Talk to Zoodles about Trucks... Mid size and 1/2 Ton...

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We had a 23 foot hybrid and enjoyed it but the 3 major downsides are:

1. Not hard sided so not good in bear country
2. The fold down beds create more seams for leaks
3. Full hard sided trailers are quieter inside in the event you end up in a campsite with rowdy campers later into the night.

Happy trails!
 
Re V6 vs V8 etc ... don't forget the transmission and rear-end ratio.

My van (ProMaster) has the Chrysler 3.6 Pentastar V6 gas engine and 6 speed automatic. This van isn't designed with towing as its primary mission but it does have a 5000 lb tow rating and I have a class 3 hitch on it. I've towed a smaller enclosed trailer with it. No issue on level-ish ground. The Pentastar (and all of the newer gas engines!) makes power with revs, so it goes between 5th and 6th a lot. It has "enough power". But in hilly terrain you'll hear it. A friend of mine has a Ram truck with the Pentastar and 8-speed transmission and likes it. The newer transmissions are better for being able to pick the right gear ratio ... couldn't do that with the old 4-speeds ... which didn't disappear all that long ago; you'll still find plenty of them in the used market.

We did a trip to Jennings FL in a friend's Ford Expedition 5.4 V8 4 speed automatic. I called it the 5.4 that sucked gas like a 7.4 and felt like a 2.4. It would not pull overdrive with the torque converter locked. Did the whole trip with overdrive off.

Similar trip in another friend's Ram truck 5.7 V8 6 speed automatic with a similar sized trailer ... No issue, it towed fine, aside from the trailer weighing down the Ram's coil spring rear suspension (which is really designed more for ride comfort than load capacity because of how these trucks are often used). The transmission makes a big difference here.

Another friend of mine has a toy-hauler trailer that weighs somewhere around 7000 lbs. He had (just sold) an Avalanche with the 5.3 and 4 speed automatic. I wasn't in it when he was towing with it but he says it was not happy about pulling that trailer even though it was within the official tow rating (not by much). He now has (just bought) a F150 3.5 Ecoboost with 6 speed automatic and it tows much better although it took some tweaking of the weight-distributing hitch to get it to have decent highway manners. (And I agree with someone above, "eco" doesn't really belong in that engine's name)

Ram Ecodiesel might be the hot ticket if you can find one. (The new ones are on stop-sale now due to some emissions shenanigans) I know a couple of people who have these and really like them.
 
So, since you have cash, and a line of credit available(no need to apply for anything). And because you don't seem to be tied to any brand loyalty, I would say auction is perfect for you. It was the same situation for me when I bought mine at auction. I had cash, a list of prerequisites for my truck, and a free Saturday. So I went to Innisfil(just south of Barrie on the 400), and waited for something that fit the bill and budget to roll across the block. Didn't even have to spend the whole day, I bought my truck probably within the first hour or two. Spent probably another hour paying, getting the temp tag and processing the release, and I was driving it home. Ultimately it was a good experience all around and by early afternoon, I had what is my favorite truck that I've owned so far, in my driveway for about half what I would have normally paid in the used market.

I don't pay any attention to the big 3 rivalry, mainly because I have had all 3. Every single one will have issues, every one of them will have their expensive/deal breaker/"watch out for this thing that happened to my cousin's second wife's uncle's brother in-law" quirk. Every company has similar dumb *** imagineers all sharing a big box of crayons, that all went to the same schools, with barely average GPAs. Alot of the things to look out for, like wheel well rot, will be found everywhere regardless of brand. Yes my ford suffers from rear wheel well cancer, so does my boss' chevy, my previous sierra, and my ram before that. It's a production/maintenance flaw, an area where paint coverage is thin, where dirt collects and holds moisture.

Just go with what YOU like, what fits your needs and budget, and know that every engineer is half moron, and every vehicle will have some stupidity built into it somewhere.
 
This is the TBC in my truck right now:

a6b997c60292c01e0397595e3c6a295d.jpg
 
My father in law has a 10 y/o Chevy 3/4 and it hauls their 5th wheel great. Gas motor and 4 wheel drive.

Without a trailer? Worse driving experience. The suspension is so stiff and you feel every frost heave.

A business partner had a 1/2 ton Ram and loved it except driving it in the winter. Rear wheel drive only and no load in the bed, made for terrible driving experience. Even with dedicated snows.

Was just passing a new looking tundra towing a tandem axel trailer. Looked to be 24'.

