M758

Not talking about GCWR That is truck + Trailer. Most half tons or large SUV's can easily make those numbers. The issue is payload. And half ton pickup or SUV could be rated to tow 9000lbs easily. However can it carry that tongue load along with being fully loaded with people and gear. Most cannot. You just need to watch your numbers. GVWR = max weight of truck with occupants and all payload and for alot of half ton is aound 6900 to 7100lbs.

As for F150's They are all over the map. Some are down at 1400lbs payload and others up to 2600lbs. Depends on cab choice and options as well has 2wd vs 4wd. So your F150 could be 8200lbs GVWR, but that would mean you have the special 7 lug wheel heavy duty package. Otherwise you are close to 7100 to 7500 depend on the year.

rlm328

I do not disagree. But wanted to point out that it is more than just about tongue weight. You should go to a scale and have your truck and trailer weighed zone by zone if you really want to do it correctly. IMHO if you go past 80% of capacity you are asking for trouble. Ergo with the knew trailer I just bought I now have a 3/4 ton truck to go with it.

What boggles my imagination is that we are playing around in one of the more expensive sports around and people are trying to stretch their high dollar toys to do things they were never meant to do

E55AMG

OK, looks like a change of plans. Took wife to test drive T-reg today and she didn't really like it. Not that she didn't like it, she's just not really into cars and amazingly, would just prefer to keep what she has.

Would be kind of silly for me to buy a 50K Treg to leave in the garage and use to tow. Soooo, i guess maybe i should consider pickup truck now.

I know NOTHING about pickup trucks, but took a quick look at Ford's website. appears that there are almost as many versions of the F-150 as there are 911's. I have no idea what specs I need/want but I have read that the ecoboost engine is pretty good?

Lot's of you guys thought the PU was the best bet anyway, so what do you say - help me figure out what I should be looking for?

to review: Open Trailex trailer with tire rack, winch, and spare. 996 koni car.

to keep my head from spinning can we keep the discussion/comparison to Ford F150 and Dodge Ram 1500?

4x4? cab size? Ford vs. Dodge? Can I get something decent for under 40K A lease under $400 month? I"d almost rather spend 15K on a lease over 3 years than try to buy something used for that amount? can you even get something decent for that amount?

Most importantly - are these things remotely comfortable to be in for long stretches?

BC

YOU will be more comfortable with a better high-capacity truck during the towing parts because it will be more relaxing. The truck itself can be more comfortable than most cars because of the interior space and driving dynamics.

winders

I'd get the F-150 EcoBoost.....

Scott

rlm328

For 40k you can pick up very nice truck. You are correct there are a lot of options out there. You need to make a list of what you want it for. For example are you only going to use it to tow with or are you going to use iot in the winter for trips, etc. The first option towing only you may only want a basic PU. If you want it for trips you may opt for the 4 door version with 4 wheel drive.

I know some people who have the Eco-Boost and they are very happy with it. The one thing they are disappoiinted in is the gas mileage when towing. It is about the same as the bigger V-8s when towing.

My advise would be to go get in one and take it for a drive, if you are not used to PUs you are going to see that they are fairly large vehicles. I use my on any trip now as it is much more comfortable to be in on a long haul than a car. All of the half tons have their plus and minuses. I am biased to Ford as others on here are biased to other brands. Now I have an F-150 Lariat FX4 Crew Cab Short Bed with the 5.7 l engine. I have really enjoyed having this truck and have had only one problem that was fixed under warranty. I have an open steel trailer that I haul my car on. Once you are up to speed you don't even know you are pulling anything. Getting a new (larger) trailer so now I am up sizing to an F250.

Good luck on your choice.

ltc

I would recommend a used Ford Excursion PowerStroke (diesel) and/or a Suburban (gas only unfortunately).

The Excursion is perhaps the most family friendly tow/all around vehicle. Can take it to the track, can take it on vacation with the family, can seat 8 and still have a full tailgate, built on the F250 chassis and reliable.

My bride's had 2 of them and we can't see replacing her current 2005 4x4 with anything else. 85K on the clock and probably just broken in.

E55AMG

Thanks for the info. It looks like there are lots of choices for different rear ratios. Why pick one over the other? I'm assuming it's matched up with the rest of the spec on the truck?

What was the sticker on your truck and options? What kind of discount off sticker can I expect?

ltc

American full size pickups have some very good dealer discounts these days ... $5-$10K IIRC. You would need to check on the eligibility of any federal tax credits for diesel and/or hybrid...which does open up the possiblity of a Hybrid pickup/SUV from GM, but I digress.

As for towing, if there is an option box for "heavy duty cooling/electrical", say yes.
We're running 3.73 rear axles now and it seems to be a nice compromise for towing vs non towing.

