Tow Vehicle Suggestions

[BCDave]

I have an "ancient" one-ton GMC with 2 wheel drive and Limited Slip Diff. The initials "LSD" are accurate - you'd have to be on drugs to enjoy the overall effect. Mine can get stuck on bare dry pavement if I mention the word "snow' where it can hear me. (mine is actually a "locking" diff, not a "posi-traction" style)

My truck has been reliable as an ax and now has about 400,000 on it, tows everything, carries everything and if it was a 4wd I'd have NO gripes about it at all. It is comfortable to drive, rides very well, stops very well, handles well and gets good fuel economy (except when I am towing something big!)

My next one will likely be a 2006 3500 Series GMC or Chevrolet - long box, extended cab, Duramax (LBZ engine) with all the toys on it and (not negotiable!) it will be a 4X4 .

I don't much care for the reports I have received about the fragility of the Dodge front suspensions and Ford's disease-els do not have a good reputation, so its gonna be a GMC/Chev

[floyd]

Originally Posted by BCDave

I have an "ancient" one-ton GMC with 2 wheel drive and Limited Slip Diff. The initials "LSD" are accurate - you'd have to be on drugs to enjoy the overall effect. Mine can get stuck on bare dry pavement if I mention the word "snow' where it can hear me. (mine is actually a "locking" diff, not a "posi-traction" style)

My truck has been reliable as an ax and now has about 400,000 on it, tows everything, carries everything and if it was a 4wd I'd have NO gripes about it at all. It is comfortable to drive, rides very well, stops very well, handles well and gets good fuel economy (except when I am towing something big!)

My next one will likely be a 2006 3500 Series GMC or Chevrolet - long box, extended cab, Duramax (LBZ engine) with all the toys on it and (not negotiable!) it will be a 4X4 .

I don't much care for the reports I have received about the fragility of the Dodge front suspensions and Ford's disease-els do not have a good reputation, so its gonna be a GMC/Chev

Fords diesels have a bad reputation where? You may want an Isuzu, And that's fine, but that's hardly a reason.

[Greg H]

The Ford diesel was built by Navistar up until about a year ago, the 7.3 was a good engine, after that they were junk even the salesman advised me NOT to switch to the Ford. The Isuzu (Duramax) is in my opinion the best light truck Diesel available at this time. And yes I've driven all three and owned two of them.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Greg H

The Ford diesel was built by Navistar up until about a year ago, the 7.3 was a good engine, after that they were junk even the salesman advised me NOT to switch to the Ford. The Isuzu (Duramax) is in my opinion the best light truck Diesel available at this time. And yes I've driven all three and owned two of them.

You are of course entitled to your opinion.
[like that comment about limited slip]

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by floyd

Fords diesels have a bad reputation where? You may want an Isuzu, And that's fine, but that's hardly a reason.

My son who is a "disease-el fanatic" haunts virtually every diesel forum around - is a member of quite a few of these fora and 'lurks" on others. he has a design for an improvement in the turbo inlet that is being used by Cummins to gain another % or 2 in efficiency.

He could (and often does) show me the "chapter & verse" on whats good about Brand X and what's not so good, and what can be done about it.

In his views - best engine is the Cummins, but he would not get a RAM due to the high frequency and costs of repairs for front suspension.

He likes the Duramax as a close second but he figures it needs a much better turbo system and a better intercooler

As to Ford - well - which diesel? The original N/A Fords that were totally gutless, fuel-hungry beasts (as bad as the first GM ones)? The Navistar "powerstrokes" that had bearing issues, which were recalled and which are the subject of a rather large class action lawsuit against Ford? The second-generation Navistar Powerstrokes that are also recalled and are the subject of yet another class-action lawsuit due to their propensity to catch fire? The ones that had head-bolt issues? The ones that lost power, lost coolant and leaked coolant into the engine oil? Would those be the ones that just might have a bad reputation?

[John Fazio]

I too am a researcher, my only problem is I have never owned a diesel truck. We did own a 2006 diesel Jetta which was an outstanding car. I have called Diesel mechanics (not dealerships) and asked what do they see as problems and, IMO a better indicator, what do they drive. The three that come back as recommendations religiously are:

Dodge 5.9 H.O. - may need to put a different transmission in it at some point
Chevy/GMC LBZ - shouldn't have to do a thing
Ford 7.3 - could be hungry for fuel

It seems the whole country knows this and getting a used truck optioned the way we want it has proven to be quite difficult.

I have friends who have owned all makes and models of Diesels and they say the same as the mechanics even though several of them own trucks of newer vintage. My buddy with the Ford 250 6.0 that we used to pick-up our trailer has come up with his own maintenance routine that seems to be working out fine. He misses his mid 90's Dodge Cummins 2500 but the truck was literally falling apart when his tranny went out. He still got a good price when he sold it on Craigslist, we figure someone wanted the engine for a build out.

Last night I received a call from Ford about a 7.3 they may be getting on trade. I'll take a look but a 2003 truck is probably due for a front-end re-build, which I have found to be the case for all of them.

Funny thing when I went to Ford to look at the gas 6.2L I said to the salesman that I wished they still made the 7.3. He laughingly but sincerely replied, "so do we"!

After all of my hours reading, talking to owners and mechanics I now understand the joke: "Perfect vehicle is a Ford Truck with a Cummins engine and an Allison Transmission".

For a moment we entertained the idea of having a 1998 Alpha H1 as a tow vehicle so keep the recommendations coming.

-John

[Greg H]

At least we agree(except for Floyd) that the Ford offering in the Diesel truck market is not the one to plop down 40+ grand on.

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by Greg H

At least we agree(except for Floyd) that the Ford offering in the Diesel truck market is not the one to plop down 40+ grand on.

I'm not a truck guy, but must say I'm overwhelmed by $40,000 for any truck.

We drove a 4 year old, gas, Ford, V8, 7 ton, towing a 2 ton car, 32 foot Motorhome for 7 years, drove about 80,000 miles and probably spent about $40,000 for gas and the motorhome combined.

I never realized diesel trucks were so expensive...

Yikes... for me.

[Greg H]

Originally Posted by honda03842

I'm not a truck guy, but must say I'm overwhelmed by $40,000 for any truck.

We drove a 4 year old, gas, Ford, V8, 7 ton, towing a 2 ton car, 32 foot Motorhome for 7 years, drove about 80,000 miles and probably spent about $40,000 for gas and the motorhome combined.

I never realized diesel trucks were so expensive...

Yikes... for me.

Norm, If i remember right my '07 Dodge Ram 3500 4door, 4x4, Big horn edition with the 6.7 Cummins Diesel came in around $39,000.00 new in '07. That's when I could afford such luxuries.

[DavidSo]

Originally Posted by honda03842

I'm not a truck guy, but must say I'm overwhelmed by $40,000 for any truck.

We drove a 4 year old, gas, Ford, V8, 7 ton, towing a 2 ton car, 32 foot Motorhome for 7 years, drove about 80,000 miles and probably spent about $40,000 for gas and the motorhome combined.

I never realized diesel trucks were so expensive...

Yikes... for me.

Norm,
My little Tacoma was around 30K new (2007). I bought it used for 18K. You can actually spend way over 40K for a big loaded diesel truck. I share your disbelief though. The prospect makes me dizzy.
David

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Greg H

At least we agree(except for Floyd) that the Ford offering in the Diesel truck market is not the one to plop down 40+ grand on.

Let's see how the sales figures shake out. If I were to even consider plopping down 40+ grand for a tow vehicle I might consider a new medium duty international truck.
I was a fleet mechanic for a major oil company,and when we called for Cummins service reps, they always showed up in Ford diesel service trucks.
That is until Cummins forced them into Dodges... You should have heard the wailing and gnashing of teeth!
Any of these trucks will be just fine if you take care of it and drive like an adult.
As for me, I have a Ford Ranger and I will never need a larger truck unless I decide to take my house on the road with me.My Scamp is just fine and has all the amenities I need. My Ranger is now eleven years old and has worked well for my car trailer, car dolly, and my travel trailer so far.
In fact I have begun to view it as a bit of overkill for my Scamp and often leave it home in favor of taking the Escape.

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by Greg H

Norm, If i remember right my '07 Dodge Ram 3500 4door, 4x4, Big horn edition with the 6.7 Cummins Diesel came in around $39,000.00 new in '07. That's when I could afford such luxuries.

Add another 20 or 30 thou to that amount for prices around here.......

[honda03842]

When we began RVing we knew nothing. We thought about buying a trailer but realized we'd have to buy a truck to tow it. A real truck cost as much as a used Motorhome, so we went with the Motorhome. Of course in retrospect I wish we had bought a small fiberglass trailer.

Unfortunately our minds were not ready for that order of downsizing a fiberglass trailer requires; at the time we thought fitting in to the Bounder was a big deal and so did most of our friends.

We've learned that the size of the RV hardly matters when compared to the fun.

I have a marvelous neice who would visit with us at the beach in the summer. It would not be unusual for her to go thru 3 outfits in a day as a young teen. In College she backpacked thru Europe and happily managed to live out of a backpack for a month. She relates now how 'stuff' and fun are not directly related.

We now live in a small cottage at the beach on 6000 square feet of land, formerly we lived in a big house with ton's of grass to cut and ...... The beach cottage is more fun, so much less to do.

As I age I'm trying to improve the fun to work ratio. I only wish, without regrets, that I had started earlier.

Have fun,

[John Fazio]

The big problem is, like all new vehicles these day, it's almost impossible to get a base truck with the diesel engine. After packages K, L, X and F-Me... the diesel engine is over 12k more. That's why we are looking at used and possibly a new gas work truck.

Didn't Ford have Cummins engines in their MDT like the 650?

-John

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by floyd

Let's see how the sales figures shake out. If I were to even consider plopping down 40+ grand for a tow vehicle I might consider a new medium duty international truck.
I was a fleet mechanic for a major oil company,and when we called for Cummins service reps, they always showed up in Ford diesel service trucks.
That is until Cummins forced them into Dodges... You should have heard the wailing and gnashing of teeth!
Any of these trucks will be just fine if you take care of it and drive like an adult.
As for me, I have a Ford Ranger and I will never need a larger truck unless I decide to take my house on the road with me.My Scamp is just fine and has all the amenities I need. My Ranger is now eleven years old and has worked well for my car trailer, car dolly, and my travel trailer so far.
In fact I have begun to view it as a bit of overkill for my Scamp and often leave it home in favor of taking the Escape.

I have two fishing buddies , one has a 1999 Dodge diesel ,one has a 2000 Ford diesel . Both trucks have over 250 000 miles on them . both have had transmission work both are used for towing large 5th wheelers and both are still in service.
I agree with Floyd that if properly maintained and driven as intended that Ford, Dodge,GMC or Chevy will give it's owner good service

[Greg H]

The perfect truck would be what Toyota teased us with a couple of years ago, it went like this, If we built it would you buy it? It was a 1 ton Tundra, four doors, long bed, 8.3 Hino turbo Diesel with an exhaust brake, now that would be a truck.

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by Greg H

The perfect truck would be what Toyota teased us with a couple of years ago, it went like this, If we built it would you buy it? It was a 1 ton Tundra, four doors, long bed, 8.3 Hino turbo Diesel with an exhaust brake, now that would be a truck.

I'd stand in line for that one! (Of course the price would also factor into whether or not I'd pull out the checkbook once I got to the front of the line!!)

With a new GMC/Chev Duramax coming well over $70,000 around here and the Fords & Fiats priced at similar levels, you can see why my '92 is still my prime mover

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by John Fazio

We are estimating our camper weight at it's maximum of 7500lbs

It looks like the dry weight of the Bigfoot is around 4,600 pounds. Even with some options and camping gear, I doubt you'll ever be close to 7,500 pounds. That's just the rating of the axle/tires. You'd have to put my Scamp 13... and another Scamp 13 in there to get it up to 7,500 pounds.

The biggest issue will be tongue weight. Sloppy trailer design yields a tongue weight over 600 pounds for that model. Kind of funny, when a Euro-style caravan of that same dry weight would have about a 200 pound tongue weight. That's a LOT of stress on the frame, coupler, hitch, and tow vehicle. Not that there aren't vehicles that can handle it... there certainly are. But that really is just sloppy engineering on Bigfoot's part.

[John Fazio]

Originally Posted by mcbrew

It looks like the dry weight of the Bigfoot is around 4,600 pounds. Even with some options and camping gear, I doubt you'll ever be close to 7,500 pounds. That's just the rating of the axle/tires. You'd have to put my Scamp 13... and another Scamp 13 in there to get it up to 7,500 pounds.

The biggest issue will be tongue weight. Sloppy trailer design yields a tongue weight over 600 pounds for that model. Kind of funny, when a Euro-style caravan of that same dry weight would have about a 200 pound tongue weight. That's a LOT of stress on the frame, coupler, hitch, and tow vehicle. Not that there aren't vehicles that can handle it... there certainly are. But that really is just sloppy engineering on Bigfoot's part.

The sticker on the inside cabinet states the camper is a little over 5400 lbs after factory installed options. I'm sure we'll add close to 1500lbs for full time use. IMO the heavy tongue is a smart design. After adding our stuff I don't expect it to increase that much due to the storage locations in the camper. If the tongue was lighter I think I would be hard pressed to get the 10-15% desired.

-John

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by honda03842

When we began RVing we knew nothing. We thought about buying a trailer but realized we'd have to buy a truck to tow it. A real truck cost as much as a used Motorhome, so we went with the Motorhome. Of course in retrospect I wish we had bought a small fiberglass trailer.

Unfortunately our minds were not ready for that order of downsizing a fiberglass trailer requires; at the time we thought fitting in to the Bounder was a big deal and so did most of our friends.

We've learned that the size of the RV hardly matters when compared to the fun.

I have a marvelous neice who would visit with us at the beach in the summer. It would not be unusual for her to go thru 3 outfits in a day as a young teen. In College she backpacked thru Europe and happily managed to live out of a backpack for a month. She relates now how 'stuff' and fun are not directly related.

We now live in a small cottage at the beach on 6000 square feet of land, formerly we lived in a big house with ton's of grass to cut and ...... The beach cottage is more fun, so much less to do.

As I age I'm trying to improve the fun to work ratio. I only wish, without regrets, that I had started earlier.

Have fun,

Hi: honda04832... In other words...to soon old...to late smart!!! I'd like to reach the much more fun... to much less ado lifestyle too!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie