Hi, my Dad is looking to buy a pickup, maybe a 2008 or so, he wants to be able to comfortably tow a medium sized camping trailer behind him.
Pls make some general suggestions regarding make and model. He is thinking 1/2 ton with about a 4.8 liter engine but I don't know.
He's an old fella so I'd say it should be easy to drive. He's getting rid of his 20 year old F-350 XLT Lariat diesel which he babied.
He's thinking about Dodge but is open minded.
thanks for any suggestions.
It is all about weight. The truck in this case should be rated more than the towed load.
I have a half ton. 1500. Rated at 7K pounds or so. Would never consider more than 5K load and then not for long term.
Bob AZ
Please define 'medium sized' camping trailer. Weight especially, but length/style is also a factor.
I'd never do serious towing with anything less than a 3/4 ton truck, IMHO, an F-150, or a 1500 just isn't designed for that kind of work. Now, I'm talking tows of hundreds (or thousands) of miles, something that I do from time to time, if you are talking of towing 20 miles to a lakefront camp, things are different. So distance for a tow is important (both average and maximum).
But...
The actual size/weight of the trailer is the main factor, and since you have not (yet) defined that, no one can give you a good answer.
Awesome, thank you both so much for the info thus far. 250KM/160Miles would be the upper average for a tow of around 2500lbs empty(I think), ~18ft trailer.
thanks again
A half ton truck would pull that OK, (personally I'd go with a 3/4, but I make my trucks work... ) That is not a terribly large trailer.
Okay, thanks, do you or anyone else have some suggestions for make and model 1/2 tons? Not looking for anything fancy just long lasting, reliable and best value for the money.
thanks
I don't know nearly enough to be a good reference for any of them, but I've been hearing good things about Fords. Dodge, so far, is an unknown, especially about quality.
My 2001 Jeep was excellent, very high quality. My 2004 2500 PU is a POS, with many, many repairs, terrible paint quality (leading to massive rust problems) and it leaks both from the headliner and from under the dash when it rains! Maybe Chrysler will improve their quality, but for me it is 'wait and see' since I won't buy another one until I am convinced they are better than that 2004 one I have!
As to Government Motors, they may be good, or may not. They are certainly #3 in the mix, sales wise however.
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