What TV for 6000lbs?

[lee4019]

Hello Friends

Looking for TV for TT that weighs 4200lbs with cargo of 1800lbs, not that I would have that much cargo, but you never can tell. TT is almost 27' overall. Will be going up hills and would prefer 4X4.

So when I go on Autotrader what should I start searching, 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, brands, etc?

Thanks
Lee

[lee4019]

So I did read the 4 wheel drive cuts into the GVWR, is that true? I also found a GMC 1500 that was apparently set up for TT's. Had the 7-pin elect. the oil/trans coolers, class IV hitch, trailer mirrors and elect brakes. GVWR 7200, 2009 with 53k miles. Going to check it out. Also did the "build your truck" feature on the "big 3" 2WD were around $25k and 4X4 were around 30K.

[Hybridhunter]

Ron3rd wrote:

lee4019 wrote:
Hi ya API, yes I was looking at used Tundras. A friend of mine has 1 and it has very little problems. Also looking at the "big 3" trucks.

If you go with a Big 3 truck, look for the later years when they went to the 6 speed trans. I believe this is '09 and later. The Tundra went 6 speed in 2007 with the second gen Tundra.

Excellent advise here^^^.
An F150 ecoboost (with max tow, or HD package maybe), might suit you well. Lots of torque for towing, and very good mileage capabilities if you take it easy when not towing.

[TomG2]

100,000 mile warranty is not a bad thing either, might be worth a few extra $/month? It is to me.

[Mountianeer]

You can pick up a NEW Chevy/GMC 1500, extended cab, 4x4, 5.3L, 6 spd, w/tow package right now for under 30k. Good warranty, decent MPGs...the interior is nothing to write home about but you'd get a good truck that should last you a long time.

Not sure what your price range it but they are starting to slash prices to make room for the redesign.

Something to think about...

[pitch]

Only downside I noticed was that while it had a 4 pin connecter listed there was no 7 pin. Seems odd that a truck with the towing package would not include a 7 pin. I would check this out with the service department before signing. Not a big deal but it may not be just plug and play

[APT]

lee4019 wrote:

So could you folks take a look at this sticker and tell me if it could tow a TT with a dry weight of 4172 lbs. a GVWR of 6500 and hitch weight of 410 lbs.

Ford F150 4X4

I think it will, but want some opinions.

thanks

Go for it! Use tow/haul transmission mode when towing. Start camping!

[Ron3rd]

lee4019 wrote:
Hi ya API, yes I was looking at used Tundras. A friend of mine has 1 and it has very little problems. Also looking at the "big 3" trucks.

If you go with a Big 3 truck, look for the later years when they went to the 6 speed trans. I believe this is '09 and later. The Tundra went 6 speed in 2007 with the second gen Tundra.

[pitch]

If you are going to be towing just occaisionally in the next 5 or 6 years you do not need a 2500 or bigger.
Get a capable 1500 with at least a 5 liter engins and 6 speed transmission.
Yes you are limited on payload,but do the math. 3/4 ton costs more out the door,fuel mileage is lower than a 1/2 ton. What percentage of your use is going to be towing? Do you need 3/4 ton payload when not towing? I chose to go with a 1/2 ton because I couldn't justify the expense of large truck for the amount of RV'ing I do.

[lee4019]

Hi ya Lowsuv and other folks,

I'm right with ya on the duramax /allison. I used to drive 18-wheelers and nothing moves 50,000 lbs like a diesel and when I retire in 7 years, that's going to be a option. I plan on doing some "out west" trips and that's 5 or 6000 miles, roundtrip.

Right now I forsee working like a madman until then and won't see much time to RV. So I'm looking at, start cheaper at first. Right now I'm looking at forgoing the 4X4 TV and go to 2X4, which cuts the cost of TV by thousands. I will keep my current car, a Subaru, which is perfect for what snow we get around here and use the TV for hauling what the Subaru can't handle.

I'm going to use the next 7 yrs. to get as much RV experience as I can so when I make the big jump to bigger and better TV/TT it will be more of a adjustment then starting brand new. Thanks for all you folks help, I'm sure I'll have many more questions and I've actually learned a lot in just the 2 days on here.

