Tow vehicle
11-06-2013, 03:37 PM
#181
So reading through this and the other tow threads on the board, here is my plan and situation, please feel free to denigrate me accordingly. Due to space constraints at my house, there is no room for a cheap DD + old cheap tow rig + racecar + trailer. So the tow rig also needs to be my DD.
I'm about 30 miles east of Hallett...in OK. I suspect any time into the foreseeable future I will likely only be towing to tracks in the NASA TX and NASA Central regions, so no mountains or anything.
Plan is to pickup a newish Tacoma (factory tow package has an oil and trans cooler), pull the car on a 14-16' aluminum trailer with electric brakes. Add Firestone airbags and a weight distribution hitch.
I figure the car and trailer will be in the 3300-3400lb range, even if you added another 1000lb in gear/tires/tools/spares........I'm still 2000 under the 6500 towing capacity.
I really don't want to drive a full-size truck on a daily basis, and I'll realistically tow 7-8 times a year......10 max.
I'm about 30 miles east of Hallett...in OK. I suspect any time into the foreseeable future I will likely only be towing to tracks in the NASA TX and NASA Central regions, so no mountains or anything.
Plan is to pickup a newish Tacoma (factory tow package has an oil and trans cooler), pull the car on a 14-16' aluminum trailer with electric brakes. Add Firestone airbags and a weight distribution hitch.
I figure the car and trailer will be in the 3300-3400lb range, even if you added another 1000lb in gear/tires/tools/spares........I'm still 2000 under the 6500 towing capacity.
I really don't want to drive a full-size truck on a daily basis, and I'll realistically tow 7-8 times a year......10 max.
I have a 2010 Tacoma which I used to tow my 2,000lb 7x16 closed Pace American with Miata and tools. I went for the full doublecab to be a true DD. Do get a trailer with electric brakes. The Tekonsha PRODIGY P2 Brake Controller - Proportional plugs right into the harness on the Tacoma if you get the tow package. I use the equalizer hitch when pulling the Miata in the Pace American with ease.
I use an adjustable rapid hitch for all other towing duty including some open trailer towing. I just keep the 2 5/16", 2", 1 5/8" ***** in the truck and can adjust to whatever I am towing at that point so it just stays on the truck. I would not spend the money on an aluminum trailer or anything fancy, no reason.
Lot's of people will tell you to go full size. That argument has its merits. My 2010 Tacoma DoubleCab with 6' bed is still longer and bigger than a full size was just a few years ago while the current 1/2 ton with the same options is taller, longer, wider and heavier still. A Tundra or other full size with simple options is close to a Tacoma in price while upping the towing capacity significantly but I would not personally choose that for a DD.
Reply
0
0
11-06-2013, 11:51 PM
#183
I have towed my 1500# trailer with 2400# Miata for 3 years with 05 Nissan 4.0 liter automatic Kingcab [185K miles] without incident; longest trip San Antonio to Knoxville. Up graded this year to new 4.0 liter automatic Tacoma PreRunner; towed to north Ala this past w/e with no issues. Living in East Tennessee, we have mountains to transverse in every direction, so all tows include that.
Reply
0
0
11-10-2013, 08:36 AM
#186
I've really been thinking about one of these to house the car in.
7x12 Enclosed Cargo Trailer Tandem Double Dual Axle Motorcycle Landscape | eBay
7x12 Enclosed Cargo Trailer Tandem Double Dual Axle Motorcycle Landscape | eBay
Reply
0
0
11-10-2013, 11:16 AM
#187
Senior Member
iTrader: (7)
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mount Prospect, IL
Posts: 695
Total Cats: 4
You can actually get a much cheaper than $3000 used open aluminum trailer if you have time to search because a friend of ours just sold his Aluminum trailer he was using for his Miata for $1600 (a bargain yes but he just wanted it gone since he bought a replacement already and didn't want to pay $100 a month storage)
Reply
0
0
11-10-2013, 08:34 PM
#188
Elite Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: OKC, OK
Posts: 3,693
Total Cats: 222
Thanks for the input gents.
I'm going back to my original plan of 1/2-ton, gas truck. I'll still be able to get a relatively low mileage and loaded truck for my budget, and the wife wants a bigger truck for the extra room for our roadtrips and such.
So at least I won't have to search for an AL trailer!
I'm going back to my original plan of 1/2-ton, gas truck. I'll still be able to get a relatively low mileage and loaded truck for my budget, and the wife wants a bigger truck for the extra room for our roadtrips and such.
So at least I won't have to search for an AL trailer!
