Tow Vehicle Characteristics

[T and C]

Wayne in San Jose,

I also have caused scratches on the top by lifting heavy objects in and out of the front part of the bed. I frequently will rest something on the rail as I step up or down on the nerf bars. I try to keep the heavy stuff forward and I sometimes want to unload it first.

Ford trucks have plastic covers on the bed "rails". This prevents the scratches and dings.

Tom

[rvcycleguy]

Scott,

Same thing for me. I have 2003 Tundra with the one piece composite bedliner. 8 years with no issues. I've used and abused it for years, hauled some crazy things from soil, compost, mulch, motorcyles, furniture, you name it, I've loaded it in the Tundra without any problems. I had a railroad tie drop from upright standing height onto the tailgate and the seperate portion of the composite for the tailgate saved the gate from being totaled. The liner also covers the bed side rails. Tough stuff...

I have also had the one piece bed liner since original purchase of my 1993 Dodge Dakota. Have carried everything including gravel and railroad ties. Under the bed liner is in great shape except for rub marks. The outside of the truck is another story entirely. Wish there would have been a protective cover for that.

[scrubjaysnest]

As the OP said longer is better. Now for the "but", in my yard the shorter wheel base Cherokee is a better choice. Just better to move the TM around. I have pulled our 28 ft Outback with both TV's and the truck is far better even with the same motor and almost identical ratings. 4x4 is a must for us two miles of deep sand between the house and the highway

Originally Posted by scrubjaysnest

As the OP said longer is better. Now for the "but", in my yard the shorter wheel base Cherokee is a better choice. Just better to move the TM around. I have pulled our 28 ft Outback with both TV's and the truck is far better even with the same motor and almost identical ratings. 4x4 is a must for us two miles of deep sand between the house and the highway

As the OP, I will agree. I prefer the longer wheel base GMC when towing but prefer the (not much) shorter wheelbase Chevy when backing it into the garage. Much faster response to steering with the shorter wheelbase.

Some campgrounds have very tight turns and trees very close to the edge of the road. I think I would prefer my Chevy for that situation.

On the other had, I have made an 19+ point u-turn using the GMC. It probably would have taken fewer points with the Chevy, but it was more fun in the GMC.

Wow that is impressive Scrubjay. Did I understand you correctly that the road in front of your house is all sand? I guess that is Florida...cool.

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by moaboy

Wow that is impressive Scrubjay. Did I understand you correctly that the road in front of your house is all sand? I guess that is Florida...cool.

That is the down side of living on a NF, the road in is on federal land and with two different counties involved.

The upside of course is sitting on the porch and watching all the wildlife including a black bear once and awhile go by.

Long time participants on this forum know that I am an evangelist for front hitches on TVs. Put a front hitch on a long wheelbase TV and you have the best of all worlds - smooth towing and great manuverability for tight campsites or garages. (Plus the ability to carry a bike rack or canoe support where you can keep an eye on it.) - camp2canoe

[Barb&Tim]

Originally Posted by camp2canoe

Long time participants on this forum know that I am an evangelist for front hitches on TVs. Put a front hitch on a long wheelbase TV and you have the best of all worlds - smooth towing and great manuverability for tight campsites or garages. (Plus the ability to carry a bike rack or canoe support where you can keep an eye on it.) - camp2canoe

Yes, I certainly agree with you on this. Years ago, while I was working for a towing company, we had a front hitch on the TV's for moving trailers around. Using the front hitch, the increase in maneuver control was fantastic.

Tim

[hillbillyhotel]

Warning , my be long also

pop , loved the way you done this,
wheelbase
yes longer does work much better less moveing around,
useing the dodge (reg cab, short wheelbase) sometime looks like an amateur towing down the road with all the movement,
useing the avalanche with the long wheelbase , very little movement.

Ride hight
lower is better for road , height is needed when off the pavement.
Dodge is 4wd with 20 inch wheels, no trouble with clearance, takes a long drop hitch thou, is nice to see over traffic in front of you. But i have learned , do not go diveing into a exit ramp corner or mountain road because of height
avalanche is a 4wd 2500 16 inch wheels, wider track and much lower to ground,almost to low, sometimes hits the hitch on ground, seems to sit as low as a 2wd truck. But handles like a dream towing or not, but like pop says, no fun in a small parking lot,

tire width
a good patch is a must in a truck, but from past lesson ,you can go to far, had a short wheelbase silverado put 10 1/2 reverse wheels on it with firestone firehawks street tread , cornered like a sport car,but it you got caught in heavy rain, was scary because would almost float due to width and tread

tranny cooler
is a very nice item to have , both tv have them,
avalanche has tranny temp. Gauge also, have only noticed about 20-30 temp increase on long mountain pulls

oil cooler
dodge has 2 qt oil cooler , seems to help in oil life and moter temp, and piece of mind on thise long mountain pulls

4 wd vs 2wd
both of mine are 4 wd but i have owened 4wd drive trucks since is was 17 yrs old, we have what the dw calls the work truck, 99 2wd 2500 long wheel base dodge , is what i call a great pavement truck, i got stuck in a thick gravel lot in a storage unit lot, lol yes i used my subaru to pull it out, no kidding, still would not tow a tm with one thou,

sight line
avalanche is very nice to look out of forward and to the side, but the way the back window is made, i find to small ,hard to see out of in mirror,
dodge is good , but i find the a pillers are to wide ,have lost a person walking in parking lots behind them, nice wide and tall back window ,

this post is just my opionion,and is just experiences from towing with my tv,