Tow vehicle opinions!

#17

What kind of vehicle do you have:

2007 Dodge Ram Megacab 5.9L Cummins Diesel 2WD. Trailer is a 20’ enclosed trailer, tandem 7000# axles. Truck, trailer, car, tires/wheels, spares puts on the road at close to 15,800lbs. Mods to truck: AEM intake and intake horn, 4" exhaust cat-back, Edge Juice w/Attitude Tuner

What do you Like about it:

Fuel economy towing (sane towing speeds ~70MPH) 14.6 MPG. (less sane ~80MPH, it drops to closer to 11.5). Cummins reliability, huge cab, lots of room for people and gear. Solid in the wet or dry towing.

3/4 ton suspension can handle the heavy trailer weights without a weight distribution hitch.

What do you dislike about it:

Transmission. This is the weak link on Dodge trucks. I’m getting close to 80K miles on the clock and feel a new tranny in the near future. That said, once you replace the tranny (at least with a good one), these drivetrains are rock solid and easily 500K mile motors. Interior (somewhat), the new Ford cabs are amazing inside, the Dodge cab has less frills. Functional, but not as nice as the Fords.

What would you buy to replace it: Another Dodge Ram Diesel, just with 4WD. Maybe newer.

This all said, I am big fan of diesel power for towing. Aside from the race trailer, we also tow our 30’ travel trailer RV. While towing MPG of 14.6 vs 11 may not seem like much, it is almost a 33% increase in fuel economy. I also run the truck on bio-diesel when ever I can. I used to have a supplier here in S FL, but they closed.

Keep in mind there is a huge difference in open vs closed trailers. Weight has very little impact on fuel economy for me. It’s all wind drag. The faster I go, the lower the MPG’s drop. I can pull my trailer empty (1380lbs), full or my RV and get just about the same fuel economy. It’s only really effected by speed.

#18

I tow a few times a year with my 2005 X5 4.4, open aluminum trailer, full tire rack. I’m guessing I get 10 mpg towing. I am Safety Sally so I try to stay below 80% of rated capacity. The short rear axle to hitch length makes it tow as well as my old Tahoe. No wiggles. Manumatic shifting keeps the trans from searching all the time. For the 350 days each year that nothing is attached to the hitch, I love it.

The extended warranty (purchased at 45,000 miles, now at 91,000 miles) has paid for itself more than once over.

If you do care about your budget and don’t care what the neighbors think, the molester van is the way to go. If you have a small penis and/or large trailer, a diesel dually is the only way to go. If you aren’t towing monthly, a V8 SUV is nice to have. For almost everyone, a half ton pickup works just great.

#19

Towing about 13 mpg, with out trailer going around 68 on the freeway I get 22 - 23 mpg. This was after removing the particulate filter.

#20

I just got my first SpecE30 and open trailer, of course, now I need a tow vehicle. I plan on getting a 4.4 X5 as when I’m not using it to tow my wife will use it as a DD. Not too concerned with DD gas mileage as her round trip commute is only 10 miles.

Does anyone recommend the X5 for this purpose or should I look at something else? - as a side note, theres no friggin way my wife will drive a pickup to work.

Grassy ass… said the Mexican with no legs.

#21

I want to hear about Al’s tow rigs.

#22

[quote=“turbo329is” post=61098]I want to hear about Al’s tow rigs.[/quote]Which one, the E12 with a piece of Armco for a rear bumper/hitch mount, or the ratty Volvo he’s been using lately?

#23

I’ve only seen the blue 525 or whatever it was.

#24

[quote=“EddieK997” post=61097]I just got my first SpecE30 and open trailer, of course, now I need a tow vehicle. I plan on getting a 4.4 X5 as when I’m not using it to tow my wife will use it as a DD. Not too concerned with DD gas mileage as her round trip commute is only 10 miles.

Does anyone recommend the X5 for this purpose or should I look at something else? - as a side note, theres no friggin way my wife will drive a pickup to work.

Grassy ass… said the Mexican with no legs.[/quote]
My 4.4l X5 towed fine. I’ve a buddy that tows with an X5 3.0 also. You should really see the threads at bf.c.

#25

[attachment=1685]WhoNeedsaTrailer.jpg[/attachment]

#26

Is that a dumpster, no surprise its an E46.

#27

I tow with an 86 Ford 350 RV. Tows great, holds lots of stuff, super comfortable at the races.

BAD: 6 mpg

-Rius
SoCal Se30

#28

I had a 99 F350 diesel crew that towed great but was super loud and beat up. I just got a 2004 3/4 ton yukon with the 8.1. Also tows great but terrible mileage (I’m considering doing the duramax swap that is popular in the Yukon/Suburban circles). Just had a kid so needed to get rid of the truck as it was a dedicated tow vehicle. So we went from 3 vehicles to 2. Now the wife drives the Yukon with all the baby gear and loves it. I take it to the track when needed.

I pull a 24’ enclosed trailer and I’m considering getting a stacker with a friend so the 2 of us can get to the track in one rig. 12,000 towing capacity is good and should handle a smaller stacker. The only bads are the mileage and the fact that you can’t pull a 5th wheel/gooseneck. Tons of space and great comfort make up for it in my opinion. The DVD player should pacify the kid when he’s old enough to travel to the track;)

Good thread.

Jason

#29

Two words: Chevy Avalanche.

I have a Titan now and I hate it. Uses so much gas, the rear end is undersized, the transmission gets hot (with a cooler) and it squeaks and rattles.

#30

2006 Ford Explorer, 4.6 V8, w tow package. My daughter uses it as a DD. I have to “borrow” it when I want to tow. She is easy to bribe though. A full tank of gas is as good as gold to her. I tow with an open steel trailer with tire rack out in the wind (I am guessing about 5000lb loaded).

Likes -

7300lb capacity (with load levelling hitch which I do not have)
Easy wiring set up. Literally plug and play.
6 speed tranny (2006 was the first year)
Trans cooler
Plenty of power
Decent mileage at 65 (14 when towing, 22 when empty)
20 gallon tank
Tows fine with a great ride

Dislikes:

Around town mileage (14. Particularly with a 17 year old driving!)
Limited ability to manually shift trans in 5th or 6th. It hunts at 70 and above.
It would be too light to haul an enclosed trailer.

It does what I need it to do.

Don

#31

Would it be a surprise if I told you that is an E36?

#32

I have a 2007 ram 3500 to tow with that I don’t drive all that often. Fit is my DD. The truck gets 13-15mpg towing.

Trailer is a 40’ RV/5’th wheel/car carrier. Its basically a converted cargo trailer with living quarters. We go “camping” about 5-6 times a year and I use it a few times to go up north per year. Plus, at some point I’ll be using it for racing as well.

I added up all the hotel costs for all these things and while it doesn’t completely even out, I like having the RV. It is close in cost though. It has a generator, AC outlets, air con, heat, canopy, fuel station, and a few other goodies plus bunk beds for the kids.

I raced for years out of open wheel trailers, hotels, trunks of cars. I also like to drink a few beers while at the track. With a fam. coming along for the weekend, hotels get expensive.

The one thing I hated the most was how far away the hotels were from the track. I always ended up screwing myself on sleep and driving forever and wasting gas just to get a cheap hotel room.

I also like having a truck to keep at home for trips to get whatever the hell I want no matter how big it is. There isn’t much a 3,500 with an 8’ bed won’t take.

Yeah, if anyone in the midwest here near Michigan wants to split a car next year with me, I’m all up for it. We can split the NASA weekends and I’ll show up with the truck/trailer.

#33

Would it be a surprise if I told you that is an E36?[/quote]

O here are my glasses I couldn’t find yesterday. Yes it’s an e46.

#34

Want badly to buy an Eco Boost F150 Lariat, or a Tahoe - am considering the 4Runner and the Tahoe Hybrid - need to study that last option in more detail.

Edit:
– http://tinyurl.com/7uud9w7

Me Likey

#35

What a bunch of coddled sissies I race with. :laugh:
My rig (and the Mid-A/NE guys will confirm this is legit):

Half ton, 208hp (when new), 3 speeds on the column (acts as a great anti-theft device), converted to disc brakes on the front, totally stock with a 2 bbl carb (you do remember carbs, right?). 15 mpg unladen, 11 towing on the highway. No air, leather, power anything, but it also has no $500+ per month payment.

Yeah, okay, I do occasionally wish I had a F250 Super Duty so I could hear the radio over the wind noise.

#36

Reminds me of carpooling with my buddy in his 69 chevy c10. Nothing like the safety and security of lap belts, a solid steel dash and the gas tank inside the cab.