Trucks

I'm interested in everyone's opinion on what the best truck is for towing. I'm currently looking at Ford, Chevy, and Dodge. I have a couple of questions for the experienced tow-ers. 1. Is the difference between 3/4 ton and 1/2 ton really that noticeable when you are towing? 2. Is the power advantage and gas mileage you get from a Diesel really worth the extra dough?

From what I have heard the advantage of a 3/4 ton truck is you can get a diesel, which means a lot of weight won't affect gas mileage too much and it will tow just as good up hill loaded as it would empty. Also the 3/4 will be bigger and heavier. This should make it drive a lot nicer(you drive the boat, the boat doesn't drive you). Don't know if that made sense. Another thing is that a 3/4 will have better braking which is always nice when towing. I personally like the ford f-250s the best just because of looks but I think all have really good diesels in them. You have a fairly big and heavy boat it looks like in your profile so it might be worth getting the 3/4 over the 1/2.

This is something I've been contemplating for a while. I just had my transmission rebuilt in my '96 Z-71. As I was talking with the owner of the Transmission joint, I had to ask him, in his experiences, which truck has the 'best' combination of trans/motor and what does he see the least of? I was hoping he would say the F-250, as that's what I've been looking at. He actually said that Dodge's cummins diesel motor and the trans that they mate to it, is the most well engineered trans/motor combo he has seen. We have a Dodge 1 ton stakebed that gets beat to hell at my work, it has 275,000 miles with no motor/trans problems. But it has been through 4 rear ends.
Apparently, Ford's transmission and transfer case share a main bearing. When/if that main bearing fails, you then just turned a trans problem into a trans AND transfer case problem. I also asked about the Duramax/Allison trans combo, he said he hasn't seen one in his shop yet. Granted there aren't many newer Chevy's with that combo running around with 125k plus miles on them yet. So time will tell.
I guess it all comes down to personal preference. Whatever tow vehicle is chosen, there will be problems at some point in the vehicles life. And no matter who you ask, whatever they drive is the 'best' in their mind. I think my Chevy does a great job for the work it's done.
But my next truck will be a diesel, whatever brand it is. Just my $1.02

When my father was looking into getting a new truck for his huge 3 horse trailer w/ living quarters in the front he did the analysis. If you're not going to keep the truck for a long time like more than 5 years he didn't think the added expense of the diesel was offset by the fuel costs (plus oil changes are also much more w/ a diesel). He ended up getting a V10 4 door 1 ton Ford. But, w/ that said...i think if you're pulling something pretty heavy...the performance gain w/ the diesel is worth the added expense. I'm sure he'd like to have the extra tourque..but he's almost retired so he's got no hurry!

As for 1/2 to 3/4. There is a pretty big difference I think. I have a 1/2 GMC Sierra 4x4 and it will squat w/ my '90 Sport Nautique w/ a tandem trailer. I think a 3/4 wouldn't hardly sink at all w/ that set-up. Much nicer..but if you're towing short distances then you can get away w/ the 1/2 ton...plus you get the added advantage of driving it around 95% of the time versus a heavier 3/4 ton w/ worse gas mileage.

my 2 cents went a long ways!

The difference between a 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, and 1 ton are pretty major. The plus of the heavier trucks is that yeah it tows much easier than the lighter weight rated truck and deisels have a lot of torque they just don't have as fast of pick up as the gas motors. Remember with engines and transmissions when when you want a lot of low end torque you lose speed. I've bought both chevy's and ford's for the company I used to work for and seems like ford makes a beefier more durable truck however chevy's handle better. Maintenance on both seem to be about the same.I've never had a dodge however they do use cummins deisel engines which are from what I've heard one of the best. The other thing you have to look for is whether or not there are gas station in your neighborhood. I see your from Oakland my friend has a deisel and lives on the peninsula and he has a hard time finding gas stations that sell it. I live in Pleasanton and there's plenty out there.

Did a ton of research on this topic a little over a year ago. Decided that a Diesel only paid off if you pulled over 50% of the time. It took almost 125-150k miles to break even on the exra cost of the diesel.

Since I only tow about 5% of the time, I went with the 8.1 lt GMC with the Allison tranny. Best gas engine\auto tranny combo available.

The V-10s of Ford and Dodge use too much gas and still don't produce the grunt that the 8.1 does.

I've been very happy with my rig and would never consider a half ton again.

Is a HD 3/4 ton necessary to pull with....no, but they sure make it nice.

Oh yeah, one other thing...if you get a half-ton, invest in some helper springs/bags. They really work and aren't very expensive and basically eliminate the ever present sag...

Case in point...

Does anyone know how a chevy silverado 1500 vs a Toyota Tundra v8 would tow?

Toyota Tundra ...... aaawww never mind.

I just went through this debate myself and ended up with a Dodge 1500 Hemi. Even though I wanted a diesel, I didn't really need it. The deciding factor for me was that the majority of the time I am driving the truck for non-towing uses. The slower acceleration of the diesel drove me nuts (although that can be tweaked with some $$$). Also, the 3/4 ton was just a heavy truck to tool around town in, especially in 4x4, which I deem essential for a boat tow vehicle. The half-ton is heavy enough and plenty safe for towing most ski and wakeboard boats, and it would be my recommendation for recreational towing. The diesel will just grunt and yank your boat up hills, but you pay a lot for that torque and you give up the responsiveness of a gas motor.

