A truck for towing?

[mavrick]

I have been pondering on one day being able to tow my xj on a trailer to the trails and was wondering what size truck would i need to accomplish this glorious feat?

[Rev Den]

Depends who you ask...

I will tell you 3/4 ton or bigger.

Some will tell you 1/2 ton is fine

Rev

[SCW]

1956 1 1/2ton Studebaker. Don't let anyone sell you anything less. The Korean war era trucks are still a good value, if you don't mind green.

[Dirt]

I will agree with Rev. However, I will also suggest a diesel engine. Please not a Duramax though.

3/4 is the way to go for towing heavy.

[SeanP]

3/4 ton for certain. A fully built XJ and trailer will be pushing 7000-7200#+ when loaded for a trail run. While a 1/2 ton might pull it, it sure will have more trouble stopping it and dealing with the tongue weight needed for proper weight distribution.

Diesel? today I saw regular 87 for $2.29 and deisel for $2.69. I just went thru all of these deliberations and what I came up with was a 3/4 ton Yukon XL with the 6.0. Around town unloaded I will probably get 11-13, 15 HWY. I have many friends with PSD's that are getting 14 town and 19 HWY. When you only include the cost of fuel at 15-20% higher, the diesel isn't at any cost savings. However, include the $5-6K premium that the diesel costs, and there is no way you will recoup the investment in your lifetime. Yes, a diesel will pull away from me in the hills, but the speed limit with a trailer in CA is 55 and a gasser can pull all but the steepest grades at 4000 RPM at that speed. and yes, I will get 9-10 MPG towing, but for the 6 or 7 times I tow next year, so what.

YMMV, but our compromise was getting marni a 2005 fully loaded yukon 2500 XL 4x4 6.0 for a screamin deal.

SeanP

[stewie]

depends how much towing we talking about. just your jeep? other "truck toys?" and how often used. i have only a jeep and truck (no trailer yet). but i would think for the RARE occastion of towing you would be fine with a 1500 gas truck. i tried towing a 20 foot camping trailer from about 200 miles and it sucked royaly. i got 8 MPG and it was ball less up the hills i think i finaly got it up to 75 (speed limit) on a down hill.

if your going to tow frequently and dont mind paying the cost of fuel, go diesel. Cummins is my favorite

[BigWes]

A diesel motor though it costs more with last ALOT longer than a gasser, especially if its mainly for towing, i just got an 06 PSD and i love it, i didnt think i would, tows 1000times better than my f150 ever dreamed of, plus a deisel is a ton more fun to drive.

[Rev Den]

A diesel motor though it costs more with last ALOT longer than a gasser, especially if its mainly for towing, i just got an 06 PSD and i love it, i didnt think i would, tows 1000times better than my f150 ever dreamed of, plus a deisel is a ton more fun to drive.
Think maybe that might have something to do with stepping up from a 1/2 ton?

How long you gonna keep a truck? My Excursion has 82K on the V-10, sure I would rather have a PSD, but figuring the cost of diesel, and the up charge (even used) it make more sense to stay with gas.

Rev

[WrenchMonkey]

3/4 ton for certain. A fully built XJ and trailer will be pushing 7000-7200#+ when loaded for a trail run...

Jeez, that seems heavy. My (admittedly stripped) rig is only 3400#, and my 16' flatbed is like 1400#. That's only 4800, and I can't imagine another 2500# of "fully built" and gear...

So while the 3/4 ton may be wise, I think the diesel is overkill.

I mean, I needed a rig that would tow 5000 (or maybe 7000) pounds. I bought a 2000 powerstroke that's rated at like 12-13000. It's nice having that extra peace of mind, but I paid an awful lot for that extra that I'll never use...

Robert

[mavinwy]

How much truck is dependent on how much load. I know that is simple.

Were I to tow my jeep on my flatbed, I'd weigh the jeep (my guess is with a normal load it is around 4000 lbs) and my trailer weigs in at 1200 according to it's registration. I had to have it weighed to get it.

So total around 5200 lbs. My half ton ford is rated to 4800....not enough
My 3/4 ton is rated at 6800 towing....plenty.
Some new "half-ton" trucks are rated higher though....a buddy of mine has a new f150 rated to 9000lbs of towing. 150 or 1500 does not necessarily mean half ton anymore.

As always, if your load is over 3000lbs it is always better to tow with trailer brakes.

But one way or the other, it depends a lot on the vehicle you are looking at to tow with. The ratings are on the door panel for most of them, and use some common sense. With towing, bigger generally is better.

And I do tow the 2300lb stock car on the trailer with the half ton. No issue there :)

Jim

[SeanP]

my rig with a stripped interior weighted 4714. One ton axles, armour, 38s, HMMV wheels. With 300+ pounds of camping gear, it's definately at 5000#+. My 18 foot carson trailer is about 1700#, so 6700+

the nissan titan is supposedly rated at 9200#. This is with a D44 rear and brakes that warp (big factory recall on these) from just daily driving, not stopping a load.

