Want to "trade up" to a TT but not sure what a 3/4 ton tow vehicle means

[musicmama]

You've heard from me before - and provided some terrific answers - so I'm reaching out to you camping gurus yet again.

DH, DD and I want to go from our 29' no slide Class C to a Travel trailer, so that DD can have her own "room" and so that I don't have to drive separately when we go camping or rent a car when we're there. Our MH really doesn't have the best setup to try towing the car, although the previous owners left their hitch (which we had removed because we couldn't pull out of the yard with it on) and had apparently towed once or twice with it.

So -- went to the Hershey, PA RV show yesterday (it'll be on Travel Channel or one of those in a few weeks as it's a pretty big show) and found 3 TTs and configurations we really liked. All of them seem to require "3/4 ton" to tow as they are 30' - 36' trailers and 7000 - 8500lb.

Here's my question - what is a "3/4 ton vehicle"? Is it a big truck? Is it a big honkin' SUV? (I know it's not my Santa Fe.) Do those of you with TTs have a special tow vehicle?

Any and all info provided will be very much appreciated. Chances are, we'll be looking into a used version of whatever we need. But we need to know what to look for without walking into a dealer or checking Craigslist and getting taken advantage of.

 

[2goofycampers]

With a TT of that weight, you will need a 2500 diesel truck to pull it well.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I have a 32 ft double slide outback that weighs almost 9000# when loaded. I tow with a 2500HD crew cab diesel chevy.

You will absolutely need a 3/4 ton truck when pulling a trailer that big. IMHO anything over 27 foot with any slides is not safe with a 1/2 ton.

The cost of s 3/4 ton can be considerable. In any cab configuration they are expensive to buy and keep fueled. If it is neccesary to drive it as a daily commute vehicle it will start to add up. I am lucky that I have another, older 1/2 ton that I use for communting. Although me diesel gets the same mileage as the 1/2 ton the fuel is more expensive and it would cost me more to insure the 3/4 if I drove it to work regularly.

A lot depends on your situation and how much you would need to use the truck to commute, my wife doesnt like driving mine because of the size and manueverability, its not easy to park a truck this big.

If you are serious, go drive a couple different ones and see what you think.

Personally I wont tow with anything other than a diesel anymore. All of the big 3 make a gas engine that is suitable for towing that big, I just like the power of the diesel and the economy when towing.

Happy hunting

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I think that the 09 Chevy 2500 has a new 6.2 gas that can be coupled to a 6 speed and is probably the closest to the driveability of a diesel while still staying with a gasser.

 

[medic9016]

3/4 ton trucks are usually in the 250 series, Dodge 2500, Ford F250, Chevrolet/GMC 2500. The differences are axles (front/rear), tranfer case, tranny(if V8/V10/diesel),springs, frame hieght. It is a little more heavy duty than a 1/2 ton. The body style and interiors are pretty much the same.

 

[vick]

Here's my question - what is a "3/4 ton vehicle"? Is it a big truck? Is it a big honkin' SUV? (I know it's not my Santa Fe.) Do those of you with TTs have a special tow vehicle?


A 3/4 ton is referencing a Ford F250, or Chevy 2500 pickup trucks. And whatever the Dodge equilivant is. I agree, get diesel. The 2500 gassers use too much gas and don't have the power of diesel.

 

[musicmama]

Wow - you guys sure are quick! Thanks. Those are definitely big vehicles - especially compared to DH's Sentra and my Santa Fe.

Given that DH and I both drive 100mi + per day, this would NOT be a regular use vehicle. So it will be a pretty big step for us - the trade-in on the MH will pretty much cover the trailer cost, so we would really need to finance the tow. Or, the trade-in on the MH would have to cover at least half of the tow and we'd need a really good rate on the trailer. I know that it's not the most practical idea to buy a tow that doesn't get used often, but our commutes would cost a fortune with what you're talking about.

Diesel vehicles have "more power" but use more fuel (and diesel is more $$ than gas), right?

 

[medic9016]

Diesel vehicles have "more power" but use more fuel (and diesel is more $$ than gas), right?

I get better MPG with my Dodge 2500 Diesel 20.5 mpg as compared to my previous Dodge 1500 V8 17.0 mpg. I commute 84 mile round trip om 4 lane highway and very little city driving. My diesel is pretty much stock except for the cold air intake and K&N air filter.

 

[2goofycampers]

Diesel vehicles have "more power" but use more fuel (and diesel is more $$ than gas), right?

