Choosing a tow vehicle

[goodoleboy]

Ok I am narrowing down the choices for a used tow vehicle. Towing abilty plays a big part in this.
Ill probaly be towing a cattle trailer made for 2-4 cows, a few large round bales of hay. Also I will be towing a tractor about 35 hp and FEL. Im thinking about 7-8000 lbs (may rent some equip in the future).More than likely be towing about 15 times a year or so. Distance is unkown, depends on where ill buy my hay and some toehr factors could be towing 500 miles if i buy my tractor out of state.
How many of you tow with a half ton truck and does it do the job? I know engine size makes a difference on tow capactiy.
Im thinking moving up to a 3/4 or 1 ton but if a 1/2 ton can do the job for a few thousand less I dont mind going that route.

 

[MF1455v]

You should be just fine with a half ton. If you are in an area with some hills you might look for one with lower gears in the rearend. A 3/4 ton will handle the loads better but no more than you will be using it you should not need it. A 1 ton is way to much. Personally, I would make sure to add trailer brakes.

I'm have a 1 ton and do a lot more work than you said you are going to, and still do not fully work it.

 

[RobS]

I'd get at least a 3/4 ton. Much bigger brakes, thicker frame and generally heavier duty all around than a 1/2 ton. Just to be sure though, do some math. Add up your heaviest load and check it against the tow ratings provided by the manufacturers. You'll want to be sure you're within the individual axle ratings and the GCVWR (Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating). You'll need to know the weight of the truck too but you should be able to get that from the dealers or web-sites.

Good luck /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Any time you talk about pulling a trailer, the bigger and heavier the truck, the better. But that doesn't mean that you really need a big heavy truck to pull a light load. Twice in my life, I've bought old used 3/4 ton pickups simply because I found them in good condition cheaper than I could find a half ton in comparable condition. When I lived down in the country, I had a good friend and neighbor rancher who was a rather unusual character. He had told his wife before they got married that they'd never have a new car; always bought older used vehicles and drove them until they died. So I moved there and met them in '95 and he had an '88 half ton Chevy with a 5.7 (350 cu. in.) engine for his farm truck (his '77 Ford and '81 Ford that had worn out and died were sitting in the pasture). He and I regularly pulled a tandem axle stock trailer with 4 cows and a 16' tandem axle trailer with 3 round bales of hay with that old Chevy. No brakes on either trailer, although the truck had a brake controller on it when he bought it. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif The last time I drove it, it had 150k miles on it and that was 4 or 5 years ago. He still has it. In other words, for what you're talking about doing, you can certainly do it with a half ton pickup although a 3/4 ton would be a little better. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[GRUMPA]

You might want to look at this to narrow it down. It only covers four years worth, but it was sure handy for me.

WEIGHT TOWING CHART

 

[dmp437]

Everyone has their own "comfort level" of a safety factor. Half way through an accident or incident is not the time to be thinking "Hmmmm, shoulda went with that 3/4 ton we looked at."
Half ton trucks are essentially the chassis of a large rear wheel drive car with a truck body on it. The frame is the same gauge, the rear axle is the same, etc. The main difference are the spring packs. For tha reason I consider 5000 pounds to be the "safe" maximum for a half ton. What through everything out of whack were/are the advertising wars the manufacturers have been engaging in regarding towing ability. Each company kicks their truck's rating up a few hundred pounds to beat the competition. After a while we arrive at numbers that are meant only for perfect towing conditons; no headwinds, temperatures never over 70 degrees (the cooler the better), and trips of 50 miles or less.
For me personally, in your situation, I would get a 3/4 ton with the towing package, automatic, minimum of 3.73 gears. The towing package will include transmission, engine oil, and power steering coolers along with the trailer specific wiring ran to the rear of the vehicle. That's MY comfort level. The 3/4 ton truck (real 3/4 not a duded up half) has a full floating rear axle with much bigger wheel bearings, stronger frame, and much better brakes in case the trailer brakes fail.
You can tow with just about anything. I've seen 8000 lbs towed with a Ford Ranger SuperCab 4x4 before. The transmission was fried in 80 miles and the engine wouldn't do over 50 mph with the pedal floored. The driver's safety factor (and common sense) was less than mine /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[twabscs]

And here are some recent year tow ratings (2000-2004):

Towing Guides

That shoulds give you everything from 1997-2004

 

[Phred]

Well my two cents on this is get a 3/4 ton or a one ton single rear wheel (SRW) with a diesel.