We are Ford folks, 2 dealerships in the extended family, so it makes it easy to decide.

KOAN

I've had F150 5.7 with crew cab. It was more comfortable than my wife's Volvo for long trips, but MPG only fair. New eco-boost supposedly good, but mileage towing not good, but with cheap reg gas, may be comparable to diesel in cost. For what you are pulling, an F150 should be adequate. I have an F250 and it is really a better towing machine, but much more expensive. If you ever see yourself moving to an enclosed trailer, go bigger now.

mcipseric

Hi Chris,

Now that you can get a larger tow vehicle, I would seriously consider an enclosed trailer. So much more comfortable, and convenient (at the track) and secure....

Congrats on your new Koni. I have been looking at that car weekly for a year and a half! I was planning on buying that car as soon as one of my clients finally pays his bill....

I pulled the trigger on a more economical Koni car that I could not refuse. I love the car but yours defiantly has more goodies (data, floating rotors, less motor time....)

Enjoy

Eric

rlm328

It is an 07 and came in around 37. Price of new trucks have not escalated that much. The F250 is considerably more as I got a diesel.

Went to the ford website and they had list about 44. You should be able to get around a 5 to 8 discount.

E55AMG

Thanks Eric. Glad to hear you think I'm getting a good car! Geoff is installing some extra bits as we speak. i'm excited for it to arrive.

Frank 993 C4S

IMHO - Seriously, what would be wrong with just trying your wife's ML first? You seem to be well within the towing limits of the ML and as long as the tongue weight is right, you should be fine.

Granted, the Navigator/Suburban/P-up choices would be better all in tow vehicles, however you only have an open aluminum trailer and a light car. If the ML doesn't work, you can always take the bigger step to get an additional car.

M758

I have to agree. For years I towed with an open trailer. It worked, but about 3 years back I went for an enclosed. Simple steel trailer nothing fancy and at 24ft perfect size. Cost was actually very good as I got it used. If you keep it basic you can get and enclosed for the price of very nice open aluminium trailer. I was out at the track this weekend and really loved the trailer again. I had simple 12v lights and so when i got to the track in dark I could use the 12v lights to see. I changed the plugs with car in the trailer. Then keep all my gear packed in the trailer so it is easier to load/unload. Plus when the race was over we got some very light rain. So just sat in the trailer till it passed rather than getting caught in the open and fumbling with my shade tent.

The only reason I would ever go back to open is if I could not store the enclosed or keep the tow vehicle. Right now space is not an issue and so the trailer acts as a garage for the race car as well as a trailer.

The downside to enclosed are the following.

1) Need space to store it. This can be the same issue or worse than and open because some times you can get by storing open trailer in an HOA area if can be hidden behind a fence. Most enclosed cannot.

2) Less gas milage towing. Due to weight and size I lost 2 mpg when towing.


3) Need a more capable tow vehicle to get the job done. Since enclosed trailers are heaver and longer you need either a very capable 1/2 ton or a 3/4 ton truck. My 24ft enclosed probably comes in at 6800-7000lbs. Plus I carry all my spare tires in the bed of my truck. Running my numbers I need to pull 7000lbs and carry about 2100lbs in my truck. So for me 90% of half tons don't do it.

The only one that I believe can do it is the F150 Ecoboost but with the special heavy duty payload package. This comes in limited styles with super cab and 8 foot bed (I don't want/need a long bed) or super crew with 6.5 foot bed. 2wd truck will get me 2500lbs payload capacity and 10,000lbs towing. Should to do the job. Otherwise I would need a 3/4 ton truck. Right now my 99 Dodge 2500 works great, but its only down side is the horrible mileage when not towing. I get only 12 mpg empty on the hwy. That 8.0L V10 has 450lbs of torque, but sucks the gas down. I still keep the V10 dodge however since it has only 68k miles on it and the cost difference between that at new truck will cover a alot of fuel cost.


So since you are looking at a dedicated tow vehicle my suggestion is to get an enclosed 24ft trailer if you have place to put it. For 6-7k you can get a new 24 footer that is very basic. For 10k it will be decked out. You can get them for less used of course.

For a truck I suggest a 3/4 ton. Diesel works best with heavy loads, but anything short of 30 feet and you will be fine with gas. The down side of gas trucks is less mileage and torque. The advantage is cheaper fuel cost and less diesel headachs. It used be diesel was great, but with the newer emissions stuff going on the later model diesels trucks they are becoming a big hassle. Still very capable, but not as simple as gas. My 8.0L can sit for 3 months and fire right up. Maintenance even on an older truck is oil changes every 3000 miles or so. Idle smooth and quiet and for this motor it pulls on flat groud at 2000 rpm and 70 mph easy.