Downsizing from diesel Truck and GN to half ton and BP.......ideas for tow vehicle???

[NRB]

Oh god I’m actually starting another “what SUV/half ton can safely haul a 2h bp” thread.

I am thinking of selling my truck and trailer and downgrading to a SUV and 2h BP with no DR. Long story. But what do people use in the SUV world that can haul a 2H BP with N DR? I’d use a WD hitch.

I have F250 and GN. A wonderful towing combination. Trailer has been parked since Aug 2013, before that I’d probably used it 9x since 2009. I have new baby, limited time, and an injured retired horse (injured and retired as of 2009). I board horse, park trailer at Boarding barn. Might get a trail pony and use trailer to haul 2-14 miles to ride out with friends 1x a month. Truck isn’t getting used either. Rear bench seat has no head rest and 7yo daughters head up against that glass window IF I put the rear facing infant seat in the back with her booster seat. As it is I never drive it with both kids in it. I live in the city, Husband and I currently drive Subarus to get around. Hubby wants (but doesn’t need) a larger vehicle to travel out of state to visit family for holidays (all family is out of state and we travel a lot) New baby means less space in the Subaru but its still a doable.

We’d hold onto one Subaru for around town and single person trips and use the new SUV for family trips. I do hate the thought of a gas guzzling SUV for our family of 4 so I want smaller than Suburban. New trailer would be 2H BP no DR.

[Jim_in_PA]

I tow a 2200 lb (includes stored gear) Trailers USA Minuteman Sport with my 2012 Grand Cherokee Summit (V8, Factory Tow, Air suspension) with zero issues. If it had been available at the time, I would have opted for the Ecodiesel which has the same towing specifications as the V8 with much better fuel economy. With both horses loaded, I’m at just under 5000 lbs, which is more than a ton below rated capacity which is a good thing for live loads. But even with my V8, I get 20+ on the highway and about 16 in general rural driving. (non towing for those figures, of course) Darn comfortable lux SUV, too…but for a price.

[NRB]

Humm I just saw a Toyota Tundra in a crew cab. Makes me realize that I can look at half ton crew cab trucks. But I’d need to run the specs. Typically a half ton truck with the crew cab can tow far less than its engine equivalent in a standard truck can configuration. But it might be a better option than a SUV since it would be on a stiffer truck platform.

[darlyn]

I have a Tundra Crew Cab and tow a 2 horse straight load Adam. Truck’s tow capacity is 9100 pounds. I think the regular Tundras tow 10000 pounds.

This truck is a beast pulling that trailer. Hardly know it’s there.

Prior to that I towed the same trailer with my Toyota Sequoia. Didn’t like to go far, and certainly not fast, hauling 2 horses though. And I only ever did if one was a pony. I think the new Sequoias (since the 2007 model change) have a higher tow rating though.

My friend tows the same trailer with a Tahoe with no problems but I don’t know the specs on that.

LOVE my Tundra. Drives on the beach like a champ too. :love-struck:

eta: the Tundra has 13.5 inch brake drums. It STOPS.

[Jim_in_PA]

Current generations of Tundra are very nice. And if you still want the SUV format, the Sequoia is the same platform.

[AKB]

Chevy Tahoe, properly configured, is good for a 2h BP, no DR. I had Tahoes for years until I bought my Silverado truck. The Tahoe is not as good on the interstates as the truck, but is fine if you are careful.

[Highflyer]

Several people I know have the F150 Ecoboost trucks and they seem to haul really well, if you decide to look at 1/2 ton trucks.

[IPEsq]

I’m confused about what you want to get out of the vehicle and what you mean by downsizing. Do you just need more room and a safer back seat configuration than the truck? Or, do you want a smaller vehicle for city driving but with a decent back seat / cargo for trips? Or, do you want a cheaper vehicle? Or a combination of those things?

If it’s cheaper, you aren’t going to find that in a SUV tow vehicle. If you want a smaller vehicle, I am not a big fan of towing horses with the shorter SUVs. I hauled a 2 horse BP with a 1500 GMC Suburban all over the place, including up and down mountains. Yeah, the up the mountain part was tough with a 1500 engine, but I think having the longer vehicle was necessary. So, I wouldn’t go with something like a regular Tahoe (get the XL, which you can also get with the bigger engine). In that situation, you aren’t looking at anything easier to park. You’re just getting a more family friendly interior. So, this also becomes my answer for getting a safer back seat for the kids if you don’t want to go with a different truck cab configuration.