I have a gas hog Excursion with the V-10. It averages 11.5 mpg without the boat behind it. It does, however, perform wonderfully when towing. I tow a SAN and leave about 1000lbs in it usually. The truck doesn't seem to recognize the boat at all, it drives and stops almost the same as when the boat isn't there!

The diesel would have been nice but at about $4000.00 more (used market) I couldn't justify it. I really think the V-10 does an exceptional job. In a lighter vehicle (F-250 truck) it would probably get decent gas milage as well.

The only other thing to consider is the cool factor. I am always asked two questions about my truck in this order:

1. Is that thing 4 wheel drive? Yes!

and

2. Is that thing a diesel? No.

Good luck choosing!

in my opinion, if you're doing any good amount of towing or any towing on constant or steeper grades, get the diesel. the resale is much higher, they generally last a good long time and all of the Big Three have very nice motors out there. I personally am a chevy guy, id love it if my family got a 2500HD crew cab short bed with the duramax/allison combo, the 3/4 ton just tows so much nicer. i will say that my lifted 94 chevy 1/2 ton (SB ex cab) pulls my friends jetskis and our 21" boat just fine for me, but the extra grunt would always be nice. if it were my decision, id get the f250 crew cab with the powerstroke, or my above stated chevy. dodges are nice too though

I haven't done much research on the whole issue, but I recently bought a new truck and can comment on it.
I was looking at new F250 diesel trucks and ran across an '03 F350 Dually, diesel, 4x4 with 9000 miles on it for the same price.
I took my first long tow last weekend up to Tahoe and was very impressed with it's abilities. It's like the boat isn't even there.
Here's what I see in the truck;
-It is a very stiff suspension making a bit of a rough ride.
-It pulls as though there is no boat. This truck is built to do alot more work than 5000 lbs of boat and trailer.
-The diesel engine has a 100,000 mile warranty on the engine that I am quite happy about.
-I have the crew cab and would recommend it over an extended cab if you plan to bring 3 or more with you.
-From a stop, it isn't much slower than a gasoline engine in the same type of vehicle.
-High end speed and acceleration is excellent.
-I get about 13.2 MPG with or without the boat.
-The dual wheels are VERY hard to get through the McDonald's drive-thru.

In the end, I love the truck and couldn't have made a better choice even though I seldom tow my boat.

Bruce.....I would have seriously considered the hemi Dodge 1/2 ton if it was available last year.

From everything I've heard......it's a great motor and fits that truck nicely.

Damn....loaded 3/4 tons w/ deisel are expensive!!!

well this is what i do for a living...working and accessorizing new trucks. so i know a bit about this subject for a change. everyone is saying diesels get bad mileage unloaded around town. you re sadly mistaken. a diesel will usually get 15-24 mpg (depending on brand, driving style, etc) it only drops a small bit when towing. yes diesel does cost a bit more in some places (some places of the country its cheaper, go through arkansas) but i think the mileage improvements makes it worth it. as far as daily driver it's like this. if your looking for a 3/4 truck that drives and handles like a car get a chevy, a dodge drives a little worse (being because of the coil sprung front end), and then you have the f250's they are the worst because of the leaves up front. however the strength differ between dodges/fords and then chevys it tremendous. the durability of the ford/dodge frontends will greatly outlast that of a chevy. do to the independent front end setup they use. I personally drive a 2003 dodge ram 2500 4x4 cummins. And anyone who thinks a gas motor is faster check out gail banks sidewinder. fastest land speed vehicle in the world. not to mention i've seen a diesel in a 1/4 truck that ran 5-6 second 1/4's. There are benefits and disadvantages to everything. If you're planning on keeping the truck for quite a while and will be towing any distance outside of town go with a diesel you'll thank yourself later.
if you care to discuss this more email me and i'll do my best to help out.
Nick

I have to agree about the gas milage I have a 3/4 ton Dodge diesel 4x4 and I get 20mpg driving and 17 pulling very heavy loads. A gas engine with comprable power will not get close to that. One of my friends has a v-10 F250, and I can pull away from him and get 8 mpg better than him. I have own just about every kind of truck there is if you want to pull a diesel has no compatition.
Ross

here is my opinion. i purchase vehicles for a small construction company and a small sheet metal company. 60 % of our fleet are F250's w/ PSD's in them. the PSD, although expensive on the front end is the only intelligent choice for an individual or a small company that will be towing moderate to large loads. a typical wakeboard boat, unweighted and trailered, falls under the a moderate load. if i were not in the business of towing, and i KNEW that my max GCVW would be my boat, i would go with a 1/2 ton. If I thought that even just a few times a year i would be towing something heavier, then I would go with a 3/4 ton. any 3/4 is going to susatain the vertical and sheer loads much better that a 1/2 ton truck. as to which 3/4 to get? i am a PSD fan and have had no trouble with them. between us here, (hope there are no commercial transportation law enforcment agents reading) i scaled in last summer with a net trailer load on a 30' deckover at 28,000 lbs. the load was very balanced with effiecent tounge weight and adequate trailer brakes, but the F250 pulled it. i looked at all 3 majors before i bought my first PSD and am sure that all could do the job, i just got the best deal on the F250s. oh well, theres my opinion.