Looked like a sweet set up.

My colleague in Moncton has a Titan and he loves it. Then again, he's not your average fella. A little different than most.




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Toyota/Nissan have not kept up with the Detroit 3 in this area. Powertrain, in particular. Availability of different body, powertrain, and trim configurations, also. The Tundra and Titan are both notoriously thirsty. Toyota pickups (including the Tundra) have had major frame rust issues - google it.
 
I know a Toyota dealer technician, he's done LOTS of complete frame replacements
 
nakkers said:
Any feedback on Tundra/Titan?


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Not up to the same standards as North American trucks. End of story.

nakkers said:
My father in law has a 10 y/o Chevy 3/4 and it hauls their 5th wheel great. Gas motor and 4 wheel drive.

Without a trailer? Worse driving experience. The suspension is so stiff and you feel every frost heave.
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Weight carrying capacity is very much a situation where it's difficult to have your cake and eat it too - big weight carrying capacity will equal a more abrasive ride. Airbags can help soften it some ( I had them in my 1-ton) but you're never going to get a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup (or bigger) to ride like a caddy.

caboose56 said:
This is the TBC in my truck right now:

a6b997c60292c01e0397595e3c6a295d.jpg
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Yeah, that's a timer based controller. Junk it and buy one of the proportional models I posted about above, you'll be amazed at the difference. If you tow a lot or aren't too worried about the budget, look at the Tekonsha P3 - amazing.
 
Good question Nakkers. The full sized truck market is one where there is really no bad options. I have heard the horror stories about Tundra with rotted frame rails. Apparently the current Tundra is a bit long in the tooth. There are some of these in my mileage and price range as well. I know nothing about the Titan other than the cool Titan XD which is sort of between a half ton and three quarter ton truck.

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PrivatePilot said:
If you tow a lot or aren't too worried about the budget, look at the Tekonsha P3 - amazing.
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It's only $180 on Amazon.ca, I was expecting it to be way more. For that price why would anyone consider a crappy controller? The first time you are in a hairy situation it will have paid for itself many times over.
 
I'm in the same boat, I expected that controller to be hundreds not $180. I'm having one ordered , I tow a 24ft boat behind a 2dr jeep JK. The boat is a keel sailboat , so 8ft in the air, single axle. Anything to make braking better is on my list.
 
PrivatePilot said:
Ram pickups seem to start to rust out in the rear fender wells within 24 months, almost like clockwork. I don't know why after all these years they can't seem to fix that, but it's a MAJOR issue, and would be a show stopper for me. Even my old 1997 Chevy dually (which is now gone) was still mostly intact in the fender wells even at nearly 20 years or age, but 5 year old Dodges had holes big enough to put a pen through.

Ram also ranks very low in reliability as well, the JD Power numbers are not favourable at all.
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I don't know what to tell you, mine is 3 years old and is mint. And I've seen very few 09-12 4th gens with rusting issues. I've definitely seen a lot them, but it's not every one, maybe like 5 or 10%. Probably the worst out of the big three, but it's like anything, if you take car of it you'll have no issue.
 
1. Pay attention to the GVWR and GCWR on the vehicles you look at, not just the tow ratings. If you get close to the max tow rating you will usually find unless the tow vehicle is almost completely empty you're going to be over loaded.


2. In this market the smart money is on a new truck and take advantage of incentives and low interest rates offered by the manufacturer, August is going to be your best bet as we get close to the model year change over. The strong U.S. dollar is forcing all the used product south and the prices are extremely inflated.
 
blackcamaro said:
1. Pay attention to the GVWR and GCWR on the vehicles you look at, not just the tow ratings. If you get close to the max tow rating you will usually find unless the tow vehicle is almost completely empty you're going to be over loaded.


2. In this market the smart money is on a new truck and take advantage of incentives and low interest rates offered by the manufacturer, August is going to be your best bet as we get close to the model year change over. The strong U.S. dollar is forcing all the used product south and the prices are extremely inflated.
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+1 Especially on point 2. Our used truck market is hugely inflated right now.

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PrivatePilot said:
What model is it? I can tell you if it's a good one or not.

Tekonsha makes some great controllers. I have used the Primus, Voyager, and now own a P3 (Expensive, but awesome) and all are proportional and good choices. The P3 is the closest one can get to an integrated brake controller in the non integrated market, and it's programmability is awesome for people who pull multiple trailers and need different braking profiles for each.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of junk on the market.