[ThisTooShallPass]

As 101 people have said before me over the years on COTH, it is not the towing, it is the STOPPING.

[NRB]

Thanks for all the replies.

FWIW I am one of those people who said tow with a 3/4 ton. This truck a 7.3L diesel with the long bed has been a super hauler. But I no longer use it. I don’t really want a SUV. But I don’t use this truck.

I need a more family friendly interior. I need to safely sit two kids in the back seat and have a head rest for them. I need a family friendly trip car. I need a short distance occasional hauler.

I no longer haul anywhere at all…but always want to have a trailer to take horse to vet (4 miles away) or possibly get a new horse and haul to trails 1 to 14 miles away) I do not need the diesel anymore.

This truck just sits because I can’t get both kids in the back seat (bench) But also because the Subarus are 100 times better in the snow and easier to park in the city.

I think I’ll just suck it up on the gas guzzling aspect on the new vehicle. My diesel gets about 17-18mpg and about 13-14 hitched to the trailer. So I am spoiled. and hate to get worse than that…but I suspect I’ll just have to deal with worse.

I’ve been looking at the Tundra Crew Cab and the fact that there are soo many of them on the used market kind of scares me just a little.

I’ve looked online at the F250 Crew Cab in a gas engine, but I know nothing of the V8 engines.

I have a 5,000 lb empty wt GN. So I had assumed that if I went half ton crew cab truck I’d need to sell for a BP w/o dressing room. The specs on the Tundra are 10,000…for towing I’ve yet to dig up the GCVWR… I suppose I could haul a horse in the GN on the Tundra…but I just assumed that I’d need to downsize to a BP with an empty wt of 3,000 lbs or smaller.

still researching. thanks for all input.

[NRB]

darlyn what year is your Tundra? And what engine and rear axle ratio?

[Yamaha0219]

[QUOTE=NRB;7459918]
Thanks for all the replies.

FWIW I am one of those people who said tow with a 3/4 ton. This truck a 7.3L diesel with the long bed has been a super hauler. But I no longer use it. I don’t really want a SUV. But I don’t use this truck.

I need a more family friendly interior. I need to safely sit two kids in the back seat and have a head rest for them. I need a family friendly trip car. I need a short distance occasional hauler.

I no longer haul anywhere at all…but always want to have a trailer to take horse to vet (4 miles away) or possibly get a new horse and haul to trails 1 to 14 miles away) I do not need the diesel anymore.

This truck just sits because I can’t get both kids in the back seat (bench) But also because the Subarus are 100 times better in the snow and easier to park in the city.

I think I’ll just suck it up on the gas guzzling aspect on the new vehicle. My diesel gets about 17-18mpg and about 13-14 hitched to the trailer. So I am spoiled. and hate to get worse than that…but I suspect I’ll just have to deal with worse.

I’ve been looking at the Tundra Crew Cab and the fact that there are soo many of them on the used market kind of scares me just a little.

I’ve looked online at the F250 Crew Cab in a gas engine, but I know nothing of the V8 engines.

I have a 5,000 lb empty wt GN. So I had assumed that if I went half ton crew cab truck I’d need to sell for a BP w/o dressing room. The specs on the Tundra are 10,000…for towing I’ve yet to dig up the GCVWR… I suppose I could haul a horse in the GN on the Tundra…but I just assumed that I’d need to downsize to a BP with an empty wt of 3,000 lbs or smaller.

still researching. thanks for all input.[/QUOTE]

Not sure about some of the new F250s but anything used with a V8 or V10 I could almost guarantee you’ll be super low teens at best. I have an 05 F250 w/ V10, stock suspension and factory size wheels & tires (the tires are heavier than stock) and I drive as my daily driver getting 10mpg. I wouldn’t get rid of my truck because its paid off but if I did ever want to downsize for some better gas mileage, I would look at F150s…I think the newer motors get some pretty good mileage.

