Good truck for towing

New 1/2 ton will do this easily. For reference, here is the Ford towing guide:
https://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/

Buying used, really depends.

You'll be full timing, definitely 2500.
6.4 Hemi will handily pull that trailer up any pass in US as would 6.6 Chevy and 7.3 Ford.

Is the 30' total length or just the box. Getting close to dog wagging the tail. I would go with a 3/4 ton, and like diesel for mountains and for ease of fill-up (truck stops) while towing.

jdc1 wrote:
Even better, find a used 2500 diesel

Ditto.

For full time travel, DIESEL all the way.

There's about a dozen people I follow on Youtube that are full timers, they all have a diesel truck and say for the amount of traveling they do, they'd never go with a gas truck.

I've had my diesel truck since 2009. I will never go back to gas as my primary tow vehicle.

jdc1 wrote:
Even better, find a used 2500 diesel

Even full timing, unless you are planning crazy numbers of miles, you likely won't recover the cost of diesel. Now if you find a deal...that's a different question.

A 3/4 ton does make sense for a full timer as it's less likely to have a "tail wagging the dog" situation as everything is bigger, heavier and stronger.

As others have said, go with the max loaded weight of the trailer for your early estimates (GVWR) and then figure out what is likely to be in the pickup (firewood, gas jugs, bed cap, etc...) as the hitch weight comes off your payload.

If you go 1/2 ton, make sure it has the heavier payload options (they can be as low as 1300lb to over 2400lb, so simply saying 1/2 ton can have a lot of variability). Payload will likely be your limitation with a 1/2 ton.

I recommend a truck with at least 8k tow rating, at least 1700 pound of payload. You can find that in some half tons and almost every 3/4 ton.

HappyKayakers wrote:
Go to this website Trailer Life Towing Guides and check the specs for different options. It will give you a much better picture of your towing capacity. Of course, you still need to figure out how much additional weight you'll be putting in the trailer and the truck.

the vehicle manufacturer's Towing Guides are much more accurate, than what TL publishes.

Go to this website Trailer Life Towing Guides and check the specs for different options. It will give you a much better picture of your towing capacity. Of course, you still need to figure out how much additional weight you'll be putting in the trailer and the truck.

For full timing get the 2500 and skip the 5.7. Get the 6.4 for better power and fuel economy.

He's going full time, that means more stuff. Get a 2500.