Ideas for a truck to pull 6500lb trailer?

[otterslide]

I never had a trailer or a truck. I'm looking to buy a trailer that is about 6500lbs, but I need to buy a truck first.

So many options and capacities and reliability issues, I have no idea what I should be looking at any more.
Looks like a F150 with 2.7 engine would work, but not sure if something like a 2015 model would be reliable. I don't want to spend more than about 20k(USD) for the truck.
Ram 1500 Ecoboost also seems to have it's own issues especially maintenance and exhaust emission component problems that I often hear about from my neighbor who drives a truck for a living and says all truckers are hit by the new exhaust system rules.

So I'd rather not go diesel it seems.

Then there's the Toyota Tundra that seems to have the best reliability, but it's terrible on gas, and has some expensive parts if it ever does break down.

So, I wonder, what are people towing trailers daily finding the best for a 6500lbs trailer? And is there anything specific I have to look for when I buy it? Like tow package, gear ratio, etc?


Any ideas would be appreciated!

[campigloo]

Maybe consider a 2500 type truck with the gas engine. Any of them should have enough motor to do the job. The 2500’s may not ride as rough as you think. Part of the trick is deflate to rear tires to around 50psi and the fronts to 60. It makes a big difference.
Happy shopping!

[BarneyS]

My feeling is that the OP and some others are wrongly fixated on towing MPG rather than weights, floorplans, and reputation of manufacturer of trailer. When you are towing a trailer, you are going to get 8-10mpg no matter the truck/trailer combination unless you have a diesel. If that is the case you will probably get around 10-12mpg.

High miles per gallon of fuel just do not go together when you talk RVing. This is coming from someone who has towed RV's for many years with both gas and diesel trucks and cars. Started in the early 1960's towing with a Chev El Camino and Suburban - each with the largest engine GM made at the time, then with a Dodge 2500 w 5.9L gas engine, then a Ford F250 7.3L diesel, then Ram 2500 CTD, and now Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi but not towing anymore. I estimate towing over half a million miles and never got better than 12mpg consistently.
Barney

[PatJ]

MitchF150 wrote:

...When he tossed out a trade in price of $6500 I paused a few seconds and finally said "Okay, that sounds pretty good.."

I was expecting maybe $3000 at most and would have taken that!

We made the deal, and the dealer still had not physically seen it.

Come to find out they have already sold it, but don't know what they sold it for...

Early this spring we purchased a brand new class C. We traded in our well-loved and old (1980's era) class C. I traded it in because I didn't want to deal with flaky Craigslist people, and I was willing to take some loss for the convenience of a trade-in.

At negotiation time my wife threw out a ridiculous number (in my opinion) for the trade-in which was borderline embarrassing. It was literally at least $1k more than I could have ever gotten on Craigslist if I spent a weekend cleaning/detailing and then the planets aligned so the one-in-a-million unicorn buyer showed up with cash.

They (Camping World) immediately accepted the first offer with no issues, sight unseen, based on my verbal report of condition (I didn't lie or stretch the truth.) I did not overpay for the new unit, based on my extensive research on average purchase price of my specific unit nationally. Even if I did "over pay," I don't care, I love my new rig and I'm happy with the terms.

I was later told by my Camping World salesman that they have a "standing order" for "cheaper" (<10k) RV's with clean title-in-hand (no lien) and my rig was sold before I even proposed it as a trade in.

When I arrived in my old camper to pick up the new one, it seemed to me they cared about two things: the trade-in ran and drove and I had a clear no-lien title in my hand to sign over. Done deal. I was thrilled.

I have never traded in an old vehicle before but in this case it was the best possible outcome for me. I believe the story I was told about <10k rigs selling quickly for dealers. I don't know what they sold my old rig for and really I don't care, it was well cared for and will make a new family happy.

Just my story.

[winniman]

I am a contractor, and have had a 2012 5.7 Toyota supercrew Tundra since new. I pull trailers for work, as well as my 7000 lb boat with it. Other than brakes and tires, I have done very little as far as repairs. It has 90,000 miles on it. Even though I live in Ontario, it is pretty much rust free, and the frame is spotless. My cousin has the same year Dodge Ram, and it is a rust bucket. Any half ton will comfortably pull 5000 to 6000 lbs, but the small engines of some might not be desirable. The tundra has 380hp, and while it gets 16 mpg, it has plenty of hp to get you up that big hill, or onto the highway safely. Just thought I would add this as no one had any real life opinion on the Tundra.

[badsix]

ready to go camping this combination pulls great
Jay D.

[owenssailor]

My trailer weighs 6700 lb loaded for travel. I first towed it with a 2012 Silverado 5.3 6spd 3:42. That worked fine.

