Tow vehicle

[Chris]

I am in the market for a reliable tow vehicle for under 8K. Something to tow our class 8 to the races with. I dont want to start a brand loyalty war so manufacturer names should probably be left out. For eight thousand I am assuming it's going to be mid 80's. Should I go diesel or gas, dually or standard, 1ton or will a 3/4 ton handle it, manual trans or 3 speed auto??? Any info would be great!
Thanks.

 

[vwguy]

whatever it is a recommend a diesel and get the highest towing rating you can for towing a class 8. If your towing a regular flatbed trailer a standard rearend will be fine but if you have an enclosed 5th wheel get the dually

how ironic is it that most people slow down for speed bumps yet almost all of us here im sure pin it

 

[PBR]

the problem you will have is the old diesels with OUT the turbos suck! the only 80's diesel i would look at is a cummins, you can make the old diesels put out major hp and torque. you can check out www.turbodieselregister.com for more info on the old cummins motors.

if you want to go gas you can't really beat an old chevy big block, i know you did't want to get into the whole manufacturer debate but you can build an old chevy bb for nothing compared to a ford. try to get your hands on an old chevy 1 ton crew cab, i like the single rear wheel. you can pick up a 2 wheel drive pretty cheap and put a little lift on it and call it a day.

what 8 truck are you running?

good luck, ollie.

Penchansky Brothers Racing

 

[firedog]

I would say get a 1 ton dually if it is possible.

 

[Mike_HKmtrsprts]

Im with Ollie on this one I had a 73' chevy with a big block in it and it towed great, good luck on what ever you decide to buy.....Mike PS I would look at 4wd cuz some times the tow vehicle turns into a race car recovery vehilce out in the dez.

 

[Mike_McCluskey]

Since I'm spending your money and my opinion doesn't really matter, this is what I would look into:
1 ton Chevy dually 4x4 (single wheel if dually not available) w/ 454, turbo 400 trans w// gear vendor o-drive(will help tremedously with towing and mileage). Simple, reliable, plenty of pulling power. I agree with some previous posts, older diesels aren't that great.

My $1.25

 

[Chris]

Good stuff! Thanks. I looked on the recycler website and found an abundance of trucks with the options you guys are suggesting and most were around 5 thousand bucks. Do you think that I should avoid buying a truck with an auto trans since it's going to be a little older and is going to be towing a pretty heavy load? (those u-haul trailers weigh a frickin' ton)

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Chris on 02/22/02 01:56 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[MikeOhlhausen]

If your going older Chevy, the 4 spd standard is hard to beat I had one I put 200,000 miles on and only went through one clutch, most of those miles were spent pulling a 9,000 pound go fast boat too. Gas mileage sucks though. And I agree older diesels don't pull too good, plus are more expensive to maintain.

 

[Jimmy8]

I dont recomend the older diesels either, but the old ford 460's rock. Get an auto as well, those old standard transmissions are not the greatest.

"On A Mission"

 

[PBR]

go with the auto, if it is a 3/4 or 1 ton it will have a turbo 400 and you can make them bulletproof for under $500, call culhane trans in lake elsinore. the gearvendor is a good idea for the mileage.

ollie.

Penchansky Brothers Racing

 

[BradM]

Take the money that you have left over from your truck fund and buy a trailer too.

With an older truck like that you may want to be prepared to spend a lot of time working on it. I like to old chevy trucks but with any truck of that vintage and price range you are likely to have your share of problems. At least they are easy to work on.



"The only source of knowledge is experience." - Albert Einstein

 

[Ryno]

Chris-

A 1 ton dually with a big block, and a turbo 400 will do just fine. I think Ford offered a split rear end on their 1 tons during the mid 80's....and they are like a double overdrive. Something to think about. =) A 460 will tow great too....and most all the parts from then are the same until 98? (New F250 body style). I would try to go fuel injection if you can afford it....otherwise with the carb....vacuum lines and BS are abundant, and the fuelie helps a little with the gas bill.

Ryno

Build it like a Rhino, and Leave it be.

 

[rdc]

Here is my .02
1. This week's auto trader (San Diego, Parts and Equipment) There was a 1994 1 to Dodge cummins dually for $10k. If you keep your eyes peeled and can stand to wait a little while there are plenty of deals to be had.
2. I had a 1978 Chev dually with an Ed Hale 454 and built T-400. It was a great tow vehicle, but being a 1978 there was alot of quirkey things and alot of maintainence even though I only towed 6K lbs periodicly.
3. I am not starting a war on makes or models but, I tow a 22k lb 4 car trailer with my 1997 Dodge Cummins and it is great, 11 mpg. With our 8k lb enclosed I get 14 mpg. So if you can swing a dodge cummins DO IT and get a 5 speed. As for dually...How much stability do you want?
Here is a Pic attached to prove I am not yanking any chains also.
my .03 (I got carried away)
Kevin

 

[Chris]

kevin damn dude that's some serious poundage. I was at a car lot today over by me and they had a couple of options for me in the form of a 97 V-10 dodge, a 91 F350 dually w/460 and a E250 van w/460. Our first race isn't until September so I'm going to sit on my cash and add a few pennies here and there and keep my eyes open for the right truck. Thanks for all the advise!
Chris

 

[Ryno]

Chris-

Anyone with the V10 Dodge of Ford will tell you they drink gas as fast as you can pour it in the tank. I have a friend with 35's on his F350 crewcab, he gets about 8 mpg with 4.10's in the rear. Empty on the highway he gets about 12. Compare that to at least 16-18 with the diesel. Same goes for the Dodge with the Cummins, however the Ford diesel isn't as loud.


Build it like a Rhino, and Leave it be.

 

[rdc]

Hey Chris,
I own a Ford power stroke and it's out pulled ALMOST everything on the road. It's a 1996 1 ton with 186,000 miles on it and still runs great! It has pulled our 36 foot fifth wheel to Glen Helen Raceway many a times from Las Vegas in 3 1/2 hours at 65/70 mph and got 11 to 12 miles to gallon. But, on the orther hand I owned a bad ass chevy 1 ton both the vehiccles are/were 4x4s . My chevy never saw 13 mpg, but, man it was fast! I still drive my FORD to all the SCORE races. Get what you think that will pull that Class 8, trailer, tools, fuel, spare tires and ice chests. Get that 1 1/4 ton truck! Good luck! I have had VERY GOOD LUCK with my ford.....I was never a Ford type dude.....now I own a truck and 36 foot motorhome with the v-10....it's quick also....but I had it chiped and big exhuast installed and it gets a good 12 1/2 miles per gallon.

You can see me at any MDR, SNORE, SCORE and ESTERO BEACH RACE....my truck or motorhome will be there. Again good luck....lots of trucks with your name on it are out there!

See in the desert