I have owned all sorts of trucks from SUVs and compact trucks to 3/4 tons and my current one ton SRW.

I would ask myself what the real cost difference is. When I looked at dodge a few months ago I found that a one ton SRW was about the same cost as a 1/2 ton. Sure thats a pretty basic 1 ton 2 wheel drive, but its a lot more truck for about the same price.

Towing or carrying a load is totally different. I pull trailers from time to time that are 5K to 10K plus and the one ton diesel does quite a nice job. Maybe a little overkill for some trailers but again the cost was about the same and operating cost is also about the same.

Some think that the 1 tons or even 3/4 tons are a pain to drive due to their size but that is not so in the shorter wheel bases. Look at a dodge one ton SRW quad cab short box and a 1/2 ton quad cab. Length and width is almost identical and the hieght is only slight greater on the one ton.
These small one tons will fit in a normal garage with another car.

It is also so nice to go some place to get suppiles and just have the guy drop a full skid in the back of your pickup. Get home and use the loader to pull it right out.
Don't try that with a 1/2 ton, your head lights will be shinning at the moon.

Fred

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

First, a disclaimer. I buy and sell trucks for a living. That, however is not my goal in posting to this thread.

If you're looking at a used truck (which I personally have always preferred just because of the money), I'd lean toward a little heavier truck than a class one (commonly called a "half-ton") truck. You might even want to consider something you can use for more than just a tow vehicle. Since "towing ability plays a big part in this" you should get something that'll tow more than you think you'll need.

With hauling heavier loads remember that a dual wheeled rear axle will keep your load more stable. Consider looking at a used dump truck or stake bed if you might have the need for the other functionality of something like that. I've had a lot of customers in situations similar to yours find something like that to be a great idea.

I don't claim to know the market in your area but around here you could get a really nice older class three or four dually dump truck or stake bed for under $6,000. The same truck with just a p-u bed would be less, of course.

 

[InlineDieselFan]

My vote is for a 3/4 ton. If you are anything like me you will quickly overload your truck and trailer.

Just today I left the gravel yard in my Dodge Dually, at just shy of 14,000 pounds. It is rated at 12,000. It drove just fine and had plenty of brake and power left just overloaded.

I bought a 12.000 pound rated trailer I have yet to overload it but we just closed on 20 acres and it is time to start the building process. The trailer will soon be maxed out also.

It is better to have too much truck and trailer than not enough!

steve

 

[fractal]

A couple of things that may help you zone in your requirements.

How many people do you need to transport when you are towing? Is you and a passenger enough? Will you be transporting children? Will you want to transport a crew of adults. The extended cab trucks with the baby back seat are not bad for kids but murder on adults. A modern standard cab is required to have air bag disable on the passenger seat so you can transport children in the front seat.

How important is tight quarters manuverability? A short bed half ton will get into just about anywhere that a car will. I can not get my long bed crew cab through many drive throughs. I have to park quite a ways away from any store and take up two parking spaces. Manuvering in tight driveways is impossible.

Do you own the trailer(s) yet? The reason I ask is that gooseneck trailers are supposed to be a LOT easier to manuver, but their pin weight is often greater than a ball hitch's ball weight. 20% of 8000 pounds is 1600 pounds which is right at the limit of what you can put on the pin of a 3/4 ton gooseneck. I am no expert but don't know of many ball hitches rated at 1600 pound ball weight.

A larger truck means you will be pushed around a lot less which means better control. A larger truck means less manuverability in town and higher fuel costs.

I went from a s10 to a f350 long bed crew cab. I am thinking that for my needs a better solution would have been a short bed pickup with a goosneck trailer. Would make the truck easier to drive and would have greater cargo capacity.

Think carefully before you pick up extras like diesel motor, 4wd, crew cab.. All F350's have very similar (within a hundred pounds) GVWR. 9900 pounds in my case, a 1991 model. A standard bed, standard cab with gas motor has a 9900 GVWR on a 6000 pound curb weight truck. That's close to 2 tons of cargo capacity. A long bed, crew cab, 4wd diesel F350 weighs in at 7500 curb weight.

