1/2 or 3/4 Ton? - Trying to decide.

[Gulfcoast]

Ready for a newer truck...

Jayco 25' travel trailer:

WEIGHTS
Unloaded Vehicle Weight: 5220#
Dry Hitch Weight: 545#
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 7000#
Cargo Carrying Capacity: 1780#

A 2500 Diesel sure would handle it easy, but could I "get by" with a half ton Chevy 5.4? I may cross the rocky mountains one day.

[blt2ski]

Must be why I've owned an S10, 2500, 3500 sw @ dw, class 6, ALL at the same time. Each truck/hammer/tool had a task for what I needed done. Which was better and worst. I can Gove you a list of what ea is better or worst at! My least favorite rigs, 88@89 gm 3500s, could not move rated few up a blinking measly 10% grade! Meanwhile my 96 6.5td, could get 20k lb, 7500 more than. Rating, up a 30% grade. IHC pulls 30k , up a 30% grade. My almighty max dually......24% @ 20,000 lbs. 3500 under its rating. Depending dinghy upon what you are doing, a given rig, may or may not work. I want my rigs doing 30+% at rated, or what weight I will be towing etc at. Some did, some don't!
As far as 6% freeway grades, the one with the most HP was fastest, IE max.
Any way, I'm personally look uhh ng for a 4.3 powered GM 2014+ double cab. Should tow my 6000 lb equipment trailer as well or better than my C2500 reg cab.

Marty

[ksss]

I have used this line before, but it is time to dust it off again.

"Alot can always do a little, but a little can never do alot."

[rhagfo]

ppine wrote:
I will never understand the concept of buying just enough truck or betting by.
I like a one ton best. It works for everything.

Well SRW not everything, and even DRW will cover even more, but there are limits.

[Gulfcoast]

A used Dodge Cummins Diesel

[ppine]

I will never understand the concept of buying just enough truck or betting by.
I like a one ton best. It works for everything.

[ljr]

Gulfcoast wrote:
Ready for a newer truck...

Jayco 25' travel trailer:

WEIGHTS
Unloaded Vehicle Weight: 5220#
Dry Hitch Weight: 545#
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 7000#
Cargo Carrying Capacity: 1780#

A 2500 Diesel sure would handle it easy, but could I "get by" with a half ton Chevy 5.4? I may cross the rocky mountains one day.

(Speaking from personal experience.)

Consider what happens when you start shopping for your next RV and are forced to upgrade your TV well before it’s time. The extra you spend now could save a lot later.

[MikeRP]

Are you buying new or used?

If you are buying new, you can get a great deal on a Ram tradesman with the 6.4L or a Ford XL with the 6.2L. They are great engines. I don’t mention Chevy because their interiors are not as nice in my opinion.

Then you will have lots of cash with a tradesman or xl to customize your truck. Seriously $10000 cheaper than a bighorn or XLT.

Also, If you get it cheaper, then that way when you decide you need a one ton like me. You won’t be out as much cash. Other thing is these gassers are much cheaper to operate than a diesel and if you buy a diesel you need to have the cash to deal with maintenance and repair costs that are way more expensive. The fuel cost difference right now is just ridiculous.

No payback buying a diesel even though I just bought an 2018 Ram 3500.

[Gulfcoast]

I'm getting another 3/4 ton.

[CaLBaR]

For 90% driving around town and 10% towing a properly spec'd 1/2 ton will serve you well. I towed much the same trailer with a 2006 GMC. Current 1/2 ton trucks do what 3/4 and 1 ton trucks did 20 years ago and some just have not caught up with the times.

[riven1950]

We are towing a 30' TT , about 7000/7200 lbs, with a max tow Ecoboost with Michelin E rated tires and it does fine. Have not towed in the Rockies yet, that is where a 1 ton diesel would shine for sure, but also doable with the ECO , driven properly, I think.

But after reading some of the comments on this thread we have decided to sell the ECO , bypass the 1 ton, and get one of these. " you can never have too much truck " 🙂



Hopefully some of the 3/4 and 1 ton folks towing heavy will also consider that move.

[Shal36]

To the OP...lots of folks here like to spend other people’s money and don’t have to live with what they recommend. I can tell you from first hand experience that the new 1500s ride and drive so much nicer than the new 250/350 trucks. If you spend most of your time driving around town, the bigger trucks will not be as comfortable. The bigger trucks use a lot more fuel. There’s a trade off in getter a bigger truck....yes, the tow nicer and they can obviously tow more, but they aren’t the friendliest things to drive in the city.

A new 1/2, especially one with the manufacturer’s tow setup, will do fine for most reasonably sized TT’s. Check out the GM trucks with the NHT package. I’m sure Ford has something similar.

If life changes and you want a bigger trailer, then be prepared to buy a bigger truck. Trading a three year old 1500 for a bigger truck hopefully won’t set you on a course for financial ruin. If it does, you may want to rethink your desire for a bigger trailer. The assumption on the board is that everyone will upgrade to a triple axle toy hauler within 2 years of owning their first camper.

If you are concerned about the tow performance of a given combination, review the manufacturer’s specs and then cruise around camp grounds and talk to folks who have setups that are similar to what you are thinking about. The “standard” answer on this forum is that you need overkill on the truck so that you will be prepared when the trailer brakes fail coming down a mountain pass in a 40mph cross wind while having a full bladder. . Got a pop-up? F-150. Got a hard side TT over 20’? F250. Got a 25’+ TT? You need the F350 and you need a CDL and you should never tow faster than 60MPH.

[MFL]

Gulfcoast wrote:
I agree that a 3/4 ton is the way to go, but I usually spend 90% around town and 10% towing these days. Decisions...

Since this is the OP, describing his intended use, I would say a half ton will work just fine for him. However, lots of 1/2 Ts out there, not all are equally capable.

Mitch has posted numerous times on this thread, so I'll use his 1/2T truck for example. I am familiar with his exact 2013 model. It has the max tow, which adds large mirrors, IBC, an extra 500 lbs GVWR, and 4050 RAWR. The payload will be just short of 2K. The 3.5 Ecoboost has great power/torque, for towing. This F150 would be a great match for the OP, for the trailer he intends to tow, and also a nice, fun to drive truck, for his mostly around town driving.

I know GM makes similar 1/2 tons that will also work great for the OP. The OP is asking if for his use, can he get by with a 1/2 ton, and the answer is, yes you can, but do your homework, to get the right one.

Jerry

[demiles]

The caveat here is gonna be how well the trailer is designed and how it’s loaded. You could very well be just fine with the 1/2 ton or you may not.

[jamilbk]

Get the 3/4 ton. Or even better, get a 1 ton SRW — not much price difference between the two.

[RoyJ]

Gulfcoast wrote:
Ready for a newer truck...

Jayco 25' travel trailer:

WEIGHTS
Unloaded Vehicle Weight: 5220#
Dry Hitch Weight: 545#
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 7000#
Cargo Carrying Capacity: 1780#

A 2500 Diesel sure would handle it easy, but could I "get by" with a half ton Chevy 5.4? I may cross the rocky mountains one day.

Absolutely not a problem for any V8 or turbo 4/6 half ton. Well within the ratings even at full trailer GVW.

Assuming 800 hitch weight and 1300 - 1500 lbs payload, you can carry 500 - 700 in the truck.

If you're concerned about being near payload, you can remove the tailgate and chuck the truck spare onto the trailer; frees up 150 lbs of payload.