Small trucks that do the job?

I have a big F250, but I am considering selling it. If so, what is the smallest truck that could pull a Mastercraft X-2 or similar size boat? I have been looking at several different trucks, but some of them kinda scare me when thinking about pulling a boat with them. Just wondering what everyone else uses that have smaller trucks. Thanks for the help.

most of them will do the job, but when you are used to pulling with a full size you will be wishing you never made the change...

i had a 03 F-150 that i pulled everything from 18-25 foot boats for my parents dealership and i'm sooooo glad that i sold it and upgraded to an 05 F-250. i don't even know the boats behind me.

I drive a beater 01 F-150 Supercrew with the small V-8 and I do fine with my Pro-V and gear. Steep climbs suck, but it does the job. Rear end ratio plays a HUGE role in towing power.

I've been in a few different trucks of all sizes pulling boats. You can *always* feel the boat behind the truck. Don't buy a 250/2500 expecting hyperbole to be literal.

i pulled around my 5000lbs 23' boat with a nissan frontier with no problems

keep your F250. I tow a 05' VLX with my 05' Ram 1500 4x4 with 3.93 gears and the 5.7L Hemi. It does ok but I would much rather have a 3/4-ton truck even if it had the same gas engine rather than a diesel.

If the gas milage and size is killing you then buy a smaller used car for everyday rather than sell the F250 you already have for a smaller truck to do both duties.

Btw, the Ram 2500 Quadcab is no larger than the 1500, just stronger and more capable.

I really don't think you'll notice enough difference in everyday drivability of a F250 vs a 1/2-ton truck to justify the change. Better to just buy a car and keep the truck for towing and stuff.

(If I was going to buy a 1/4-ton truck it would be a Toyota Tacoma but I'll never buy smaller than 3/4-ton again)

We have pulled our boat around with my son's mid-sized Dodge Dakota. 4wd 5.2L with no problem. You can however feel the boat behind you especially when going down long steep grades.

here ya go, I have been pulling with this for 2 seasons it has 270hp and it's rated at 6000#s and it does an awesome job.

One more thing to consider, if you can wait a season...maybe 2. Ford has confirmed that they will be delivering an F-150 diesel, with other manufacturers to follow. Possibly an '09 model sold in 08.

I tow my '95 Supersport with a 2002 Ford Explorer. It has a torquey 4.6 that has no problem pulling up hills and off the ramp. However, it does get a stunning 9.8mpg while towing.

I've towed from NJ to IL without major issue.

I dunno about your trailer, but mine has brakes on it. This also helps.

I pulled my buddy's X-2 the other day with one of the new toyota tacoma quad cabs...and it really suprised me how much power those things really have

Nissan Pathfinder We tow our 02 VLX with one just fine. Actually one of my friends tows his Centurion Enzo 230 and it is 4X2. For 08 They are making a V8 version which should tow just about anything besides like an X80 or something.

O and we towed our VLX from CA to TN in the middle of summer, no problems.

just got a 97 f150. Only a 4.6, but It tows our 21 foot ok. Needs more breaks, but we need some research on kits.

I saw a guy pull a VLX with a 1997 single cab four cylinder Toyota Tacoma. I was pretty impressed. Of course it was in 4 wheel Low.

How far and how many hills are you towing over?

My little old El Camino did OK, so did my 2001 Silverado with a 2wd 4.3L V6, it did OK. The V6 would keep up with the big rigs on the big hills, maybe slightly better.

I recently upgraded to a Z71 Silverado with a 5.3L V8, it does quite well.

The whole diesel F250 thing is overkill if you don't intend to drag race your friends uphill while towing. It's real fun but not a necessity.

In Europe people tow big boats with little cars all the time.

i'm not sure how the weight of my Sanger DX compares to an X2, but I picked up this 2001 GMC Sonoma Crew Cab 4.3L V6 earlier this year and it handled the weight surprisingly well.

A lot of midsize trucks will tow a X2, just get 4X4 and something with a decent sized V6 or smaller V8.

Entrust- You're crazy! Pulling an XLV with a Frontier! Doesn't sound like you do it anymore which is good. I have an XLV as well, I used to pull it with a Tundra and the boat would pull it down the ramp quite often. I didn't feel comfortable so I ungraded to a Titan. I can't imagine pulling an XLV with a Frontier.

Toyota Tacoma with the V6 and tow package will get it done.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I have been looking at the Frontiers, Tacomas, and F-150's, but I was just unsure. I only need to pull it around 10 minutes from my house and not very hilly. But on occasion we go to a further place about 1 hour with hills. Thanks for the help again.

i used to tow a Moomba LSV with an 06 quad cab v6 6 speed tacoma with tow package. Was slow obviously but did just fine. I think the longer wheelbase made it track straight and feel safe. I would have never towed a long distance as the gas mileage was terrible while towing. I did tow it once from portland, OR over mt. hood to bend (about 150 miles) and it never heated up or gave me any problems.

kraig i pulled my xlv for over a year with a frontier and never once had an issue, never pulled it down the ramp and never had to use 4wd to pull out. the frontier is rated at 6500# and the xlv loaded is about 5000#. honestly it towed it better than my friends 4.6 v8 f-150. but i have a denali now and it deffinitely is nicer to tow with

Anyone use a Jeep Grand Cherokee? They are rated for over 5000lbs but the wheelbase looks kinda short.

