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  • Towing - what truck

    Can a mid-sized truck that can tow 7700lbs be enough to do the job?
    24' enclosed trailer (3600lbs) + car (3000) + stuff (600lbs)

    Thoughts?

  • #2
    Re: Towing - what truck

    Nope,well not in my experience anyways.

    You can pull just about anything with anything,no fun being steered all over the road by a slight cross wind or other vehi les simply passing you.

    The enclosed trailers create so much areo drag forget about what it weighs or whats inside it.....

    A 1/2 ton pickup with its wider track and longer wheelbase will make it much much less stressfull.Besides the nearly 8k weight is beyond any of the current midsize offerings.

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    • #3
      Re: Towing - what truck

      Thanks for the thoughtful response. Much appreciated.

      Now what about full sized pick up with diesel vs V8 vs V6.

      Each claims it can pull the weight... again thoughts and experiences would be appreciated.

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      • #4
        Re: Towing - what truck

        I've had some brief experience towing around ~5,000 lbs with gas vs. diesel 2500-series trucks.
        The diesel was *awesome*...it really made hill climbs and merging easy in a relative sense. The gas V8's were no slouch, however you just had to plan ahead a bit and think a bit more...you couldn't just mash the gas like an idiot in the diesel which would pull itself out of any situation.
        Note I didn't own either of these trucks, and in the owner's words the diesel was only worth it if you're towing a lot. Both trucks were part of a fleet and he was mulling over the overall cost of each. He recently switched out two of the diesels for gas V8s and his costs have come down. Mind you these are turned over every two years on a lease so resale isn't part of his math.
        So - the Too-Long-Didn't-Read summary - the diesel costs more to own and operate but (generally) is easier to tow with. The gas V8 will do the trick, but if you're hauling 75-80% of your max weight through Roger's Pass each week, it might be worth the extra $$ for a diesel.
        On V6's I can't offer any experience.
        "Asking the front wheels of a car to do <more than> their normal job of steering ... is like asking a man to wire a plug while juggling. Penguins. While making love. To a beautiful woman, while on fire, on stage, in front of the Queen. It's all going to go wrong." - J.C.

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        • #5
          Re: Towing - what truck

          I've been keeping track of the truck world as I'd like a new one in the not too distant future.

          I suggest the fastlanetruck truck tests on youtube and their direct website.

          Towing tests of the tacoma and colorado V6's shows them needing to rev approx 4,000 rpm to maintain 70mph.....that gets old fast.

          My old V8 titan with an enclosed trailer and total weight of near 6k just bombs down the highway without drama at around 2200rpm.I never tow in overdrive with any thing.

          With a 24' enclosed I wouldn't even consider a midsize,the new rams are getting good reviews,new chev/gmc not so much and the fords have a couple turbo 6's and the time proven 5.0 v8.All get the 10 speed auto,I would lean toward that combo due largely to that 10 speed.
          Tundra is too dated,thirsty and not enough gears,newest titan also thirsty and the 7 speed doesn't seem to be well sorted for towing.

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          • #6
            Re: Towing - what truck

            If you look at used trucks beware of rust issues, in particular with older GM trucks (e.g. 99-06), some had frame and brake line rust problems that were very severe often leading to total brake failure or frame breakage.

            Research on the internet, lots of good information out there, if you plan to tow a lot and can afford a diesel (e.g. Duramax or Cummins) then that would be super. Avoid the Ford diesel 6.0 and 6.4 engines as they had so many problems it is not worth it. Also many Ford V8 gas engines had wonky spark plugs that break off in the head, be very careful, in fact I would not buy a used Ford truck myself. My truck is a 2002 Silverado 2500 HD that has a 6.0 LS V8 and 4L80E transmission, and 8 bolt hubs, I would consider it the minimum to tow a car hauler trailer with race car and odds and sods within.