Now I have a 2017 Silverado 5.3 8spd 3:42. This engine has 40 more HP than the 2012. It handles the trailer with ease.

We go about 10 000 miles a year all across the continent.

[MitchF150]

otterslide wrote:

MitchF150 wrote:
I had my little #5000 TT for 16 years and traded it in for 1/2 the price I paid for it brand new back in 2002!

Good luck!

Mitch

Which trailer model did you have?
Thanks again, I'm narrowing down on a few trucks in my area now. I'll try to get something with enough extra towing capacity.

It was a 2003 Prowler Lynx 722F. I told the dealer over the phone what it was and how it was kept and that it never had any leaks and always maintained with a cover during the winter and on and on..

When he tossed out a trade in price of $6500 I paused a few seconds and finally said "Okay, that sounds pretty good.."

I was expecting maybe $3000 at most and would have taken that!

We made the deal, and the dealer still had not physically seen it. I even asked him if he really needed to see it first.. He said "no, if it's not how you say it is, then we will talk, but if it's as you say, it's a deal". I didn't lie about anything. We had done a lot of mods to it as well, and I told him of all of those and even still had the original parts that I included with it.

We spent 2 days unloading and cleaning it up. Once we got all our stuff out, cleaned it from top to bottom, it really cleaned up nice! I was impressed and felt really good about it when I towed it to them to pick up the new trailer.

They looked it over and said it's a deal and I drove off with the new trailer.

Come to find out they have already sold it, but don't know what they sold it for...

So, in the end, covering it up all these years paid off in the end!





Good luck!

Mitch

[otterslide]

MitchF150 wrote:
I had my little #5000 TT for 16 years and traded it in for 1/2 the price I paid for it brand new back in 2002!

Good luck!

Mitch

Which trailer model did you have?
Thanks again, I'm narrowing down on a few trucks in my area now. I'll try to get something with enough extra towing capacity.

[bikendan]

otterslide wrote:

MitchF150 wrote:
If the trailer GVWR is #5800, that's the max it can weigh.. You must mean that's it's "dry weight" and when you load it up, it can go up to it's GVWR. That was about the dry weight for my trailer. It's GVWR is #7000.

I've got 82,000 miles on my 13 F150 Ecoboost and it's only been in the shop for the couple of recalls on it (brake booster and transmission reflash of the program).

Oh, my truck has a 'tow rating' of #11,300... I feel maxed out with my #7000 TT. You will not enjoy towing a #6000 TT with that V6 Ram at all... I say that knowing what a difference it was towing a #5000 TT with my truck and then getting the #7000 TT with the same truck... Big difference!

But, every truck is different and no matter what make, model you get, there will ALWAYS be some that are a POS and some that shine..

Good luck!

Mitch

Ok, looks like I misunderstood what GVWR is, so the trailer will be a bit lighter than I thought then.
Dry Weight 3,914 lbs.
Payload Capacity 1,526 lbs.
GVWR 5,800 lbs.
Hitch Weight 380 lbs.

You have a pretty strong truck, and fast too. Surprising that you need such a big buffer to feel good towing.
How much worse does the MPG get when you're towing vs. not towing?
Thanks.

Yep, you didnt use GVWR correctly. Based on those numbers, if correct, almost any 1/2 ton would work. A 2.7 Ecoboost would work also and get better mileage than anything else in your price range.
BUT if you think you might upgrade to something bigger in the future, look for a bigger truck now.

I have had no problems with my F150 3.5 Ecoboost and love it. I average 10-11mpg towing, 16-17mpg mixed and often get 20mpg highway. I've been towing from Washington to Arizona every year, for the past 3 years and it has been stellar.

[Lwiddis]

“The GVWR on the tt is 5,800lbs. If I add some food/luggage and things I may end up around 6,000 to 6,500lbs, that's why I was thinking 6500 should work.”

Water...50 gallons...425 pounds. Now add propane, kid bicycles and toys outdoor rug, fire wood etc. Try 1200 to 1500 pounds in stuff.

[MitchF150]

I have always used regular gas with this truck (87 octane). Even towing my old #5000 TT. I tried premium (92) with it a couple of times, but really didn't see a difference and it would get 10 mpg towing the #5000 TT and no issues with heat.

First tow with the new #7000 TT, I used regular. Got 8 mpg, found I was having to go into 3rd gear to take the same grades I could take in 4th gear and had to watch the coolant temps real close. (I have a phone app that I can monitor a ton of the trucks other sensors that you can't see on the dash)

Second trip, I decided to try premium gas (even the owners manual suggests using premium when towing heavy)... About a week before my trip, I filled the truck with premium (there was a little less than 1/2 tank of regular). Before the trip I topped off with premium and took off.

