YOU NEED TO SEE THIS PIC

[centracom]

I ATTENDED THE OHIO RV SHOW IN CLEVELAND LAST WEEK. ONE RV DEALERSHIP IN PARTICULAR HAD PICTURES OF WHAT TYPE OF VEHICLE COULD PULL EACH RV THAT WAS ON DISPLAY. THE PICTURES OF THE TOW VEHICLES WERE PLACED NEXT TO THE ENTRY DOORS. I CAME ACROSS A COUPLE OF 7500 OR 8000 LBS UNITS THAT HAD PICTURES OF 1/2 TON TRUCKS AND I JUST LAUGHED. WHEN I CAME ACROSS THIS UNIT I HAD TO SHARE IT. THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF OVERSALES. THE SALESPERSONS WILL SELL YOU ANYTHING EVEN IF IT IS A DEATHTRAP FOR YOUR FAMILY. COMENTS PLEASE!

[Helmsey]

RobertRyan wrote:
This is quite common in Australia, not really a problem, but would have concerns about US 1/2 ton doing it

I don't mean to alarm you but someone has installed your doors and awning on the wrong side of your camper 😄

[jerem0621]

4X4Dodger wrote:
One thing has puzzled me since I started reading this forum. There is a huge gap between what RV'ers (in general I am speaking) in the US think they can tow with a given type of truck and what the folks in Europe and Australia and South Africa feel they need to tow a trailer of the same size.

I have mentioned this before on this forum: our parents and in some cases grandparents towed long HEAVY trailers clear across this country with the average American Sedan.

If you look at the advertisements from the immediate post WWII era travel trailers they all are being shown pulled by family sedans...and that is what people used. These trailers were LONG, HEAVY (by todays standards) and their axles were much farther rearward with higher tongue weights. (with the exception of the Airstreams)

Is it possible the American RV'ing public has been sold a bill of goods by the Auto Manufacturers leading us to believe we NEED ever Larger, Heavier Duty, Trucks with ever increasing huge engines to pull the average 30 ft travel trailer?

As I posted before my Grandmother towed a 28ft travel trailer from Michigan to California with a '32 ford coupe. By all accounts she had a few flats on the trailer (not unusual for those days) but otherwise no problems. My parents towed their trailer to calif the same way. (I dont remember the car)We took vacations to the Mountains in Southern Calif with it.

All over the world people are towing much heavier loads with much "less" vehicle than we do. Any of our manufacturers could make their SUV's and "1/2 ton" pickups perfectly acceptable for towing our loads with a few spec changes.

But I think it's in their financial interest to continue to sell the big 3/4 ton $50 thousand dollar pickups instead. And so we are propagandized via all sorts of sources that this is what is REQUIRED.

I also think there is just a wee bit of "mine is bigger than yours" psychology in this whole thing on the part of a lot of men. They want the biggest, loudest, "toughest" truck out there. Just look at the Truck advertising where this is played on constantly.

Maybe the RV Mfg's have this right maybe you can do just fine with that "1/2" tonner.

Agree 100%

Take the new Colorado for example. In Europe and Austrailia a truck this size would be equipped with a heavier frame and a turbo diesel putting down 400 plus lbs ft of Tq. It's COMMON for a truck like this to pull fivers in the land down under.

For the US market GM intentionally made the frame lighter and kept payload to 1600 ish lbs.

The 1500 trucks are so large now it's not uncommon to see payloads in the sub 1,000 lb mark for some of the higher trim levels.

What I would like to see in the US is a Colorado sized crew cab truck with 2500 lbs of payload and a 250/400 turbo diesel.

These trucks would be a huge hit and would make the manufacturers a lot of money.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Nvr2loud]

Capable and legal are two different words.

Obviously any 1/2 ton can pull up to it's maximum rated weight provided that tongue weight, payload, max axle ratings, and combined vehicle weight ratings are not exceeded.

GENERALLY speaking I have found that most 1/2 ton trucks can pull about 6000 lbs maximum travel trailer with the proper WDH. Obviously some can pull much less, others can pull much more.. but 6K is a pretty good rule of thumb.

[4X4Dodger]

One thing has puzzled me since I started reading this forum. There is a huge gap between what RV'ers (in general I am speaking) in the US think they can tow with a given type of truck and what the folks in Europe and Australia and South Africa feel they need to tow a trailer of the same size.

I have mentioned this before on this forum: our parents and in some cases grandparents towed long HEAVY trailers clear across this country with the average American Sedan.

If you look at the advertisements from the immediate post WWII era travel trailers they all are being shown pulled by family sedans...and that is what people used. These trailers were LONG, HEAVY (by todays standards) and their axles were much farther rearward with higher tongue weights. (with the exception of the Airstreams)

Is it possible the American RV'ing public has been sold a bill of goods by the Auto Manufacturers leading us to believe we NEED ever Larger, Heavier Duty, Trucks with ever increasing huge engines to pull the average 30 ft travel trailer?

