Half-ton vs 3/4 Ton

[humblerb]

We have been towing a travel trailer for about 6 years now.
Like a lot of Newbies, our first trailer was WAAAYYY too heavy for our TV and for us as newbies.
Had white-knuckle experiences for about 6 months, then decided we had to just bite the (financial) bullet and make a change.
As I recall, our first trailer ended up being about 8500# on the scale and we were towing with half-tons.
The second trailer we got was bought with a dry sticker weight of 6,000# and has a wet weight at 7200#-7300#. This trailer tows very well behind our Nissan Armada and our F150. We know that we are right at our limits with weight, so very cautious about extras that we take in the TT or TV.
The wife is ready to change trailers and get one that has features we would like to have (must-haves, for her).
A King Bed in most TTs means an extra slide (= more weight). Same for a tub rather than shower stall (more weight, not slide).
Most of the trailers we look at that have extra seating (sofa and two recliners, two sofas and chairs, etc) also are in heavier trailers.
The decision we have reached is, if we want to upgrade our TT, we are going to need to upgrade our TV.
As mentioned earlier, our 8500# trailer was a white-knuckle experience and our 7300# trailer is very comfortable (relative to towing a 4-ton wind sail).
Question I have is, if I upgrade the TV to 2500 (3/4 Ton) and look to purchase a trailer that will probably be as much as 8500# - 9500#, does the 3/4 ton remove the white-knuckle experience?
I guess what I am wondering is, was my uneasiness with the heavy trailer an issue with the trailer in general? or was it because the trailer that heavy was being towed by a half-ton?

[Lwiddis]

Years ago a truck salesman tried to talk me into one ton instead of a 3/4 for my TC. I liked my 3/4 but I should have ordered the one ton.

[Cup_fan]

To answer your question in a nutshell, yes a 3/4 ton will make your towing experience better. My trailer is similar in weight to yours, a little over 8000 lbs. and 35 ft in length. I was towing it with a 1/2 ton Ram with the Hemi and a 3:92 gear ratio, and a 10,000 lb tow rating. This truck had plenty of power, and for the most part, I was pleased with the way it towed this trailer. The biggest issues was high winds, steep downhill grades, and rough roads. Another issue was once the truck was loaded up with firewood, coolers, etc, I often had difficulty getting the rear "squat" out of the truck once the trailer was hitched. Moving up to a 3/4 ton truck immediately eliminated all of those issues. You've got a heavier truck with a much heavier suspension, larger brakes, and larger 10 ply tires, all of which greatly improves the towing experience. Unless you just want the extra torque and power, along with the extra expense of a diesel, a gasser will do you just fine. I've got the Chevy with the 6.0 and 4:10 gears, and it towes my trailer effortlessly. It has a tow rating of 13,500 lbs for a trailer and 14,500 lbs for a 5th wheel, so plenty of weight capacity left for firewood and all of your gear, or to move up to a bigger, heavier trailer in the future. Good luck!

[time2roll]

Forget the 2500 exists and go 3500 SRW. Mostly it is the same truck with more payload and towing capacity.

[RinconVTR]

humblerb wrote:

RinconVTR wrote:

humblerb wrote:

Question I have is, if I upgrade the TV to 2500 (3/4 Ton) and look to purchase a trailer that will probably be as much as 8500# - 9500#, does the 3/4 ton remove the white-knuckle experience?

Heck, even with a 3/4 ton, towing a TT that large and heavy...you will feel the difference immediately.

This is the type response I have been looking for.
You're saying that the tow experience in my 1/2 ton with 7200# (very comfortable) would not be duplicated in a 3/4 ton with 9000#?
The heavier trailer feels different, regardless of the TV.
Do you have experience with both?
Does a "3/4 ton pulling 8500#" experience fall between the "Half Ton pulling 7300#" and the "Half Ton pulling 8500#" experience?
Sure seems like it would, but no experience on my end.
Lots of 3/4 tons pulling these heavier trailers.
Just curious if the 3/4 ton makes the tow experience much better?
Or are those drivers more comfortable towing than I am and I am destined to a half ton, light trailer experience?

My comments may have been taken out of context.

There is no definitive answer to say a 7200lb or 9000lb trailer pulled with either 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton will feel better or worse on the interstate. There are too many variables.

Larger trucks handle more tongue weight but that does not equal stability by default when pulling large travel trailers.

My second comment was regarding towing bumper pull travel trailers with a Hensley WDH. Both 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks will feel incredibly more stable towing travel trailers with this hitch. Almost as if you're towing a 5th wheel.

