Well, i figured this would be the place to ask.

Im just trying to get some ideas what would be a good tow vheicle for my needs.

car: EG hatch, total load about 2500-3000lbs max, car tools, etc
dstance: mostly here to phoenix, so about 150 miles 1 way, BUT there will be some interstate trips to california and nevada. this is my problem. if i was just going to phoenix i would get a cheaper vheicle but i dont want to break down on the freeway near death valley. <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.zeroforum.com/smile/emsmile.gif" BORDER="0">

my budget: um...6k max.

i dunno, im just entertaining suggestions. i was looking at an f150 but the newer body style (96?) is still about 13k for the good v8.

any suggestions welcome
thanks.


[Modified by KAMiN, 8:29 PM 11/29/2002]

 

make sure you get a V8 and at least 3/4 ton... NOTHING less.

the longer the bed the better it will be to tow with.

 

so what kind of options am i looking at here (what models)? sorry i dont know alot about trucks yet. a 3/4 ton towing capacity?


[Modified by KAMiN, 11:47 PM 7/8/2002]

 

Chevy/GMC 2500-up
Ford F250-up
Dodge ???

A 3/4 ton pickup. That relates to the size of the truck. Usually they will have larger motors, larger brakes and heavy duty suspensions. I guess its related to the towing rate...

 

hmm so an f150 with the big v8 wouldnt work huh.
Damn.
thanks chris.

any other suggestions welcome!

 

<< hmm so an f150 with the big v8 wouldnt work huh. >>

that statement is not true; depends how the truck was optioned. I use an F-150 to tow my 18 ft enclosed trailer (8000 lbs at least when loaded). The truck in question was ordered new by my Dad, and I bought it from him when he was done with it. We had always had Ford trucks (both 3/4 and 1 ton models) on the farms since I was a little kiddie, and they were always the base model with no options. This particular truck, my Dad went a little crazy; he wanted to order a "fully loaded" model; he wanted the Eddie Bauer edition. Well, that only comes as an F150 half ton model. Not enough for towing and farm duty.... Well, Dad special ordered the truck with 3/4 ton springs, 351 motor, heavy duty AOD, towing package, big alternator, big tranny cooler, auxillary oil cooler, and 3.55 posi. So basically, he ended up with a Eddie Bauer edition 3/4 ton truck! The only things he couldn't replicate was the 8 lug wheels and the manual locking hubs...

so, to make a long story short, a used F150 might be just right for you, depending on how it is optioned.

Todd

PS my truck is maxed out towing 8000 lbs. it struggles a bit on big hills (going to Watkins Glen!). But it now has 92k miles on it and about 50-60k are towing miles. no breakdowns and still going Ford strong

 

Buy a 3/4 ton 2wd Suburban. It will go forver and you can sleep in the back if needed. When I was poor I had a 76 with 454/Turbo400 tranny and we towed all over Mexico and AZ with it. Never a single problem. Cost in 1992=$2500 w/120K miles. Since I sold that I've had a 94 Ext Cab Chevy 3/4T/350/AT Tranny crapped @ 60K 93 Suburban 3/4T/4X4/454/AT Tranny crapped at 90K transfer case @ 100K sold at 110K.

 

Go for reliability. If I were only hauling a car on an open trailer. I would get a Toyota Tundra. I'm one of those people that is just waiting for the day when Honda or Toyota comes out with a 1 ton truck, and I'll buy the first one. Not sure how much a Tundra is used, but here's your other choices and from my experience towing (note: I'm not biased on Chevy, Ford, Dodge). So here's the questions: Are you going to be towing in the mountains (long hills)? Are you going to be hauling an enclosed trailer? Do you plan on towing more than 5k miles in one year? I think a Ford F150 (V8), Chevy Z71 (has the 3/4 ton springs, tranny cooler, posi, 3.73 rearend...good tow package), Suburban (good tow package), Dodge Ram (5.9L). All having the tow package which includes the tranny cooler for Autos, heavier springs and shocks, ready to tow. Just get one with as low miles as possible and taking care of, really don't need 4wd, 5sp is more reliable. I think the three makers are all about the same, but the Tundra would be at the top of my list. Good luck...

