Re: What truck to buy?
Come on folks -- he does not need a diesel powered anything. Any 1/2 ton, heavy half, or 3/4 ton pickup, 2 or 4 wheel drive will tow that rig just fine PROVIDED one selects the proper rear axle ratio and doesn't stick god awful large tire on it which defeats the purpose of the axle gearing. I towed a 6000# travel trailer with a 1/2 ton Chevy van, 305 V8 and 3.73 gears and was never in anyones way. There is absolutely not reason any pickup with a 5.7 or similar sized engine won't do the job and still get respectable mileage. The biggest mistake made when buying a two vehicle is the axle ratio. Most trucks are ordered with stock axles to provide optimum fuel economy. Unfortunately -- that's not always true and deeper gears may actually improve mileage and make a better tow vehicle in the process because the engine is allowed to run somewhat higher revs where it makes more power. On two wheel drive vehicles, it would be very cost effective to simply have the ring and pinion changed to a deeper ratio. On GM vehicles 3.42:1 is a common standard gear ratio. Not exactly suitable for towing. 3.73:1 and 4.10:1 do a much better job.
I'm with Silvertip on this one, there's no need for a 3/4 ton or a diesel with a 5500# trailer load. Any full size truck will work fine with the right gear ratio and proper hitch and weight distribution. I tow a 3500# boat with a 4 cyl. Ford Ranger and it does fine. My old truck was an F150 with the 4.9L 6 cylinder with a 4 speed manual and it towed as much as 7500# with no problems, but I had a set of 4:10 gears. It got over 18 mpg when towing on the open road.
When you spec out a truck, make sure it gets the largest cooling system option, a good trans cooler if it's an auto trans, and no higher than a 3.73:1 rear, (4.10's are even better). mileage won't change much and the OD trans will allow comfortable cruising at highway speeds.
As far a choices, GM has the best two trans options, the Allison 35 and the 4L80E are both super strong towing transmissions. any motor with the exception of the V6's should do fine. I have always been 100% Ford, but I would consider either of the GM trucks with the larger trans options.
In the Ford, there's supposed to be a new Diesel coming for the F150 soon, so that may be an option too. Their larger trans is also pretty tough. Dodge has the best Diesel, but their transmissions aren't up to that of Ford and GM.
I would stay away from the imports, they don't seem to have a handle on what a real truck is yet, I've rebuilt too many Toyota transmissions with hard part failures, and the Nissan truck has too many strange design features to make it a good truck option, I've heard some mileage, trans, and rear axle complaints as well.
The rest are just too small and too light.
I own three Ford trucks, a 91 E150 van, an F250, and a Ranger, two 1 ton Dodge vans, and a 2001 half ton GMC, all three do fine, but the Dodge isn't much for towing. The GMC came to me as part of a larger deal, I didn't choose that or the Dodge Vans, but the GMC has surprised me with what it will pull, it's got over 120K on it and is still going strong and has pulled as much as 6400# over 200 miles and did it comfortably and that only has the V6 and is a short bed with the lightest duty 4L60E trans. (The trans will most likely prove to be the weak link, but it's shown no signs of trouble as of yet). The Dodge vans are good cargo carriers, but poor tow vehicles, mostly due to the lack of traction and poor visibility
No matter which vehicle you choose, if it's not set up right for what you are towing and your trailer isn't set up correctly, it will struggle.
Always make sure that any auto trans that you are towing with has the largest cooler possible, and always choose the lowest rear ration you can get for towing. Also, a two wheel drive vehicle usually makes a better tow vehicle, there is less parts to wear, they are lower to the ground making your hitch height more suitable, and they have a lower center of gravity and tend to handle better with larger loads.
A good limited slip rear and good tires are usually all that's needed on most ramps.
