budbon wrote:
We traded our fifth wheel in for a Winnebago Vista 27'. I bought an 87 (nice) Suzuki Samurai for a tow vehicle. I would like to sell my Dodge diesel, and the Samurai and get a 2008 - 2012 pickup as a tow vehicle. I need at least a 1/2 ton 4X4. Here in Colorado, 4X4 is a necessity. I also need something under 5000 pounds (Vista tow weight limit). Are there any suggestions for such a pickup that can be towed 4 on the ground?
budbon,
Well Sir, in reality, here's a suggestion on how you should proceed with your endeavor to tow.
1. Get your present motor home weighed to determine just EXACTLY what kind of weight you're dealing with and, what's left over to help determine your GCWR, Gross Combined Weight Rating.
2. Do not, REPEAT DO NOT believe what you read in the Dinghy towing guides as labeled weight of a potential 4x4 pickup that you may be thinking about.
3. The Dinghy towing guide for 2011, used for both our old toad and our present toad, stated our 2011 Honda CRV EX-L 4-wheel drive weighed 3200 lbs. Well, on a certified scale, it tipped a hair over, 3700 lbs. and there was no added components, it was completely stock.
4. That same towing guide stated that our present toad, a GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Extended Cab, weighs 4875 lbs. Wrong! Again, on a certified scale, it's running down the road at, 5300 lbs. Again also, no additional components added, it is completely stock.
Knowing the exact weights etc. helps determine type and model of towbars, safety cable size, and more. There's nothing wrong with asking folks on here for information pertaining to your situation. But, one of the first things you need to make sure of is, IF, it can be flat towed. For instance, Ford, in it's infinite wisdom, did not allow ANY of it's 1/2 ton series F-150 4x4 units to be flat towed, all the way up to the model year, 2012. From that point on, you can tow them.
GM, (both Chevy and GMC) 1/2 ton model 4x4s, have been authorized to be flat towed for years. Dodge, has authorized most, if not all of it's 1/2 ton series of 4x4 to be flat towed. Toyota, none of the automatics can be flat towed, as far as I know. Nissan, not those either. You better check on that though, to confirm or deny my info on those. Fords Ranger, in a certain range of model years, can be flat towed IF, you purchase what's known as a NTK or, Neutral Tow Kit. Talk about a rip-off, all that kit is, is an LED light on the dash and, a re-programming of the engine-trans-transfer case so it now can be put into a "NEUTRAL" position.
But, not all year Rangers can accept the NTK. Some checking needs to be done on that prior to purchase. Don't worry about all that "procedure" for placing any of them in NEUTRAL until you actually get an authorized, flat towable, 4x4 truck. Then, the owners manual will spell it all out for you and, for the most part, all of them are quite simple. I'm no expert on this stuff, just done a ton of research when looking for our present toad. Good luck in your search.
Scott
