TOW RIG

[TRDshaunTRD]

I am planning on getting an open trailer with brakes for my truck, and I will also be buying a new vehicle to tow it. My question is what is the smallest V8 SUV that is safe or rated to tow my truck? Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevy Tahoe, Dodge Durango, etc.? I live in a beach city where I am constantly driving narrow streets and parallel parking, and this will be my daily driver. So I don't want a massive gas-guzzler that is hard to maneuver around town. I will only be towing a few times a year.

 

[BSchlimme]

Shaun,
I have had the opportunity to evaluate a number of SUV's while for my work and I'll tell you that I would not be really comfortable with a Tahoe/Yukon and towing that type of vehicle/trailer.

Don't get me wrong - I like GM products and own a 2500HD but the 02MY Tahoe with a 6500 lb. trailer and no load equalizing device is a bit of a handful.

If you do go with a light duty SUV make sure that you pay close attention to the tongue weight and may want to consider using load equalizing bars.

Being a TRD guy have you looked at the Sequoia? If you are going to put it up against a 4.8L GM or 4.6L Ford you won't be disappointed in power.

Good luck,
Ben

 

[MikeLeung]

I'm not the biggest fan of Dodge trucks...but a friend of mine tows his drag race car in a enclosed trailer with a Dodge Durango with the V8. It seems to tow fine...but you have to be able to compromise...cause bigger is better.

 

[martininsocal]

I can vouch for the 93-99 Jeep Grand Cherokee with teh 5,2(318) dodge V8. It gets pretty good milegae for full time 4wd (about 17 on the freeway) and has plenty of power. I live in Big Bear, and tow regularly with it(towed my 7s toy over Cajon Pass several times with no problems). The Car is really nice, even with all the electrics, and it really has potential for a chase/prerun vehicle to boot. Problem is, it is so nice! So I have a Bronco to build up for that now. My wife gets pissed when we catch air in the Jeep!

 

[jeff]

If you really only plan on towing two or three times a year just rent a tow rig. You can rent 2x4 and 4x4 SUV's that'll do what you want and when you are done towing you just return it. I keep thinking about buying a nice trailer or a motorhome but for me right now it just makes more monetary sense to rent. The positive is if you blow er' up while towing it's not your problem. Downside is you are at the mercy of the rental company when it comes time to tow anything.

I know people that rent a vehicle, tow their race car down to Mexico with it, then prerun the course in it (the rental), and turn around and tow the race car back from mexico with it. They get a $8.95 wash job and call it a weekend. Hard to beat if you are on a budget and need something nicer / newer / more reliable.

Avoid the 4.7L engine if you plan on a Jeep / Dodge product. It's peppy around town but lacks the grunt for a tow rig. I've got one with 3.92 gears and it's all I can do to maintain speed on anything but flat ground. Driving it FLOORED for an hour on end does wonders for gas mileage too - less than 8 mpg towing if any long grades are in the way.

Aloha

 

[Tom_Willis]

Jeff's right about renting. Why bother owning two big things you are going to keep parked (and insured) 99% of the time? And the resale value of both the truck and trailer will drop no matter what you do. Might want to spend an afternoon visiting all the rental places near you and see what's available.... And always opt for the Collision Deductible Waiver. Just think of it as carrying a condom, you never know when you're gonna need full coverage.

 

[johnnyspeed]

I own a 1997 Ford Expedition with the 5.4, rated for 8,000. I have towed travel trailers, as well as an enclosed trailer with a cl 10 car and "loads" of gooies, weighing just under 8,000, and it towed very well. The new expeditions have even a little higher tow cap. as well as more HP (260 vs 230). As always, make sure you have an equalizing hitch and a sway bar. One thing about renting: I looked into this a couple years ago, you will find that most places remove the wiring harness, remove the hitch, or "lock-out" the hitch... as they do not want you to tow. (most will make you sign that you will not tow as well) This actually forced my buddy to buy a new SD a week before Primm two years ago as we could not find an SUV in San Diego that was set for towing!. Good Luck.

 

[TRDshaunTRD]

As far as renting, I am going to buy a 4x4 SUV (need one for surfing/snowboarding/road trips/towing jet ski) for my daily driving, and I may consider renting a trailer. But it is hard to find a rental set up with brakes and sway bars for proper and safe towing. So I figured I'd buy one. I have towed my truck with an escalade and it worked well, but they are too expensive and slightly bigger than I would like. So I figure that if I was going to buy an SUV anyways, it might as well be able to tow my truck at the same time. Expeditions, suburbans and sequoias are too big, and it sounds like the grand Cherokee engine is too small. So does that mean that the Durango RT with the 5.9 V8 is the smallest SUV to tow, and what would be the runner up? I know that bigger is better when towing, but I need the smallest possible that can tow occasionally

 

[PBR]

have you heard the expression "the tail wagging the dog"??? when i see explorers towing a 24' weekend warrior i don't know how they do it... it is not a matter of will it tow, it is a matter of how long it will tow... if you buy something less than a 3/4 ton just make sure you buy the extended warranty!!!

if you are set on an suv the only one to get(imo) is the tahoe/yukon with the 5.3 v8, but you will have to put airbags in due to the coilsprings in the rear.

if you decide not to go suv, go for the short bed extra cab chevy/gmc hd with the duramax/allison, it is about the same size as the tahoe and it will get better milage and last forever!!!

