Recommended Truck Tow Vehicles

Originally Posted by M&M Hokie

Just to put a nice bow on this thread, we finally took delivery on the new tow vehicle. We opted for the off road package which includes the tow package instead of just the tow package. I can't wait for the first camping trip later this month. I haven't decided yet if I plan on continuing to use the WDH but I certainly don't "need" to. I love this rig

Sweet truck !!!

As far as "need" to using a WDH....maybe to keep within tow ratings. The hitch on my F150 is rated at 5000 lbs towing capacity and 500 lb. tongue weight in weight carrying mode, and 9900 and 990 with a WDH. With the 540 lb. tongue weight after I added a 2nd battery to my TM, that would have put me over the limit of my hitch without a WDH. If your TM tongue weight is that high and the truck hitch is rated similar, play it safe and use the WDH.

Originally Posted by mtnguy

play it safe and use the WDH.

I will use it at first for certain; however, as soon as I get a new set of axle-by-axle weighings in a "full load configuration", I may change plans to make for a slightly faster/simpler hitch-up procedure. The tow rating for the new rig is supposed to be 10,300 but I haven't done the math for combined weight, payload, etc.

I am already sold on the backup camera that came with the new truck. When I think of all the times I used to get out of the Sienna to line things up, the backup camera is a godsend.

I am happy with my 2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD, crew cab, 8 foot bed, 4wd, Z71, factory tow kit (love the extendable mirrors). I paid a little over 29K in August 2008 when GM was having employee pricing for all.

I also like my 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500HD, crew cab, 6.5 foot bed, 4wd, factory tow kit. I wish it had extendable mirrors. I wish it had the newer mirrors that are tall and narrow instead of short and wide. I wish it had skid plates. We bought it used in 2005 with 58k miles on it for 23K. This one has leather interior. The GMC does not have leather, yet!

We use the GMC to tow the TM these days and the Chevy to tow the ATV trailer.

I never had any problem with the 1500HD, until I bought 3 motorcycles and 2 ATVs. Two motorcycles in the back of the Chevy with the TM connected resulted in a situation that there was enough sag that I could not remove the wheel of the TM tongue jack. Before adding the ATVs and motorcycles, I had about 5/8 inch of sag at the rear bumper of the truck.

The 8 foot bed of the GMC also allows me to load the two seater Polaris X2 ATV. In the 1500HD I could not close the tail gate.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by M&M Hokie

Just to put a nice bow on this thread, we finally took delivery on the new tow vehicle. We opted for the off road package which includes the tow package instead of just the tow package. I can't wait for the first camping trip later this month. I haven't decided yet if I plan on continuing to use the WDH but I certainly don't "need" to. I love this rig

That's a sweet looking truck. It looks identical to my son's ' Tundra. I hope that you are not as disappointed in the MPG as he is. In my mind, the MPG is not as big a factor as the reliability and safety of the bigger truck.

You probably won't "need" a WDH. However, it does make the ride nicer.

That's the reason that we switched to the bigger truck. I hated messing with the WDH. I am also right at the limit on my 14" tires and I don't feel comfortable adding the extra loading that the WDH puts on the trailer axle.

Originally Posted by harveyrv

That's a sweet looking truck. It looks identical to my son's ' Tundra. I hope that you are not as disappointed in the MPG as he is. In my mind, the MPG is not as big a factor as the reliability and safety of the bigger truck.

You probably won't "need" a WDH. However, it does make the ride nicer.

That's the reason that we switched to the bigger truck. I hated messing with the WDH. I am also right at the limit on my 14" tires and I don't feel comfortable adding the extra loading that the WDH puts on the trailer axle.

Thanks for the kind words. Your son has excellent taste.

I am not too worried about gas mileage.

It looks like a WDH is only required by the owner's manual when the towed load exceeds 5000 pounds. There is no chance of that with my TM. It is nice to have some flexibility after being so constrained by Sienna.

Mary and Mark,I like your new truck too.I am also curious to see what kind of gas mileage you get empty and while towing.My friend has one like yours,so I know the 5.7L V8 pulls strong.

My 2005 Tundra 4x4 with the 4.7L V8 gets around 15 MPG in town and up to 19 MPG on the road empty.While towing it has never gotten less than 13 MPG but gets as high as 16.5 MPG.I do not hesitate to put my foot into it either.It pulls my TM super strong with plenty of power to spare.I do however have to run a WDH since I carry a bed full of camping gear and often travel with the 40 gallon water tank full.Mine has the tow package and the TRD off road package with the 3.91 gear ratio.The rear springs are pretty soft,so it rides well all the time.

I did consider the 2007 and newer Tundra before I bought this Tundra.Two things kept me from buying the newer Tundra,(Cost & Size).The newer Tundra was out of my price range and would not fit in my garage.

As for four wheel drive,I will never buy a 2 wheel drive again,gotten stuck too many times.(NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE WITH A 2WD).I love to travel off road whenever I can.Also,as others stated about the difference in weight and gas mileage between the 2WD and 4WD,well IMHO the difference between my generation Tundra and probably yours is VERY MINIMAL.The 2005 Tundra 4x4 only weighs a couple hundred pounds more and I get the same gas mileage as my neighbor does with her 2WD.The insurance is a little more but the RESALE value is higher.All in all,I am VERY happy with my Tundra!

I hope you enjoy yours!

Originally Posted by M&M Hokie

It looks like a WDH is only required by the owner's manual when the towed load exceeds 5000 pounds. There is no chance of that with my TM. It is nice to have some flexibility after being so constrained by Sienna.

As you can probably tell, I am a believer in WDHs.

Check the label on your hitch. It will include the both the weight carrying and weight distributing maximums. I betcha since the manual dictates that you need a WDH if the load is over 5000 lbs., the maximum weight carrying tongue limit for the hitch is 500 lbs. If your TM tongue is under that, then you should be good to go without a WDH.

For me, the little extra time (under 2 minutes ??) hooking up the chains on the WDH were well worth it with the heavy tongue weight of the TM.

Originally Posted by M&M Hokie

I am already sold on the backup camera that came with the new truck. When I think of all the times I used to get out of the Sienna to line things up, the backup camera is a godsend.

Agreed. Our Taco has one too. At first I thought it was just a gimmick, but not anymore, as it sure makes hitching up the trailer easy.

I would need to be careful with a WD hitch.

The weight on my TM axle is 3380 pounds. If I transfer more than 120 pounds to the TM axle, then I am over spec.

I have had one blow out already, when my wife was driving on the freeway. I would never want to take the axle weight all the way to the limit. I'm nervous enough as it is.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

I would need to be careful with a WD hitch.

The weight on my TM axle is 3380 pounds. If I transfer more than 120 pounds to the TM axle, then I am over spec.

I have had one blow out already, when my wife was driving on the freeway. I would never want to take the axle weight all the way to the limit. I'm nervous enough as it is.

The raw weight that is transfered from the use of the WDH is only part of the issue. When you go over dips and bumps in the road, a great portion of the shock loading that is normally absorbed by the TV rear axle is transferred to the trailer axle. Over time, that will contribute to early tire failure if the tires are close to maximum (which mine are too).

We are making a trip to the High Sierras this weekend (Bridgeport CA). We did a lot of weight reducing for this trip. I think between the truck and trailer, we've probably removed 400#. We will be taking 4 adults on this trip which is nearly double our norm in passenger weight.

I installed new brakes (entire assemblies) and replaced the (12-year-old) wheel bearings today. When I packed the bearings (2 years ago), I noticed that the brakes shoes were all cracked. They weren't much different today but I had all the stuff so I put it all in.