 

$10,000 max! Poor?!!! Dude . . . you have no idea. $10,000 will get you an early 90s diesel duallie. You can also get Chevy Tahoes, Yukons and early-mid 90s Suburbans. Broncos and even F150 Lightnings (the older ones) are all within that price range.

 

no kidding. I just picked up a 1987 F-250 diesel for under $2000! 10 grand will buy you a lot of used truck!

 

has anyone here actually towed with a tundra? I'm dubious about its low-end torque and the rear axle, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

A lot depends on where you are towing too. A friend of mine used to tow a big enclosed with a Jeep Grand Cherokee down in FL and he thought it was fine. He doesn't think its so good up in the mid-atlantic though (try that combo over rt7 on the way to Summit Point). My acid test for any tow vehicle is the hill into/out of the village of Watkins Glen. If you can make it down that w/o frying the brakes or transmission and make it up w/o slowing to a crawl, then its a good tow vehicle.

Something to keep in mind is the standard 1/2 ton truck these days is set up for people that will never use it as a truck. Like Todd wrote, you can beef up a 1/2 ton into a work truck but the vast majority of the 1/2 tons out there are not work trucks.

Ditto. I'd even buy a 3/4 ton toyota in a heartbeat. If I was an exec for one of the big three I'd be losing sleep over the day toyota starts building a 3/4 - 1 ton truck. AFAIK truck sales are the only thing that are keeping the big three afloat.

A friend of mine that runs a plant nursery replaced all their F350 PSDs with Isuzu COEs and he is really pleased with them. More capacity and lower operating costs.

Joel

 

Cheap? '89 Chevy Caprice police cruiser. Same drivetrain as the same year cargo van. Tows a light racecar on an open trailer without difficulty. Goes from DC to VIR (4-5 hours through foothills of Virginia mountains). Can buy them for $1000.

If you want something a bit heavier, any of the full size trucks with a V8 will do if they are optioned properly. Trans cooler, oil cooler, heavier rear springs, 3.32 final drive or better (3.73 is probably a good choice).
Obviously, if you want to step up to a larger car or to an enclosed trailer, you're going to need a heavy duty truck.

 

Another option people overlook are the mid-late 80's F350 Ford vans. 460cui of stump-pullin' torque, heavy duty brakes, and dang near impossible to overload. Look for one with a good Holley 650cfm carb or a direct port fuel injection system, stay away from throttle body injection. The shuttle bus we have now came with a holley projection 4 throttle body injection system, and... yeah, we're looking for a suitable Holley now...

 

For any sort of towing, diesel motors are the way to go. I've hauled everything from small car trailers to 30+ foot horse trailers loaded full of horses. Diesel motors will pull stronger and get better mileage in the long run. See if you can find an old F-250 powestroke diesel or turbo diesel. I think that Ford F-series truck are the best of all the full size trucks. I've driven them all, some of the others are more comfortable for driving longs trips in, but the Fords seem to really get the job done. BTW..their trucks aren't weak like their cars are.

 

I too am looking for a truck to pull my car but I am also looking for a truck or suv (like a jeep cheeroke) as my 2nd car. This will be my everyday car and will be my truck to pull my car, So bottom line is that I do not want some 1ton truck to be my daily driver and spend a ton of cash in gas.

Will a blazer or some type of jeep do the trick?

 

Might want to consider a SUV. You can sleep in the back in a pinch.

I've seen alot of people use vehicles that someone would think of. One guy uses a Astro Conversion van.

I'm planning to get a Blazer sooner or later. Right now I'm gonna use my moms BEAUTIFUL customized (paint matches my civic by the way) F350 crew cab Offroad. It's alot of truck and just got a fresh motor put in. She has to move it every night so she is more then happy when I take it for a few days.