As I posted before my Grandmother towed a 28ft travel trailer from Michigan to California with a '32 ford coupe. By all accounts she had a few flats on the trailer (not unusual for those days) but otherwise no problems. My parents towed their trailer to calif the same way. (I dont remember the car)We took vacations to the Mountains in Southern Calif with it.

All over the world people are towing much heavier loads with much "less" vehicle than we do. Any of our manufacturers could make their SUV's and "1/2 ton" pickups perfectly acceptable for towing our loads with a few spec changes.

But I think it's in their financial interest to continue to sell the big 3/4 ton $50 thousand dollar pickups instead. And so we are propagandized via all sorts of sources that this is what is REQUIRED.

I also think there is just a wee bit of "mine is bigger than yours" psychology in this whole thing on the part of a lot of men. They want the biggest, loudest, "toughest" truck out there. Just look at the Truck advertising where this is played on constantly.

Maybe the RV Mfg's have this right maybe you can do just fine with that "1/2" tonner.

[coolmom42]

The problem is that the photo is intended to lead buyers to believe that any 1/2 ton truck will tow that trailer---regardless of truck options and other cargo. Many newby RV'rs will take that photo at face value and buy more than they can safely tow.

[yukon01]

To determine the max weight of a trailer that a tow vehicle can safely tow you will need the following information. The Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of the tow vehicle. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of the tow vehicle. The shipping / dry weight of the tow vehicle. The Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating of the tow vehicle. You will also need to know the GVWR of the trailer you are considering purchasing. The first step is to take the GVWR of the trailer and multiply it by 15% you will need this number later on. To determine what the vehicle can tow safely you need to do the math. The first step is to subtract the shipping/ weight of the tow vehicle from the GVWR of the tow vehicle. This gives you the cargo capacity of the tow vehicle. The cargo capacity includes a full tank of fuel @ 8.83lbs per gallon, people (150lbs per person), pets, luggage and 15% of the weight of the travel trailer that you are towing. The weight of the cargo and shipping/dry weight of the tow vehicle should never exceed the GVWR of the tow vehicle. 2nd step Take the GCVWR subtract the GVWR of the tow vehicle and that will give you the max trailer weight that the tow vehicle can safely tow and stop. That is the correct way to calculate the max trailer weight the tow vehicle can safely tow.

[nomad297]

dodge guy wrote:
Going by the pic it has 6 lug axles!...... 1/2 ton!

Good catch!

Bruce

[Dakota98]

Of course, the manufacturer is going to advertise a rigs "maximum tow capacity" but meaning as equipped, stripped down model. By the time bells & whistles are added, that figure decreases, but I don't think a lot of people grasp the concept.

My 17 year old Dakota has a "as equipped" GCWR of 10,600#

[dodge_guy]

nomad297 wrote:
Where on the picture does it state that the truck is a 1500? Am I missing something?

Bruce

Going by the pic it has 6 lug axles!...... 1/2 ton! and where in the pic would you say it says 3/4 ton?

I wouldn`t even tow 10,500lbs with my X! I would assume that 10,500lbs is dry weight since that what dealers like to throw around!

[jaycocreek]

Properly equipped even back a few years.Super Crew 150's even come with "over" 3/4 tons of payload.The F-150 is considered a HD half ton replacing the F-100.



The modern and even older so called 1/2 ton trucks meet or exceed the older 3/4 ton trucks in most cases.

Sorry..Let the 1/2 ton bashing continue.:B

[Community Alumni]

fla-gypsy wrote:
There are plenty of properly equipped newer 1/2 ton Pick ups that can pull 8k quite well. The key is to get the right options.

True, mine tows great and is very stable. I usually hate to post things like this because of all the nay sayers that usually pipe in. However, I went from a 3/4 ton to a half ton because it simply rides better/more comfortable (still use it occasionally but not to tow). We also tow a 30' race hauler with a one ton diesel dually and although it too tows great, it's really a tough ride over the long haul.

Proper set up is everything.

[nomad297]

Where on the picture does it state that the truck is a 1500? Am I missing something?

Bruce

[fla-gypsy]

There are plenty of properly equipped newer 1/2 ton Pick ups that can pull 8k quite well. The key is to get the right options.

[RobertRyan]

This is quite common in Australia, not really a problem, but would have concerns about US 1/2 ton doing it

[shum02]

A regular cab 2wd 1500 series truck properly equipped should actually be able to handle that.

Toronto show was the same but mostly pic's of 3/4 ton trucks pulling 5th wheels.....all would be good if no one actually loaded anything in their rigs.