Tow Vehicle

[Dan668]

Looking on advice on what to pick up,

 

My current tow vehicle is an 02 explorer v8. The motor blew the other day driving in the neighbourhood. Timing chain slipped, May see if it can be rebuilt or have another motor swapped in and just sell it. Had too many problems with the exploder which I've had for less than 3 years. I knew it was one of the most problematic vehicles on the market but picked it up in mint condition for next to nothing off an older couple. My brother has a '11 2500hd diesel which we use to tow 70% of the time. Looking to pick up a more "reliable" vehicle which will tow my rig. Its an 1775 Lund with 115hp with trailer brakes. Not a heavy boat by any means. I may be looking to upgrade to a 21ft glass boat in the next few years so i'd want to keep that in mind when considering a vehicle. Have a budget of 15k. May be able to add a bit more, but being a secondary tow vehicle, i don't believe its necessary. Still unsure of whether i want to go for a pickup or stick with an suv.

 

Thanks

Edited March 19, 2014 by danbob

[lookinforwalleye]

Lots of stuff for 15k 5/6 years old....jeep commander, grand cherokee,honda pilot,yukon etc.

 

I would think if your thinking of upgrading to a 21 footer you will want a full size TRUCK and not a suv/grocery getter.

[Raf]

i'd agree with lookingforwalleye, if a 21' glass boat is in your future i'd be looking at a truck or at least a suv on a truck body. think expedition, tahoe

[captpierre]

spent a ton of time considering same thing.

 

wanted 4x4. tow 5000 lb. not too hard on gas

 

Preferred an SUV. Want my stuff inside.

 

Settled on Toyota 4Runner last fall

 

So far so good Ask me in 5 years.

[moxie]

Towing that much weight with anything other than a V8 will most certainly shorten the life of the tow vehicle. We just picked up a ridgeline. It'll rarely tow more than 50% of the 5000 lbs its rated for so we should be good. As mentioned before, Yukon/Tahoe, Expedition should do the trick.

[fishindevil]

chevy silveradi 1500 V8 5.3 will tow that like it wasnt even there,and when you are not towing it will drop down to V4 I GET REALLY DECENT MILEAGE TOWING MY DOUBLE ENCLOSED SLED TRAILER WITH 2 SLEDS IN IT,AND I TOW MY BOAT ALL SUMMER LONG AS WELL AS A 20FT LUND PRO V sorry about the caps...i hate this keyboard at work

[Joeytier]

All the half tons on the market will pull that rig without even flinching

Edited March 19, 2014 by Joeytier

[kevin booth]

i run a chevy 2500 deisel and it will pull anything you hook on to and all day long at 120 kms and heavy duty allison transmission that is bullet proof.4 wheel drive is a must for a avid fisherman as well.i have learned many of times to buy bigger than you need and you will never need more and you always have lots lol.good luck on your searching and stay away from dodge if you know whats good for you in the long haul,they might be cheap now.

[shadowfly]

Hey Dan I work for a Chrysler dealership as a sales rep if you would like I can try to find something for your around your budget, if your interested let me know.

text anytime at 647 871 6333

[Fisherman]

i run a chevy 2500 deisel and it will pull anything you hook on to and all day long at 120 kms and heavy duty allison transmission that is bullet proof.4 wheel drive is a must for a avid fisherman as well.i have learned many of times to buy bigger than you need and you will never need more and you always have lots lol.good luck on your searching and stay away from dodge if you know whats good for you in the long haul,they might be cheap now.

Hahahaha, a GM maxipad. There undoubtedly more Cummins on the road doing the long haul than GM can ever dream of.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Fisherman

[BillM]

Hahahaha, a GM maxipad. There undoubtedly more Cummins on the road doing the long haul than GM can ever dream of.

 

Long haul to where? The dealer for more tranny service? Great engine, absolute garbage transmission, lol. You'll never find me in one of those except as a passenger.

Edited March 20, 2014 by BillM

[MrSimon]

The 5.3L GM V8 is a fantastic engine. And it comes in a bunch of things to meet your needs .... pick-up, Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban, Avalanche. All of them are excellent tow vehicles and will get acceptable mileage.

[muskymatt]

I would also definitely go bigger than what would be just adequate. I have a Silverado 5.3l with under 50,000 k and it's a dream. I've got a 20' boat with 115, kicker and loaded, tows it like it's barely there. 4x4 is a must for peace of mind on those steep or gravel ramps.

[Loonietoon]

PM Sent

[lookinforwalleye]

The 5.3L GM V8 is a fantastic engine. And it comes in a bunch of things to meet your needs .... pick-up, Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban, Avalanche. All of them are excellent tow vehicles and will get acceptable mileage.

Acceptable to who???

[Dan668]

Acceptable to who???

 

Haha, the mileage on all of them seem pretty poor. My exploder with an 82L tank, id be lucky if i hit 275km this winter per tank. Towing it got me 400km

The 5.3L GM V8 is a fantastic engine. And it comes in a bunch of things to meet your needs .... pick-up, Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban, Avalanche. All of them are excellent tow vehicles and will get acceptable mileage.

 

My neighbour swears by these motors. Right now their at the top of the list. They seem to be really reliable.

 

Long haul to where? The dealer for more tranny service? Great engine, absolute garbage transmission, lol. You'll never find me in one of those except as a passenger.

 

My brother had the Dodge pickup before his Chevrolet. In 2 years, racked up $7000 in repairs. The transmission was opened up twice due to failures and multiple check engine lights. Somehow had a bent axel.. the whole works. Could of been a lemon though. He had enough and traded it in at a dealership in Barrie. Sad part is the truck had less than 100k, he was the second owner. Thats what I'm trying to avoid. It does seem like most of the towing capable vehicles out there now are solid choices though.

 

Hey Dan I work for a Chrysler dealership as a sales rep if you would like I can try to find something for your around your budget, if your interested let me know.

text anytime at 647 871 6333

 

Thanks for the offer. Ill keep it in mind.

 

 

Still undecided on whether i want a pickup or suv. Less space but a plus is i can bring an atv without the trailer.

Edited March 21, 2014 by danbob

[wormdunker]

I recently purchased an '08 King Ranch with 71,000 km on it. I love this truck! It has the folding aluminum tonneau cover which is great for transporting all your goodies. The box is 6'6" so while vacationing I can tow my boat & run the ATV into the box. ATV fits with the tailgate up & latched. My boat is a 14' Lund so towing is really not an issue. I would not hesitate to tow an 18 or 19' aluminum boat with this truck.

[DanD]

The 5.3L GM V8 is a fantastic engine. And it comes in a bunch of things to meet your needs .... pick-up, Tahoe, Yukon, Suburban, Avalanche. All of them are excellent tow vehicles and will get acceptable mileage.

 

X2 on any of the GM gen III engines; in all the years they've been out, we haven't seen any or not many reoccurring issues with these engines.

2 years ago I installed a 1999 4.8lt out of a Silverado pick-up into my 1950 Chev Styleline sedan. 300K klm on this engine and it doesn't burn a drop of oil. It just plays with this car, that is only 500lbs lighter then the pick-up; talk about waking up the old girl and I know it would pull a 20 footer boat without any issues.

 

Dan.

 

Edited March 21, 2014 by DanD