Would I ever be happy towing with a half ton truck

ShinerBock wrote:
It still amazes me that people think a 5-6k lb half ton towing 10-11k lbs is absurd, but a 8-9k one ton towing 30+k lbs is perfectly acceptable. This is one reason why I think we need to get rid of terms like half tons and one tons because people place there expectations on what a half ton should tow in their mind rather than looking at the actual capabilities of the truck. To them it is perfectly fine that HD/SD trucks have increased tow ratings to absurd amounts over the years, but the half ton will always be good for towing less than 7k no matter how much they have been upgraded over the years.

Who is suggesting your average 1 ton is going to be happy with 30k lb?

The vast majority would say that's in MDT territory.

Gald65 wrote:
Should I stop being a tight a$$ and get a 3/4 ton truck?
TIA

Assuming similarly outfitted...3/4ton isn't much more than a 1/2 ton.

Find yourself a used 3/4 or 1 tone diesel srw and you'll never regret it.
I've owned various sized trucks since 1976. I can swear by the 5.9 and 7.3's.

bigger truck is obviously better.

I was really surprised at how much of a difference "E" tires made on my F150.

Let the kid pay for his/her own college education. Didn’t you? I did.

I pulled my 9500 lb Reflection with a 2009 Tundra and was quite happy with the performance and handling. Towed for a year and 6000 miles and no issues. Would have been happy with another Tundra or another 1/2 ton but I keep vehicles for 10 years and can see a 40' 5th wheel in that time frame so upgraded to a 3500 SRW.

If you are not happy with the current Sierra Denali with the 6.2 then you won't be happy with another one either. Skip the 2500 and just go 3500 SRW and that gives you more payload and options if you upgrade later on.

Rob

Thanks for all the help. Definitely a wealth of info from you all. I guess you could call it “ I Still Have One a More Kid In College Rig” isn’t horrible, I’m not sure how well or how bad my set up actually is. Parents always had motor homes, Travco’s to be exact (dating myself). This is my first trailer

If you go 250 stay away from diesel. Burns up so much payload a properly equipped
F150 with the heavy duty payload package (and minimum bells and whistles) can have more payload.

Reminds me of a dear family friend, older couple who've been pulling travel trailers for a long time now in Colorado. He didn't really tow much if any during his career and got into it in retirement.
Seemed every other year, it was bigger trailer, bigger truck, smaller trailer, smaller truck, bigger trailer again, same truck, finally settled on a HD payload F150 Ecoboost several years ago and was sooo happy with it.
It had the most power (more than his 3/4 gasser prior). You have the power.
He said it handled like his 3/4 ton but was "small" like a 1/2 ton. News flash, they were basically the same size EC LB trucks. BUT, it had heavy springs and E rated tires and that was the perfect combo for "him."
Point is, slap some suspension and some LT tires on it and you have a 400hp towing MACHINE.

ShinerBock wrote:
It still amazes me that people think a 5-6k lb half ton towing 10-11k lbs is absurd, but a 8-9k one ton towing 30+k lbs is perfectly acceptable. This is one reason why I think we need to get rid of terms like half tons and one tons because people place there expectations on what a half ton should tow in their mind rather than looking at the actual capabilities of the truck. To them it is perfectly fine that HD/SD trucks have increased tow ratings to absurd amounts over the years, but the half ton will always be good for towing less than 7k no matter how much they have been upgraded over the years.

In a nutshell, this ^.
If the OP doesn't like the handling of a 7500lb trailer behind that truck, then either it's not setup right, or you likely won't be happy with a newer 1/2 ton either.
The main things that determine stability of the truck while towing are tires and spring rate. Neither of which are heavier on new trucks and both of which are easily upgrade able a couple ways. Add springs and tires to your 1/2 ton or buy a 3/4 ton. Either way your paying for the upgrade. You're not going to gain much of any power going to a 3/4 ton gasser from your current Denali 1500.

This is a classic example of either lack of towing experience, too discerning of expectations, not setup right or believing the hype on rvnet.
And weight is only one of the factors that determines how something pulls. And the difference between 7500 and 8500 lbs isn't much. Wind resistance, tongue weight, how the wdh is setup (in your case), how the truck is prepped, how much weight behind the rear axle of the trailer, axle placement, trailer axle capacity etc etc all factor in.

Yes "over trucking" the setup reduces or negates some of those concerns, but many of them either can't be changed or will present the same with a bigger truck.

Not trying to talk you out of a bigger truck. Yes it is an upgrade and it will (arguably) negate the need for a wdh which simplifies the equation, but if the trailer wiggles behind a 1/2 ton it will still wiggle behind a bigger truck. And you'll feel it.

Back to the lack of experience part, it's the middle of winter, so just observe for a while, all the different trailers you see behind differnet trucks on a daily basis and you'll see that your truck is not out classed for the trailer you have.