47 replies to this topic

[Johnny D]

If you do end up with an RV, keep in mind the towing capabilities. The rear engineed, high dollar units are pretty beefy in the back. But the front engined units are much weaker than they appear. Beyond the rear axle there is no heavy steel frame. Just a unibody floor structure. They tow fine, even stop fine. The biggest issue is over "whoopdee doos" Like railroad tracks. Tongue weight can momentarily go to 5000 pounds even with a small trailer. Multiply that by the distance from the ball to the actual frame of the tow vehicle, and you have a lot of force on that unibody structure. I have seen more than one class C motor home fold in half. Including my first motor home.

A full size conversion van (remember the 1990's) make excellent/cheap tow vehicles that you can live in for a weekend.

dave

I know of one guy with a Volkswagen Touareg with an open trailer, seems to work well.
Caddy SUV and an enclosed trailer Jack Knife, wifey not too happy.
Converted ambulance.
Pimped out...

J~

[dstevens]

When I ran circle track the Counting Cars guys from Count's Kustoms ran out there as well and one of them had an old hearse.

[NPiekarski]

I've always had trucks, currently own a 2013 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty with the Cummins and the 68RFE trans. Works awesome!!! Pretty sad when your truck make 680lb/ft more torque than your race car.

[steveracer]

Mildly modified 7.3 Excursion with heavier springs.

 

Room for 7, PLENTY of power and enough GVW that the trailer doesn't push the truck around.

 

 

When the trailer starts trying to wag the dog, the proper response is to power out, not lift...

[luckymiata76]

2000 Dodge Ram Dually Diesel with automatic transmission. We pull a 28' enclosed trailer with car, golf cart, tools and spares and get 10-11 mpg traveling 74 mph. Unloaded, we average 16-17 mpg combined. Not as much HP as the newer diesels, but does a great job.

 

Jeff

#76 SM

[FTodaro]

This was new to me this year. Gets good gas mileage if i have a tail wind.

 

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[Johnny D]

When the trailer starts trying to wag the dog, the proper response is to power out, not lift...

Good advice, any other technics, in the rain, wind, etc. anyone ?

[dstevens]

If you are looking for you pretty much any 1/2 ton pickup will work as a basic tow vehicle with a Miata and open trailer.  A tow package is good to have so you can wire in aux power and a brake controller (though many now have brake controllers in the tow package).  If you want a man's truck it's an F150 or F250.  Otherwise you can get a GM or RAM...        

 

Since I don't need a truck but once or twice a month I'm renting them when I need them instead of replacing the one I totalled.  Were I in the market I think the best bang for the buck is the RAM right now, either diesel or gas.  While the larger RAM is built in Mexico now it's pretty high quality.  The smaller models are still made in the US.

 

Chevy has some pretty good incentives on 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton gas or diesel.  If I were looking at a diesel Ford would be my last choice, gas it would be my first choice.  in the mid 2000s Ford had some big time problems with the diesels though apparently it's since been corrected.  

[-P-]

 

Chevy has some pretty good incentives on 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton gas or diesel.  If I were looking at a diesel Ford would be my last choice, gas it would be my first choice.  in the mid 2000s Ford had some big time problems with the diesels though apparently it's since been corrected.  

 

The 6.0 was ok once you replaced head studs and a few other minor things. The 6.4's were better, but had nagging problems with a cheap part that required the cabs to come off to service the engine. the 6.7 has been good from what I hear.

 

I used to tow a 40ft gooseneck with a 2001 7.3 F-350 DRW. I loved that setup, but my partner sold his car and I have since resorted to an open trailer being towed by my ancient Grand Cherokee, or our work truck Dodge 1500.

 

I'm about to pick up a 2016 Tacoma to replace my daily driver and old grand cherokee, which should have plenty of towing power for a miata and 16ft open trailer.  Also looking into a smaller Class C older motorhome for track weekend duty.

 

If I were going full size, I'd go Ford.  Dodges are better values, but I prefer Fords. If you are pulling a large covered trailer (bumper or goose), I'd go DRW if you can manage it.

