Tow Vehicle??

[walldog]

Does anyone have any thoughts on New Chevy 3500 Duramax & Allison VS. New Ford F350 Diesel? As far as used, Seems like I heard that older Duramax engines were more economical. One ton vs 3/4. Used there seem to be more choices in the one ton version of both brands. Over the years, I have had 3/4, one tons, and F450s for tow vehicles. Mostly pulling goosenecks or 5th wheels. So far the Chevy is rating higher for my use. One reason is that I could tow it 4 wheels down behind our motor home if necessary. Yes I have the tow capacity with our motor home. Lets open a discussion....I am sure everyone has an opinion. Thanks Herb

 

[commander bill]

I love my Ford F250 (7.3 Powerstroke). I have driven a couple of Chevys with Duramax engines. I do not believe the Duramax providing the same torque as the older Powerstroke like I have. The Duramax is quieter. That said my Ford provided more torque than is needed to handle our boats. Also Ford changed engines to a different smaller (6 liter) engine and all the feedback I have heard is that the newer engine design is more stressed. It also has more reliability issues and does not obtain the same fuel econony as the older 7.3 liter engine. If I were to replace my truck I would likely buy the Duramax. I do have a long standing trust of Isuzu engines. I have put hundreds of thousands of miles on gas and diesel isuzu engines and they have taken everything I gave.

 

[walldog]

I have always been partial to Fords, but the Duramax sure has been a winner for Chevrolet. My motor home has the Allison transmission and it appears to be a great unit. I like the compression braking of the Duramax Allison combo. But I am sure the Ford will be satisfactory also. Guess I should not rule out the Dodge one ton. The only thing I am sure of at this point is that I will not tow with a half ton truck. I currently have a F150 King Ranch Crew Cab 4X4, but no way. Thanks

 

[tlkenyon]

I am going to NC this weekend to look at an R21. If I buy it, I will eventually be towing it back to South Dakota. I have a Dodge Magnum Hemi AWD with tow package rated for 3,800 lbs and a Dodge Quad 4.7 4WD with a tow package. I have towed a lot of stuff with both of them, but have never towed an R21. Up to 300 lbs tongue weight for either is not problem.

I understand that the trailer has brakes - probably surge brakes.

Whaddya think?

 

[walldog]

You should have no trouble with either setup. Be sure of the trailer brakes before you leave NC though. You could actually come to Texas and tow Willie's Tug back.

 

[commander bill]

I failed to note that you were considering a R21. I have both a F150 & F250. Huge difference in the 2 trucks. Really designed for totally different intentions. I would never tow my R25 with a F150. However, the F150 should do great pulling a R21. Most people focus on things like hitch weight, transmission temps, gearoing, etc. However, after having brakes on a dual axle trailer fail while towing on my F150 I found out the actual concern is how much you can stop. Many tow vehicles can easily pull more than they can safely stop.

 

[tlkenyon]

Walldog - Thanks for the advice. We are really looking forward to joining the family. And....I have noted that Willie's Tug is for sale...maybe I need to come to TX... 😀

 

[RProffer]

For towing a R21, a Chevy/GMC 1500 or Ford 150 is plenty of truck. I have a GMC 1500 with a 4800 engine/4 wheel drive and I tow my R21 and 27' 5th wheel camper without any problems. I can even tow the R21 with my Jeep Grand Cherokee. It is only something like 4300 lbs on the trailer.

For the R25 and larger, I recommend the Chevy/GMC 3500 Duramax or For F350 with their biggest motor.

BTW, my R21 EC was transported last April from Seattle to Annapolis mounted on top on a Chevy 3500 Duramax with a R29 hooked up to the bumper. They drove through three snow storms through the mountains (the northern route). The driver said he did not have a single problem pulling that load. Never once slowed down in the mountains. You can see the pictures in my album.

