$10,000 TV

[lee4019]

Hi Folks,

Looking for a early to mid 2000's TV. It will be a dedicated TV, making 4 to 6 camping trips per year, around 300 to 350 miles round trip. The TT that has the floorplans I'm looking at, are the Forest River micro and mini lites that have 4700- 5000 GVWR.

So far the 2006 Chevy Tahoe has been showing up on my research a few times. The LT and Z71 has 295hp and 335 ft-lbs torque at a price of $12k. That's my max budget. I would like to find a TV in the $10k range.

Oh yeah, there is a hill I will be going up and down, with 3% to 5% grade (2000' elev over 11 miles) that I should mention. So is their any TV's from the early 2000's, that are great for towing, that I should be researching?

Thanks

[lee4019]

Hi Folks,

So a friend of mine told me about this truck.

1996 Dodge Ram 1500 Reg. Cab 6.5-ft. Bed, 4WD, Laramie. It has a 8-Cylinder, 5.9L V8 OHV 16V and a Auto. Trans. I don't think it has the towing package.

It's a pretty good drive, so I would like to get a ideal of the towing capacity and other info, to see if it's worth checking out.

So I'm pulling 4800lbs max, do you think it can do it?

Thanks


Update: I finally found the tow rating, It says 7200 lbs.

[kw_00]

Yep those 6.5 and 6.2 can be pretty reliable and good service for you if you know your way around them. Got a friend that's a die hard 6.2-6.5 diesel series dude. But he knows about them being a mechanic. I know that back several years ago I had the 6.2 in a 3500 dually for work use. It lasted a long time, kinda slow taking off from a light, especially if loaded. All in all had no issues with it, so no complaints here.

[lee4019]

Thanks Turtle n Peeps

I saw in the description somewhere, that it was 180hp. I thought it might be a typo.

[APT]

lee4019 wrote:
So when looking in 1990-2000 market, should I look in 2500 or 3/4 tons TV's and skip the 1/2 tons when towing a 5000 lb TT?

You are only getting worse performance the older you get for the same class of truck. 99 Ford started the port improved heads on the 5.4L in the F-150. I had one, then a 2003 of same design. Fine for flat land, not so much for hills, mountains towing 6000 pounds. Get a big block, which means 3/4+ ton. You won't have to worry about tow rating. You won't have to worse about do I have enough power. You won;t have to worry about if it has the towing package or towing axle in a half ton.

www.autotempest.com should help you.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

lee4019 wrote:
Anybody know about this truck?

1993 or 1995 Chevrolet C/K 2500, 6.5L Turbo Charged Diesel, Automatic transmission, tow package, Maximum towing capacity: 9000 lbs, 100k miles

Thanks

I own a 93 same spec's as above.

I'm in the minority but I really like the truck. I have a 06 Duramax and I like driving my 93 better. :E In fact I towed my trailer to the repair shop the other day and I thought, wow this thing tows nice.

Now all that being said the 6.5 has some problems. One is they only put out about 200 HP. That is a problem if you tow in the mountains a lot. On the flat and little hills it's fine.

Another problem with the 94 on up is the PMD. Much like the CPS on the 7.3's they go out and your engine just dies. The good news is they make a good one and for a little over a few hundred bucks you fix the problem.

Another problem is for some reason GM though pig iron was gold in those days so they did not put much of it in their diesel engines and this caused cracking problems in the heads and block.

And last but not least GM did not put the best quality head gaskets or bolts in their 6.5's. The head gaskets rotted out and their bolts are junk TTY bolts.

There is good and bad with this engine. They pull down great mileage when towing and solo. Mine gets 12 to 13 towing a 7K trailer and around 18 solo with 4:10 gears.

All in all I love my 6.5 but in good consensus I can't really recommend this engine unless you know your way around it and want to mod it up a bit. Mine is mod'ed up and I would not be afraid to tow across the country with it today. :E

[lee4019]

Anybody know about this truck?

1993 or 1995 Chevrolet C/K 2500, 6.5L Turbo Charged Diesel, Automatic transmission, tow package, Maximum towing capacity: 9000 lbs, 100k miles

Thanks

[Grit_dog]

As much as I like Dodges, I would only reccomend the older models with a manual trans, low miles, or fresh trans rebuild. Not a fan of the 46 or 47RE transmissions.
That said, you can find the 2nd Gen 1500 and 2500's with stick shift, which, IMO if you have a dedicated tow vehicle that does not have one of the newer "smart" 5 or 6 speed autos, get a stick shift, period.
GM, you can get the NV4500 trans in the 90's models 1500 through 3500 backed up by a 5.7 or a 7.4. Both very bulletproof combos if well maintained or not a ton of miles. Be ware that pre 93 I think, the 1500 stick shift GM's were a 1 piece aluminum light duty trans. I had one that I beat the tar out of for 200k mi without failure but they were known for issues.
In short, Dodge or GM with a 5 speed stick.