 

[empire231]

I know you wnat an suv, but if you considered a truck, you should check out the new nissan titan. it has a 5.6L v8 and it claims a towing capacity of 9500 lbs. it also comes w/ a bunch of little goodies. I also think that they are coming out w/ a v8 suv soon

 

[martininsocal]

The earlier Jeep GC with teh 5.2 has plenty of power. I don't know about the 4.6, but I am sure it is a spinner with not as much low end as the older style v-8s. The 318 has towed great for us with about 5000 pounds total. I would also say the Durango with the 5.9 would be a good ride. It should be very similiar to the GC with leafs on the back and a slightly bigger motor.

 

[TRDshaunTRD]

on the silverado are you talking about the vortec 6000 V8? Also, what about the silverado SS? I still prefer a smaller SUV, but I'll keep my options open.

 

[PBR]

i don't think you can get a 6.0 in the tahoe, i know you can get it in the burb but not in the tahoe. the new ss is tight but it is awd and a bit on the low side for me. if you ever want to drive a truck with the duramax/allison combo i am in culver city, i garantee you will love it. i can smoke mustangs and get 16 mpg doing it!!!

 

[TRDshaunTRD]

i was wondering if the engine you are talking about is the 6000 that comes on the 2500HD or the 5300 that comes on the 1500 silverado.

 

[PBR]

i am talking about the 6.6 duramax diesel that comes in the hd's.

 

[MNotary]

3/4 ton and diesel is the way to go for a open a trailer. If you tow anything bigger go one ton. The Cummins in the Dodge is the engine. 16in rims on the trailer make a big difference also.

 

[matt_helton]

you deffinetly dont want the SS silverado. horribly over priced for what you get considering all it is is a Z71 with a 6.0, and a 1 spd full time transfer case with 20in wheels and ground effects. the brakes arent even any bigger. a joke at 44,000 bucks. and you cant get a 6.0 in a tahoe. and in my opinion you dont want it either, all of the 2500's ive driven with 6litres are guttless. the 5.3 is a very powerfull motor. but penchansky is right about the 6.6/allison combo. very impressive, now that they got all the bugs out of the allison 1000. if i was you, id go with the tahoe or sub. but im probably a bit biased.

 

[KitRacer]

my friend has a 6.0 in his yukon, but it is a denalli

 

[johnnyspeed]

I know everyone is biased towards their chevy, ford, dodge.... But just a note on the big 3 diesels. The last 3 or 4 articles that have come out in varioue truck/4wd mags that have tested the 3 diesel engines have all choose the ford diesel as the fastest (mt & towing), best gas mileage (mt & full), and as everyone knows, the ford has the highest HP & Torque. If you are going to lift... the ford has by far the biggest range of otpions. Before I pourchased my 4x4 diesel, crew cab, I looked at, drove all 3 . You can't even get the HO dodge in CA, and besides, you must get the "Stick" to get their advetised numbers. The ford has the most room in the rear seat. It was noticeably quicker and drove just as good as the chevy. I am personally not a fan of the chevy interior, and NO ONE can hoestly be a fan of the new Chevy nose!!! I still cannot believe they put the avalance nose of the trucks!! So after months of reserch, test driving, and the topper was the uglyness of the chevys, I choose the ford SD. Have had for two months, get 20 mpg MT (over 20 on freeways), and 15 to 18 towing my 10,000# fifth wheel (depending on how fast I drive!). I don't want to start the whole ford vs. chevy vs. dodge thing, as everyone likes different things and most everyone is biased to one brand or the other, and we can all come up with reasons.... for our choices. I tried/drove them all and went with the ford - but to each his own! PS: My buddy bought a 2500HD duramax a month after mine (he has never purchased a non-chevy vehicle), and tows a trailer just like mine, and I SMOKE him everywhere we go! He taking his in for exhaust work next week!!! Anyways, that's my story, take from it what you want, a good luck in your desicion!!!

 

[PBR]

you are correct about the numbers on the ford being better stock, and that you cannot get the cummins ho in ca, but one of the biggest things happening in the diesel world right now is the problems that ford is having with the 6.0 powerstroke. ford/navstar is actually having to reconfigure the motor because of all the problems and the numbers will be coming way down. ford was actually buying back trucks from customers but the problem got so bad that they couldn't buy all the trucks back that they were having problem with so ford said "just be patient and let us figure out what is going on with the motors." well if i owned a $40k truck and it was down with no fix in sight i would be just a little pissed off. it is not all the trucks that are having this problem but the numbers are increasing everyday. i don't know exactly what the problem is with the motors but you can check out www.ford-diesel.com. i am not trying to slam the ford guys, it's just what i have read/heard.

ollie.