Retired Old Lady Seeks Exploring Truck

[bftank]

the 5.7l motor of chevy's while a good motor isn't intended for towing a camper and a horsetrailer together let alone individually, without struggling.

i would suggest sticking with a diesel. and a manual trans.

a half ton should be out of the question. considering what you are trying to do. always plan heavy and pack light. much safer.

the 03 and 04 dodges do pretty well. they are electronically injected, but they have a better system than the 98-2002 trucks with the vp 44 injection pump.

regarding diesels, an air filter and 4" exhaust would be a good basic mod for towing. keep it low and use e rated tires.

 

[locrwln]

I have both a 7.3/6spd manual and a Duramax/Allison. There are a couple of differences, both pluses and minuses.

The Ford is a truck, there is no confusing that. The PSD, sounds, runs and acts like a diesel. The 6spd is a truck tranny, it is tough, but it will not be rushed between gears and after a while shifting it in technical terrain can get tiring. The ride off road is leaf spring rough (empty). Other than balljoints (about every 70k), not much to go wrong with the SD platform, there is a reason why they were/are used so extensively on jobsites, minesites and pretty much everywhere someone is planning to work a truck hard.





The Chevy, pluses are that it sounds and acts less like a diesel and more like a gas motor, which can be less fatiguing on long road trips. The ride and driving is more comfortable and it rides better offroad. The Allison is amazing both on and off road. I have driven them over the same roads and the Chevy rides better. It too has problems, the steering is somewhat weak and it has less ground clearance. Roughly 4" less than the Ford (both stock and running the same size tires) at the transfer case skid plate.
I haven't towed with the Chevy, but I use it in a different way.





There are plenty of both examples with 500k miles with minimal issues, so like I tell other's who ask, drive them both, find the one you like, can afford and most importantly, hit the road. Don't spend too much time stressing the small stuff, both trucks are very good and will take a beating.:rally_guys:

Jack

 

[BillTex]

After I posted above, I took a few minutes and clicked through the manufacturer's sites to see what $35K will buy you nowadays. Food for thought but with a $35K budget, you could buy a brand new truck that'll do everything you want, from GM, Ford, Dodge, or Toyota.

Only 3 of these meet the requirements of the OP...

 

[whiskeycutter]

Good comments all

Searching the net and chatting with several dealers. Will be test driving soon. Lots of nice trucks out there. New probably not going to happen since pretty sure I want to stick to diesel since I hope to have this truck till I hang up my spurs. Low mileage should be no problem within my budget. You guys are right, git one, don't stress, and git going. Your advice has been excellent to focus my thoughts. Thanks and more comments always welcome.

Whiskeycutter

 

[4671 Hybrid]

the 5.7l motor of chevy's while a good motor isn't intended for towing a camper and a horsetrailer together let alone individually, without struggling.

i would suggest sticking with a diesel. and a manual trans.

What are you basing this on? The 5.7L engine has probably towed more loads for farmers and construction workers than any other engine on the planet...it's a proven workhorse. As for a camper and a horsetrailer, I'll concede that it depends on the total weight of the package but I pulled a 8500 lb trailer on the regular with a 5.7 and never had any complaints.

As much as I like diesels, I don't think they're worth the $$ when you're talking about towing less than 10K lbs. Even then, the premium on a new diesel still doesn't justify the cost.

 

[4671 Hybrid]

Searching the net and chatting with several dealers. Will be test driving soon. Lots of nice trucks out there. New probably not going to happen since pretty sure I want to stick to diesel since I hope to have this truck till I hang up my spurs. Low mileage should be no problem within my budget. You guys are right, git one, don't stress, and git going. Your advice has been excellent to focus my thoughts. Thanks and more comments always welcome.

Whiskeycutter

Any modern gas engine should get you to 300K miles with proper care. Even if you're looking to drive more than that, you could always get a reman at 300K and go another 300K for a total of 600K miles. For the most part, a properly cared for engine will outlast the chassis and other components of the truck and a gas engine almost always has cheaper parts (especially injectors) than a diesel. It's just my $.02 but buying a diesel purely for the purpose of longevity isn't a concern with today's gas engines.

 

[4671 Hybrid]

Only 3 of these meet the requirements of the OP...

Please expand, it looked to me like all 4 of the manufacturer's had something in that range.

 

[BillTex]

[/quote]

please expand, it looked to me like all 4 of the manufacturer's had something in that range.

Please see OP;

ok guys give an old girl recently retired some advice. What i want:
-vehicle capable of carrying a camper and towing a small 2 horse trailer

 

[bftank]

my experiences with a 5.7l are from a 95 gmc 1/2t. i hauled my mud truck also a 1/2t from fargo, nd to norfolk, va over the appalachian mtns on a 20 foot car hauler with trailer brakes.

going over the appalachians top speed was 25 mph at full grunt in first gear. the rocky mtns in the west are the same grades. i don't feel it is safe to do this and won't recommend it to anyone else. using a 5.7l might be just fine in flat country but will not work with the loads she is talking about in the mountains without endangering herself or others around her. since i have had my experiences i have always used overqualified vehicles to tow with. makes it much safer. since whiskey cutter can afford a quality tow vehicle that can overcompensate for what she is doing, and have money left over i feel it is a mute point to suggest a lesser one.

out here the 5.7l is owned by city slickers, farmers won't touch them. the cummins and the powerstroke rein supreme. and the duramaxs are decent but the suspension doesn't hold up to the rough roads very well.

to spell out what billtex is saying, the toyota is not going to cut it. i know that they have a full size with a v8 blah blah, just not something i would feel comfortable in on these passes.