 

10K isn't a bad chunk of money and you should be able to get something reasonably good for that. I'll second the recommendation on getting a 3/4 or 1 ton if you can find one. Make sure it has a trans cooler and the "towing package" and so on like everyone else said.

I've got a 99 3/4 ton Suburban and love it. You could probably find a 92-94 'burb in your price range. The gassers will have throttle body injection and all the pre-95 ones have that old square dashboard. The 95+ ones are the ones to get if you can find one in your price range. Suburbans hold a lot of stuff (and are lockable), have a nice long wheelbase, and are pretty stout. Be careful of the 1/2 models though, as they have a weaker transmission. The 4L80 trans is a big reason to get the 3/4 - they put the 80 in things like school buses. It's stout.

Unfortunately if you want a Suburban maxed for towing you're looking at a 454 gas V8. Great engine with gobs of power but if you have to ask about gas mileage, you can't afford it. They did have a diesel but they're rare, and the engines aren't as well regarded as the Ford and Cummins diesels.

All true, but you pay for it up front. And it can take years to make up the difference with fuel mileage.

 

My sub 2000$ truck does just fine, 1985 F250 Diesel 2x4... Goes 6 hours before one of the 2 tanks empties.. Has 200k on it with no problems, other than the rust.. Ford Diesels are very reliable, and sinse your not taking long trips, why spend a crapload on a truck, and spend the money on the car...

 

Blazers, Exploders, etc are usually rated to tow about 5000lbs - which is plenty for a light race car on an open trailer. But, their short wheel bases can make towing tiresome (more sway). Also, their brakes leave something to be desired.

Chevy Astro vans can be equiped to tow 6000lbs. But they aren't very comfortable compared to modern SUVs (steering between legs, upright seats).

Jeep Cherokees are unibody, not real trucks. Wranglers are too short and light. Grand Cherokees can tow, but unreliable. Same goes for Durangos.

 

Thanks Crackmonkey

I just love saying that.

 

what people are trying to say is, you'll need power. Second you'll need something that has the suspemsion to hold up what you are towing.

I had the same question you posed. I opted for a 1991 V6 Exploder. Just enough for a open trailer and the car (94 EG hatch). I have also rented a tow dolly. Less weight for the Exploder to haul. Third option I bought a tow bar setup. I have not tried it yet.

 

I have an 85 CRX setup for ITC which I currently tow with my 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee (4 WD and 6 cyl). This tows pretty well on my open trailer but is a little taxed on hills in the midwest.

A couple years ago I pulled a friends 2nd gen CRX to Atlanta behind my X-Cab 4wd ranger with the 4.0 6 cyl and 5 speed- towed pretty well but was taxed in the hills. Pulled an 85 CRX Si back with same issue- hills were pretty slow but doable.

I have surge brakes on the trailer so stopping is not an issue.

I would suggest something v-8 powered and full size if you can handle the mileage when not towing. A longer tow vehicle will make the rig more stable on the road.

Good luck

 

Thanks for all the replies guys, I knew i liked this forum for a reason.

now, down to business.

a mid 80's f150 v8 or f250 turbodiesel would be great, BUT i also, would like to use this as a daily driver if my other car is broken. and i wont be towing enough (unless a west coast honda challange takes off) to make use of a diesel motor. so a suburban would be better.

a tundra. I actually looked at these a week ago at the dealer (just out of curiosity) but findind one under 10k is impossible because there only made from 2000+.

What about a dodge Ram? an early 90's ram 2500 could be found for about 10k.

and kep em comming guys! i like this information.
thanks

edit: it will be an open trailer too.


[Modified by KAMiN, 12:15 PM 7/9/2002]

 

how about a dodge.............

sorry i just had to post this pic............

 

how about a dodge.............

sorry i just had to post this pic............