[Sean - MiataCage]

If you are looking for a new half ton, please don't listen to what the salesmen or TV commercials tells you it will tow.  The TV commercials are best case scenario which always means 2WD standard cab (no 4 doors or extended cab) and the salesmen simply do not know.  They think they do, but trust me they don't.  They will regurgitate some max case scenario based off of on the motor only and it is usually never right.  You need to look at the plates in the door jamb and calculate what you will be towing and carrying (payload/people) and see if the truck was BUILT with that capability.  Diff, Wheel Size, Cab, Engine, Trans, etc, etc, etc all play a part in what a truck is legally allowed to tow.  There are plenty of calculators online that you use to help you accomplish this.

 

I get it..... As men, if it has a hitch we generally will tow it.  The problem for me comes into play if and when an accident occurs.  It's pretty easy to prove if someone was towing more than their vehicle was rated for which can mean problems when sorting out insurance and fault etc.

 

Do the research yourself so you know what capabilities you are needing and getting with your purchase.  

 

Sean

[Parity]

Hp/Torque numbers are important but stability and stopping were my concerns. I had an F150 Crew 4x4 with a tow package. Started with an 18 ft open, then progressed to 20 ft enclosed, and finally 26 ft enclosed. Open trailer was easy. I seized a front rotor with the 20 ft. Once I moved to the 26 ft it got scary at times. Passing trucks on highways require significant counter steer effort. Engine screamed and brakes were overworked on twisty mountain roads around the Glen. I switched to an F350 crew 4x4 diesel. It obviously has way more power making passing a breeze but also engine braking and the added weight are much more stable. No issues stopping  and no fear of getting sucked under big rigs when you're along side.

[38bfast]

No matter what you buy whatever you plan on towing is going to weigh more than you planed. So don't buy on the low end of the scale.

[Greg Kimble]

I used to use a 2006 Ford F-150 with towing package, it did pretty well.  I upgraded to a 2014 Ford F-250 4x4, with the 6.7, amazing tow vehicle.  Plenty of torque and horsepower, great brakes and very stable towing.

[Diller]

If you are looking for a new half ton, please don't listen to what the salesmen or TV commercials tells you it will tow.  The TV commercials are best case scenario which always means 2WD standard cab (no 4 doors or extended cab) and the salesmen simply do not know.  They think they do, but trust me they don't.  They will regurgitate some max case scenario based off of on the motor only and it is usually never right.  You need to look at the plates in the door jamb and calculate what you will be towing and carrying (payload/people) and see if the truck was BUILT with that capability.  Diff, Wheel Size, Cab, Engine, Trans, etc, etc, etc all play a part in what a truck is legally allowed to tow.  There are plenty of calculators online that you use to help you accomplish this.

 

I get it..... As men, if it has a hitch we generally will tow it.  The problem for me comes into play if and when an accident occurs.  It's pretty easy to prove if someone was towing more than their vehicle was rated for which can mean problems when sorting out insurance and fault etc.

 

Do the research yourself so you know what capabilities you are needing and getting with your purchase.  

 

Sean

 

I can't reiterate this enough. Great points! It isn't unusual for somebody to see "10K" towing for a half ton but by the time they option it out with crew cab, 4wd, leather, etc... it is now 6K. And that is MAX.

 

I only use a truck a few times a month so I picked up a used 2006 Ram 3500 mega cab DWR for a good price. I didn't care that it is HUGE because I don't have to live with it every day. It had some problems but I was able to use that to drive down the price and so far have put a few thousand into it and it is a new truck...with 260K on the odometer.

 

If you are like me and only use a truck to tow, and are looking on the used market, check out the DRW trucks. For some reason they are the same price as the single rear wheel trucks but have a much higher tow rating (room to grow) and they are so so much more stable while towing. 

 

If I didn't need a truck for working around the farm I I think I would spend the money on a used RV and call it a day.

[dstevens]

I had a 2008 F150 XLT Supercab with a tow package that was rated at 9200.  My trailer has 5k axles (and brakes) and even with the sled of the Delta 88 and the rest of the gear the towing cap and GVW was well within spec.  Anything bigger or enclosed you're going to want a 3/4 ton, diesel if you can.  Dualys are good too, fifth wheel if it's bigger than 24' if you can.  Helps quite a bit.  For most of my adult life I had a CDL A (even before they were called that...)  Lots and lots of miles in another life.

 

A karting team I used to buy rides from burned out a new gas F150 in about a season of national competition hauling a loaded (probably overloaded) 28' three axle trailer. They then got a diesel F250 and drove that into the ground.  They are now teamed with someone with an FL70 and a 40' stacker.

 

If you get a truck with a tow package it will usually tell you what the max capacity is on the sticker.

 

EDIT:  here's the Ford F150 towing data  http://www.ford.com/...50_r1_Jan12.pdf

[Jeff Wasilko]

My wife and I both time trial our Miatas in a northeast time trial series (COM Sports Car club) and I do some regional SCCA races when they don't conflict with COM's schedule. I also teach with a bunch of local clubs when I have time. I've currently got a Freightliner FL60 with a beaver-tail box that I haul my car with. It's got room for tires, spares, tools, etc, but no living space. Her car is still street legal, so for things that are close she usually drives it. For more distant trips, we tow it on an open trailer:

 

 

It's been very reliable and relatively inexpensive to maintain.

[RussMcB]

Ah, the pursuit of the perfect tow vehicle...

 

My current '02 Chev Avalanche 2500 (cost $7k, 190k mi.) has been an interesting hauler for my 24' enclosed trailer.  It's got the big 8.1 gas engine, so plenty of power (and not great gas mileage).  The interior is pleasant (leather, power everything) and the convertibility of the bed and back area has worked well.  4WD has been nice in muddy paddocks.

 

My last tow vehicle was an ambulance.  Its best feature was lots of storage compartments, and it was a stable dually.  I slept in it at the track.  Horrible mileage (mine was a stout mid-size truck - Kodiak/Topkick, not the E350 type).

 

A while back I had a 14' ex-Ryder truck.  It had a lower floor than most of those rental trucks.  I was able to drive/winch my small IT race car into it (and slept in its Mom's Attic).

 

[Mike Collins]

750 hp/ 1900 ft lbs of tq. and you only have to stop twice for fuel to go all the way across the country

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[Mike Collins]

Otherwise, when I started I had an Excursion where I added airbag helpers to the rear.  Rolled all over the country with a 28' enclosed trailer with 2 cars and tons of spares and tools with no problem.  Later updated to both ford and chevy dually's but never liked them as much as the X.  The seating and interior of space of the Excursion was better than any of the trucks...

[Sean - MiataCage]

I had a 2008 F150 XLT Supercab with a tow package that was rated at 9200.  My trailer has 5k axles (and brakes) and even with the sled of the Delta 88 and the rest of the gear the towing cap and GVW was well within spec.  Anything bigger or enclosed you're going to want a 3/4 ton, diesel if you can.  Dualys are good too, fifth wheel if it's bigger than 24' if you can.  Helps quite a bit.  For most of my adult life I had a CDL A (even before they were called that...)  Lots and lots of miles in another life.

 

A karting team I used to buy rides from burned out a new gas F150 in about a season of national competition hauling a loaded (probably overloaded) 28' three axle trailer. They then got a diesel F250 and drove that into the ground.  They are now teamed with someone with an FL70 and a 40' stacker.

 

If you get a truck with a tow package it will usually tell you what the max capacity is on the sticker.

 

EDIT:  here's the Ford F150 towing data  http://www.ford.com/...50_r1_Jan12.pdf

 

The trailer tow guide on page 2 is a great start, but that is giving you the best case scenario based on motor, diff, 4x4 and cab only.  It does not take into account options that the truck was installed with from the factory.   It also does not mean every truck has the tow package installed.  For Ford, there are 3 different tow packages available.

 

Your truck was likely not rated at 9200 unless you did the math using the door jamb labels.  What was rated was your mechanical configuration for a best case scenario.  Take your GCWR minus Max Payload which are both on the door jamb labels.  That will tell you what your truck weighs.  Once you have the weight, take the weight of your truck minus the GCWR from the door label and you will be left with what your exact truck from the factory with all options can tow.  From there you need to back your way into how many people and how much stuff you will be carrying along with how much the trailer weighs.  I think you might be surprised what the actual number is once you do the math.

 

The sticker (monroni label) does not show towing numbers on it.

 

Sean