Truck Help

[bparks1987]

Hey all. I'm looking to purchase my first trailer. My question is this. What is the smallest truck size you all would go for towing purposes. I currently have a 2010 2WD ST long bed. V8 4.7L engine. Not very big for towing a trailer. I know I need to buy something bigger, I just don't know how big. Will a 5.3L be big enough. Will a hemi be ok? Or do I need to upgrade to a 2500 to be safe. Any info would be great. Thanks!

[Mike_Up]

LeBout wrote:

Oh sure! Throw the ol' "My pickup is newer than your pickup" thing in my face! 🙂

Kidding, of course. I'm sure you're right about all that. I guess the OP didn't specify whether he could afford a new pickup or was going to go with used. (How DO you afford those new ones, anyway???) 😉

I usually trade while the trucks have a very good trade in value according to Kelly Blue Book and stick to my guns on that price. I also get X-plan which several times has been cheaper than buying used. For instant, the 2008 Super Crew 4wd 5.4L 3valve, 4 speed, 3.73 axle, 6.5' bed truck with ~27,000 miles was within $500 of what I paid for my new 2010 F150 Crew Cab 4WD 5.4L 3 valve, 6 speed, 3.55 axle, 5.5' bed truck.

I only rid myself of the 2010 F150 because I was having problems that weren't getting fixed. The dealer gave me a hek of a trade in value I just couldn't resist. I came out way ahead because the dealer was going all out to make me happy as we had bought 4 vehicles from them. Plus I was able to get a 125,000 mile premium extended Ford warranty and 2.89% financing on it all. I came out with a payment less than the 2010 with a great extended warranty to make that truck last.

I don't plan on getting another truck for a very long time and why I had to make sure it was a great all around performer for commuting mileage, for towing, and for reliability for the family. While obviously not the best at any one thing, I believe it's the best at achieving all of those things simultaneously, and that's what I needed the most.

I would had loved to get a 5.0L HD package Crew cab 4WD but that's a very VERY rare build so it would need to ordered. I just couldn't wait for a truck on order. Plus the HD package does give up on the things I like, chrome package, E-Locking Axle, and 265 or 275 width tires.

[Huntindog]

The 1/2 tons tow ratings (Except Toyota) are so inflated as to be laughable.
The 3/4, 1 ton, Dually class appears to be realistic.

Certain 1/2 tons such as the Ford Ecoboost have high ratings (if you believe them) but they come at a price comparable to the 3/4 - 1 tons.

Take a peek underneath a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton to see the difference in the size of the running gear.
Then decide which one you'd rather tow with for about the same money.

[Huntindog]

ToneDog wrote:
At what point should one consider a 1 ton vs 3/4 if in the market for a new truck?

The price difference is usually so small....That it makes little sense not to get the 1 ton (SRW)

[LeBout]

Mike Up wrote:
While the old 5.4L 3V and 4 speed transmission could get it done, it was weak while doing it. If your judging solely on pulling power, the new drivetrains leave yours way behind.

Oh sure! Throw the ol' "My pickup is newer than your pickup" thing in my face! 🙂

Kidding, of course. I'm sure you're right about all that. I guess the OP didn't specify whether he could afford a new pickup or was going to go with used. (How DO you afford those new ones, anyway???) 😉

[ToneDog]

At what point should one consider a 1 ton vs 3/4 if in the market for a new truck?

[APT]

Mike Up wrote:

myredracer wrote:
I fail to understand why people think that the payload capacity published by a manufacturer or what is shown on the door jamb sticker is what it actually is and that they can load their truck up to that figure and tow just fine.

All I know is that our 3/4 ton truck is about 1000 lbs less payload capacity than what the door jamb sticker says.

The tread act sticker is mandated by the government and is more accurate than the +/- 50# accuracy of a cat scale.

I agree with Mike.

I cannot explain why you think the Tire and Loading sticker is off by 1000 pounds. I have read numerous accounts by people that have weighed their vehicles and obtained very close to the payloads listed on their Tread Act stickers, even for 3/4 ton Suburbans that I have.

Scales do not often lie so I agree recommending weighing with the whole family on board. But they are inconvenient for many people. People are lazy and cheap.

[Mike_Up]

myredracer wrote:
I fail to understand why people think that the payload capacity published by a manufacturer or what is shown on the door jamb sticker is what it actually is and that they can load their truck up to that figure and tow just fine.

It is so easy to find a scale and get a weight so why not try it even if just out of curiosity? You could find yourself getting a big surprise. It's better to be fully informed rather than flying blind. But then there's those that don't care anyway if they are grossly overloaded and know it.

All I know is that our 3/4 ton truck is about 1000 lbs less payload capacity than what the door jamb sticker says. Sure glad we weighed it. Even though we have a 29' lightweight TT, it's still possible to overload it without too much difficulty.

The tread act sticker is mandated by the government and is more accurate than the +/- 50# accuracy of a cat scale.

If you go by the tread act sticker, you are not flying blind. If you think it means nothing, you're just fooling yourself.

Tread act sticker does NOT include any passengers, not even the driver, and don't forget to include your added accessories. A spray in liner can weigh a lot as does a fiberglass lid or cap. The 2 can be 300 lbs right there. Add in a 300 lbs driver, there's 600 lbs. Add in the tools and the aftermarket tires/wheels, lift, 5th wheel, ect. and there's your extra 1000 lbs.

Tread act sticker payload is the payload as it left the factory with nothing in it except "FACTORY OPTIONS" and all fluids.