[IPEsq]

You can tow fine with a 1500 sized engine and a BP trailer with no dressing room. With dressing room, it’ll be harder to tow for sure, but maybe not for the trips you’d take–but then for the hauls you’d do, do you need a dressing room? And, you can get trailer brakes installed in an SUV. I had that in my dad’s Suburban, so the stopping was never an issue, though I did sometimes use a low gear descending mountains in NC. I’d still say you’re going to want a longer frame vehicle for towing horses than you would need if you just had a boat or UHaul type trailer back there. So you’re still in the full sized truck or full sized SUV range, which usually means rear wheel drive, so you’d want to upgrade to 4x4 if you plan on driving it in the snow. The smaller engine version isn’t significantly cheaper, nor is the gas mileage going to be an improvement over your diesel.

[NRB]

[QUOTE=IPEsq;7460807]
The smaller engine version isn’t significantly cheaper, nor is the gas mileage going to be an improvement over your diesel.[/QUOTE]

I can’t imagine any gas engine giving me better mileage in a half ton format with a crew cab, so I just assume that i’ll look for the best I can do.

I agree that half ton format will be safer to tow off of than shorter wheelbase and lighter vehicle SUV.

Checked my records and I’ve driven this truck a total of 2,131 miles in the past 11 months. Which is a good argument for buying a gas engine and not going diesel again. When I’d bought my truck I was putting 2k a month on it in mileage and the diesel made sense then.

The Tundra 5.7 V 8 engine has some serious complaints on the flex fuel issue. That has me a little shy. Dodge 1500 gets some good reviews.

[tpup]

I love my GMC Sierra. I have the 4 door, shorter bed. Towing package. I have 2 kids 8 and 11 and it rocks. I’ve owned it almost 5 years now. It rides like an SUV and anyone who rides in it comments that it looks and feels like a luxury SUV inside. I have the leather package too. I haul a steel Adam BP slant/stock trailer with no issues with one or 2 horses. I get 15.7 mpg on the nose and haul several times a month. It is also my work vehicle. The only negative is no 3rd row so when my kids have more than one friend along it can be an issue. In those cases I use my husband’s SUV that has the 3rd row.

I test drove the Tundra from 2 different dealerships and both had a shimmy on the highway between 45 mph and 60 mph. And I tried 2 different trucks (this was in late 2009). I couldn’t get past it and moved on. Also, I am petite and the Tundra felt like it was swallowing me. Everything in it felt big, far away, far to reach and high. At the time my daughter was in a car seat and after trying to get her in and out a few times, I decided against it. The Sierra just “fit me”.

[lorilu]

I love my 4wd Nissan Titan. Tows my 2-horse like a charm (and it’s wb size, steel frame w/alum, and DR, so not really a light one). Short bed, nice back seat but not the crew cab. I really like how the back seats fold up flush and leave a big floor space. A friend has the short bed/crew cab, she tows a 2 horse w/big dressing room just fine - not 4wd.

[Equibrit]

F150 Specs; http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/

[CrowneDragon]

I’d keep the truck you have. It will be much cheaper than replacing with a new, smaller truck. I have an F-250 to tow a 2 horse BP.
Tundras are nice but absolutely suck fuel. The F-150 Ecoboost is continually rated as unreliable by Consumer Reports, and a friend who has one gets a whopping 6-7 mpg when she tows, and about 11 mpg otherwise. Thanks but no thanks.

[Equibrit]

My Ecoboost is thoroughly reliable and has a ton of electronic towing/handling gizmos to help out. I get 15.3 mpg towing a 2 horse steel gooseneck with 17’3" horses. I got rid of the F250 Diesel when the warranty ran out. I’m now enjoying better mpg,cheaper fuel prices, and improved comfort.

[NRB]

[QUOTE=CrowneDragon;7463849]
I’d keep the truck you have. [/QUOTE] I can not, because I can not fit both of my children safely in the back bench seat…so I do not use the truck. Which is why I need a crew cab… I’m putting about 2,000 miles a year on this truck. not enough to keep it and I need a family trip vehicle…

and re your friends econoboost…it comes with 5 different rear axel ratios. the higher the ratio the more towing capacity and the less fuel efficiency. Cab size also effects efficiency. the standard cab gets better mileage than a crew cab. So your friend could be driving the econoboost crew cab with a 4.10 rear end in the mountains. And that would get pretty crappy mileage. And Equibrit could be driving a standard cab with a 3.31 rear axel ratio in the flatlands and get better mileage.