            I used to rent the Ford 250 series trucks to pull my 24' car hauler, they were great (had the 7 prong plugs, built in trailer brakes controller, etc.) but they switched to GM pickups with smaller motors (with 4 flat plugs, and no trailer brakes controller) and they are scarey compared to the Ford. The rental place told me they switched partially because they did not want people pulling heavy trailers anymore.

            I am seriously considering selling my 24' car hauler box trailer at some point and buying a flat trailer and good quality car cover to protect from the elements, I think the tow would be much easier.
            Last edited by DavidSim; 11-11-2018, 06:46 PM.
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            No one is interested in all the things you didn't do !

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            • #7
              Re: Towing - what truck

              To shed a bit more light on what David Sim said, an open trailer is a piece of cake to tow, an enclosed trailer is not so easy. I have raced with both and prefer the enclosed as I do not have indoor storage for the car so the trailer serves as a poor man's indoor storage. Also a good place to hide from the rain when it pours at the track and the car is under the easy up canopy. Also do not have to load/unload tools and spares at the end of the weekend. Sometimes I park the truck/trailer sunday night after racing and don't even look at it until the friday of the next race.

              I bought a 2001 Silverado 2500HD with 8.1L gas engine and Allison transmission to tow my 18' enclosed trailer and it works great. This engine was marketed as a 'diesel alternative' with similar power and torque but without the expense of a diesel. The only thing I use the truck for is to pull the trailer to race weekends and the odd run to town to pick up 2 x 4s. It is not suitable as a daily driver due to awful fuel economy. The only other trucks I have towed the same trailer with were a 2015 F150 Ecoboost and 1999 Tundra with 4.7L V8. The F150 had decent power but was all over the road. This chassis is not meant for towing an enclosed trailer, open trailer no problem. The Tundra struggled to get up to speed but handled the weight well once it was rolling. The old Tundra was more comfortable to drive than the new-ish F150.

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              • #8
                Re: Towing - what truck

                You had issues with an 18' and an F150? Something was odd there.

                I use a Lexus LX570 to tow an enclosed 20' no issues.

                I've overloaded the trailer with spares and tools never a problem, it's rated at 8500lbs, trailer is usually under 7 though loaded.

                Any half ton should do it easily, but the mid-sizes no thanks.

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                • #9
                  Re: Towing - what truck

                  I wouldn't say I had issues but out of the 3 trucks I have used to tow the same trailer it was the least suitable.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Towing - what truck

                    Originally posted by wings2k View Post
                    You had issues with an 18' and an F150? Something was odd there.
                    It's a 2013 f150 6.5' box 3.5l v6 ("ecoboost").
                    More then enough power obviously but the rest is lackluster. Towing at or around the speed limit and using the trailer brakes on the 18' trailer to assist it definitely requires some foresight while approaching slower areas.
                    It just felt blah towing. I try to load the trailer evenly but when traveling to the track (and bringing tools, fuel, spares, wheels, etc etc for 2 cars) it isn't always possible. The fully loaded trailer isn't the lightest thing either

                    And to top it off I averaged around 26 l/100km driving to and from Calabogie

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                    • #11
                      Re: Towing - what truck

                      Originally posted by fastnx View Post
                      I wouldn't say I had issues but out of the 3 trucks I have used to tow the same trailer it was the least suitable.
                      But more comfortable to drive by a country mile.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Towing - what truck

                        I average the same, seems to be 25l/100km in all trucks towing.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Towing - what truck

                          Towed for years with GMC 1500. 8500lb trailer. With weight distribution bars.

                          Never an issue pulling or braking. I had high tongue weight so installed spring helper on one and air bag on second for under $500.

                          About 26litre/100 towing. Lifetime average over $150k Km’s was 14.5.

                          Current truck is a 2017 Gmc 2500 diesel. 920 ftlbs. $$$

                          Tows like there is no trailer at all. Surprised 2500 daily drive ride quality is the same or better than 1500 was.

                          Usually 19 liters/100 towing and lifetime average over 60k kms so far is 14.2, better that 1500.
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                          Doug

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