Gary R.

GMC made noises about a diesel 3/4T Yukon but no sign of it..

xupkid2

I used to have a Silverado 1500 with the 8cyl motor in it. It was able to tow my 20ft enclosed trailer but I could always tell it struggled a bit. Last year I bought a Dodge Ram 2500 6.7L diesel with 50k on it and I don't regret the decision one bit. I got it for about $28k out the door. It tows a ton better than my 1500 as well as gets better gas mileage both with and without the trailer. Also I feel better knowing that the motor will last longer than I'll have the truck.

While I know that at 50k some small accessories may give out, the driveline has a 100k warranty. I can also get an extended bumper to bumper warranty for $3k up to 100k miles. I would really suggest looking at a used diesel and let someone else take the depreciation hit. In todays market you can find some great used trucks at good prices. Just my 2 cents.

Steward B.

2005 GMC 2500HD diesel crew cab purchased used from a contractor who was going out of business summer 09. Started every time it needed to last winter in Minnesota, other than one -15 day after a -25 degree night. Plugged it in and it started after an hour or so.

towed to TWS this March and got 13.5 MPG with an enclosed 24 foot trailer. I had to keep reminding myself the trailer was back there it towed so smoothly.

Yes, big store parking lots can be a pain but there is nothing like a HD pick up for towing and frankly I find that more and more in the winter I drive the truck rather than my C4

jayhawk

I tow the Pumpkin on a Trailex open with my 03 Avalanche and it is a perfect combo. My wife has some back/neck issues and her head would fall off if I went with a 2500 or f250. We use the Avalanche to go to the lake and the ride quality is much better than a HD pickup. The boat and trailer is heavier than the car/trailer by a lot, but I only have to pull it about 200 yds each weekend.

On the other hand, my son just bought a really nice 99 F250 extended cab 7.3 litre turbo diesel with 188K for $7000. Six speed, pulls his 944 T like it is not there, followed him back from MAM yesterday and he was getting about 16 mpg while I was getting about 12. It is a gas to drive around.............

B

SG_M3

I'm selling my truck, if you're interested.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...php?p=20114882

Jay Gratton

I was wondering how long it would take for a Toyota/Nissan/etc. to make it into this discussion. Reading all of your personal experience it has been priceless to read. You can read all the reports and information on company websites, but it is this real world information from the actual owners that is so helpful.

The cold issue is also not an issue up here as I know lots of people who own diesels and they start fine. Worst case I need to plug it in a few nights a year, but for the most part just letting them warm up in the morning is all you need to do.

Chris M.

I have also been waiting to see if someone would chime in with one of the new Toyotas but telling us they pull an open trailer with it isn't much help. I pull a really heavy open trailer easily with an 04 Expedition and just got 13.8mpg on a 1000 mile round trip to Road America over Labor Day weekend.

What I want to know is if the Toyota can really handle (ie not just pull, but control and stop as well) a 10000 lb enclosed like their ads claim. Here in horse country, it's pretty much all diesels pulling horse trailers. If you're sticking with an open trailer, the Toyota is more than enough.

kurt M

Why spend bucks on far more truck than you need to tow 4K of car and trailer? Why worry about resale on a truck you plan to keep for 10 years? The resale is chump change over the cost of money tied up in a far more expensive truck during the ten years.

Look at the miles driven and time spent. Most dual use trucks spend 95% of the time without a trailer on the back. Gear the truck to the real use profile. A reasonable sized gas truck is easer to live with daily and they get good MPG on cheaper easer to find fuel than a large diesel. I would worry less about the trailering MPG than the DD MPG.

Almost any truck will trailer 4K of load safely with no problems. My mid sized V6 PU is rated to 5K and has been pulling 10 years with no problems.

WHB Porsche

I know a Bondurant instructor who uses his 5.7L Tundra to tow a 20 or 24 foot enclosed trailer with his race car in it. Says it does fantastically.

CCA

I have a older Tundra with the 4.7 V8. It is rated to pull 7100-lbs. In general it tows my steel full deck trailer & car, 5000-lbs plus what's in the bed, just fine on most hauls. However, once I hit the mountains, say when heading to the Glen, it is struggling mightily. Averages 15 mpg as a daily and 13 mpg towing. I would love to get something better, just can't flip the bill right now.

M758

Look for an open car trailer a 1/2 ton is perfect. Most of the time you are never over 7k trailer load and that is fine. The motors in most of the trucks are fine too.

If you have a 20 foot box and don't put much in it other than a light car you may be ok with 1/2 ton as well. Get load equalizing hitch and consider towing a slow cruise. You can probably get by with 5-6 short tows a year like that.

If you have a 20footer and carry alot of stuff then get a 3/4 ton (gas or diesel). I tow a 24 footer that is probably 7000 to 7500lbs and carry 1000-1250lbs of additional stuff in bed of my truck. That bed weight combined with a 1000lbs tongue load puts effetively 2200lbs in the bed. That would over work a 1/2 ton with 1600lb payload. I need a 3/4 ton's 2500 lbs payload. Of course a gasser actually helps me here since my 8.0L V10 is lighter than a diesel I have 3300lbs payload vs 2250 of diesel version.

Most of my tows are short, but when I do tow long it is common to cross over multiple 6000-7000 ft mountain passes and tow in 100F temps at 1500 to 2000 feet. Plus since I don't need my TV to be a daily for me 2500 is just the right way to go.

If my TV needed to be daily driver and I towed an open trailer I would get a Tundra 5.7L with little hesitation. I don't think the tundra will work for what I tow and what I pack with me.

Jay Gratton

I don't tow very far either. I go to NHMS 4-5 times a year (100 miles round trip), WGI maybe 1K round trip once a year and Mt. Tremblant and that is another 1K a year and Lime Rock, 400 miles once a year. A 1500/F150 is probably fine, but I worry about maybe moving to an enclosed someday and I might want to put a plow on it to do my driveway. I honestly will probably lean towards a 1500/F150 type truck the more I read here. My fear is that I will move to a enclosed trailer someday (but hopefully not) and maybe want to plow my driveway.

I think I will probably go visit all the area dealers (i.e.:Chevy, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Dodge, etc.) and try all the trucks and bring the wife and see what she likes the best. My family has ALWAYS been a GM truck family and I might have a hard time moving away from them, but I want to try everything and those Tundras look good in all the reviews.

schwank

I bought a 2005 PSD Excursion earlier this year after having the same debate. The 6.0 gets a bad rap but just like the Boxster it just needs proper maintenance and they are fine.

IcemanG17

I just bought a 2010 Silverado 1500 with the "HD trailering package" and the 5.3 engine....with the 3.42 rear end its rated to tow 9700lbs....which is far more than I will ever need..... I figure even if I make every single race thats not at my home track...I'm towing at most 15 days a year....that leaves me with a DD truck for the other 350 days...& it is quite comfortable and handles surprisingly well for a full size truck...I think the 20" wheels help?

Its averaging about 17mpg with a mix of city and highway (70% highway) driving and isn't even broken in....at 60mph the computer says it gets about 22-3 but drops to about 18-19 and 70mph....unloaded of course....I haven't towed with it yet....but I would imagine it will get the standard 10mpg towing that most gas trucks get....

Another factor is the SERIOUS rebates offered right now...I got $6k cash + a discount off MSRP....great deals on the remaining 2010's right now....

Brinkley

Even educators can get a good deal! I purchased this used '04 3500 crew cab used for 14k out the door in '08 with 75,000 miles. I now pull a triple axle gooseneck total weight 13,500 and it pulls smooth and easy.