels and tires, the cooling system and the standard load, but all even 2500s aren't created equal. The Ecoboast guys are right, it will pull much like a little diesel, but the towing MPG sucks, but so does 2500 gassers. Honestly if all the ones I could find on the lot, were not more costly than the Ram I bought, I would probably driving the EB and bragging my butt off. I am pretty sure they can walk.... err... drive on water. My diesel will more than likely get 3, or more, mpg pulling the same trailer than the EB, so I am not down on them at all. My advice is to buy the most power you can afford, and don't be so conservative that you will outgrow it too early. Until now, I have always had half tons, and put up with pulling a mountain pass in second gear at 4000 rpm and at 25mph on the floor and having it shift up and down 5000 times on a trip. BTW the last gassser had a towing rating of 9500#, but was straining at 4500#. One day, I couldn't take any longer and opted for a 2500 diesel and haven't looked back. The only thing I should have done was get the 4x4. Ram now has a 1500 with a V6 diesel, BTW.

[NOREASTRV]

Thanks for everyone's help, probably going with a GMC Sierra 1500 SLT 5.3L 3.42 gears

[Blackhat6mike]

Go drive a 2500 HD and you won't look back. The diesel will outlast the gassers 3 to 1. Not uncommon to see a Duramax with 300,000 on it. My last one was sold with 260,000 and change and was never touched with a wrench for repairs, only maintenance.
One day you may want to get a larger RV and the 2500 HD will be there for you. Besides, they drive soooo good.

[darhike]

Best advice I got, look at the tire pressure driver door sticker. They say actual load capacity on it. It may say 2000# in the sales info but once you add side step, adults, and a cat you may be over. Just bought a Chevy 2500 to pull an on order 8528RKWS safely from Indy to California. I almost bought a RAM 1500 Hemi but the door sticker said 1200# because of the RAMBOX.