Finally, as has been said. The extra coolers on transmission and engine oil are not optional. I would not consider oversize brakes optional either.

 

[cj7]

I would go with the 3/4 ton. Once you get a tow rig you may find yourself towing more often than you thought. The heavier truck will hold up better over time. I agree with many of the other points already rasied before. Bigger brakes and towing capacity are two major things to consider.

Though the best piece of equipment is the one we carry on our shoulders. Use you head and take you time. You are responsible for you and your load and other drivers on the road. Good luck with your choice.

 

[tough451]

I agree at least a 3/4 ton brand of your choice. You could tow with a 1/2 ton but stopping is much harder especially when some bozo cuts you off and makes you stop before you were planning on it.

 

[tough451]

Almost forgot when towing livestock they dont like to stand still and in a undersized truck could make you trip very interesting. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Hambone]

I pull a trailer quite often. It is a box trailer that measures 36 feet total length. It weighs in just over 8,000 pound when loaded. I tried pulling with my 1991 1/2 ton Chevy 4X4 when I first started. It didn't work very well. It was kinda woobly, and had load bearing hitch also. The first trip wasn't too bad on flat ground. Second trip was into Kentucky where the hills took its toll. Sitting on the side of the road waiting for the transmission to cool after it puked out fluid all over the exhaust was not fun. So I did some trading and bought a 1983 Chevy 3/4 ton 4 door long bed, single back wheel. What a difference that made. Night and day. Used that truck for a couple years. Attached a pic. Couple months ago I found a deal on a bigger truck. 1996 Chevy 3500 ext cab dually 4X4 with 454 and auto. Again, night and day difference. With this truck, driving is a dream. No sway, stops great ect.
Just my .02 cents.

P.S. Trailer in background.

 

[Dargo]

I've towed about 8000 pound trailer for years with a 1/2 ton that had a 454 in it. I thought it was fine until I actually bought a truck that was more suited for the job. I now have a Dodge 1 ton 4X4 dually with a rather modified Cummins and now, due to the engine mods, a highly modified transmission. If you don't "turn up" the Cummins, the transmissions would be fine. Anyway, I thought it was "normal" for the automatic transmission in my 454 to downshift on each hill. Sometimes it did it several times on the same hill when cruise was on.
With the Cummins diesel, even before I started modifying it, it never downshifted on the interstate when towing even the heaviest loads. With my tractor, loader and rear implement, on my trailer, the whole trailer weighs in at about 12,000 pounds. I can easily tow it over 100 mph; not that that is recommended. My point is that it does not strain the truck at all to tow it, it doesn't pull me all over the road, and with the trailer brakes, I have no problem stopping it.
After using a diesel tow vehicle, I could never go back to a gas engine tow vehicle again. The difference is unbelievable, especially if you ever tow on an interstate.
This thread caught my eye, because I bought my truck from a guy in Texas several years ago who used it to pull "show" cows. I didn't know there was such things. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Poncho]

To me a vehicle's towing rating is only part of the equation. I've got a 2000 3/4 ton Chevy crew cab that I pull a 29' all steel goose-neck horse trailer with. I wish I had a larger displacement engine. I'm old school hot rod and believe there is no substitute for cubic inches. To me.... a high hp small block under heavy towing load is just asking for trouble (is there an 18 wheeler with a gas engine?). It has a 350 and to me it does'nt have enough grunt... and I often wish I had gotten the 454. I would love to get a diesel... but I've only got another year to pay-off... can't wait to go without those payments.

 

[MikePA]

When it comes to towing....there's no substitute for torque. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bgott]

I'm suprised that nobody came up with the obvious solution. My friends and neighbors figured it out a long time ago. Since you figure on towing 15 times a year or so just make friends with someone with a large truck and borrow or rent it when you need it. Being that nobody in their right mind will let someone else have control of their vehicle it will come with a driver, too. That gives you an extra hand for loading and tie down. If they own a trailer you can really save. That way you can drive a little weenie car and save on fuel and wear and tear. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif