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Toy hauler towing experience with a 1500

Discussion in 'General' started by MVA25, Jun 15, 2019.

  1. bored&stroked

    bored&stroked Disclaimer: Can't spell

    Since we're talking hills, you really shouldn't be using your brakes coming down the hill. Not much anyways.
     
    TurboBlew, turner38 and ducnut like this.
  2. 5axis

    5axis Well-Known Member

    Jake brakes rock.

    Ps our rig is FS on racing junk.
     
  3. Dave675

    Dave675 Well-Known Member

    We can agree to disagree on the best method to get a trailer to and from destinations.

    As for me, after going to a diesel 3/4 ton, I won't be down grading to a gasser.
     
    Wheel Bearing likes this.
  4. DWhyte91

    DWhyte91 Well-Known Member

    Signed the papers for my new gasser yesterday, pick it up next week. Almost went 6.2L but I couldn’t justify the extra cost. I’ll tow 3-4 times a year and do maybe 10k km so the 5.3L will do the job with a 7x12 trailer. I’m going to miss my diesel and I said I’d never go back to a gasser but life and priorities change. The 1/2t diesel will have been out for a few years by the time I’m ready to switch again (if I do) so that might be a real contender down the road.

    Still looks like a ford to me.
    39F819BB-5555-403F-A169-1B196EDC83D9.jpeg
     
  5. RRP

    RRP Kinda Superbikey

    Welllll, at least you bought the better of the GM brands. :D


    Congrats on the new toy.
     
    DWhyte91 and roy826ex like this.
  6. roy826ex

    roy826ex Been around here a while

    Good looking truck!
     
  7. Wheel Bearing

    Wheel Bearing Professional low sider

    7x12 ain't shit for any 1/2 ton made in the last 20 years...good choice!
     
    TLR67 likes this.
  8. DWhyte91

    DWhyte91 Well-Known Member

    That’s what I figured. It’ll have a bike, scooter, couple canopies, two sets of plastic shelves with Rubbermaid’s for spares storage. Thing won’t weigh much if I go aluminum and it’s all I need for regional racing.
     
  9. TLR67

    TLR67 Well-Known Member

    Congrats!!! Great choice.. You will be fine.. Hell I pulled my 8.5 x 18 with 3 bikes and scooter with a 4.8 for a year..















    Is that steering wheel crooked? :D
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2019
    Phl218 and Wheel Bearing like this.
  10. DWhyte91

    DWhyte91 Well-Known Member

    No it’s straight and weird as F! I don’t know how people drive like this. I’ll have to break out the pry bar and fix it.
     
    TLR67 likes this.
  11. Razr

    Razr Well-Known Member

    Looks WAY better than a Ford!
    Nice truck.
     
    DWhyte91 and TLR67 like this.
  12. TurboBlew

    TurboBlew Registers Abusers

    my daily is a 4dr silverado... after driving Ferds almost exclusively. I like it!
     
  13. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    As mentioned before, I pull my 7’X12’ in 3rd gear, because my 5.3 with 3.73’s can’t hold overdrive, in headwinds, on grades, or otherwise. This new engine has higher compression, cam, headers, intake, and tuning. It’s better, but, still not enough. Trailer is 6’6” interior and V-nose.
     
  14. Wheel Bearing

    Wheel Bearing Professional low sider

    I had a 07 Tahoe with the 5.3 and a 7x20 (odd size, they're usually 8.5, but 18' box with 2' v-nose). It was an atrocious turd. Ditto your experience. Constantly hunting for gears, but I think mine might have had 3.07's, because it would do 80MPH at something retardedly low RPM's like 1800 or some shit. I'll never forget the first time I hooked up my 04 Ram 2500 with the 5.9 to the trailer. I had to pull it. I was so anxious it wasn't even loaded...I just had to see what the difference was. I literally could not feel the trailer behind me...been sold ever since.

    But still, given my experience, I'm surprised a 7x12 would even give the 5.3 trouble.
     
    ducnut likes this.
  15. DWhyte91

    DWhyte91 Well-Known Member

    I don’t expect to have the “it’s not even there” feeling, but with the 8spd tranny it should do the job well enough. It has the 3.23 rear end so I doubt I’ll be pulling in 8th anywhere but down hills
     
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  16. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    Me too. But, I didn’t, and don’t, have a real use for a HD truck, so that’s why I went 1/2T. And, in ‘06, I didn’t have the option of the Tow Max package with the bigger engine. Doing it now, I’d definitely get the 6.2L. It’s better to have enough and be happy, as opposed to it not being enough and wishing for more. The newer 5.3’s and 10-spd transmissions are probably another world of advancement beyond what I have and are probably plenty. I’d be hard-pressed to buy anything, without hooking a trailer to it, first.
     
  17. ducnut

    ducnut Well-Known Member

    I thought with you ordering it, you were getting a 2020 and the 10-spd?
     
  18. nlzmo400r

    nlzmo400r Well-Known Member

    More important than the engine differences is the transmission improvements made during the last 10years. A 4spd auto REALLY restricts you when towing on the highway. So much so that I wouldn't even consider anything with less than a 6spd automatic. That being said, I also wouldn't expect to tow an enclosed trailer at 70mph into the deepest overdrive on grades, headwinds or otherwise with a half ton gas powered n/a engined truck. Now that 8 and 10spds are common, the last 2-3 gears can be overdriven and shifting between them has very little effect on rpm and therefore NVH and mileage.

    I think an interesting comparison would be towing a common sized enclosed (7x14ish) trailer with a 2005 2500 gas with a 4spd and a 2020 1500 gas with an 8/10 speed. I bet the difference would be astonishing (in favor of the newer truck/trans combo).
     
    ducnut likes this.
  19. Wheel Bearing

    Wheel Bearing Professional low sider

    I forget which specific transmission I had in my Tahoe, but the gap between the last gear and over drive was way too drastic, so it was always in the wrong gear...either screaming like hell, or lugging way too low. No doubt these million-speed transmissions will alleviate the headaches I had with mine.
     
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  20. DWhyte91

    DWhyte91 Well-Known Member

    Didn’t order one, this one was on the lot. If I ordered it the price would’ve been another $10k. F that
     
    ducnut likes this.

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