I tow my '98 Super Sport with an '06 Nissan Xterra. Does just fine, wheels don't even spin on steep-ish gravel boat launch and it has never pulled me towards the water(in 4WD). Would you rather have a longer wheel base... yes... do you really need a bigger truck to pull your boat at the most 1 hour... no. But yes, make sure you have trailer brakes.

We towed my SAN for almost 2 hours into New Hampshire with a 98 4-Runner with a V6. No trailer brakes. No major hills though - but some small ones.

It was hairy but we made it, both ways.

My Tahoe does a much more capable job. But some of those hills way into New Hampshire were murder on my F150 and the Tahoe. A smaller vehicle would just not work on some of those long, long hills into Lake W.

(Message edited by juniorhawk on August 07, 2007)

Brad: I've towed with a Grand Cherokee quite a bit, I thought it did a fine job, get the V8 and it's rated for 6500lbs
My boat probably only weighs 4k though
Never had a problem, always towed strong.

Much smoother than my regular cherokee, which actually tows better than you might think.
Just did a 5 hour trip to NY with it through the hills of VT, kept up with the Grand Cherokee pulling the other boat just fine... the tandem axle trailer helps a lot IMO}

(Message edited by svfara on August 07, 2007)

Eric,

Thanks for the feedback

What about the Jeep grand cherokee v6?

as 6 cylinders go, the jeeps are torquey as they have a straight six (4.0)

the chevy 4.3 have a lot of torque for a 6 cyl. its a 350 w/ the front 2 cylinders chopped off.

not as familiar w/the imports other than my v8 Sequoia.

another thing that is often forgotten is the tow vehicles gear ratio. a smaller engine can do an admirable job with a 3.73 or 4.10 rear-end.

it takes much more engine power to pull a boat with a gear ratio of 3.42, 3.23, 3.08 etc.

the other thing to consider is the towing distance. the smaller the tow vehicle the more it will get pushed around by the trailer. so for long distances, having a bigger tow vehicle will be a more comfortable trip.

(Message edited by jhoback on August 19, 2007)

Joe I am seeing the axel ratio to be is 3.55;1, will that be sufficent? Supposedly the owners manual says it can tow class III up to 5k.

Im not looking to tow far only about 10 to 20 minutes each way which will require highway, but no big hills.

Im aware the power to get going will probably be slow as well as the mpg will probably be crap, just wondering if Ill be able to use this vehicle with out damaging the tranny. I will probably be putting on a tranny cooler and will only drive with OD off. I know no one can answer this forsure but from your experience?

i think you should be fine with that axle given the distance and lack of many hills.

also, many trucks that came from the factory with a tow package already have a tranny cooler installed.

another thing you can do is use synthetic tranny fluid. this will lower the transmission fluid temp from 10-20 degrees. heat build up is the #1 killer of transmissions.

I think the tow vehicle really has a lot to do with distance and frequency. If you have short distances or you have a lift and rarely trailer your boat, just about anything rated to pull 5000lbs will get the job done. Now if you haul your boat all over the place, especially where hills or elevation are invovled, then bigger is better.

I towed a 21' v-drive with a Jeep Liberty 6cyl and it did better than adequate. I liked the short wheel base for backing down my curvy narrow driveway.

Ill probably be using it 3 to 4 times a week 10-20 miles one way. Our thought is we will just park that vehicle for towing since its already paid off. I was contaplating on wheather or not we should trade it for a v8, but i dont want another payment.

"My little old El Camino did OK, so did my 2001 Silverado with a 2wd 4.3L V6, it did OK. The V6 would keep up with the big rigs on the big hills, maybe slightly better. "

Mikski


Cocaine's a helluva drug. } I have passed 1/2 ton gassers and SUV's leaving Ft. Smith, AR heading north, and no one but diesels were keeping up if they were pulling.

mikeski is on crack. Did you try with your ford escort?

The smaller the tow rig the better the fuel mileage. Watch this vid for an example. No more needs to be said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvkYCapb31w

Lol love it--Haha I think were selling now.

I just heard the news that my neighbor blew a tire on his tandem trailer and rolled his long wheelbase 3/4 ton truck with kids in their car seats down a hill. He was air lifted from the scene of the accident, because he was not wearing his seatbelt and got ejected

FWIW the trailer tires were less than two years old. It CAN happen to YOU!