 

[bfdiesel]

In the 70's and the 80's flat lander's would always call us big block crazy up here in the mountains. That was before good diesels came in light trucks now you are hard pressed to even find blocks doing the work up here.

Flat lander's always say that a small block can cut it until they come up here, burn up a motor or worse have a braking failure.

I am not talking about the once in a life time trip over the mountains I am talking consistent travel. For the once in a life time one can keep the 5.7 rpm'd out in low gear up and down and be fine as long as engine and transmission temp, if an auto, are watched and the vehicle pulled over to cool down as needed.

 

[4671 Hybrid]

Maybe I just had a strong runner but I've used a 5.7 on the regular to tow a 6800lb load through the Smokies and also some other hilly country and never considered it unsafe to myself or those around me. I've pulled a 6000 lb trailer coast to coast a few times and went through CO and also a killer hill outside of Albuquerque (i think that was the city) and again, never felt I was being unsafe. Everyone has their opinion though, it's entirely possible that your motor was worn, mine was fresh, my year had higher HP and TQ, etc. 25mph is still suprising though, I have a Uhaul truck with a 7.3L IDI and I've been loaded to 27K going over the Appalachians and never had to slow to 25mph....I think the 5.7 beats it in HP and TQ too.

As for the loads she's taking about, I was guessing about 6500 lbs for the camper and horse trailer combined. Am I way off base?

For the Toyota, it sounds more like a dig at them than something based on tow ratings, IIRC some of them are configured to tow upwards of 9500 lbs and the pay load in the bed is between 1000-15000 lbs. That bed rating seems low for a camper but I might be underestimating the rating.

All that being said, a used but in great condition 4x4 diesel MDT could be had for sub $35K and would allow Whiskey Cutter to meet all of her objectives with a higher safety factor than a F250/350 or a Duramax.

 

[bfdiesel]

That was the Smokies. I have driven them and no offence they are weak to compare to the Rockies.

There is one hill is West Virginia and a couple in Pennsylvania that I would say are hard pulls. I-70 though the CO mountains is a monster because it is so long not because it is so steep. There are much harder CO State Highways and county roads from a grade perspective. Loveland pass for example or like one of the streets up to my house it is 14% that is 2x's I-70.

There is also a pass in Oregon that is pretty gnarly. Just before an Indian casino the Wild Horse I think. I have seen a lot of tractor trailers take the casino exit on fire from that pass. Also it is the only pass I know of that still has water barrels along it.

I am not against using a SB V8 or I6 gasser if you have one, but if I knew I would be towing all the time and doing it in mountainous terrain it would not be my first choice. Especially since there a lot of diesels out there designed to take the constant abuse and do it for many more miles.

bftank was hauling a little more than 6000lbs to Virginia. I think his trailer is 2.5k or 3k and the old truck he had on it was about 5k plus the rest of his tools and belongings. I am surprised it was 25mph and not 5 in low range.

 

[bftank]

true ^^^

this is my thinking regarding weight.

the pop top camper should be about 1500-2000lbs empty.

gear could weigh around 500lbs

horse trailer for two horse about 3500lbs+?

horses about a 1000 lbs each ?

horse gear and feed approx. 500lbs

misc. 500lbs

so total about 8000lbs. possibly more correct me if i am wrong. in my experience towing at max capacity can be done, but is not a fun situation.i prefer staying away from the max towing weight so as to allow the ability to pass, and drive comfortably. this allows for a lot less driver fatigue allows you to go for longer, etc.

i have towed with a cummins, powerstroke and a 5.7l (which had 120,00 miles on it by the way). i much prefer the diesels for towing 8-10,000 lbs. it is less stressful, and more comfortable.

i didn't suggest an mdt because they are big and bulky (limiting you to even fewer places you can go), don't get as good of fuel mileage as the one tons with diesels do. and it would be extrem overkill for what whiskey cutter is trying to do. same reason i didn't suggest a 379 peterbuilt. which would be extremely comfy.

i think i have made my point and will not clog up this thread any more with this.

 

[wikun]

Working with 35k will get you into a Dodge with a short bed and crew cab and a diesel and a good laramie package. I see you have had primarily ford recently. And while I am a GM man, the saying is true that you buy the engine and they throw in the truck. Dodge is solid in fuel economy, emissions, and maintenance. Towing will be no problem for the truck, it will be more than comfortable, and will drive just fine for a very long time. GM trucks do not have a solid axle front end. If you are going to have weight behind the truck and run forest roads, that front end will wear. I have IFS on my truck and it was not meant for washboard roads, or really anything more than gravel. Ford has a solid front axle in 250 and above as you may well know, and the truck in my opinion is better built than the dodge. However, the drive train on a used diesel truck is very expensive to work on in relation to gas vehicles. I would personally rather having the cummins and the truck's dash board cracking than have the power or drive train having problems. Next is fuel. In remote areas, you may find that diesel is more difficult to find. Gas is an option. You mentioned the eco boost. The max tow rating is 11,300. That is with a turboed v6. However they are new and more expensive than your budget. Next fuel for gas will drive your long term operating costs up. Proper trip and refueling planning will help. http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/ctd/2505798483.html Hope this sticks for a while, but with a bit more looking you could find one really nice. Just my 2cents

 

[bob91yj]

I have IFS on my truck and it was not meant for washboard roads, or really anything more than gravel.

I agree that the stock GM IFS front end needs upgrades, but saying IFS is an inferior design for high speed washboards is totally incorrect. When is the last time you saw a solid front axle in a Trophy Truck or any other desert racer that doesn't require it? Our Jeepspeed car with a solid front axle is a miserable rig to be in compared to most ANY other class except a Class 11 (stock VW Bug).