mla413

My $.02

I have towed track cars for almost 20 years and have gone through multiple trailers and trucks. In that time I've had setups where I had more truck than I needed and also more trailer than I felt comfortable with.

Currently I tow a 2600lb BMW racecar on a 900lb Trailex 7541 with a 2023 Ram 1500 Laramie.
Tow package, 3.92 Rear End, Integrated Brake Controller.

It is the safest I've ever felt towing. I can tow nearly 4 of the same setups without going over the ~12k lb limit.
Braking, uphill starts, passing is just amazing.

The trucks today are so nice that I don't feel like I'm making a compromise at all. The features match the nicest SUVs and then you have the benefit of the bed and massive interior cabin.

As everyone said, just because it can tow a certain number doesn't mean it should.

Matt Romanowski

^^ I have a 2022 Ram 1500 Big Horn. Fantastic truck, tows a 20' enclosed great, has way too small of a fuel tank. Standard on the 1500 was a 23 and I'm going to change it to a 33, but really want the 50 gallon tank that the 2500 can have.

GlenL

Geez... I love my Chevy 2500 turbo-diesel and it hauls the 24' enclosed trailer like it's not there. The load leveling bars make a difference. The fuel tank is kind of small (24gal) for cross-country runs but a stop every 3 hours works. Getting almost 13mpg when towing a full trailer which I think is nearing 9000lbs. For me, 20' would be kind of small for storage. I really wish it had those side doors that allow the car door to open more.

Advice: buy the rig once and don't skimp. I'd listen to the people who have been unhappy with their trucks and/or trailers.

dan212

You are right. Big truck and big trailer is the way to go most of the time..

But NYC is a special case.

The problem here is that he is in NYC and the larger truck weight would force Commercial Plates and that will in turn severely limit the roads that he can use.. See my previous comment about the extra time that cost me.

A massive hassle. Believe me, because I had to deal with it for years..

YES - I miss my 2500 Ram Diesel. It towed my heavy trailer like a dream and was insanely comfortable on the highway. I did a lot of very long distance tows. Nonstop from New York to Sebring for example.


BTW: My RAM had a 32 Gallon tank. That was down from 36 on my previous truck because they finally had to add a tank for DEF.... I was going to put a TITAN tank in to get to 50 gallons.

LOL: I drove a friend's FORD to Sebring once. We called it the "Prostate Truck" because of the constant stops caused by the small tank. Easily added several hours to our trip.

markmark26

I have 50 gallon tank on my long bed 3500, and it gets 900 miles on 1 fillup

GlenL

Apparently I was too subtle or unclear (and aren't those the same thing?) in also jumping in to enjoy how much I like my rig despite the OPs query.

I can relate in not having space for truck/trailer at my house. (No special licenses, though.) The truck is stored 5 miles away and the trailer is 20. I can find a street spot with cooperation of the neighbors around track weekends. The tow vehicle is my nicest "car" and I've got a disposable daily driver for daily driving. (Ya gotta have priorities!)

Good stuff in the thread on getting an intentional towing vehicle and not just looking at the specs. Figure out the actual weight. A quick google says a 20' car trailer will top 3000# and add 3000# for car plus 1000# of tires/tools and now it's pulling 7000#. That's a lot.

Frank 993 C4S

#1 rule for towing: Don't assume anything, especially your rated towing capacity, the weight you will be towing and your tongue weight.

twk63

Having owned just about every size truck, I need to weigh in especially since my tow vehicle at the moment is also my daily.

I started out with a 20' ATC aluminum enclosed trailer and a 2015 F-150 King Ranch Ecoboost. With a WD hitch I was fine on the road. But like many folks on here I started getting trailer envy and moved to a 34' Intech bumper pull and a bigger truck.

Yes, a Super Duty tows like a dream. Yes it is safer. It is also extremely difficult to live with as a daily driver in most situations. I was towing my 34' Intech trailer with a 2019 Ford F-450 Limited. I found the commercial tires to be absolutely brutal when the truck was unladen. So, I downsized to a 2022 F-350 Limited dually diesel. It rode better on the OM tires. However it was huge and my ability to drive it as a daily, particularly in urban environments, was near impossible.

I came to the conclusion that firstly. I could get by with a smaller trailer. A 34' trailer is great at the track but a real pain to drive around with, maintain, and store. I downsized to a 24' Intech. And secondly. a 2022 F-150 Limited Powerboost could handle the trailer with a WD hitch, sway control and air bags. I only tow around a dozen times a year and never further than 500 miles.

The F-150 is perfectly fine and comfortable as a daily driver.

Downsized from this...

...to this

Last_935

I use a GL350 Bluetec as both my tow vehicle and daily driver. I have been very happy with it towing both my 24ft enclosed featherlight trailer and my wakeboard boat. It has more than enough power and torque to cruise on the highway at 75 mph and navigate steep hills. The wheelbase provides great stability as well. As a daily drive, what can I say, it's a Mercedes. When towing with it, it averages 13.5 mpg and during my 60 mile daily round trip commute and around town, it consistently gets 21 - 22 mpg. My only problem is that I don't know what I'll do when I have to replace it since none of the German manufactures are making any more diesels.