tundra then a bettER choice?
I'm planning to get a truck to tow a 30 ft travel trailer. I'm choosing between Toyota Tundra vs ram 3500. I know ram has more power however I'm also looking in the future. I know toyotas are kn...
Forum Discussion
Everyone is correct in saying that the Tundra vs 1 ton is not an apples to apples comparison.
But the one question nobody has asked is what is the overall loaded weight and tongue weight of the 30' trailer? length is only 1 part of the equation.
I had a 5.7 Tundra dual cab long bed and it pulled my 28' TT very well, but my loaded weight was only ~7600lbs. The problem most will run into (me included) was the payload of nearly all of the 1/2 trucks is usually too low.
my Tundra had a payload of 1340lbs per door sticker. that meant that by the time I dropped my trailer on I had about ~500lbs payload left.
4/5 people in the cab, dog, firewood, bicycles, WD hitch, coolers...... meant I was over my payload by 1000 lbs sometimes. but still well withing my towing capacity. which is common with most 1/2 tons, you run out of payload well before towing capacity. the exception would be the F150 with the hd/max payload option....which is very had to find on a dealer lot BTW.
I eventually upgraded to a 2015 F250 crew cab short bed with the 6.2l gas motor and now have plenty of payload. I have not towed with it yet, so I can't give a fair comparison, but I expect it to be much more stable.
The Tundra 5.7l v8 was an animal of a motor, power was never the problem. I think it pulled better than my 7.3 diesel! but the overall handling and braking was not confidence inspiring when I was fully loaded (over loaded) and traveling windy back roads.
To say that the Tundra is behind the Ram 1500 or any other 1/2 ton is a BS statement. As a daily driver, the Tundra was very plush and VERY fast with the 4.30 gears it came with. my new Super Duty is slow and VERY stiff riding by comparison....but they can't really be compared because they are in different classes.
The Tundra is a great tow vehicle if you can keep within your specs which is pretty hard to do (but not impossible) once you start talking about a 30' trailer. Just remember that payload will most likely be your weakest link in any 1/2 ton.
But the one question nobody has asked is what is the overall loaded weight and tongue weight of the 30' trailer? length is only 1 part of the equation.
I had a 5.7 Tundra dual cab long bed and it pulled my 28' TT very well, but my loaded weight was only ~7600lbs. The problem most will run into (me included) was the payload of nearly all of the 1/2 trucks is usually too low.
my Tundra had a payload of 1340lbs per door sticker. that meant that by the time I dropped my trailer on I had about ~500lbs payload left.
4/5 people in the cab, dog, firewood, bicycles, WD hitch, coolers...... meant I was over my payload by 1000 lbs sometimes. but still well withing my towing capacity. which is common with most 1/2 tons, you run out of payload well before towing capacity. the exception would be the F150 with the hd/max payload option....which is very had to find on a dealer lot BTW.
I eventually upgraded to a 2015 F250 crew cab short bed with the 6.2l gas motor and now have plenty of payload. I have not towed with it yet, so I can't give a fair comparison, but I expect it to be much more stable.
The Tundra 5.7l v8 was an animal of a motor, power was never the problem. I think it pulled better than my 7.3 diesel! but the overall handling and braking was not confidence inspiring when I was fully loaded (over loaded) and traveling windy back roads.
To say that the Tundra is behind the Ram 1500 or any other 1/2 ton is a BS statement. As a daily driver, the Tundra was very plush and VERY fast with the 4.30 gears it came with. my new Super Duty is slow and VERY stiff riding by comparison....but they can't really be compared because they are in different classes.
The Tundra is a great tow vehicle if you can keep within your specs which is pretty hard to do (but not impossible) once you start talking about a 30' trailer. Just remember that payload will most likely be your weakest link in any 1/2 ton.