Yes diesl has more power, but get better fuel mileage than gas especially when towing.
We resisted buying a diesel truck for many years. Wish now we hadn't been so bullheaded. The difference is amazing.

 

[the5coops]

You've heard from me before - and provided some terrific answers - so I'm reaching out to you camping gurus yet again.

DH, DD and I want to go from our 29' no slide Class C to a Travel trailer, so that DD can have her own "room" and so that I don't have to drive separately when we go camping or rent a car when we're there. Our MH really doesn't have the best setup to try towing the car, although the previous owners left their hitch (which we had removed because we couldn't pull out of the yard with it on) and had apparently towed once or twice with it.

So -- went to the Hershey, PA RV show yesterday (it'll be on Travel Channel or one of those in a few weeks as it's a pretty big show) and found 3 TTs and configurations we really liked. All of them seem to require "3/4 ton" to tow as they are 30' - 36' trailers and 7000 - 8500lb.

Here's my question - what is a "3/4 ton vehicle"? Is it a big truck? Is it a big honkin' SUV? (I know it's not my Santa Fe.) Do those of you with TTs have a special tow vehicle?

Any and all info provided will be very much appreciated. Chances are, we'll be looking into a used version of whatever we need. But we need to know what to look for without walking into a dealer or checking Craigslist and getting taken advantage of.

We were looking into a truck when buying our 3/4 ton vehicle. We decided on a 3/4 ton Suburban instead and a smaller camper with a rear slide (which makes it 30 ft). We also got the 4.10 rear gears. DH uses the Suburban as his daily car. It would be nice to have a diesel however Chevy doesn't make a diesel Suburban.

Shelley

 

[LONE-STAR]

If looking for a diesel truck I have a 05 1 ton ford diesel 6.0 4x4 good truck. But my mpg is never more then 12 mpg tank avg. My DW drives a 05 4x4 3/4 ton dodge diesel 5.9 and she gets 19mpg tank avg and her dodge will out pull my ford but my ford is more comfortable.

 

[vick]

Diesel gets quite a bit better mpg than a gasser. We spent more money on gas driving a 2500 gas truck 2 years ago for our trip to Disney than we did driving a 3500 dually diesel this August. And, gas prices were quite a bit cheaper 2 years ago.

 

[njcamper95]

I would weigh it out the one thing no one has mentioned yet ie the price difference most diesels are going to be 6000-9000 more on the price tag also thats alot of gas just looked at a dodge the other day 6100 for the diesel alone thats a lot of gas right know i have a dodge 1/2 ton pulling my camper yeah it only gets about 14 mpg around town but pulling my 32 ft camper to disney it got 9 mpg my campers dry weight is only 6040 so its pretty lite max gvwr is 9000 trucks max is 8500 and it pulls it easy yeah the diesel in the 3/4ton will pull it easier but if you are looking to cut cost you may want to buy a gas motor plus they start in cold weather easier and with the short trip i make to work 10 min it barely warms up which i thought was not good on a diesel they were made to be run and that short trips weren't good and sitting wasn't good either so to spend extra for a vechicle to sit doesn't seem to make sense if you are gong to use it daily on longer trips so it's not just a tow vechicle then it may pay off

 

[njcamper95]

Best bet is get some paper work from dealers and decide what your budget is and what options are needed and what aren't

 

[stacktester]

I have a 32 ft double slide outback that weighs almost 9000# when loaded. I tow with a 2500HD crew cab diesel chevy.

You will absolutely need a 3/4 ton truck when pulling a trailer that big. IMHO anything over 27 foot with any slides is not safe with a 1/2 ton.

Personally I wont tow with anything other than a diesel anymore. All of the big 3 make a gas engine that is suitable for towing that big, I just like the power of the diesel and the economy when towing.

The above poster has done tons of homework on your question and he will be glad to give you advice in the future when the time comes.

I pull with the same truck except mine is 2WD rather than 4WD. No matter what combo you go with it's going to cost more than previous years to operate because Diesel has gone up so much. Right now it's a buyers market because of the economy. My neighbor sells for Suncoast and he tells me of some really amazing sales his dealer has done just to sell a unit. Trucks are the same way. You can name your price and walk away, and the dealer will call you and try anything to work a deal. Be careful not to fall in the oh heck yeah that truck will pull it. You never want a truck in front of a camper it cannot control on the highway. I hear people all the time say but I got the towing package and we're having a brake controller installed.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I would weigh it out the one thing no one has mentioned yet ie the price difference most diesels are going to be 6000-9000 more on the price tag also thats alot of gas just looked at a dodge the other day 6100 for the diesel alone thats a lot of gas right know i have a dodge 1/2 ton pulling my camper yeah it only gets about 14 mpg around town but pulling my 32 ft camper to disney it got 9 mpg my campers dry weight is only 6040 so its pretty lite max gvwr is 9000 trucks max is 8500 and it pulls it easy yeah the diesel in the 3/4ton will pull it easier but if you are looking to cut cost you may want to buy a gas motor plus they start in cold weather easier and with the short trip i make to work 10 min it barely warms up which i thought was not good on a diesel they were made to be run and that short trips weren't good and sitting wasn't good either so to spend extra for a vechicle to sit doesn't seem to make sense if you are gong to use it daily on longer trips so it's not just a tow vechicle then it may pay off

My Duramax starts every single time without fail and we had a pretty severe winter last year. The only time a modern diesel engine will have trouble is if its not maintained and or operating properly.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

some of the major differences between 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton would be:
(note 3/4 is always bigger)

brakes
axles
axle bearings
differentials
springs
frame
weight capacity of tires
suspension and some steering parts


Physically a 2500HD chevy will be taller than a standard 2500 or a 1500 (1/2 ton) the HD series is built to accomodate the Allison transmission and must have the body mounted up higher so that the larger transmission will not hit the floor of the truck.

Do you have any brand loyalty ? anything you are considering more than others ?

While some 1/2 tons will have ratings that go upwards of 8000 lbs, my personal opinion is that the manufacturers have pushed these ratings to an un realistic range

 

[musicmama]

Do you have any brand loyalty ? anything you are considering more than others ?

While some 1/2 tons will have ratings that go upwards of 8000 lbs, my personal opinion is that the manufacturers have pushed these ratings to an un realistic range

Brand loyalty -- well, I've owned Chevy, Dodge, Jeep (before it was Dodge) and Hyundai (since 2003). DH has owned Ford, Dodge, Mitsubishi and Nissan. Our Class C is a Ford (E-250) and it is very reliable. These days, I'm loyal to price first. The TTs are Jayco Jay Flight, Wilderness, Denali and maybe Sandpiper. As far as tow vehicle, I was kinda hoping that somebody would suggest the big honkin' SUV only because I think I could handle that better than the truck - and it would have a back seat, which we need for DD and our Bella puppy. I'm only 5' but DH is 6'1, so he wouldn't have trouble with the size, but I'm pretty sure that the 2500HDs you've referred to are a little taller than I am!

One of the salesguys yesterday admitted that the one 32' TT we looked at was advertised as 1/2 ton but realistically needed the bigger vehicle. We were surprised with his honesty. DH and I are not knowledgeable about any of the things you listed, which is what brought me to this board. The knowledge here far outweighs any of our friends, and I'm not ready to get my DBIL and DBro involved right now (both are mechanics, but if I ask one and not the other, somebody will take offense). Besides, DBro is a very bad negotiator and DBIL will only 'buy the best and damn the cost'.

We're at the investigation stage right now, most likely we won't be able to do much before next year unless we win the lottery. But I like to plan and if I know what we're looking for, then I can start saving accordingly. Our current MH is paid for, so whatever we are offered is all downpayment.

Let me ask this -- is there anybody here who rents their tow vehicle when they go camping? Or is that a dumb question? (feel free to be honest)

 

[stacktester]

Never saw a rented TV. The big rental company's don't put hitches on trucks because they don't want them towing for at least 2 reasons. One is because of liability from people towing who don't know what they're doing. 2nd is because the damage it could cause to the vehicle if it's not rated to pull.

You can always go with an Expedition, Excursion (Diesel) preferably or a Suburban if you like the closed back feeling better. Right now is a great time to buy a truck like that because dealers have plenty of new and used one nobody wants lol.

 

[Us3]

We use to tow with a K2500 GMC Suburban (gas w/big block 454 engine) and I really loved having room in the cab! I love having a lot of comfortable room for us, the kids and the dogs if they are with us. On the negative side, that means anything you take with you will have to go in the camper or in the TV. So if you like to take bikes, you may want to consider getting a trailer with a large door to put the bikes in etc. We also like to take a fire pit with us and I wouldn't want it in the trailer or the TV.

Have fun researching and good luck!