WTB - Tow Vehicle

[GDW]

I need a new tow vehicle. What have you got?

Must have room for 4 including two child car seats.
Must have full size transmission
Must be in good running order
Maximum price $25,000 for the perfect vehicle but would prefer to spend quite a bit less.

Right now I'm considering both older high mileage vehicles and fancy 4 door low km trucks.

 

[trophywife]

My old mega cab... 06 -1 tonne.. Standard.. Dual disc clutch , edge with attitude programmer, 5" stainless exhaust,, big turbo .. Mileage 85k... Good condition.. For sale now at coq doge dealer.. I think they are asking around 35k.. Very , very nice ride and tonnes of room.. I traded it in because of a knee injury.. I couldnt work the clutch anymore.. Awesome tow-family travel rig. I miss it

 

[Aces]

I have a nice dura max available. Tried to pm you but your inbox is full

 

[Cuba Libre]

For comparison--- I just bought a 2009 Silverado 2500HD 4X4 , towing package etc 82500 kms for $24,000 all taxes included. 6 liter gas guzzler. Trade was worth $4K. I looked for 4 months, because I needed a 4 door extended cab LONG BOX-- and after 2009 they became quite rare.. All the dealers I talked to wanted to sell me either a 0ne ton, crew cab, or 2500 crew crew.

Man-- did I see a pile of junk out there! Beware of very high mileage oil patch lease returns. (BM Motors in Surrey etc)

forgot to add the long box was necessary to haul my camper.

 

[Part Timer]

I have a 2011 - F350 King Ranch Diesel 6.7 for sale. I've ordered in a new one that will be here in early November. Truck is fully loaded crew cab long box with every possible option, 140,000 kms, still on extended warranty. Metallic Brown color with fender flares, head ache rack and rails, bull bar with driving lights, has meticulously been maintained and is in perfect running order. Asking 35000.00.

 

[Dave S]

I'm thinking a 1/2 ton is plenty to tow that boat of yours gdw. No need to go bigger than you have to.

 

[sly_karma]

^^ Voice of reason, Dave. Why all the monster trucks and diesels? Unless you're running a LOT of km or constantly hauling heavy loads, you'll never recover the premium charged for diesel power, not to mention the regular $120 oil and filter sessions.

Big gobs of torque and horsepower sound great in ads but they just cost money and fuel for very small gains in meaningful performance. Was evidenced this summer when I hauled a 20 ft fibreglass fishing rig to the coast with a 95 Chev 2500. Princeton to Hope normally takes 1:25 to 1:30 depending on traffic flow. This time it was slower up the hills with 4000 lb of boat and gear, the mine hill out of Princeton was a 65-70 km/h grind (rather than floor it in second and do the 80 km/h limit). Total drive time was 1:35, so that 'slow vehicle' cost me 5-10 minutes on a 150 km drive. The rest of the time it was no problem to maintain highway/freeway speeds. Upgrading to a newer truck with 300+ hp - gas or diesel - would be tens of thousands, just to save a handful of minutes on a 5 hour drive I make twice a year. I don't think so. Truck dealers and makers know very well how to appeal to men's desire to have heavy duty tough guy equipment. Don't be sucked in, you'll pay for that excessive rig every time you hit the fuel pumps. Plus bigger heavier trucks are harder on tires, shocks, brakes, clutches - all the time, not just the odd time you're hauling a boat.

 

[GDW]

Updated my post I should have said maximum $25,000 but that's a maximum I'd prefer to spend quite a bit less. I just need something that fits me and tows the Mrs. Wants the 4-door leather seats yada yada.

Something in between my need and her wants would be perfect. Anyone towing with a lighter duty truck like a Dakota? More reasonable on price but I don't want transmission issues they say they can tow almost 5,000 lbs but I'm a bit skeptical on that. I'm sure it can do it for a day but what kind of damage will be done after a couple years of towing?

I don't tow long distances (furthest victoria to renfrew maybe once per year) but I do tow shorter distances quite often.

 

[Kildonan]

It's hard to find a decent used truck. I went through this a couple years ago. I heat my house with firewood so I needed something that could pack a cord of wet wood. The f-150's couldn't cut the mustard.

I went looking for an F250 but they were super rare. I was told this is due to the tax laws, the 3/4 ton trucks are apparently taxed as luxury vehicles but the 1 ton trucks were taxed less as they were deemed work trucks. This resulted in people buying 1 ton trucks because why spend the money on taxes, get a bigger truck for the same dough.

Now the lots are flooded with used 1 ton diesels and half tons.

Finding a 3/4 ton truck with an 8 foot box seemed like an impossible task.

After months of searching, i needed a truck so I settled on an older (2002) but low KM F350 with a 7.3 diesel. Way more truck than I need but, it what was there, the 7.3 has a good reputation. It's very decent on fuel and has been reliable as hell.

 

[tubber]

A '96 Ford 5.0l will tow your boat. Mine is worth about $2500 or less. It has 250,000 km on it. I make 2-3 trips to Ukee from Kelowna each summer. You should find one like this and keep the Toyota for commuting. That's what i do.

 

[GDW]

PM box cleared

 

[Bent-Tip]

I tow with a Dakota GDW. It tows just fine. You should be able to grab up a quad cab model around here pretty cheap.

 

[nedarb2]

I have a 2005 Ford Excursion. Leather, dvd player, 4x4, low miles, center row captain chairs, rear bench. Really nice truck.

 

[trophywife]

pulling is never the problem.... stopping is.

 

[Part Timer]

pulling is never the problem.... stopping is.

You hit the nail right on the head. It is an all around different experience towing when you have the right vehicle for the job. Any half ton will pull the average boat. Is it safe on the highway and comfortable to drive, probably not. The advantage to the bigger heavier diesels is anti sway, engine breaking, better bigger brakes if required. Better stronger transmissions, drive lines etc. There is no comparison between a 1 ton and half ton as a tow vehicle.

 

[bigbruce]

I'll second Parttimer's comments. I pull a 31' fifth wheel and a 22' Striper with my GMC 1 Ton Diesel. 70,000 kms on the GMC and still the original brakes. The Allison transmission does a great job gearing down on the downhills so I rarely need to use my brakes. The engine delivers incredible torque which means I very rarely slow down on the up hill stretches as well.

 

[GDW]

Yea the guys saying 1 ton missed that i have a little 17ft boat. I've been pulling it with a ford escape. Tows great, stops fine, dead easy to maneuver in reverse. Our trans went and I'm getting mixed feedback a few have said although the escape is rated to tow 3,500 lbs it shouldn't really be doing that and I wrecked the trans from towing.

Today I had a look at the damage and spoke to the mechanic who told me its a ford trans it broke because that's what they do not because I was towing. He indicated I can just keep on towing with the escape and not to worry.

I was all ready to buy a truck now hmm should I just carry on as is or still buy a truck.

What broke in the trans was this little band probably a $30 part buried behind tons of labor. Thanks Ford.

Still on the lookout if my car sold that would help speed up the process.

 

[Fish Assassin]

The Ford Escape and the Mazda equivalent have had a known transmission problem. I have many friends that have had to have them fixed. I thought about buying one for Laura as a grocery getter but decide to stay away cause of the transmission problems, and bought a Honda instead.

A half ton is all you need. Stay away from Dodge. I have replace 3 transmissions in 3 different models. My 2005 Dakota was a disaster including a blown computer and transmission and more it was a completed blow out. I now own a 2012 GMC with a 5.3.

Watch fuel consumption.... That is one reason why I bought my GMC. It's good on fuel.

 

[Pink Pounder]

I have a 1993 suburban 1500 5.7ltr 4x4 works great has bf Goodrich all-terrains good brakes and runs good 4 door would letter go for $2000 send me a pm

 

[High Velocity]

For the size of your boat, a mid to late 2000's F150 Supercrew would be a good choice. I had a 2008 F150 4X4 Supercrew that stood up to 175,000 kms in the Alberta oilpatch until I hit a moose in late September. It was an extremely reliable truck and towed various work trailers, plus a 2-place enclosed sled trailer occasionally.
I also have an '11 Ram 3500 CC, Cummins, 4X4 that pulls our holiday trailer and the sleds on longer trips, but it is serious overkill for my work truck. I was so happy with the '08 F150, that I bought a '13 F150 for my new work truck. The sticker price was $49,990, but with all the rebates, etc., I got it for $36,500. I couldn't be happier.

P.S.:
This is what a moose does to an F150 at 80 km/hr.

Edit : don't rule out a Dodge 1500. A co-worker has an '07 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4X4 with over 200,000 km, most of those km's in the patch. He also tows a 25' travel trailer regularly during the summer. He's had no major issues at all.



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