Why all the hate on 1/2 ton tvs

[Dreenn]

Like the title says I have read many posts that basically suggest that towing a 30ish foot Tt with a 1/2 ton truck is wrong and your going to Indanger your family and anyone around you on the road that said I have a few questions

I just bought a 30foot Tt dry weight is 5200 loaded is 7500 I believe by the manufacture sticker I am towing it with a 2014 gmc 1500.

I looked up max tow rating on my gmc in the manual and used my window sticker for refers to what was equipped it said max was 9600 pounds now looking at my door sticker I don't see 9600 pounds anywhere on it am I missing something?? Or is my truck rated to tow a lot less then what the manual says

Sorry for the poor grammar typing on my cell phone

[wing_zealot]

TomG2 wrote:
This has nothing to do with them unloaded, only when both are towing 7,000 pounds and the electric brakes on the trailer fail to perform perfectly. Which brakes will have more capacity? Those on the 10,000 gvwr pickup or on the 7,500 pound gvwr model? Take a look at them sometime.

If you need a 3/4 T to tow your trailer, Go For It. As long as I am operating within my vehicles specs, that's all I need. If that means a 1/2T will do the job, than that's one tool of many that works. Unless of course you want to pay the freight than by all means tell me which of the tools to use.

[spoon059]

marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:
Towing with a semi isn't a totally trollish statement?
GFY

Really guy? I doubt you mean "Good for you" when you say GFY. Real mature...

[mabynack]

Dreenn wrote:
Like the title says I have read many posts that basically suggest that towing a 30ish foot Tt with a 1/2 ton truck is wrong and your going to Indanger your family and anyone around you on the road that said I have a few questions

I just bought a 30foot Tt dry weight is 5200 loaded is 7500 I believe by the manufacture sticker I am towing it with a 2014 gmc 1500.

I looked up max tow rating on my gmc in the manual and used my window sticker for refers to what was equipped it said max was 9600 pounds now looking at my door sticker I don't see 9600 pounds anywhere on it am I missing something?? Or is my truck rated to tow a lot less then what the manual says

Sorry for the poor grammar typing on my cell phone

Something else to note is that older half ton trucks weren't nearly as stout as the new ones. My first half ton had a six cylinder. My dad's C10 had a 250 cubic inch engine and a three speed manual. He couldn't even pull our loaded single-horse trailer over the mountain near us.

Some of the older TTs were pretty heavy, too. Especially considering that they didn't have slide-outs.

I guess the bottom line is that everything is situational. It depends on the specific truck and the TT. There is no one size fits all advice.

[TomG2]

This has nothing to do with them unloaded, only when both are towing 7,000 pounds and the electric brakes on the trailer fail to perform perfectly. Which brakes will have more capacity? Those on the 10,000 gvwr pickup or on the 7,500 pound gvwr model? Take a look at them sometime.

[x96mnn]

Not sure I have ever seen any hate for 1/2 tons on the forum. Think it is clear they are a great truck and many campers out there built for and being towed by 1/2 tons. Did it myself for 3 years.

There is a definite perception of what some people think is right and wrong when enturpituaing rules and regulations. But do not think that goes toward half tons, see just as much of it toward 3/4 and in some cases 1 ton trucks. There are valid points and agree someone's , " it tows great" can be very different from someone else's.

Those who pull out the , soon you will need a dually to hall anything over 30ft are making it up. I have never seen anyone say that other then sarcastic rebuttals.

[rbpru]

I have seen data to show improved weight capacity for 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, but I have never seen data or advertisements that they will stop significantly faster than a 1/2 ton.

I also have not seen any data indicating they are less likely to rollovers. The bigger TVs may have bigger tires and a stouter suspension but you also have more rolling mass.

All TVs are designed to operate within certain parameters, how close to these limits or how much over you wish to go is nothing new.

[TomG2]

wing_zealot wrote:
Another couple of pages and we'll be way past needing a diesel dually to tow a popup.

Not unusual to see a dually towing a small camper or boat. Of course he/she is also hauling a good sized truck camper at the time. It is all about capabilities.

[TomG2]

I know that trailer brakes always operate perfectly (don't they?) I would still rather have a braking system on the tow vehicle designed to stop 10,000 pounds like on my 2500HD than those sized for a 7,500 gvwr vehicle. Just in case.

I towed for many years and many miles with half ton pickups, until I discovered how much more fun it is with a more adequate tow vehicle.

[CKNSLS]

wing_zealot wrote:
Another couple of pages and we'll be way past needing a diesel dually to tow a popup.

:S

[ckc3]

I had an '01 7.3l diesel excursion. I sold it because honestly i would have never towed anything that was as massive as needing that beast. Best truck ever made, miss it every single day. What i dont miss is the price of diesel and the fact in a rollover the entire roof would have completely crushed in due to lack of proper support. Theres no excuse for a stay at home mom to have a diesel ex...other than the fact that it was entirely badass!

[Terryallan]

marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:

marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:

marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:

3oaks wrote:
Yea, doesn't everyone know nothing less than a 350 dully is safe to tow anything. :R

Towing over 6000 lbs is a matter of.....
1/2 ton = good
3/4 ton = better
1 ton dually = best

Tow the same trailer with a 1 ton dually and get back to us.

F450 even better,
F650 even better

A 10 wheeled 35000lb over the road Freightliner would be even better. but NOT needed.



If folks are scared to tow a little over 6000lb with a F150. I would suggest a Freightliner. No sway, good braking, won't be pushed around by the TT. You won't even know it is there. Try it, and get back to us

1/2 ton, 3/4 ton and 1 ton are the normal trucks you see on the road. Your reply is trollish.