[C_Schomer]

My first TV was a 1/2T and it did great for the small 5er we started out with but I'll never waste my time on a 1/2T again just cuz they will hardly haul anything for home profects. We outgrew it in 1 year as far as RVs go. My next one was a 3/4T w/airbags and that kept me quite happy for 9 years. I'd say a srw 1T or at least a 3/4T depending on if you need the payload for a 5er or home stuff. Craig

[Lowsuv]

my personal experience is :
i have owned my current hd 2500 duramax /allison since i bought it new in 2002.
because it has so much reserve capacity i have not needed to upgrade it .
i tow a 21T komfort trailer wit a gvw of 7200 # on the axles and 1000 # tongue weight with 50 gallons of fresh water in the nose .
i was buying a new 8 lug suburban / pickup about every 5 years since 1972. i bought the largest big block available without exception for 7 pickups . mostly 402, 454 , a 460 .
the duramax has been totally free of any problems including that it has not needed new injectors as rumoured to be an issue with the early duramax .
it still has the original humongous disk brakes front and rear that it came with.
because this pickup has so much reserve capacity built into it over a 1500 pickup i have not found an excuse to buy a new one .
i have been a fast driver all of my life . the first 8 years i owned this pickup i towed my TT and my boat well over the posted limit .
$ 4.12 diesel has cured that . i do not want 765 foot pounds of torque . i know myself .
i have many camping friends that we do dispersed camping and FS , NPS, and BLM camping with .
we have all gone to diesel hd 2500's , f250's, 1 cummins .
the diesel pickups have a service life twice the life of the 1500's in our collective experience if used 15 -30% towing and the rest as daily drivers.
2 have gone 250,000 miles before selling and replacing with a new diesel .
i have a 1400 sq. foot attached garage so my 11 year old truck looks cosmetically good .
if you have to park outside then maybe you want a disposable 1500 pickup .
just some factors to consider .

[lee4019]

Hi ya Folks

So I came across this web addy were you can get the window sticker of any Ford truck, if you have the VIN number. Then I went on autotrader and checked around 40 trucks that had tow package in the description. Well no surprise, they all had the "$350 tow package" with GVWR's from 6 to 7000 lbs except this one.

So could you folks take a look at this sticker and tell me if it could tow a TT with a dry weight of 4172 lbs. a GVWR of 6500 and hitch weight of 410 lbs.

Ford F150 4X4

I think it will, but want some opinions.

thanks

[lee4019]

The reason I like the 1/2 ton option is, for 4 or 5 years I will only be taking 350 miles, roundtrip or less RV trips maybe 3-5 times a year and the rest of the time, my TV will be taking me to work. So now I want to get started, do some relaxing and get some RV experience under my belt.

When I retire and "cash out" I don't want to get a nice TV and TT, then go "now what do I do" As for towing package, what's a easy way to tell if a truck has it? I saw a mention about radiator. Is there something to look for, like a tranny cooler or something else?

[Tystevens]

APT wrote:
What age truck are you looking for? Since you mentioned Auto Trader could be new or used.

If you can afford it, I recommend something new enough to get a 6-spd trans. GM/Ford started in 2009. Tundra 2007. Get at least 5.0L engine (or Ford's 3.5L Ecoboost) and the numerically highest axle ratio each brand offers.

Having gone from an '05 4 spd to a '10 6 spd, I would endorse this wholeheartedly. Significant improvement.

Sounds like the OP is set on a 1/2 ton, and I would agree, depending on use. If not towing a whole lot or on cross-country trips, a newer, well equipped 1/2 ton will be just fine.

A word of caution shopping used, however -- make sure the truck has the towing and cooling goodies. Just because it has a receiver hitch, a tow-haul button, or a 7-pin adapter does not mean it is set up to tow the weight you will want to tow. Marketers quote the max numbers, not the min towing numbers that the majority of vehicles are equipped to tow.

It may be different with pickups, but shopping Suburbans and Expeditions, it was difficult to find one with the heavy duty towing stuff (trans cooler, engine oil cooler, etc) that we wanted. Many a buyer has found a nice looking 150 or 1500 series truck on Autotrader, only to find out that it cannot tow more than 5,000#.

And dealers are ignorant as to what makes up the packages. Even if you buy it from a corporate lot (the people on the GM lot where we bought our '10 used were clueless). The salesman will walk to the truck, look at the receiver in the back or the t/h button on the transmission and say "yep, it has the towing package, good to go!" when such is not the case.

If you are shopping the used market, I can't stress this enough -- you need to educate yourself as to what to look for, and make sure the truck you find has it! In reality, there are simple indicators as to what to look for (at least on the Fords and Chevys I was looking at). A peek at the radiator will allow you to see if the external cooling equipment is there. I got to the point where I would walk on the lot, peek through the grille, and either walk away or ask to see more (to the frustration of many salesmen, who tried to tell me that "no, she can tow, down't worry about it!" as I'm walking away). For GMs, at least, you can learn the codes for the packages you want, which are listed in the glove box.

Good luck!