[chiefcamper]

Just to give you some numbers. My trailer has a GVW of 9500lbs and a listed hitch weight of 965lbs. The dry weight is somewhere around 7400lbs. My truck (2500hd) has a cargo capacity (yellow sticker) of 2853lbs. So with a 15% hitch weight (rather than the posted weight) that's around 1500lbs. 2853-1500 = 1353lbs. Four people in the truck, another 850lbs still leaves me just over 500lbs for "stuff".

I have never come close to this because we never have had that many people in the truck but we will this spring as we are going to a wedding in Ohio. I have no issue as I know the trailer will be somewhat lighter, for instance it will have no water on board and it is just too new to have much stuff in it yet! So I feel very comfortable with this truck. The total length of the TT is 35'10'' (hitch to bumper) so obviously a WDH and sway control is very helpful.

I originally towed it home with a 1500, it pulled it fine but the ride was bouncy and it just did not feel all that safe but I didn't have time to upgrade yet! I used to drive fire trucks for a living they go fast! Driving a 80,000lb ladder truck at 65 mph, you want it to stop when you hit the brakes! Everything these days can get up and go, it's the stopping power that is far more important to me. The 250/2500 series have better braking power something that seems to be overlooked by many when they are just concerned with how much they can pull.

Stay safe everybody!

[humblerb]

1stgenfarmboy wrote:
A half ton from the mid 90's is not the same truck in 2015, the newer trucks are huge and heavy with giant wheels and tires, for instance....my 1993 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 weighs 6,300 with me in it and full of fuel, I would be willing to say ( don't know for sure ) a new 1/2 tone is as heavy if not more, so in this case they would be the same with exception of payload, but as far as the white knuckle stuff it would make no difference.


what year is the 1/2 tons your are using ? do you have them set up with sway bars and WDH, a 6,500-7,000 lb wet TT would tow fine with a modern half ton with all the goodies, what you are talking about is the seat of your paints feeling, not ( OH I am 250lbs over my advertised max payload ).


if you tow in the mountains, tow at 70mph, take 1,500lb of stuff in the bed of the truck, then you need a 1 ton DRW truck.

If you tow 50 miles to the local CG a few times a year and home a newer 2012+ 1/2 ton will be fine with a sub 7,500lb TT.


I tow very A heavy goosneck a few times a year 19k+ with a 93 Dodge 1 ton DRW 4x4, you don't want to take your eyes off the road as you have a feeling it will take a while to stop, to me this never goes away even when towing my 6,500 lb TT, just an observation for me.

My F150 is a 2012 and my Armada is a 2010.
As I stated, I can tow my 7300# perfectly fine with either of these vehicles.
Obviously, I have WD Hitch and Sway control at 7300#.
Where I am headed is, I felt like the 8500# trailer was way more than I was comfortable hauling (and because of the excellent assistance I received from my salesman (NOT), I was way overloaded in my half ton).
I know I can't move to that weight trailer with what I currently own.
I am not opposed to upgrading to be able to handle the larger trailer.
What I'm not comfortable with is spending upwards of $100k, only to find that the heavier trailer gives me the white knuckle experience in the 3/4 ton, as it did with the half ton.

[1stgenfarmboy]

A half ton from the mid 90's is not the same truck in 2015, the newer trucks are huge and heavy with giant wheels and tires, for instance....my 1993 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 weighs 6,300 with me in it and full of fuel, I would be willing to say ( don't know for sure ) a new 1/2 tone is as heavy if not more, so in this case they would be the same with exception of payload, but as far as the white knuckle stuff it would make no difference.


what year is the 1/2 tons your are using ? do you have them set up with sway bars and WDH, a 6,500-7,000 lb wet TT would tow fine with a modern half ton with all the goodies, what you are talking about is the seat of your paints feeling, not ( OH I am 250lbs over my advertised max payload ).


if you tow in the mountains, tow at 70mph, take 1,500lb of stuff in the bed of the truck, then you need a 1 ton DRW truck.

If you tow 50 miles to the local CG a few times a year and home a newer 2012+ 1/2 ton will be fine with a sub 7,500lb TT.


I tow very A heavy goosneck a few times a year 19k+ with a 93 Dodge 1 ton DRW 4x4, you don't want to take your eyes off the road as you have a feeling it will take a while to stop, to me this never goes away even when towing my 6,500 lb TT, just an observation for me.

[humblerb]

RinconVTR wrote:

humblerb wrote:

Question I have is, if I upgrade the TV to 2500 (3/4 Ton) and look to purchase a trailer that will probably be as much as 8500# - 9500#, does the 3/4 ton remove the white-knuckle experience?

Heck, even with a 3/4 ton, towing a TT that large and heavy...you will feel the difference immediately.

This is the type response I have been looking for.
You're saying that the tow experience in my 1/2 ton with 7200# (very comfortable) would not be duplicated in a 3/4 ton with 9000#?
The heavier trailer feels different, regardless of the TV.
Do you have experience with both?
Does a "3/4 ton pulling 8500#" experience fall between the "Half Ton pulling 7300#" and the "Half Ton pulling 8500#" experience?
Sure seems like it would, but no experience on my end.
Lots of 3/4 tons pulling these heavier trailers.
Just curious if the 3/4 ton makes the tow experience much better?
Or are those drivers more comfortable towing than I am and I am destined to a half ton, light trailer experience?

[RinconVTR]

humblerb wrote:

Question I have is, if I upgrade the TV to 2500 (3/4 Ton) and look to purchase a trailer that will probably be as much as 8500# - 9500#, does the 3/4 ton remove the white-knuckle experience?

Absolutely not. No one can say with any certainty that towing a trailer that large with a 1/2 or 3/4 will not be a white knuckle experience in any given condition. There are too many variables.

You may want to try a Hensley or Propride hitch at some point before upgrading to a truck you may not actually need for more than a few weekends a year. Heck, even with a 3/4 ton, towing a TT that large and heavy...you will feel the difference immediately.

[humblerb]

downtheroad wrote:
For the trailer you are considering...a 2500/250 will be much better than most any 1500/150....

But, don't make the same "newbie" mistake again. Get a 1 ton and be done with it. Chump change difference in price, same ride quality, and the extra benefit of Payload, which is really the name of the game.

Yeah, see, I am walking fine line here. I have to teach my wife about payload to convince her we're not going to increase the weight we tow with a half ton.
But, I have to be careful to get too much payload or I'll end up with one of these:
http://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetails/new-fifth-wheel-rvs/2017-forest-river-cardinal-3950tz-rear-living-80k-KAT1351187

Which brings on a whole set of additional issues:
Won't fit in my 40' shop.
Adds about another 10 years to my work life.
🙂

[downtheroad]

For the trailer you are considering...a 2500/250 will be much better than most any 1500/150....

But, don't make the same "newbie" mistake again. Get a 1 ton and be done with it. Chump change difference in price, same ride quality, and the extra benefit of Payload, which is really the name of the game.

[humblerb]

MFL wrote:
A 9,000 lb TT is a big trailer. Yes, a larger heavier truck will make it easier, as will an upper end expensive WDH. The larger truck will have noticeably stiffer springs, and much stiffer sidewall tires at 80 psi, which gets rid of a lot of towing squirm.

Many consider 7K TT, about the max for 1/2 ton towing.

Jerry

I'm definitely in the 7,000# (7200#-7300#) camp max for a half ton. And even then, it needs to be the right half ton. My Payload exceeds 1500#. I often see posts where people are towing 7,000# with 1250# Payload. That doesn't leave much room for passengers and lunch.

[humblerb]

goducks10 wrote:
A 3/4 ton gasser would be perfect. A 3/4 ton diesel will be ok, but a little closer on payload. Before we got our current 5th wheel I towed a 31' 7300 lb TT with my current 12 Ram 2500 CC LB 4x4 CTD. I had zero issues towing with it. I had a tongue weight around 900-950 lbs or so. It's just the wife and I (280 lbs total) so we had plenty of payload left. I towed the same TT with a 2010 F150 before. It was just okay. Moving up to the 3/4 ton made towing effortless.

Your experience is very similar to me. My current 7200# trailer, while not effortless, is very comfortable with my F150 and even with the Armada. When we had the 8500#, not so much. I know all about Cargo capacity and how to find tongue weights and knowing if I am comfortably within the limits of my truck/trailer or not.
I'm just curious, in a similar situation, where 7300# is comfortable, but 8500# is white knuckle, does a 3/4 ton move the needle on 8500# closer to comfortable?
The 1 Ton option is something I had not thought about. Without ever having looked for one, my guess is, there will be a lot fewer of them than there are 3/4 Ton. But definitely something I will look in to.

[Trackrig]

Personal preference, but I'd also buy it with a standard 8' bed, not a short bed and since you're going to a newer truck (used or brand new) I'd go to the 1-ton. What happens when she wants a newer heavier trailer?

Bill

[goducks10]

A 3/4 ton gasser would be perfect. A 3/4 ton diesel will be ok, but a little closer on payload. Before we got our current 5th wheel I towed a 31' 7300 lb TT with my current 12 Ram 2500 CC LB 4x4 CTD. I had zero issues towing with it. I had a tongue weight around 900-950 lbs or so. It's just the wife and I (280 lbs total) so we had plenty of payload left. I towed the same TT with a 2010 F150 before. It was just okay. Moving up to the 3/4 ton made towing effortless.