Ram pickups seem to start to rust out in the rear fender wells within 24 months, almost like clockwork. I don't know why after all these years they can't seem to fix that, but it's a MAJOR issue, and would be a show stopper for me. Even my old 1997 Chevy dually (which is now gone) was still mostly intact in the fender wells even at nearly 20 years or age, but 5 year old Dodges had holes big enough to put a pen through.

Ram also ranks very low in reliability as well, the JD Power numbers are not favourable at all.



Tent trailers have their advantages (mainly, yes, they tow a lot easier) but they suffer from all (and more) of the disadvantages I listed above..and a quick roadside lunch prep/cook or bathroom break if you're travelling long distances is virtually impossible. Ultimately it depends on what type of camping you're doing and how far you're going - weekend warriors do OK with tent trailers, but the hard core crowd, different story.

For example, here was our setup in 2008 when we were headed for Vancouver as part of a 40-ish day trip to the west coast and back.

trailerrockies.jpg
.

A tent trailer would be totally and completely impractical for a trip like that, but we did these sorts of long trips at least once every season, as well as tons of 2-5 day trips in between during the camping season. We needed a traditional hard sided trailer that was usable even with the slide in. That photo was taken during an emergency roadside bathroom break, for example. ;)

We also did winter camping. Again, simply not practical with anything with soft sides anywhere, tent trailer or hybrid.

trailerwinter.jpg
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I hear yeah on the tent trailer, thats why I opted for an A-Frame. Its a hard side that sets up in less then 2 minutes and can do cold weather camping to boot.

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GreyGhost said:
It's only $180 on Amazon.ca, I was expecting it to be way more. For that price why would anyone consider a crappy controller? The first time you are in a hairy situation it will have paid for itself many times over.
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Wow, the prices have come down a LOT - they were over $400 when I bought mine, but I still considered it a great investment as we towed a lot, and also switched back and forth between the 8000# fifth wheel (over 10,000LB when we towed our Jetski trailer behind it as well), and a 16,000# (when loaded) horse trailer. Not having to completely reset the controller every time (just push a button to a different trailer profile) was awesome, and even if you don't use that sort of thing, it really is a silky smooth controller. You guys will not be dissappointed. It had (not sure if it still does?) a lifetime warranty as well.

blackcamaro said:
1. Pay attention to the GVWR and GCWR on the vehicles you look at, not just the tow ratings. If you get close to the max tow rating you will usually find unless the tow vehicle is almost completely empty you're going to be over loaded.
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Good point, and also keep in mind that declared weights on RV's are often horribly optimistic. A trailer that shows "Weighs 5000#" might only weigh that coming of the factory floor. When you add propane, a full tank of fresh water, all your clothing, groceries, beer, etc etc etc...well, that weight quickly goes up. It's actually very easy to exceed the GVWR of many modern day ultralight trailers, so always assume the trailer will be AT the GVWR, never below.
 
My 08 Sierra RC/SB with a 4.8 and 4L60e and 3.42's was crap, went up to 4.11's front and rear running 285/70/17 tires and a MGS tune and could not be happier, Gears help alot..as well as leaf springs over coils...Rams will be all over the road towing due to coils.
 
GP_RZ said:
My 08 Sierra RC/SB with a 4.8 and 4L60e and 3.42's was crap, went up to 4.11's front and rear
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Yep, as I mentioned a few times, few people pay much attention (or really understand) gearing when it comes to buying a truck, but it can make the difference between a truck that walks up hills on cruise control with a big trailer behind to one that downshifts 3 gears and screams the engine while still losing speed regardless.

3.73 gearing is a good "in between" that will yield the best average of towing performance and empty fuel economy, but there's no replacing a good 4.11 equipped drivetrain for raw power in the end.

As for 2WD vs 4WD, typically you LOSE towing capacity with 4WD, so keep that in mind, especially if you're already buying a trailer near the edge of a trucks towing capacity to begin with.

My dually was a RWD only. Rarely if ever needed or wanted 4WD due to the weight and fuel economy penalties. The one time I got stuck, I was stuck so bad that it wouldn't have helped anyways since it was sunk up to the axles/diff anyways. The large amound of diesel I saved in 10 years of ownership not paying to turn a drivetrain I never needed nor wanted more than offset the $50 I paid the farmer nextdoor to come hookup a chain and yank me out. ;)
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