I am adding e-brakes to my second axle and upgrading my trailer tires. There is just too much liability in not having a properly equipped trailer set up safely.

SeanP

[Lawn Cher']

How long do electric brake magnets last? My trailer was built in '82 (they don't make 'em like they used to) and as far as I know has the original brakes. I wasn't impressed with the braking when towing my MJ over Vail Pass earlier this month, and that was with the controller turned all the way up. Just wondering what I should look into replacing.

[Menzenski]

As long as we're on the subject of choosing a tow rig, what size engine is necessary for safe towing? I have a 3/4 ton truck (1989 F-250 4x2), but it's only got a 302 V8 in it (with close to a quarter-million miles). The rest of the truck is fine for towing, I'm sure (ZF five-speed, 10.25 rear axle, factory tow package (3.55 gears instead of 3.07s, class III hitch)), but I'm curious if the motor's big enough.

[Rev Den]

It is not the engine that really dictates the towing capacity...it is the brakes and the suspension.

302 is fine.

Rev

[SeanP]

How long do electric brake magnets last? My trailer was built in '82 (they don't make 'em like they used to) and as far as I know has the original brakes. I wasn't impressed with the braking when towing my MJ over Vail Pass earlier this month, and that was with the controller turned all the way up. Just wondering what I should look into replacing.

there were some good write ups on the towing forum on PBB on this. At minimum, it's probably worth disassembling everything, inspecting, repacking. I would think that 25 year old wiring would lose some impedeance and thus the ability to actuate the magnets.

Hell, my 4 year old trailer has a ground wiring issue

SeanP

[87manche]

As long as we're on the subject of choosing a tow rig, what size engine is necessary for safe towing? I have a 3/4 ton truck (1989 F-250 4x2), but it's only got a 302 V8 in it (with close to a quarter-million miles). The rest of the truck is fine for towing, I'm sure (ZF five-speed, 10.25 rear axle, factory tow package (3.55 gears instead of 3.07s, class III hitch)), but I'm curious if the motor's big enough.
if it's in good shape you could look at pulling a jy big block and rebuilding it to put in the truck. Would solve your power problem cheaply, and the zf will bolt up to lotsa different motors.

[Menzenski]

if it's in good shape you could look at pulling a jy big block and rebuilding it to put in the truck. Would solve your power problem cheaply, and the zf will bolt up to lotsa different motors.
The 302 still hauls ass; I just wasn't sure that it'd be enough motor since it seems like every one else has more displacement than that.

And if I were to consider a bigger gasser, it would not be a big block; I like my 21 highway miles per gallon (unladen). :)

[ChiXJeff]

<grin> Guess I won't talk about the 19mpg I get with my 5.9l Cummins ISB on my daily commute.

Like Den said (gawd, am I agreeing with HIM????!!!!,) it's not go, but stop that really matters. I'd much rather tow with a 3/4 ton and a 300 inch motor than a 1/2 ton with a big block.

1/2 tons will probably do the job, but at the expense of working harder. Smaller drivetrain components, especially brakes, makes for more maintenance and a shorter life.

[Lawn Cher']

there were some good write ups on the towing forum on PBB on this. At minimum, it's probably worth disassembling everything, inspecting, repacking. I would think that 25 year old wiring would lose some impedeance and thus the ability to actuate the magnets.

Hell, my 4 year old trailer has a ground wiring issue

SeanP

I rewired it last year, upgraded to a really clean harness and LED lighting, but didn't dismantle the brakes. Thanks for the info, I'll check it out.

[XJRunner]

Get a Dodge Ram MegaCab Dually with the Cummins in it

[DaffyXJ]

Depends who you ask...

I will tell you 3/4 ton or bigger.

Some will tell you 1/2 ton is fine

Rev
I'll be one of 1/2 ton guys.
My rig is right at 4000lbs, 16 foot trailer at 1400. My 04 F150 4x4 (5.4 tritan) is rated at 9500lbs. Add say 700 lbs in passengers and gear. I get 11 MPG towing. Do add a second set of brakes on the trailer, but as far as capacity, a 150/1500 will handle it fine.

I would have gotten a 250, but without going to the 6.0 or V10, you actually don't gain that much in towing capacity.

[IntrepidXJ]

I would have gotten a 250, but without going to the 6.0 or V10, you actually don't gain that much in towing capacity.

but you do gain parts that were designed for towing heavy loads frequently.

i also tow with a 1/2 ton, and it works fine for me (until i can get something bigger), but I can tell you that my truck definately was not designed to tow at it's maximum towing capacity as frequently as I do.

[RandyD71]

I've towed everything from a motorcycle to a 6000 lb. dB drag van in everything form a 1/2 ton to a 1 ton crew cab dually and they will all pull the load, but the bigger trucks due far better under braking and in the mountains. 2wd diesel is my favorite by far.