Best truck for towing/gas mileage???

[ryansgirl]

[QUOTE=CruzN;7896028]
If I were looking for a new tow vehicle, I would seriously consider the new RAM EcoDiesel. A friend of mine recently bought one and she couldn’t be happier. Tows her 2 horse GN with it and you don’t even feel the trailer behind you. It gets as good of fuel mileage as my Honda Civic when not towing. Averages about 7 litres/100km when not towing and about 13litres/100km while towing. (Sorry, not sure what that equals in miles per gallon…)[/QUOTE]

As much as I love my RAM (gas not the 1/2-ton diesels they offer now) I would never tow a gooseneck with it - it’s only a half-ton. The dealership I’ve used for years (been driving RAMs since late 90’s) specifically said NO to a gooseneck with the half-tons (which I already knew wasn’t a good idea and have no intentions of trying it). Someday when I go back to a 3/4-ton then I’ll consider it.

[CruzN]

[QUOTE=ryansgirl;7896217]
As much as I love my RAM (gas not the 1/2-ton diesels they offer now) I would never tow a gooseneck with it - it’s only a half-ton. The dealership I’ve used for years (been driving RAMs since late 90’s) specifically said NO to a gooseneck with the half-tons (which I already knew wasn’t a good idea and have no intentions of trying it). Someday when I go back to a 3/4-ton then I’ll consider it. :)[/QUOTE]

I am a truck driver. I don’t EVER agree with over loading a truck with a too large trailer.

The 1/2 tons of today are more than capable of hauling an aluminum 2 horse trailer. And regardless of the truck, I would always rather a GN than a BP, they are so much more stable. It is also my understanding that the EcoDiesels can come with airbag suspensions that can be adjusted.

[Caligual]

Honestly the best way to answer a question like this is to call a dedicated tower, when I was starting up working for a towing business I just round trip called a lot of the ones around me to learn a lot about the technical part of the craft. Here’s the site of one of the guys I can remember off the top of my head (http://www.gardenstatetowing.com.au/), seeing as its been 5 or 6 years now, but when you’re making decisions as big as this one getting a lot of expert opinions is very important because forums really skew towards the anecdotal

[enjoytheride]

@CruzN

I am a truck driver. I don’t EVER agree with over loading a truck with a too large trailer.

The 1/2 tons of today are more than capable of hauling an aluminum 2 horse trailer. And regardless of the truck, I would always rather a GN than a BP, they are so much more stable. It is also my understanding that the EcoDiesels can come with airbag suspensions that can be adjusted.

I have a friend with a 1/2 ton Tundra. The newer Tundras are beefy trucks with high tow capacities and it is perfectly capable of towing and stopping her 2 horse aluminum goose and stopping it in very hilly areas. Ditto with Chevy, and if you must, Ford. The newer 1/2 ton trucks can tow as much as the 3/4 tons of 20 years ago. It doesn’t mean you can pull a 36 foot long 3 horse living quarter of course.

I have an older 1/2 ton with a smaller v8 and I love it for towing my one horse and bumper pull. It’s fairly fuel efficient but isn’t a big enough 1/2 ton for a bigger trailer. Fully loaded I’m about 5,000lbs. I would want a bigger engine for 2 horses or if I went into hilly areas more often but I’d probably still stick with a 1/2 ton.

People that blindly suggest a 1 ton diesel for someone towing one horse in a bumper pull without a dressing room aren’t exactly helpful. There is a wide range of 1/2 ton trucks out there that can tow and stop a trailer safely.

I spent $3500 on a 2001 with 4X4, an 8 foot bed, and a regular cab. Couldn’t get 4 wheel and a crew cab in that price range, and I’m lucky enough to have a mechanic in the family for when it does have mechanical issues. Motor has been fantastic though.

[hosspuller]

I found the old truck dropped my total insurance significantly on three vehicles with two drivers. VS two vehicles and two drivers.

Point: two vehicles may not double your costs.

[reignthealarm]

Which would you guys recommend if you had to choose between a F150/250 or Ram 1500/2500? I’d love to get a diesel but that’s a little unrealistic for my budget so I narrowed it down to these models. Right now I just have a bumper pull ~3000lbs and 2 horses so I need about 7000lbs towing capacity. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places but I’m having a hard time finding something that doesn’t have 180k+ miles on it for less than $20k!!! Mileage isn’t important as I have a commuter car, just need the towing!

[Gestalt]

Used pick ups with low mileage and low price are rare, the likelihood of there being something wrong with a cheap one is pretty high. @reighnthealarm have you also considered a chevy?

