Tow Vehicle
 

So I'm in the market for a new to me pickup truck and I wanted to get some opinions and maybe confirm what I think I already know. I currently have a 16' steel / wood deck trailer that has a GVWR of 9000lbs. In the immediate future the majority of use on this trailer will be light duty hauling of misc stuff and the occasional car or tractor. I figure the trailer probably weighs ~2000lbs empty and a car or tractor will add ~3000lbs so 5000lb total, well within the limits of a half ton pickup with a gas motor. But dad's been talking about buying a skid steer for a while and now that we have a trailer that is beefy enough to handle one I have a feeling he'll probably actually do it sooner than later. So 2000lb trailer + 6000lb skid steer + implements = 8000+lbs which is about the max limit of the trailer and is pushing the limits of a half ton truck. I know there are things that can be added to a truck such as beefier rear suspension, weight distributing hitch, or air bags that can help a half ton perform better under heavy loads but I am under the impression that these are all more or less band aids. So the dilema is half ton or three quarter ton truck and if three quarter ton should I fork out a little extra and go with a diesel? When the truck isn't being used for towing it will be a part time daily driver and may be used for longer distance trips. We're expecting our first child in a few weeks and based on the research I've done it looks like I'll be limited to crew cab trucks so the car seat will fit in the rear and it will have to be a 2001 or newer so it has the safety tie downs for the car seat. Any opinions or thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Excursion if you plan on more kids......v10 works but pulls very slow....to me wasn't worth the diesel premium though I wish I had a diesel

Excursions aren't the most fun to drive but plan on doing some suspension work, rear sway bar, trans cooler if a v10...if you go this route I'll be happy to go in to more details

Get a limited v10, newest you can find for the right price....mine is an 01

There are versions of the F150 that have max tow and max payload options. On mine that makes the payload 2310 and the towing 11,300. Hard to find though.

I've been looking off and on for a decent GM 2500 and have come up empty. So far I've found either beat to chit work trucks or $$$ texas cadillacs that are no interest to me. I'm sure they are out there but I havent found the right combo.

How often will you move the skid steer around? I would be more concerned about the trailer deck than the truck. Just be smart and a towing package equipped modern 1500 will be fine. The trans will overheat if you dont have a decent cooler and load it up on a hill.

Or, take the rennlist approach and spend $60k on a truck, I sure wish I had the $$.

When it comes to towing, you get lots of opinion, and you typically end up with a compromise. I have towed open steel and aluminum trailer and now an enclosed 22/24 foot aluminum. I started towing the open trailer with a V8 Mountaineer. Then bought the aluminum and then found a dually diesel. I never looked behind me no matter how fast I was going. So I am in a go big camp because I like the stability and the false sense of security. Most trucks/SUVs can pull the load, it is stopping and oh $h** I worry about.

The problem with today's diesel is the emission system and finding someone to work on the truck. IMHO The emission system works fine as long as you towing and do not drive in stop and go traffic to maintain optimum engin temperature for regeneration to occur normally. To avoid this feature, you need 07 or earlier GM or 12 and earlier RAM. I have no idea about Ford as I have never looked to buy one.

Alternatively, big 3 make 3/4 T gassed that should work fine for your application and are much less expensive that diesel. I do not know how a Toyota Tundra might work, but that is the only 1/2 T I would consider

BTW, I prefer 8' bed which only Toyota offers in double cab models

I have been very happy with my 2011 f250 diesel superduty. 22mpg highway, 16mpg around town. It has fords new fangled turbo diesel engine which has lots of power and torque. I occasionally pull a 12,000 pound boat / trailer without any issues.

Just go ahead and get a diesel now. You'll progress to an enclosed anyways. ;)

Planning on one more after this one but I'm trying to stick to a pickup for the open bed.

Been looking for a decent Ram 1500 or 2500 for the past 3 months and recently expanded the search to a 3/4 ton anything but I'm finding the same things you are. All the ~2002+ crew cab trucks have super high mileage on them and people still want a ton of money for them. I have a cummins 4bt with an NV4500 transmission sitting here that I'm considering finding a decent body for but then I need time to get it in there.

Unfortunately I can say I've done the plenty of engine power but not enough braking power and probably way overloaded. I started towing things with a jeep cherokee and then I had my crew cab dakota. Both had plenty of power to get a load going but severely lacked on the stopping power and the stability so I'm hoping to do it right this time and get a proper vehicle that's not too overkill for my needs.

I've read up on diesel emissions and I thought i saw that '05 or '06 rams were the last year before major emissions started going into them?

In the used truck market I'm seeing the cost of diesels to be ~$3-$5k more than a comparable gas truck. It's a large percentage jump but in the grand scheme of things if it makes things easier to tow and the MPG's are better then it will probably pay for itself at the end of the day.

I that the new Ford 6.7L motor or the 6.4L? I know the early 2000's 6.0L's grenaded like crazy so I hadn't really looked into Ford diesels too much.

I'm kind of leaning that way but I doubt I'll ever get an enclosed.

i don’t think you can do much better than a ford super duty pickup for a workhorse, as well as comfort and reliability. the super duty will take enormous amounts of abuse and remain tight well past 200k. not wanting to dis GM or Dodge though.

if you are towing 9K or more it’s nice to have a good heavy tow vehicle, and it’s awfully nice to have a diesel. the ford 6.0s had issues as you mentioned, but those motors can be sorted and tuned to run great. because of the bad rap though, you can find a nice deal on a 6.0 super duty. or just pull the 6.0 and do a cummins conversion ftw.

i’ve towed a little over 15k with mine without issue. it's a 2000 f350 dually crew cab with a 7.3; sport tune, open pipes and high flow intake; stock turbo and injectors. goes like a rocket unloaded and pulls like a freight train when loaded. dual wheels are great with a gooseneck.

By all means, get the damn diesel. I apologize for being reasonable earlier, spend some $$! :)