Attn; Need Truck advice for hauling RV

JenDub · #1 11/13/2007, 10:02 PM

Hello to all,

We are looking into different pickup trucks to tow a 3800-7000lb Travel Trailer RV. Some trucks of interest are the Dodge Durango, Toyota Tundra and Chevy 250.

If you have any experience hauling loads or with pickup trucks in general please chime in. Top considerations are MPG, reliability & capacity.

woodycb · #2 11/13/2007, 10:09 PM

Stay away from Dodge, Toyota's are too expensive. I would go with a chevy 1/2ton or a ford 1/2ton. Both good looking trucks and can handle the load easily. I had a '03 ford 1/2ton and hauled a 6,000# tractor around frequently, it did very well. Pulling that kind of weight you might as well not even consider MPG's, they all are going to do terribly.

Macimage · #3 11/13/2007, 10:32 PM

I'm a Ford girl myself (1992 F250 bought new still going strong), but I agree with woodycb, that a Ford or Chevy would be a good choice. They've both always been great trucks.

Joyce

Konadog · #4 11/13/2007, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by woodycb
Stay away from Dodge,

Why do you say that? I have a 2004 Durango that I pull my 21' TT with without any problems. It does have the HEMI and the correct rear end (I forget the gearing) and it pulls just fine.

AJO · #5 11/13/2007, 10:48 PM

I have a 03 chevy 1500 with the 6.0L. I use to tow a 25" car hualer with a Toyota truck and two dirt bikes on it. I'm not sure of the total weight. I tow about 4,000 miles every year and have not had any problems with the truck. the only thing I did was add air bags in rear to level out the truck when I'm towing.

AJO · #6 11/13/2007, 10:55 PM

I hate Dodge, the sales people are rude! They would not let me even see the inside of the truck or under the hood untill after they checked my credit score. I will never buy a Dodge or step foot in a Dodge dealer.

Konadog · #7 11/13/2007, 11:03 PM

Ah, sales people. I take my wife when we buy new cars, she chewed through sales people, sales managers, and even the fleet sales director all in about 45 minuets! Had the dealers manager willing to just about give us the truck just to get her out of there! It's a long story, but one I love telling

JenDub · #8 11/14/2007, 01:24 AM

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

The guy at the RV place recommended a V6 Chevy 1/2 ton with the Allison transmission (said they use this tranny in the $300k Class A RV's). I'm not a big fan of American cars but they definitely have the juice to pull the load.

Do any of you have Chevy truck breakdown/maintenance stories?

five.five-six · #9 11/14/2007, 01:32 AM

oh yea 2500 hd with the alison is top dog... they run~ $55k all done up, or I would have 1, I have a 26' toy box, I estemate ~9klb loaded, I have been towing it with a 1500 silvarado for a few years. I keep it at 50mph going up grades. now that I hit 100k I am seriously considering a new truck but it has been very good to us... I am still running the original breaks and just did the first tuneup a month ago.

get a crew cab or at least extenced cap, the extended wheelbase helps with stability.

do not save money of weight distribution or sway control, make sure you understand how to install it correctly or pay someone who does

Quote:

Originally posted by JenDub
Thanks for all of the suggestions!

The guy at the RV place recommended a V6 Chevy 1/2 ton with the Allison transmission

I think your sales guy is on crack, I do not think you can get a v6 with an allison, ford offers a v6 catipiler in the 550, probably he was talking about the 6L v8, which is just fine for the weight you are talking about.... but that duramax is bad ars

billyzbear · #10 11/14/2007, 03:13 AM

I work on cars for a living. If you are going to be hauling alot of wieght get a turbo diesel. Ford or GM? Ford makes a good truck and so does GM. I'm not a big fan of diesels but it will have more power and mpg. If you take care of it, they last longer too. If you go too big it will be a pain to park but spend the extra money for a diesel when you are going up the grade you'll thank me.

818 · #11 11/14/2007, 03:55 AM

Diesel all the way!!!

bmac · #12 11/14/2007, 04:28 AM

You cant go wrong with the 2500 Chevy. The Duramax with the Allison tranny are a great combo... I towed a 1/2 ton Dodge on the Pa turnpike at 70 mph and never knew the Dodge was on the trailer behind me !

woodycb · #13 11/14/2007, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Konadog
Why do you say that? I have a 2004 Durango that I pull my 21' TT with without any problems. It does have the HEMI and the correct rear end (I forget the gearing) and it pulls just fine.

Dodge does not have a very good reputation where Im from. I drive dodge and gm work trucks and GM is by far a better quality truck.