You do realize this thread was resting in a grave, right? But it does have good info.

[FatCatFarm]

@reignthealarm

Which would you guys recommend if you had to choose between a F150/250 or Ram 1500/2500? I’d love to get a diesel but that’s a little unrealistic for my budget so I narrowed it down to these models. Right now I just have a bumper pull ~3000lbs and 2 horses so I need about 7000lbs towing capacity. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places but I’m having a hard time finding something that doesn’t have 180k+ miles on it for less than $20k!!! Mileage isn’t important as I have a commuter car, just need the towing!

You do not need a 250/2500 for towing what you want to tow. A half ton will do that job just fine; just make sure it’s got the gear ration you need for the amount you’ll be towing. Double check the VIN to the specifications for the model you are looking at as there is quite a bit of variety as to configurations. You also don’t need diesel for that job either. The gas engines they are making now do just great for the average owner doing average towing. I would only entertain a diesel were I doing a lot of towing.

As to price of a newer tow vehicle, to keep the costs down, you will need to do a lot of sifting. When we were looking for ours, I looked at dozens including ones a state away in various directions and we wound up buying one state and 125 miles away to get the deal we wanted: a nice truck with the things we thought important at a price we could afford. It’s got less than 132k miles on it but was under $20k. We bought it just for towing. My husband and I both drive rice burners to work. Take your time and don’t be in a hurry, but when you find a good deal, get it, because I can assure you, it won’t last long.

[Aaron_D]

I was reading your response and all you say is GMC sierra. Is it 1500, 2500, or 3500?? Thanks

[jherold]

Aaron, this thread is over 7 years old… you might want to start a new one! Welcome!

[Aaron_D]

Yeah I was regarding to the comment from TPUP. They said they used a GMC. but didn’t say what model. And how they pulled trailer with
One or two horses. And handled well in the snow and they pulled at least 3 to 4 times a month. And was talking to a buddy and he’s saying it had to be a 2500 or 3500 GMC Seirra. What’s your thoughts??
I work in commercial construction but when it gets slow I like to do side work and want to get a nice truck that can haul trailer with ease. And I’m thinking something bigger than the 1500. Like 2500
Or 3500. Without having to go diesel in all. Any advice is appreciated thanks.

[clanter]

@Aaron_D

Yeah I was regarding to the comment from TPUP.

most likely you will not receive a response as TPUP’s post was from January 2014

TPUP’s last post on any thread was Dec 25, '21

[DiamondJubilee]

I can’t comment much on a gas as we have always had diesel trucks, mostly 3500 duallys (diesel) for the past 20 years.

Back in 2018 we did have a Chevy 3500 and I was looking at getting a 2500 diesel for myself, and the prices were pretty much the same - within a few thousand dollars. Almost wasn’t worth it to go with a 2500, but not sure if the prices are still so close now as I haven’t looked since 2018.

Our 2018 was a great truck and we used it to tow our 52’ horse trailer with LQ. The weight was 24,000lb and it towed like a beast. Now my husband is all into interiors and when Dodge came out with the Longhorn addition in 2019, he traded in his High Country for it. The first time he towed with the Dodge he called the dealership as he thought something was wrong with it. It did not tow like the Chevy at all. The Dodge lagged and had a hard time keeping up with speed etc. Long story short, gearing makes the difference. The Chevy (GM) has a different gearing ratio and it made all the difference in hauling such a big trailer.

We still have the Dodge, my husband is a contractor as well and he uses it to tow his tool trailer to jobs on a daily basis. We have added a Freightliner and it tows with 0 issues (and just had the interior redone as he did not like the Sport Chassis interior it came with. I must say its quite nice and one of a kind now!).

Just my thoughts on a Chevy/GM. This is coming from an almost exclusive Dodge household here. My hubby was very impressed with his Chevy and my mother in law has a 3500 dually GM Denali and loves it to death. She tows a large RV and a large Toy Hauler in the past with it with 0 issues. She also had a Dodge and traded it in within a year of owning it as she didn’t like the way it handled.

Both trucks are also used to just drive around without hauling They are not great on fuel. They pretty much burn the same if driven around town or if its hauling a trailer. It averages around 22-25L/100km.

all of our trucks have been diesel. We tow a lot (horse trailers - 2 horse, 2 +1 and our 52’ beast, shop trailers - over 10,000lbs, dump trailers, you name it - pretty much on the daily) and it wasn’t worth it to get a gas