Unique situation: What tow vehicle checks all the boxes?

[davehultin]

Today I thought I might found my next tow vehicle, but it didn't check all the boxes. I'm looking for something that can tow 9000 lbs or better. Sounds like a pickup, right? But my wife has a business that requires the occassional use of the tow vehicle's cargo space. She likes to be able to drop the third row seats (in my 2010 Ford Expedition, Eddie Bauer edition) and collapse the seconde row seats into cargo mode. It opens up a LOT of room which is just perfect for her!

I thought I found a great fit for the next tow vehicle: A Nissan NV passenger van!
- Tow capacity: Over 9000 pounds - check!
- Cargo space: Lots of it! - check!
- Seats removable and/or collapsable? Removable, but not collapsable. - No check. 😞 That was a deal-killer.

Some of the 6.0 liter SUVs get up to around 8600 pounds towing capacity so we might be able to make that work, but honestly I don't want to cut the weight limits that close.

Any suggestions for tow vehicles that will check all the boxes on the list? 9000+ lbs towing capacity + cargo space + seats that can collapse?

[Grit_dog]

agesilaus wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

agesilaus wrote:

BB_TX wrote:
Pickup with a hard solid tonneau cover (not roll or fold) and bedrug. Makes the bed like a huge carpeted trunk.

And when you buy a bed rug, go to Rural King or Tractor Supply and buy a Stall Mat and save yourself hundreds of bucks.

Lol stall mat vs bed rug? How are those even remotely the same?

Hmm, I have a stall mat in my 6"4" bed. It's maybe an inch thick, hard surfaced. Admittedly it does not fill around the wheel wells and is 4" short. But at $55 vs $250 I can live with that. It does a great job of cushioning the bed to save my knees. And the high friction surface keeps stuff from sliding easily.

What more does a real truck bed mat do anyway?

He said bed rug. Not bed mat.

[davehultin]

valhalla360 wrote:
What is your wife's mysterious cargo?

Glamping equipment: fargoglamping.com. It's important that the glamping goods travel clean and covered, and some of it requires a space that's taller than a truck bed.

Our years of camping were at least part of the inspiration for her to start the glamping business, and she's really doing well with it! It's not the same kind of camping that we all talk about on these forums, but it sure is fun!

[wanderingaimles]

Supposedly the Toyota Sequoia can meet those criteria.
Sequoia

[JRscooby]

nickthehunter wrote:
You don’t understand the ratings. You don’t add people, cargo, etc. to GVWR of the trailer to get the needed “tow rating” for a tow vehicle. You should start by understanding what All the ratings mean, to figure out what you need, to figure out what meets your needs. Clicky for understanding towing ratings

Sounds like understands to me. If you want to tow 7500 lbs at the same time you haul 1500 lbs you need the GCVWR to cover all, assuming you want to keep interweb weight police away.

[JRscooby]

Grit dog wrote:

JRscooby wrote:
How about a van?

You mean like the van idea he ALREADY mentioned and discounted as meeting his “needs?”
And over 9000lb capable towing cap is not a reality or at least an effort in relative futility compared to the plethora of other vehicles better suited for towing 5 tons.

I'm sorry if I kicked the dog. Looking again, I can't see where he discounted but 1 van. 1 person in my extended family still uses a old E-350 to tow his TT. Everybody brags about how much more capable the newer pickups are compared to decades past, I assume some of the changes would show up in the newer offerings from Ford or Ram.
I know that if you stayed away from the extended models a van normally has less overhang at the rear than a pickup. This lets ball sit closer to rear axle, which is always a plus when towing.

[valhalla360]

What is your wife's mysterious cargo?

A 4 door pickup with a cap and a bed slide will allow for a huge amount of easily accessed storage.

https://www.amazon.com/BEDSLIDE-Classic-10-6548-CLS-Organizer-Capacity/dp/B07H3Z22ZW/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3AI2I3510PITW&keywords=pickup+bed+tray&qid=1656273821&sprefix=pickup+bed+tray%2Caps%2C310&sr=8-2

[nickthehunter]

You don’t understand the ratings. You don’t add people, cargo, etc. to GVWR of the trailer to get the needed “tow rating” for a tow vehicle. You should start by understanding what All the ratings mean, to figure out what you need, to figure out what meets your needs. Clicky for understanding towing ratings

[midnightsadie]

buy her a small box trailer. my kid has one with AC for her dogs.

[davehultin]

Grit dog wrote:
What late model, “magic” vehicle do you think the members here are going to invent out of thin air for your “needs?”

I don't know. That's exactly why I asked the question! Hoping someone else already discovered such a magic vehicle.

[davehultin]

Just to be clear, the 9000# number I put out there is NOT the trailer weight. The trailer's placard lists the GVWR at 7660#. The other 1340# would accommodate people, cargo, etc.

Also, the vehicle would be towing the trailer OR hauling my wife's business's cargo. Never both.

[agesilaus]

Grit dog wrote:

agesilaus wrote:

BB_TX wrote:
Pickup with a hard solid tonneau cover (not roll or fold) and bedrug. Makes the bed like a huge carpeted trunk.

And when you buy a bed rug, go to Rural King or Tractor Supply and buy a Stall Mat and save yourself hundreds of bucks.

Lol stall mat vs bed rug? How are those even remotely the same?

Hmm, I have a stall mat in my 6"4" bed. It's maybe an inch thick, hard surfaced. Admittedly it does not fill around the wheel wells and is 4" short. But at $55 vs $250 I can live with that. It does a great job of cushioning the bed to save my knees. And the high friction surface keeps stuff from sliding easily.

What more does a real truck bed mat do anyway?

[Grit_dog]

agesilaus wrote:

BB_TX wrote:
Pickup with a hard solid tonneau cover (not roll or fold) and bedrug. Makes the bed like a huge carpeted trunk.

And when you buy a bed rug, go to Rural King or Tractor Supply and buy a Stall Mat and save yourself hundreds of bucks.

Lol stall mat vs bed rug? How are those even remotely the same?

[Grit_dog]

OP, your unique and rather eclectic “requirements” basically aren’t possible if you’re also going by the numbers.
You’ve obviously researched trucks, suvs and vans already.
What late model, “magic” vehicle do you think the members here are going to invent out of thin air for your “needs?”

The last vehicles that checked your boxes are 10+ year old Suburban 2500s and 20 year old Ford excursions. although both s uck at towing a 5 ton high profile trailer compared to an average late model 1/2 ton pickup or suv, for power.

[Grit_dog]

JRscooby wrote:
How about a van?

You mean like the van idea he ALREADY mentioned and discounted as meeting his “needs?”
And over 9000lb capable towing cap is not a reality or at least an effort in relative futility compared to the plethora of other vehicles better suited for towing 5 tons.

[Desert_Captain]

Very few vehicles can safely, much less actually tow their so called rated tow capacity. They simply run out of payload long before reaching that mythical tow capacity. A 9,000# trailer will need to have a tongue weight of 1,170# {13 percent of total weight} plus another 100# for the weight distribution hitch. That 1,270 # comes right off of your payload before you load anything or anyone beyond the driver.

IMHO: Get a truck with at least 2,000# of payload if you want to safely tow a 9,000# trailer.

:C