3124kb... Whatcha towing with

[ChefLamont]

I drove a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 with the extended cab (super not crew), an 8-foot bed, and the 5.2L V-8. I had it for 16 years. It was a monster. Since it took roughly a football field sized area to do a u-turn, it had its challenges in that respect towing things, but other than that, it was a breeze to tow things. The super long wheelbase bade it ride like a limo. I was also fortunate enough to have ordered it with a manual transmission and avoided the horrible transmission issues that plagued that era of Ram truck.

A couple of years ago I traded it in on a 2012 Toyota Highlander Limited with the tow package. It has a 5,000# tow rating, so it is decent. Now that I am looking into TM trailers, I think the move to the SUV is coming into play. I would not feel comfortable pulling a 3124 with it even if I was really judicious with cargo weight. For me I think a 3023 would be the biggest I would look at, and everything else being equal, I would probably go with a 2720. The Dodge would have pulled any TM made and not cracked a sweat.


Couple that with just being able to go to Home Depot and chuck whatever in the back, and I really miss the big hunk of metal. The Toyota is a much MUCH nicer car though with all of the little features and comforts.

[davlin]

We had a 3124 KS. Not sure if the difference between having a bed versus a slide out (sofa) changes much of the weight dynamics, but our 3124 KS came in right at 600 lbs. of tongue weight. The added weight on the tongue made it a dream to pull, but required us to use a WDH. We towed with an F150 with the 5.0 V8. Interestingly, we have always preferred the supercab as opposed to the the crew cab configuration. We like having the extra foot of space in the bed versus in the cab. Since the wheel base is the same for both trucks, I'm not sure what Bill's objection is.

[[email protected]]

I have a 3124KS and a 2013 Chevy Silverado with the 5.3 V8 extended cab. I don't have kids and elected for more cargo space in the bed as it is a bit longer than the crew cab bed.
One thing I would suggest is that whatever you decide on ditch the factory tranny cooler (if it comes with one) and cram in the biggest and baddest cooler you can find that will fit. With a truck you will have more room for this between the grill and the ac condenser. I did this to my truck last summer and before we took our trip out to CA. On the way back from San Francisco (via The Car Show in Colorado Springs) we crossed both mountain ranges and my trany hardly got past the "normal" operating temp (190°). Most of the time it runs about 125° or less depending on the outside temp. I think a cool trany is a happy trany!
Another thing I did was to get an oversized finned trany pan. Not only does this help with the temp, but with the extra tranny fluid of it (and the tranny cooler),will make the fluid last longer and hold it's viscosity better. Th very last thing we all want is a transmission failure out in the middle of nowhere!
With me the rule is keep it cool! : So all in all...my Chevy performed flawlessly on out trip getting 13.5 average MPG! There are a few other things that I have done to the truck, but I won't go into that here. It's all on my website. Good luck and remember, just like firearms....It's better to have it and not need it...than need it and not have it! As for the TV...MO IS BETTA!
Tom

[RottieMom]

Davlin, I kinda wondered about Bill's objections too, but not enough to PM him. I opted for a quad cab rather than crew cab on my truck as I liked having more bed than cab. My truck seems to tow fine (it does have factory tow package on it), and I do not use a WDH.

[Padgett]

May be all wet but I recall something about a standard pickup seat does not recline, you need an extended cab. Since I drive at about a 40 degree tilt (get a fierce ache at the base of my spine if I have to drive straight up), for me that would be important.

[davlin]

Originally Posted by Padgett

May be all wet but I recall something about a standard pickup seat does not recline, you need an extended cab. Since I drive at about a 40 degree tilt (get a fierce ache at the base of my spine if I have to drive straight up), for me that would be important.

Padgett, you're all wet, and clearly not a truck guy

We're not talking about a "standard" cab (try finding one of those anymore) or an "extended" cab. We're talking about an "extended" cab (each manufacturer uses different terminology) versus a crew cab. Both have reclining seats. Both have rear seats. Both are the same length and wheelbase. The difference is that the Super Cab (Ford's terminology) has a 6.5' bed, and the crew cab has 5.5' bed, with the extra foot being added to the cab part. This means more space for the backseat riders, but less cargo space. The crew cab is vastly more popular than the extended cab, but those of us who have fewer riders and more crap prefer the extended cab. OBTW, you can also get longer wheelbase versions that have both the crew cab and the 6.5' bed, but since those don't fit in most garages, they are not as popular.

You're welcome.

[tentcamper]

2012 toyota highlander, with factory tow prep package and factory hitch.

Tow very nice, does mountains well, factory tow prep additional tans cooler is a huge double stack cooler.

[aslag54]

Recently returned from CA with a 2720QD in tow behind my 2001 Chev Silverado K1500 extended cab short box Z-71 4x4 5.3 liter V8 auto trans with tow package. As I was nearing the summit of 4,310 foot Siskiyou pass at 40 mph in second gear I was thinking I needed something more and would never dream trying to tow this trailer with a V6.

[CAG1976]

I pull my 3124kb with a 2008 Toyota FJ cruiser. Its a V6 and I do use the WDH. It tows fine out here in the midwest for what I wanted for and I didn't really plan on taking it to mountainous areas anytime soon. But, I don't think I would pull it through the Rocky mountains on I-70. It might be slow going on those kinds of inclines. My long term plan is to get a Tundra with a V-8 to go through places like that. But the v-6 seems to do fine in Kansas and Missouri through our hills out here.

[hillbillyhotel]

we have towed with many different TV's with the tm's we have had , the current tm is a 3124 ks , we use the Avalanche , great wheelbase and towing , we are in the mountains' of Appalachia, so we must have something with some grunt for some of our off the grid places we go, what I guess I would offer is longer wheelbase makes a diff,