ReefLife1680 · #14 11/14/2007, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by billyzbear
I work on cars for a living. If you are going to be hauling alot of wieght get a turbo diesel. Ford or GM? Ford makes a good truck and so does GM. I'm not a big fan of diesels but it will have more power and mpg. If you take care of it, they last longer too. If you go too big it will be a pain to park but spend the extra money for a diesel when you are going up the grade you'll thank me.

AMEN TO THAT BROTHER!!!

If you want to tow you will NOT regret a diesel. It does cost a bit more but when you are towing up-hill and flip that a/c switch - won't feel a thing!

I use to tow a 6K lbs shamrock boat w/ a '94 F-250 turbo diesel. Took it EVERYWHERE from San Diego all the way up to Santa Barbara to go fishing (I lived in Fullerton at the time) ... NEVER had a problem w/ power/maintenance etc. Fill her up and she'll keep running!

Bebo77 · #15 11/14/2007, 10:12 AM

get a ford or GMC... half ton will be more than able to move that kind of a load...

raskal311 · #16 11/14/2007, 10:23 AM

With the price of gas you can probably get an American truck for practically free. My brother went in to Dodge and didn’t even have to bargain before the price of a brand new truck went down $12k from what it was marked as. I also hear Toyota is having a hard time selling their new Tundra so there are some deals to be made. I do agree the tundra is way over priced just like their Tacoma. But they are ooo so nice

gtrestoration · #17 11/14/2007, 11:08 AM

My 99 Dodge is still going strong. The trailer is hooked up 99% of the time. Gross combined weight when it's show-loaded is just shy of 20,000 pounds.
MPG with the Cumins is 13 on road trips and 10.5 around town. The killer is it costs about $100 to fill the tank, with diesel running more that premium gas.

The truck before this was a 1/2 ton Dodge with the 360. With a 7,500# conventional hitch trailer gas milage with that was 7 mpg.

Trans went out at about 55,000 miles and I had it rebuilt and beefed up so it should go at least 100,000 miles. Even at the cost of a rebuild every 100,000 I'd still go with this truck.
The trailers a goose-neck and I'd rather drive the truck with the trailer than without. No sway, smooth ride and everyone gets outta my way.

SteveU

gcarroll · #18 11/14/2007, 11:59 AM

IMO, go diesel for low end torque and vastly superior mpg (25% - 40%). Go with the longest wheel base you can. It is harder to control a load under emergency situations with a short wheelbase vehicle. Kind of like the tail wagging the dog.

gcarroll · #19 11/14/2007, 12:07 PM

If an SUV is really what you need. is what I would get. It can definitely tow your load. Downside is that it is not the longest wheelbase.

Toureg TDI tows a 747!

SteveOhh · #20 11/14/2007, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gcarroll
If an SUV is really what you need. is what I would get. It can definitely tow your load. Downside is that it is not the longest wheelbase.

Toureg TDI tows a 747!

Flipside is once you hit the downgrade, you're in serious trouble............

Konadog · #21 11/14/2007, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SteveOhh
Flipside is once you hit the downgrade, you're in serious trouble............

That's what air brakes are for

Frankysreef · #22 11/14/2007, 03:07 PM

I have a gmc sierra 1500 and it tows my boat under a full load.. 7000 lbs no problem.

AND you could probably get a really good deal on them.

Go GMC before chevy.

rockindacheeks · #23 11/14/2007, 03:29 PM

that touareg tdi is also about $80k.

gtrestoration · #24 11/14/2007, 04:06 PM

I've seen so many SUVs pulling trailers and wagging faster than a dogs tail. Watch the toy haulers coming back from the desert and the driver is all white knuckled from the trip.

Whatever you get be sure it's rated for the load and you get a stabilizer if needed. Big difference between tow rating and how it will handle if it's out of wack.

SteveU

Bebo77 · #25 11/14/2007, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gtrestoration
My 99 Dodge is still going strong. The trailer is hooked up 99% of the time. Gross combined weight when it's show-loaded is just shy of 20,000 pounds.
MPG with the Cumins is 13 on road trips and 10.5 around town. The killer is it costs about $100 to fill the tank, with diesel running more that premium gas.

The truck before this was a 1/2 ton Dodge with the 360. With a 7,500# conventional hitch trailer gas milage with that was 7 mpg.

Trans went out at about 55,000 miles and I had it rebuilt and beefed up so it should go at least 100,000 miles. Even at the cost of a rebuild every 100,000 I'd still go with this truck.
The trailers a goose-neck and I'd rather drive the truck with the trailer than without. No sway, smooth ride and everyone gets outta my way.

SteveU

With the price of gas expected to hit the $4 mark for the cheap stuff next year i am thinking of trading in my F150... cant afford to commute with it...