Went the same route as the first trip (different destination, but same overall route) and noticed right off that where I was in 3rd on the grades, I could hold 4th AND keep the coolant temps in check. It was all about controlling the boost and rpms and speed.

Found I ended up at around 9 mpg on that second trip.

Now, for the kicker... Running regular, I get around 16 mpg overall on my daily commute to work. Keeping the premium in the tank, that has gone up to 17 mpg and the straight hwy mpgs are now in the 21 mpg range.

There will be the nay sayers of course, but this is just my results, so your MPG may vary! 🙂

Yes, you need to understand that just because a truck has a "tow rating" of X amount if you get a trailer at X amount, it's going to be maxed out and have no reserve left. Having that reserve amount is what makes the towing performance and experience much better.

That's why folks tend to say "you can't have enough truck" and always say you need to get a 1 ton diesel to tow anything.. That's fine, if that's what you want.. But, I've got 7 months that I'm not going to be towing now, so my F150 fits the bill for me and my TT choice. This will be my LAST TT I get and as big as I will ever need! I had my little #5000 TT for 16 years and traded it in for 1/2 the price I paid for it brand new back in 2002!

Good luck!

Mitch

[otterslide]

MitchF150 wrote:
If the trailer GVWR is #5800, that's the max it can weigh.. You must mean that's it's "dry weight" and when you load it up, it can go up to it's GVWR. That was about the dry weight for my trailer. It's GVWR is #7000.

I've got 82,000 miles on my 13 F150 Ecoboost and it's only been in the shop for the couple of recalls on it (brake booster and transmission reflash of the program).

Oh, my truck has a 'tow rating' of #11,300... I feel maxed out with my #7000 TT. You will not enjoy towing a #6000 TT with that V6 Ram at all... I say that knowing what a difference it was towing a #5000 TT with my truck and then getting the #7000 TT with the same truck... Big difference!

But, every truck is different and no matter what make, model you get, there will ALWAYS be some that are a POS and some that shine..

Good luck!

Mitch

Ok, looks like I misunderstood what GVWR is, so the trailer will be a bit lighter than I thought then.
Dry Weight 3,914 lbs.
Payload Capacity 1,526 lbs.
GVWR 5,800 lbs.
Hitch Weight 380 lbs.

You have a pretty strong truck, and fast too. Surprising that you need such a big buffer to feel good towing.
How much worse does the MPG get when you're towing vs. not towing?
Thanks.

[MitchF150]

If the trailer GVWR is #5800, that's the max it can weigh.. You must mean that's it's "dry weight" and when you load it up, it can go up to it's GVWR. That was about the dry weight for my trailer. It's GVWR is #7000.

I've got 82,000 miles on my 13 F150 Ecoboost and it's only been in the shop for the couple of recalls on it (brake booster and transmission reflash of the program).

Oh, my truck has a 'tow rating' of #11,300... I feel maxed out with my #7000 TT. You will not enjoy towing a #6000 TT with that V6 Ram at all... I say that knowing what a difference it was towing a #5000 TT with my truck and then getting the #7000 TT with the same truck... Big difference!

But, every truck is different and no matter what make, model you get, there will ALWAYS be some that are a POS and some that shine..

Good luck!

Mitch

[otterslide]

jfkmk wrote:
Is the 6500# dry weight or gross weight? If that is gross, a 150/1500 would be more than enough truck. I have a 3.5 150 3.5 eb and it tows a 6000# tt like it isnt there. It is max tow, so it has the bigger gas tank, which is nice to have when towing.

When we bought, we knew that the tt we bought would be the biggest we would get. Everyone has their own wants, and ours didn’t include a tt that is as big as a condo. Before buying the truck, I drove my neighbors one year old f250. While some people are “truck people” and love to drive the biggest truck they can find, I am not. Small, nimble cars are what I’m used to, and the 250 diesel was not for me. Since I’m not going to tow anything bigger than what I have, the f150 fits my bill for many years to come.

Bottom line, keep your eye on the payload of the truck you’re looking at and you’ll be fine.

The GVWR on the tt is 5,800lbs.
If I add some food/luggage and things I may end up around 6,000 to 6,500lbs, that's why I was thinking 6500 should work.

I definitely want the smallest possible with the best mileage, but I want to make sure it won't have problems pulling the trailer.. I think something like the Ram 1500 with V6 may be cutting it too close, it lists 7,200lbs max tow. That truck would be pretty ideal in terms of mileage for me.