Confused 1/2ton or 3/4ton ?

CaLBaR wrote:
..............
I think some of you are still in the early 2000's and don't realize that the 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks of today are very different than they used to be. Materials are stronger, brakes better, cooling better etc than the old trucks. There are solid engineering reasons that all trucks are rated to tow a lot more than they did even 5 or 10 years ago.

Setup correctly any of the trucks will tow safely to their ratings. Right tool for the right job.

Early 2000's?!?!?!?!?

Try 60's and 70's for some of us, where a blinken BB V8 if it were lucky had 175-200HP! maybe 300 lb ft of torque. A standard engine in a 8Lug truck was a 300 CI inline 6, with maybe 100-125 hp! Oh, lets not forget, one of them emanual transmissions with a three in the tree! brakes, steering were also manual with some hydraulic help! Might even be a few with some of the flathead style engines!
Or when International made V motors to be BOTH gas and Diesel, depending upon the crank, heads, intake, compression etc
2000's.....sheesh! that was yesterday!

Marty

You guys kill me for always pushing a newbie to buy a massive truck for a trailer under 8 - 9000lbs and then talking about the tail wagging the dog.

A 1/2 ton weighs about 6000 lbs give or take a few hundred pounds, so about 60% of the tow rating that most have. A 1 ton weighs in at what about 9000lbs and I think that is high and most will have a tow rating in the 16000 - 18000 lbs range or much more so 60% - 50% of tow rating max. I know that there is more to towing than weight of the TV, such as frame, brakes, cooling, axle capacities, axle ratios, full floating vs semi-floating rear axle and on.

I think some of you are still in the early 2000's and don't realize that the 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks of today are very different than they used to be. Materials are stronger, brakes better, cooling better etc than the old trucks. There are solid engineering reasons that all trucks are rated to tow a lot more than they did even 5 or 10 years ago.

Setup correctly any of the trucks will tow safely to their ratings. Right tool for the right job.

troubledwaters wrote:
There is no end to "better, safer, stronger"; that's where common sense and reasonableness comes in.

You stop at the 3/4 ton precisely because of "common sense and reasonableness." Using a Class 8 tractor to tow a 5400lb GVWR travel trailer is not reasonable. It's also common sense to upsize one "level." Where a 1/2 ton would do the job adequately, a 3/4 ton will do it like a rock star.

troubledwaters wrote:

burningman wrote:

There are plenty of half tons that will tow that trailer, but a 3/4 ton will do it better and be a safer better stronger setup. That’s just how it is.

If you want better, safer, stronger, why aren't you using a Class 8 for your load? Seems like you just settled for Good Enough; just like the people that use a half ton within its ratings.
There is no end to "better, safer, stronger"; that's where common sense and reasonableness comes in.

Well actually I do use a Peterbikt 385 for the heavier stuff.
Before the StableLift I even used to load my camper onto my pickup with a crane.
So... uh... yeah.

I have one of those unicorns. Got it in 2017, when my dealer here in VA, found 4 up in PA. I was able to get one of them.

It's an XLT Supercab with 8' bed, 4x4. It has a 2246# pay load capacity, and 4800# rear axle and the Ecoboost engine.

All that said, should I be forced to replace my current truck, I'd almost for sure get a F250 XLT Crewcab with 6.2 gasser. Roughly comparably equipped F150 w/ HDPP and F250 6.2L truck are within about 1,000 dollars.

seaeagle2 wrote:
For the uninformed a Ford HDPP is also known as a "unicorn", very few and far between, usually custom ordered. From 2010 to 2014 you could tell them by the 7 lug wheels. Bottom line is pay load on door sticker minus passengers and gear in truck plus any equipment not installed by manufacturer, ie running boards, canopy. That number is what you have left for hitch weight, (the actual hitch weight not the random dry weight number from the trailer mfgr brochure).

For the uninformed a Ford HDPP is also known as a "unicorn", very few and far between, usually custom ordered. From 2010 to 2014 you could tell them by the 7 lug wheels. Bottom line is pay load on door sticker minus passengers and gear in truck plus any equipment not installed by manufacturer, ie running boards, canopy. That number is what you have left for hitch weight, (the actual hitch weight not the random dry weight number from the trailer mfgr brochure).

burningman wrote:

There are plenty of half tons that will tow that trailer, but a 3/4 ton will do it better and be a safer better stronger setup. That’s just how it is.

If you want better, safer, stronger, why aren't you using a Class 8 for your load? Seems like you just settled for Good Enough; just like the people that use a half ton within its ratings.
There is no end to "better, safer, stronger"; that's where common sense and reasonableness comes in.

burningman wrote:
Something important to point out: the old (and ridiculous) argument that some particular half-ton has the same or higher payload as a 3/4 ton is a meaningless paper statistic.

Good luck getting that point across, which is about as valid as valid can be, especially on an RV forum and maybe even more so on this particular one LOL.

Hi, very timely post. I have a 1999 suburban k1500 4x4 w/350 5.7 engine. I had a small Prowler Linx at 3500 dry weight and 5500 GVR. I pulled it easily. I just upgraded to a Keystone passport ultra lite 199 at 3605 dry weight (it has a slide so a little more room) and when I have it all packed and loaded with water, dog show stuff and hubby probably right around 5500. I would not want to pull more than that, but I have to go through 2 huge coastal mountain ranges and a vicious grade just to get out to civilization, so if you are pulling mostly flat, a little more would probably be okay. Good luck and have fun. If I were buying another truck it would be a 3/4 ton, but not a 2007 chevy classic. Had one and it was a piece of chit.

Something important to point out: the old (and ridiculous) argument that some particular half-ton has the same or higher payload as a 3/4 ton is a meaningless paper statistic.
The half tons are rated toward the top of their real mechanical abilities.
3/4 and one-tons are vastly underrated. Their published payloads are artificially manipulated to fit certain licensing classes, not by their mechanical ability.
The sticker may say it hasn’t got more capacity, but that’s just paper shuffling.
There are plenty of half tons that will tow that trailer, but a 3/4 ton will do it better and be a safer better stronger setup. That’s just how it is.