F-150? F-250? Tundra?

[Wotam]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

>"Trailer brakes? of course!.."

You would be amazed at the number of under-braked trailers or trailers with non-functional brakes out on the road. You're asking the right questions and thinking about the right stuff ahead of time... you'll do just fine with that rig.

Parting advice: If you get a choice on trailer brakes... go with discs. (This would make another good thread topic).

 

[Silvertip]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Ahhh -- the old 4 speed vs five and six speed automatic debate rages on. More gears does not automatically equate to better economy. It can -- but generally doesn't. Chevy does a great job of "compromising" between power and economy. Five and six speed automatics (actually 7 and 8 speeds are available in some high end cars now) help with midrange performance but its really only a benefit if you are after all out performance or you are trying to make a small engine work like a big one. Once you are in high gear it doesn't matter how many gears the transmission has. Any engine that has to spin faster than 3000 rpm at any point is going to burn fuel. That's what happens with the new generation of what have been tagged as "busy transmissions". They are constantly shifting -- meaning engine revs are high and hence you burn more fuel. Select an axle ratio that keeps the tranny in high gear (may not be OD) and the converter locked and you have a good tow rig.

 

[tic]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Good point on the transmission # of gears... I always thought more was better but your post makes it clear that isn't necessarily so (plus it makes me feel better about the chevy 1500 4 speed auto)

 

[ImASonOfaSailor]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Here are some numbers for you ! Dodge ram pickup 1500 1500 SLT, QUAD CAB, 4WD, 6.25 FT Bed, 5-Speed Automatic 545RFE Transmission, 5.7-Liter HEMI(R) Multi Displacement Engine:

With 3.55 Axle Ratio Axle Ratio You Can Tow 7500 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) = 6700 lbs
Payload = 1347 lbs
Curb Weight = 5353 lbs
Curb Weight Front/Rear = 3120 lbs/3120 lbs
GAWR Front/Rear = 3900 lbs/3900 lbs
Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) = 13000 lbs

With 3.92 Axle Ratio Axle Ratio You Can Tow 8500 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) = 6700 lbs
Payload = 1347 lbs
Curb Weight = 5353 lbs
Curb Weight Front/Rear = 3120 lbs/3120 lbs
GAWR Front/Rear = 3900 lbs/3900 lbs
Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) = 14000 lbs

 

[tic]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

So max towing is 8500lbs. on the dodge.. Hmmm.. the F-150 is 9,500 and the Chevy 1500 is 10,500.

 

[ImASonOfaSailor]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I would not trust chevy and Ford!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I would not trust chevy and Ford!

Why not? Give us some reasons to back up the statement.

 

[tommays]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

As i loyal multi GM owner

Silverado , Trailbazer , Equniox , and Venture i sure as heck would not but one without a GM Major Guard Warranty

And i have the bills to prove it the the things that have gone wrong with my GM products are a shame from the 18 month old rusted through hood on the Silverado to the multi venture motor teardowns for gasket problems


And dont get me started on the bad guage clusters , heater controls ,AC that still dumps water on the floor after multi vists


Would i buy a Silverado again YES but only because i can get it at such a low price in the config i need

Tommays

 

[Silvertip]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

And I routinely put 150,000 miles on my GM vehicles and they have been excellent cars -- including a 1972 Vega that took me 100,000 miles with total maintenance costs amounting to one battery, one set of starter brushes, one rear axle seal and one timing belt. The engine got tired, I replaced it with a small block V8 and drove it another 10,000 miles until it was sold for $1250 which was half what it cost new. My daughter swore they would never again buy a GM car because of a rattle in their Venture. Traded it for a Honda Odessy. Guess what -- they then owned a vehicle with a multitude of electrical problems so it went down the road in favor of a Mazda 6. Guess what! Tranny issues -- twice, including rotten gas mileage for a small car. They now own a larger Pontiac Grand Prix with more room, a better ride and much better fuel economy. They also bought a '04 Cavalier for their son and thoroughly enjoy it. By the way -- we do live in the salt belt and my vehicles at the time of trade in are not rust buckets.

 

[Devious]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

i'm new to the boating world, but i've done a bunch of towing. 1/2T, 3/4T, 5T trucks. there is a big difference what a vehicle can and how much you'd want to tow with it. anything over 5k lb you want a 3/4T or more.

a couple people have mentioned that 1 emergency situation where the truck size will make or break you. i had my situation pulling 6k of offroad road vehicles. as i was coming off the highway i found i had no trailer brakes and was very happy to have the big brakes on the 1T to pick up the slack.