I beg to differ..the reply is NOT Trollish. It simply points out your very faulty logic.

Better is not necessarily the same as Bigger. There are many other considerations.

Towing with a semi isn't a totally trollish statement?
GFY

If GFY means what I think it does then your vocabulary is on a par with your Logic. (Both bad)

It makes one wonder why someone would take this so very personally as you do to write that over this issue?

I take driving and towing a heavy TT seriously/"personally". I don't want a 1/2 ton that is just 100 lbs under max weight to rear end me because itt can't stop going down a big mountain, lose control when a semi passes it and it swerves across the median causing a head on or just crashes in a ditch killing themselves.
If people here have never towed with more than a 1/2 ton then they don't have any experience to post any meaningful info about the differences with 3/4 or 1 ton.

I have towed with a Freightliner, a CLT9000 Ford OTR tractor, and a MTD, and a 3500. All did well. However, they were sized to the load as my 150 is. It tows it's load just as well as any of them. Actually stops BETTER than any of them.
I guess it all comes down to experience, knowledge, setup, and skill. Learn grasshopper, learn.

[wing_zealot]

Another couple of pages and we'll be way past needing a diesel dually to tow a popup.

[CKNSLS]

Huntindog wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
Those that are enamored of the numbers printed on the stickers in their truck need to remember where they come from.

The design rating is given to the engineers as a goal to reach. The engineers design it to have a 1.5 times safety factor AT MINIMUM.

Then the LAWYERS decide how much of that ACTUAL design limit gets to be stated on the stickers and the manual and the brochure. This figure is often a significant de-rating from the ACTUAL load capacity.

Why? because it is "Legal Head Room" just in case they have to defend themselves in court. They want to be able to say that the design of the truck was significantly better than the published data and therefore the Failure in question is not the fault of the Manufacturer.

What does this mean for the average truck owner/buyer?

Simple; the numbers you all quote as Pure Unassailable GOSPEL that should never be exceeded are in reality Meaningless. These numbers have very little to do with the reality of what you can and cannot carry or tow but what the MFG wants you to think you can carry/tow.

This legal protection has the added benefit of driving customers UP MARKET into the ever more profitable larger and more expensive trucks.

Not a bad game for the Truck Manufacturers.

A little more skepticism and a lot less credulity where these numbers are concerned is definitely needed.

Finally; To the Best of my knowledge no impartial third party has ever tested the actual-Real-World capabilities of these trucks and what they can carry and tow. And I dont mean the self serving "reviews" of the truck Mags...but actual scientific testing. And until this is done please do not continue to claim that a 3/4 ton truck is by default SAFER that a 1/2 ton or an SUV. There are too many factors involved.

This some interesting thinking... What are your sources? Why does the same not apply to tires?
Do the Tire engineers and lawyers go to different schools? Their concerns should be the same,,,, right?

This is all very interesting. Is this "hyperbole" or can you cite sources?

[Huntindog]

4X4Dodger wrote:
Those that are enamored of the numbers printed on the stickers in their truck need to remember where they come from.

The design rating is given to the engineers as a goal to reach. The engineers design it to have a 1.5 times safety factor AT MINIMUM.

Then the LAWYERS decide how much of that ACTUAL design limit gets to be stated on the stickers and the manual and the brochure. This figure is often a significant de-rating from the ACTUAL load capacity.

Why? because it is "Legal Head Room" just in case they have to defend themselves in court. They want to be able to say that the design of the truck was significantly better than the published data and therefore the Failure in question is not the fault of the Manufacturer.

What does this mean for the average truck owner/buyer?

Simple; the numbers you all quote as Pure Unassailable GOSPEL that should never be exceeded are in reality Meaningless. These numbers have very little to do with the reality of what you can and cannot carry or tow but what the MFG wants you to think you can carry/tow.

This legal protection has the added benefit of driving customers UP MARKET into the ever more profitable larger and more expensive trucks.

Not a bad game for the Truck Manufacturers.

A little more skepticism and a lot less credulity where these numbers are concerned is definitely needed.

Finally; To the Best of my knowledge no impartial third party has ever tested the actual-Real-World capabilities of these trucks and what they can carry and tow. And I dont mean the self serving "reviews" of the truck Mags...but actual scientific testing. And until this is done please do not continue to claim that a 3/4 ton truck is by default SAFER that a 1/2 ton or an SUV. There are too many factors involved.

This some interesting thinking... What are your sources? Why does the same not apply to tires?
Do the Tire engineers and lawyers go to different schools? Their concerns should be the same,,,, right?

[8iron]

4X4Dodger wrote:

TomG2 wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
....snip.......... And until this is done please do not continue to claim that a 3/4 ton truck is by default SAFER that a 1/2 ton or an SUV. There are too many factors involved.

You really think that a half ton pickup with a "Tow rating" of 9,600 pounds is good for that or more? Maybe I read it wrong, but you seem to be saying that the ratings are lowered by the engineers and lawyers?

Yes I do and that is **almost** exactly what I am saying. I said that the ACTUAL DESIGN LOAD is at least 1.5 times higher than the Design SPEC. And that the Design spec is further DE-RATED by the legal department to the numbers you see published so they can have what I called "legal Headroom" in case they must defend their decisions in court.

I guess I have to ask: Are these WAG's that you take as fact or do you have actual information to back up your statements? If you can prove your assertations we can probably shut down the weight police that jump on every 1/2 ton thread that comes up.