Tow Vehicle Suggestions

My best advice, if you don't have a trailer yet, is to get more truck than you need. Most people i have known buy their second trailer a few years after their first, and it's usually bigger/heavier. Plus, the bigger/heavier the truck, the easier towing is. Steering, stopping, accelerating... makes driving it MUCH easier.

If you are looking at the current crop of half ton (150/1500 series) trucks, the good news is that there are a lot of good choices out there. The bad news is there are a lot of good choices out there :). Tough to make a decision.

You really can't go wrong though. Ford, Ram, and General Motors all make great half ton trucks. Drive them all and narrow it down to a brand, then we can help by suggesting engine and axle ratio choices based on which brand you prefer.

The GMC/Chevys have the 5.3L V8 and 6.2L V8s, Ford has the Ecoboost turbo V6 (2 different ones coming for 2015 -- a 2.7 and a 3.5L) and 5.0L V8, and Ram has the Ecodiesel turbo V6, V8 Hemi, 4 corner adjustable air suspension, 8 speed auto (others are 6) and the Hemi V8.

Is 1522 pounds of payload from this sticker?



5000ish pounds dry means 6000-6500 pounds loaded with 800-ish pounds of tongue weight. That leaves with with about 700 pounds for anyone in the SUV and some gear. That seems like enough for many families.

well I am new and getting my first rv soon, I did find very nice ratings on the search for towing spec on my f150, charts and things about all kinds of fords, you should be able to find the towing rating of your nav. in a search

Great. Better than I thought. That'll handle anything you're looking at. Enjoy the world of Rving.

I would ao's of you can and are already thinking its time for a new TV. Find the TT you really want and purchase the TV that fits. Maybe suggest to the DH a slightly used TV and an inexpensive commuter vehicle.

Okay, I've searched for more numbers. The GCWR is 15,000 lbs, the max tongue weight is 920 lbs, and the WDH rating is 9200 lbs. Thanks so much for your help.

Welcome to the forum!

as for parking structures...unfortunately...the fashion statem crowd has
the OEM marketing folks spec out ever taller pickups and SUVs...they
look bigger, but the real metrics are their ratings. I'll get to the ratings
in below

My 1996 Suburban is the 3/4 ton (8,600 lb GVWR) and can go into any
6'4 parking garage. 'Some' 6'2, but go slow and use the antenna as
my guide. If it hits...back outta there. A 'half ton' Suburban is
about 2.5" lower and that is because the 3/4 ton has bigger: frame,
suspension, drive train, tires, etc, etc...even though they both use
the exact same body and is where folks get mixed up

The new 3/4 ton (8.6K GVWR) pickups are taller than mine. Even the lower
class half ton's are taller by a couple inches.

Ask your husband to check the garages he wants to park in and that is
your height mark

All you need are a few pointers on what the various acronyms stand for
and how they play together. Specifications/ratings/limits/etc are all
specified by all the OEMs in their contract to you via their brochures,
specification sheets, manuals and the various labels on/in the vehiche

There is FINE PRINT that modifies those ratings and that is where most
folks get oblique in their figuring. Out of context and thinking any
one rating is an absolute (they are NOT, as there are interdependencies)

Out of context example: say a 'half ton' TV is rated to tow 9,000 lbs
(MTWR, Max Tow Weight Rating) and most folks think that any half ton
is so rated.

Not so. There are three sub classes within the 'half ton' class. A
low end 6.x K GVWR. Mid range 7.x K GVWR and a high end 8.x K GVWR
Then the fine print stating a 'curb' (AKA stripper), one 150 lb driver
and sometimes full fluids, other times partial tank fulls

So that 9,000 MTWR is out of context and bogus unless you have the
'stripper' model...weigh in at 150 lbs, no other people/pets/cargo/etc

'Curb' and 'Dry' are bogus weights based on the 'stripper' model that
most no one every orders, nor are they offered for sale in some cases

Best to use their actual scaled weights. Tough when you don't have
any one of or either of them, but there is a way and it provides the
most comfortable experience with lots of OEM dialed in safety margin

This is the diagram showing how the specifications/ratings/limits/etc
system looks like in graphical form. Same for a pickup, SUV, Van, etc

howmuchshoulditow howmuchcanitow



With that diagram along with the various TV's GVWR/FGAWR/RGAWR/GCWR
and the trailers GVWR...you can figure it out on paper with simple
math.

Since you don't have their actual weights (GVW, gross vehicle weight).
Use their GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight R A T I N G S)

That is the most they are rated to carry or transfer to the pavement

then keep below their GVWR's and you will have OEM dialed in safety margin

Post back on how it goes!

The number you want to find is GCWR - Gross Combined Weight Rating. That's the total of loaded vehicle and anything towed. I suspect yours will be 11,000-11,500 lbs. Then fill up your Navigator with gas, you and DH go to a truck scale and weigh with all aboard. I suspect that will be about 5,500 lbs. That means you have about 5,500-6,000 lbs for your trailer and stuff. That should handle the trailers you're looking at, and usual contents. Our 25' Coachmen TT (4,700# dry) and '02 Ford van weigh just below the 12,000 GCWR loaded for travel. We've towed it 30,000 miles all over the country with no towing issues. Be sure you get a good weight distributing hitch. We have a Reese dual-cam.

Thank you for the clarification. I'm trying to sort out all of these different numbers.