 

[SlackwaterJack]

When I purchased my R-21 (classic) in Salinas CA I towed home to Lewiston ID with my 2003 Astro Van Rated at 6500# with 1000# tongue weight) I had added an HD aux trans cooler to the van"s factory tow package). The trailer that came with the boat had no brakes (surge brakes were inoperative and I locked the actuator). Towed at the speed limit (up to 75) with no trailer "wag" and the van's brakes easily handled the stopping chores without any extra effort. Averaged 16mpg on the tow home. The outside temps were as high as 115 deg. and the temp didn't move above "normal".
The Astro isn't one of those uni-body minivans but rather, it's a small "real" van on a shortened gmc/chev 1500 frame (same over-all length as my wife's '07 Malibu but a foot wider). I was genuinely PO'd when GM in it's infinite ability to shoot itself in the foot, discontinued them in 2005 after 22 years in production. I have owned 3 of them since 1984 and all exceeded 180,000 miles before I sold them all only needed the usual maint. I used the same van to haul my previous boat from Pheonix to Lewiston (it was 28.5 ft x 8.5 beam with a flybridge and weighed 5800# incl 2 axle trailer with surge brakes... towed without a problem but I wouldn't do it again)

Picture in my gallery

 

[wefings]

I have great memories of my Astro Van, kept George Jetson's dog's memory alive for me and my family.
Towing, Service Work , Camping , it did the job .
I am a Duramax/Allison guy that still owns a couple 7.3 Fords . They were great trucks in their day . The EPA has made vehicle manufacturers to pursue different avenues to meet the ever increasing emissions standards . Any thing after 2006 or so is a step backwards for the owner of the vehicle in efficiency . My 2005 is a great truck . It just works . The Fords were great till the demise of the 7.3 .
My professional driver friends are running away from Ford as fast as they can . Dodges are getting popular again as the six cyl has an efficiency advantage and they now have very long power-train warranty on the Dodges .
Marc

 

[walldog]

I have great memories of my Astro Van, kept George Jetson's dog's memory alive for me and my family.
Towing, Service Work , Camping , it did the job .
I am a Duramax/Allison guy that still owns a couple 7.3 Fords . They were great trucks in their day . The EPA has made vehicle manufacturers to pursue different avenues to meet the ever increasing emissions standards . Any thing after 2006 or so is a step backwards for the owner of the vehicle in efficiency . My 2005 is a great truck . It just works . The Fords were great till the demise of the 7.3 .
My professional driver friends are running away from Ford as fast as they can . Dodges are getting popular again as the six cyl has an efficiency advantage and they now have very long power-train warranty on the Dodges .
Marc

Thanks Marc, just the sort of information I need. I had a couple of Ford diesels, but the Dodge Cummins always beat mine in fuel mileage....at least thats what their owners said. :mrgreen:

 

[knotflying]

For what its worth, I just placed an order for a new Chevy 3500 with the diesel and Allison transmission to tow my soon to be delivered R-27. There isn't much difference in towing capacity between the 2500 and 3500. The 3500 will give you more weight capacity and the 2500 will give you a little more towing weight capacity. I think a must accesory is the rear view camera. I have that on my current vehicle and it is the best thing since sliced bread when you want to hitch up. I did a comprehensive comparison among Ford, Chevy and Dodge as well as asking owners of each and Chevy seemed to be the best choice, at least for me. The 2500 should do you fine. I went with the 3500 because I tend to always be a little overkill. GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN SHOPPING!!

 

[walldog]

One of my Ford diesels was a F350 single rear wheels (SRW). I bought it because we were clearing land for our homes and blueberry orchard. Narrow lanes through the woods would have been disastrous for wide fiberglass fenders. But I feel that I will have a dually for the 27, as knowing me, you can never be sure what I will be carrying in the bed while towing. The dually will give me peace of mind with its extra stability and weight carrying capacity.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Hi Herb,

As you know, we have been delighted with our GMC Duramax with the Allison transmission. Pulling the 5th wheel is a lot different from pulling the boat, and the truck does a great job with both. This is just one guy's thought about a dually: it really is designed for more carrying weight in the bed, i.e. for a 5th wheel that has a lot of pin weight or a slide-in camper. For pulling a boat up a slippery ramp, the dually is less effective than the single rear wheel trucks. I understand that your new 27 will be about 1,000 to 1,5000 pounds heavier than our C-Dory, but certainly less weight than the 5th wheel we pull. We have absolutely no stability issues with the single rear wheels. Instead of a dually, I'd recommend 4WD and a weight distributing hitch for your 27... I think that would be a better set up for stability, towing, pulling up a ramp, fuel mileage, ease of parking, and ride. Also, electric over hydraulic brakes on the trailer make a real difference... you will thank me the first time you go down a long steep decline (remember Teton Pass??) and not have the surge brakes overheat.

Of course, if you want the Class A diesel pusher experience with a truck, check out the MDT (medium duty trucks). And yes, they have dual rear wheels.

http://www.2lcustomtrucks.com/conversion.cfm

Just one guy's experience.

Best wishes,
Jim