[dspencer]

Pay no attention to those saying to get a 3/4 ton truck for a 5K trailer. If you go with an SUV, i would say the Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon or the Ford Expedition. I just traded in an 03 Expedition last year that was my tow vehicle, i towed a 5200lb trailer plus gear and it was a great towing experience with no problems at all!

[kw_00]

I have had good service with my 02 crew cab with the 6.0. You can find them much cheaper now along with the comparable Ford gas 3/4 ton as well. My thought is to go drive several types and choose the best for you. I went the 3/4 ton route due to future upgrading in which I did. I like owning a truck with a lot of payload. The 6.0 pulled better then my 5.3 did, the main reason is that it stays in gear longer. It seems to not strain as much as the 5.3 did, just my experience. Anyway good luck on your search, take your time and drive different brands. You will find the one ment for you.

[MegaCab_PL]

I can tell you that pre 2000 1/2 tons will not do (I know what I said few posts above, but that referred to newer generation Tahoe).

I had a 99 Tahoe with tow package and 3.73 gears that struggled with 4000 lbs. Maybe it was just my truck, but my 06 Explorer with 4.6 is way better.

[lee4019]

Hi Folks

So while researching TV's I've come across a few pre-2000 trucks and vans. I haven't found a tow guide that goes later than 1999.
So a couple of questions.

So when looking in 1990-2000 market, should I look in 2500 or 3/4 tons TV's and skip the 1/2 tons when towing a 5000 lb TT?

And, any you folks that have used the 1990-2000 TV's have any suggestions, at what I might want to focus on, brands, type, years, mileage, motor, etc?

Sorry for all the questions, I want to be prepared before I start stepping on the car lot.

Thanks

[1oldtruck]

How much towing capacity do you lose by towing with the Tahoe vs a pick up? Wouldn't the added weight of the SUV reduce towing capacity quite a bit?

[Big_Katuna]

Go ahead and buy a half ton- fine for a 5000# TT.

But when you change your mind and decide to get a 7500 or 8000# TT,
SELL THE TRUCK AND START OVER.

An 8.1 with the Allison is a superb towing truck with downhill braking. It will be loafing as you blow by all the half ton trucks with the smaller V-8 up 8% grades.

Sure gas mileage is worse but if you are just towing, it might cost a few hundred extra per year. At the most.

I towed a 5000 pound Airstream all over the west in a half ton Chevy.

Replaced the trans at 70K miles. Rebuilt the brakes every other year.

[APT]

It is not a matter of need. It is a matter of value for the intended purpose. I had a similar vintage truck towing 6000-7000 pounds. It was fine on relatively flat Michigan, but up-hill freeway on-ramps kind of sucked. Enter 6-spd transmissions circa 2007+. THose aren't $10k. The only way to get similar power for those older trucks is 3/4 ton 425+ lb-ft of engine torque. For someone that lives near mountains, you want a lot ore power/gearing than half tons had in 2000-2005.

2003 Tahoe had a base tow rating of 5700 pounds. Some have as high as 7400 pounds. Axle ratio and HD trans cooler are hard to filter on-line searches. Why bother? Availibility? Plenty of 3/4 tons out there. Unloaded ride and fuel economy? OP doesn't care, as he won't use it that way.

Utility of an SUV for a single person and dog - I favored my pickup over my SUV, despite the lower ratings and capabilities.

[mastercraft1995]

MegaCab_PL wrote:
Sorry to be a pest here, but why is half of you guys talking about Ford with v10 or GM with 8.1.

The OP is talking about 5k trailer.
Even with the lower rated Tahoe at 7800 lbs, he would be at about 60%.

Lee4019 - I had a Tahoe, then gas Ram Megacab, and now I am back to 2006 Explorer. You have a dog and from my experience, nothing beats utility of an SUV

I have no idea why people think you a 3/4 or 1 ton truck to pull a 5,000 pound trailer. I pull my 6,0000 pound trailer all over the NW without problems with my 1/2 ton Tundra.