2nd thing to think about is the truck length. the longer your truck, the more stable it will be. compare towing between a jeep wrangler and 1T long box. your trailer will have a much tougher time swinging around the truck than the jeep.

i wouldn't try to mix the tow rig and DD. get a used tow rig for when you need it, and get the commuter car for everyday.

 

[superpop]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I was a Ford guy my whole life till I had my last truck a 1999 F150. Tranny died at 70K miles. Fixed it and sold it and purchased a new Tundra. No comparison on quality or resale in my opinion. The Yota smokes the others on all counts. And I did do my research and looked at all the Detroit steel and came back to the Tundra. 30K trouble free miles so far.

 

[fisherglenn]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

We are going to buy a new truck as our little 95' V-6 nissan struggles to tow our 2,500lb. fourwinns boat as it is and we may buy a bigger boat next spring.... We test drove a Nissan Titan and neither the wife or I cared for it very much.. The toyota Tundra looks great on paper, better towing capacity, more power, quicker and faster than the titan and better mileage.. I was suprised to see the (relatively) low towing capacity of the Ford F-150 but would consider one as well as an F-250 (possibly with diesel engine)... Out of the above mentioned trucks, would anyone care to comment on durability, performance and mileage?.. I'm trying to educate myself on new trucks but there sure is a lot to digest. We will be looking at boats in the 5000-7000 lb. range.. thanks

I have a 2004 Nissan Armada, and it towes a 21 foot tracker deckboat(3500lbs), and a keystone travel trailer ( 8200 lbs) The only issue is stopping distance, I believe the brakes are too small on this SUV. No other issues.

 

[rndn]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I had a Nissa Murano for a few years and the very first thing I did was put a big brake kit on it. Nissan has had all kinds of recalls for their brakes, or lack there of.

 

[Tinlizzy]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

...If your primary reason is to tow with this truck go with a diesel period.

Diesels burn considerably less fuel than a gasoline engine doing the same work

It has no ignition system to tend to

It can deliver much more of its rated horse power on a continuous basis than a gasoline engine can.

Its fuel economy is greater than gas powered engines of its class model/make.

A diesels fuel economy is barely effected while towing loads. While a gasoline engine is.

A gasoline engines lifespan is greatly reduced each time you tow heavy loads for an extended period of time, while it does not effect the diesel.

Edit: Take a look at the new Duramax 6600 delivering 360 hp with 650 ft-lb. torque, with a 6 speed allison transmission. Chevy trucks.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I love my Tundra! V-8 4WD, 21.2 MPG (hwy)

 

[whitecrystal1]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Hi everyone

I just found this thread and joined the site. tic If your wanting to stay with a 1/2 ton I would take a good look at the F150. I have one and I tow my 2400 Martinique with it without any problems I've been very happy with the performance of the truck. Loaded it's around 6500lbs.

 

[Blue Water Runner]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Nice setup.

I have towed stuff up and down the road for years. My last truck was a 1992 F150 with a 4.9 I6 (165 hp) and it towed my old 18' Monterey fine even in the the mountains providing I downshifted on the long grades. I sold it with 240k on the clock in 2002 and its still going strong for the current owner. The new F150 is a much better performer and is very reliable. Get the Ford. Better price on a well proven track record.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

.....I'd go GM or Toyota. Fords are cheaper...but they always bring less on trade-in or resale day so you are necessarily further ahead. Toyota's are more for good reason....when you go to resell or trade you will get top dollar quickly. GM's sort of divide the line between the Fords and Toyotas in my opinion.

 

[chaparral442]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

For what is worth I work in a service company of commercial diesel mechanics who use their own trucks in their daily work. They tow, load them down with heavy parts - with 150 mechanics who all know engines, tranny's etc. They are paid to keep new trucks in their work. A quick survey of the parking lot has Ford F250 as the leader- a distant second is the Nissan Titan- Chevy is nest, a couple of dodges and a couple of Tundra's-- These guys need power, dependability -their paycheck depends on it

 

[shipoffools]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Chaparral,

I have to agree! I tell anyone shopping for a truck to look at construction sites, commercial nurseries, and professional building supply houses to see what people that rely on their trucks to work hard everyday drive. More often than not, they see more Fords than other brands combined