Reply
0
0
11-11-2013, 08:48 AM
#189
You can actually get a much cheaper than $3000 used open aluminum trailer if you have time to search because a friend of ours just sold his Aluminum trailer he was using for his Miata for $1600 (a bargain yes but he just wanted it gone since he bought a replacement already and didn't want to pay $100 a month storage)
Reply
0
0
11-11-2013, 08:49 AM
#190
Thanks for the input gents. I'm going back to my original plan of 1/2-ton, gas truck. I'll still be able to get a relatively low mileage and loaded truck for my budget, and the wife wants a bigger truck for the extra room for our roadtrips and such. So at least I won't have to search for an AL trailer!
Reply
0
0
11-11-2013, 08:53 AM
#192
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 1,961
Total Cats: 48
Honestly, I would rather spend the money on the tow vehicle than the trailer...
Its hard to find a decent steel/wood tailer for less than $1500 here (you find a lot of questionable home built trailers at that price range).
Its hard to find a decent steel/wood tailer for less than $1500 here (you find a lot of questionable home built trailers at that price range).
Reply
0
0
11-11-2013, 11:42 AM
#193
Tow rig is big though. The newest generation of trucks are just so much better than the older generations. My 09 F150 with the 4.6 3 valve and 6 speed auto tranny pulls better than the 97 f250SD XLT with the big block and 4 speed auto tranny, even though the big block has another 100ftlbs of torque, the 6 speed gives me a gear for every situation and the 4.6 doesnt mind reving out at all. Its also a billion times more comfortable, you'd get fatigued just sitting in the passenger seat of the f250, the f150 feels like riding in a very tall sedan. The shocks are way better, the rack and pinion steering needs way less baby sitting on the highway than the pinion arm and steering box, and the fuel mileage is better. Towing the miata on a 2000lb uhaul open trailer with the wing on it was netting high 15's for mpg with the f150, I'm sure it would be in the 16's if I took the wing off. We were in the 12-14 mpg range with the big block.
Still trying to find a decent trailer locally, but with all the prices I'm seeing I might as well just pay a hundred dollars more and buy a brand new one.
Reply
0
0
11-11-2013, 12:15 PM
#195
The newer 5.4's dont have that issue like 08+. For the F150, the new chassis started in 09 with the 08 engines, except the 3 valve 4.6 gets the 6 speed tranny (other options were 2 valve 4.6 and 3 valve 5.4, both with 4 speed auto) and then in 11 they switched to the 5.0, 6.2, and ecobooooooooooost. Only real downside I've found with the truck so far is that the injectors sometimes tick rather loudly, and it has the stupid ford power steering pump whine. You would think that after like 30 years of having this ******* whine in every ******* power steering pump they've made (except for the vans) that they would have ******* fixed it by now.
Reply
0
0
11-11-2013, 12:37 PM
#196
Elite Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: OKC, OK
Posts: 3,693
Total Cats: 222
Damn, I didn't realize there was 3 different V8 options for those years.
I'm going to try to hold out until next fall and hope the 2015 F150 that are getting a redesign, major weight loss and supposedly a big mpg jump will drive down the price of the '11-'12 5.0 F150s.
I'm going to try to hold out until next fall and hope the 2015 F150 that are getting a redesign, major weight loss and supposedly a big mpg jump will drive down the price of the '11-'12 5.0 F150s.
Reply
0
0
11-11-2013, 12:42 PM
#197
Yeah, a lot of the MPG gains on the newer trucks probably wont translate to towing, especially if you're going to be pulling an enclosed. It is funny looking at people talking about towing enclosed trailers they all get ~10mpg whether its a 70's 454 carbureted chevy or a 2012 dodge hemi or anything in between.
I'd still rather have the ecoboost v6 for towing than the 5.0, !the same gas mileage while towing but way better mileage when unloaded. And MOAR torque.
I'd still rather have the ecoboost v6 for towing than the 5.0, !the same gas mileage while towing but way better mileage when unloaded. And MOAR torque.
Reply
1
1
11-11-2013, 01:31 PM
#198
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (5)
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 1,961
Total Cats: 48
The newer 5.4's dont have that issue like 08+. For the F150, the new chassis started in 09 with the 08 engines, except the 3 valve 4.6 gets the 6 speed tranny (other options were 2 valve 4.6 and 3 valve 5.4, both with 4 speed auto) and then in 11 they switched to the 5.0, 6.2, and ecobooooooooooost. Only real downside I've found with the truck so far is that the injectors sometimes tick rather loudly, and it has the stupid ford power steering pump whine. You would think that after like 30 years of having this ******* whine in every ******* power steering pump they've made (except for the vans) that they would have ******* fixed it by now.
At first, I was thinking I was going to fix it...but now I have just accepted my Van's soundtrack of creeks, squeeks, and whines.
Reply
0
0
