Tweet
Each time we buy a vehicle we try to do as much research as possible to find the perfect fit for our needs. My wife tows a trailer everyday for her business and I tow one 3-4 times a month. We tow trailers anywhere from 3000 pounds to almost 10,000 pounds. Being that towing is an important part of racing and there is not a lot of info out there regarding smaller non commercial (3/4 tons or less) vehicles towing I figured I would start this thread. Here is a list from my personal experiences the last 10 years.
1986 GMC 3/4 ton High Sierra, 350 Turbo 400 2wd. This truck was a beast, it towed awesome but sucked gas and honestly, I have been in tanks that rode better. When it came to stopping, even with the gigantic drum brakes in the rear it would be kind of scary. Usually towed 6000 pounds or less.
1987 Chevy 1/2 ton long bed 305 turbo 350 2wd. Good truck and towed trailers less than 3000 pounds perfect. Anything more and it struggled. Wasn't very reliable.
2000 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton 4wd 5.9 diesel, good truck and towed good but struggled to get up to hwy speed w/ 6000 pound or heavier trailers. Once at highway speeds it pulled and maintained speed w/o a problem. Nice ride and got good mileage.
2001 Ford 3/4 ton 4wd w/ powerstroke, got up to speed really well but seemed to struggle to maintain hwy speed, would keep downshifting at 65mph with a 6000 pound trailer. Had lots of problems and spent more time in the shop then on the road. Handled like a tank.
2004 Dodge Ram 2500 3/4 ton Hemi powered 2wd truck. This was my favorite for pulling trailers less than 10,000 pounds. Had plenty of power, got up to speed and maintained 65 mph w/o any problems and got around 11 mpg. I had this truck for 100,000 miles and it never spent a day in the shop for anything other than routine maintenance. It handled great and drove like a car.
2007 Chevy Tahoe 5.3 V8 2wd. I towed my car back from Detroit and it did ok, Getting into traffic this thing is a pig, even with the Hypertech programmer and cold air box. I installed air bags in the rear to help out because the suspension wasn't strong enough for the 800 pounds of tongue weight my wifes trailer has. Gas mileage without the trailer never peaked more than 18, advertised was 21. It road nice but overall wasn't happy with it. Lots of small problems.
2005 1500 Chevy silverado 5.3 V8 2wd. This was the best pulling 1500 I ever drove. 85,000 miles and never in the shop. Over 75,000 mile it had a 3800 pound trailer hooked to it and averaged over the life of the vehicle 14.4 mpg mostly city driving. Had plenty of power and good brakes but never towed anything over 6500 pounds.
2008 Dodge ram 1500 V8 Hemi 4wd. Nice truck and has plenty of power but the brakes with heavier loads 7-9k pounds can get a little scary. The rear suspension seems a little weak even with the extra leaf. Overall a very nice truck but not made for towing all the time.
What 3/4 ton or less trucks do you tow with?
1986 GMC 3/4 ton High Sierra, 350 Turbo 400 2wd. This truck was a beast, it towed awesome but sucked gas and honestly, I have been in tanks that rode better. When it came to stopping, even with the gigantic drum brakes in the rear it would be kind of scary. Usually towed 6000 pounds or less.
1987 Chevy 1/2 ton long bed 305 turbo 350 2wd. Good truck and towed trailers less than 3000 pounds perfect. Anything more and it struggled. Wasn't very reliable.
2000 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton 4wd 5.9 diesel, good truck and towed good but struggled to get up to hwy speed w/ 6000 pound or heavier trailers. Once at highway speeds it pulled and maintained speed w/o a problem. Nice ride and got good mileage.
2001 Ford 3/4 ton 4wd w/ powerstroke, got up to speed really well but seemed to struggle to maintain hwy speed, would keep downshifting at 65mph with a 6000 pound trailer. Had lots of problems and spent more time in the shop then on the road. Handled like a tank.
2004 Dodge Ram 2500 3/4 ton Hemi powered 2wd truck. This was my favorite for pulling trailers less than 10,000 pounds. Had plenty of power, got up to speed and maintained 65 mph w/o any problems and got around 11 mpg. I had this truck for 100,000 miles and it never spent a day in the shop for anything other than routine maintenance. It handled great and drove like a car.
2007 Chevy Tahoe 5.3 V8 2wd. I towed my car back from Detroit and it did ok, Getting into traffic this thing is a pig, even with the Hypertech programmer and cold air box. I installed air bags in the rear to help out because the suspension wasn't strong enough for the 800 pounds of tongue weight my wifes trailer has. Gas mileage without the trailer never peaked more than 18, advertised was 21. It road nice but overall wasn't happy with it. Lots of small problems.
2005 1500 Chevy silverado 5.3 V8 2wd. This was the best pulling 1500 I ever drove. 85,000 miles and never in the shop. Over 75,000 mile it had a 3800 pound trailer hooked to it and averaged over the life of the vehicle 14.4 mpg mostly city driving. Had plenty of power and good brakes but never towed anything over 6500 pounds.
2008 Dodge ram 1500 V8 Hemi 4wd. Nice truck and has plenty of power but the brakes with heavier loads 7-9k pounds can get a little scary. The rear suspension seems a little weak even with the extra leaf. Overall a very nice truck but not made for towing all the time.
What 3/4 ton or less trucks do you tow with?
Comment