[myredracer]

I fail to understand why people think that the payload capacity published by a manufacturer or what is shown on the door jamb sticker is what it actually is and that they can load their truck up to that figure and tow just fine.

It is so easy to find a scale and get a weight so why not try it even if just out of curiosity? You could find yourself getting a big surprise. It's better to be fully informed rather than flying blind. But then there's those that don't care anyway if they are grossly overloaded and know it.

All I know is that our 3/4 ton truck is about 1000 lbs less payload capacity than what the door jamb sticker says. Sure glad we weighed it. Even though we have a 29' lightweight TT, it's still possible to overload it without too much difficulty.

[Mike_Up]

bparks1987 wrote:
Hey all. I'm looking to purchase my first trailer. My question is this. What is the smallest truck size you all would go for towing purposes. I currently have a 2010 2WD ST long bed. V8 4.7L engine. Not very big for towing a trailer. I know I need to buy something bigger, I just don't know how big. Will a 5.3L be big enough. Will a hemi be ok? Or do I need to upgrade to a 2500 to be safe. Any info would be great. Thanks!

I'd stay away from Rams as their payload is just to low to tow a reasonably sized travel trailer. Their payload was as low and on some, even lower than my previous 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Pickup truck with the 4.6L V8.

If you want a Ram, I would suggest going to a 3/4 ton.

A GM 2013 6.2L truck would work or a newer 2014 5.3L truck would work. The older 5.3l engines are anemic. Gm has decent 1/2 ton payloads as Ford but doesn't offer a crew cab heavy duty payload package (8200 GVWR) as Ford.

[Mike_Up]

LeBout wrote:
I have a 5.4L V8 (F-150) for a TV and a 25 foot TT with a dry weight of around 5300 lbs and loaded weight (guessing here) maybe 6000 to 6500 pounds depending. After pulling that trailer half-way across the U.S. and back I can tell you I would NOT WISH to pull any more weight than what I have! My engine is bigger than yours and your TT would be heavier than mine!

Conclusion: Either get a 3/4 ton for a TV or start looking at smaller TTs with less towing weight.

While the old 5.4L 3V and 4 speed transmission could get it done, it was weak while doing it. If your judging solely on pulling power, the new drivetrains leave yours way behind.

Before I bought my 2010 F150 Crew Cab 4WD 5.5' bed 5.4L 3V 6 speed automatic truck, I test drove a similar truck but an '08 with the 5.4L 3V 4 speed and a 6.5' bed. It felt like another engine. It was slow to get up to speed and felt torque deprived. The gearing in the new 6 speed transmission does so much for performance, it's a bigger difference than adding a slightly more power engine.

Saying that, I towed my trailer with that 2010 and it did very good with the 26BH, which is the same weight as yours. It pulled it effortlessly.

Now I have my 2012 which is the same truck but now with the 5.0L and 3.73 axle (previous was 5.4L with 3.55 axle). It makes my previous 5.4L 2010 F150 feel weak. The new 5.0L is a powerhouse.

So with the newer drivetrains, I don't think you can make that statement.

If you put some LT tires on the truck where you don't get the side to side whobble motion, and stay under 10,000 lbs, I think you would be pretty good.

However if I did not use my truck as a daily commuter where fuel economy was a concern, I'd have gotten a F250 6.2L gasser.

[Nvr2loud]

APT wrote:
The SAE spec does not particularly help with RV towing anyway where acceleration is not the limiting factor to determine tow rating. Payload and receiver limits are likely exceeded when towing an RV well under half ton tow ratings.

I could come close to agreeing with that statement...

My 1/2 ton has a payload rating of over 1600lbs and 9500 lbs towing capacity. The hitch is rated for 1200lbs weight distributing.

My trailer weighs about 5200 lbs (scale) loaded and has about 700 lb tongue weight. With my family and trailer I'm still under the payload capacity, still under the towing capacity, and still under the combined vehicle weight rating. I tow a 30ft travel trailer.

[LeBout]

bparks1987 wrote:
Thanks for the info everyone! It all helps. I'm looking at a Flagstaff V-Lite 26 WRB, or something similar (if anyone knows any thing similar let me know!). It says it's gross weight is 7,100, which is just under the 7,500 it says my truck can hold. Based on everyone's info, I'm going to have to do a little more research just to make sure the numbers are right. Thanks again all!

Ahem...we interrupt these flame wars to address the OP's original question.

I have a 5.4L V8 (F-150) for a TV and a 25 foot TT with a dry weight of around 5300 lbs and loaded weight (guessing here) maybe 6000 to 6500 pounds depending. After pulling that trailer half-way across the U.S. and back I can tell you I would NOT WISH to pull any more weight than what I have! My engine is bigger than yours and your TT would be heavier than mine!

Conclusion: Either get a 3/4 ton for a TV or start looking at smaller TTs with less towing weight.

Okay...we now return you to your regularly scheduled flame wars.

[APT]

The SAE spec does not particularly help with RV towing anyway where acceleration is not the limiting factor to determine tow rating. Payload and receiver limits are likely exceeded when towing an RV well under half ton tow ratings.

[2012Coleman]

Anyone who believes manufactures towing specs has their head in the sand. Toyota is the only manufacturer to use the new SAE standards and actually posted lower numbers - not saying Tundra is the best towing vechicle here - just that their numbers are the result of more realistic ttesting. Lots of info on the web about this - for example