Towing topic - new trucks vs older trucks ratings opinions looking at new trucks

i was looking at the dealer the other day and cant get over the size of everything on the newer 3/4-1 ton trucks

i currently have a high mileage 2500hd 6.0 gas 2001 , comparing my truck next to any of the newer 3/4 ton trucks everything from eye test .
Size overall and frame basicly everything make my 2001 look like a modern 1/2 ton and after doing some reading its crazy the 70s and 80s 1 ton trucks are about on par with a later model 1/2 ton . im towing a 24ft enclosed trailer that weights 4100lbs empty and i figuare loaded id be up around 8500ish give or take with car and tools ,im looking at newer ford f250/350 with the 6.2 gas and looking at the gm 2500 , not sure but i have not looked at the new ram with 6.4 .

id be looking at gas not diesel , i dont justify it and not crazy about all the emissions and have to bring to dealer if anything goes wrong . Hell id love an old camper special with a 390 that would be cool looking but im not sure the tow ratings on somthing that old would be ideal or stopping it with a 24ft trailer and track is 1hr 20 minutes away lol
i may keep driving what i have dont cost me anything , i dont drive it daily (if i went new i would) .


any opinions on new gas trucks 6.2 ford , ram 6.4 hemi , gm 6.0 ....anyone towing with an older 70s-80s truck ? (enclosed trailer )

oh and im not posting this on 5 other forums either for opinions

New wasn't in the budget for me, so I test drove a 15 F250 Crew short bed 6.2 then test drove a 15 Ram 2500hd 6.4 short bed. Bought the Ram. Since bringing it home, it handles my 28ft tag that has my 3300lb truck, golf cart, tool box, generator etc. Guessing that is weighing in between 9000-10,000. And it pulls my 28ft 5th wheel camper, loaded around 8200. (just came back from a week in Bowling Green, KY)

They do not have the pulling power of the diesel, but, they have no problem pulling my loads.

I have a 2012 F350 CC 4x4 long bed dually with the 6.2 Gas and 3.73 gears. Pulls my 28 foot enclosed loaded with no issues. I haven't weighed it loaded but I'd guess with ATV, Car, Tools etc... 8500-9000#
I pulled the same load with a 1995 F350 Super Crew 2x4 long bed dually with 460 and hands down the 6.2 and 6 speed transmission is light years ahead IMO.

I couldn't justify getting a diesel unless I was pulling 12,000# or more. If you do get a BRAND NEW Ford Superduty, order it with 4.30 gears from what I've been told by those that tow heavier loads with the gas 6.2

D. Sea wrote:I have a 2012 F350 CC 4x4 long bed dually with the 6.2 Gas and 3.73 gears.  Pulls my 28 foot enclosed loaded with no issues.  I haven't weighed it loaded but I'd guess with ATV, Car, Tools etc... 8500-9000#  
I pulled the same load with a 1995 F350 Super Crew 2x4 long bed dually with 460 and hands down the 6.2 and 6 speed transmission is light years ahead IMO.

I couldn't justify getting a diesel unless I was pulling 12,000# or more.   If you do get a BRAND NEW Ford Superduty, order it with 4.30 gears from what I've been told by those that tow heavier loads with the gas 6.2

Thanks for heads up on gearing

Freelander has a F250 gasser he tows with and it does fine. I'm still on the fence about my next truck. Not sure if I really "need" a diesel or not. But it'll be strictly a tow vehicle and sit parked most of the week so I may bite the bullet and get it. All the locals with 6.7s are pleased with them. But they also take care of them too...

And I know what you mean about the older 1/2 ton trucks. My kids '94 F150 looks like a Ford Ranger next to my '13 F150...

jbozzelle wrote:Freelander has a F250 gasser he tows with and it does fine.  I'm still on the fence about my next truck.  Not sure if I really "need" a diesel or not.  But it'll be strictly a tow vehicle and sit parked most of the week so I may bite the bullet and get it.  All the locals with 6.7s are pleased with them.  But they also take care of them too...

And I know what you mean about the older 1/2 ton trucks.   My kids '94 F150 looks like a Ford Ranger next to my '13 F150...

for me racing prob once a month gas for me is more ideal , if i was traveling alot or doing more towing i would get a diesel myself . right now its hard my gmc is in good shape 190k 6.0 gas works good got this truck dirt cheap needing a trans 2 years ago . Id like to be in a new truck but not sure if i really need a new payment either

to your point my 2001 2500 hd gmc next to any new 3/4 ton- 1 ton looks not even to be in the same ball park size or tow ratings...... its funny you see guys make comments on your crazy for towing that with a 1/2 ton lol , when the newer 1/2 ton has more stoping and tow ratings than 80-90s f250's 3/4 tons

not sure if things are overkill nowadays or way back when no one cared about ratings as much , hell old racing pics from 70s you see station wagons towing car trailers with full size cars on them

The new trucks seem to be light years ahead,...in a lot of areas,....especially when it comes to towing.

This past weekend,..... I used my brother-in-laws 2016, F-150 w/ 5.0 to pull my Racetruck to the track.  Fully loaded,....we were real close to 7000lbs.  Even though it was a N/A application,...it done quite well,.....especially considering all the hills we encountered on out 200 mile round trip.

In comparison,.... I have a 97 F-250 PowerStroke that's basically stock, power-wise (for now).  

The F-150 did almost as good.

FWIW,....
If I was in the market for a "NEW" truck,..... I'd consider an F-150,....rather than a Diesel,....due to all the emission crap you have to deal with these days.  The hard thing for me would be which engine platform to chose,..... 5.0,.....OR,....the Ecoboost V-6 Twin Turbo.

Copperhead wrote:The new trucks seem to be light years ahead,...in a lot of areas,....especially when it comes to towing.

This past weekend,..... I used my brother-in-laws 2016, F-150 w/ 5.0 to pull my Racetruck to the track.  Fully loaded,....we were real close to 7000lbs.  Even though it was a N/A application,...it done quite well,.....especially considering all the hills we encountered on out 200 mile round trip.

In comparison,.... I have a 97 F-250 PowerStroke that's basically stock, power-wise (for now).  

The F-150 did almost as good.

FWIW,....
If I was in the market for a "NEW" truck,..... I'd consider an F-150,....rather than a Diesel,....due to all the emission crap you have to deal with these days.  The hard thing for me would be which engine platform to chose,..... 5.0,.....OR,....the Ecoboost V-6 Twin Turbo.

id have to look it up but they must have a max tow f150 package , might be worth looking into my 24ft enclosed is 4100lbs empty loaded with car and tools id figuare total be around 8-9k

5pointslow wrote:

Copperhead wrote:The new trucks seem to be light years ahead,...in a lot of areas,....especially when it comes to towing.

This past weekend,..... I used my brother-in-laws 2016, F-150 w/ 5.0 to pull my Racetruck to the track.  Fully loaded,....we were real close to 7000lbs.  Even though it was a N/A application,...it done quite well,.....especially considering all the hills we encountered on out 200 mile round trip.

In comparison,.... I have a 97 F-250 PowerStroke that's basically stock, power-wise (for now).  

The F-150 did almost as good.

FWIW,....
If I was in the market for a "NEW" truck,..... I'd consider an F-150,....rather than a Diesel,....due to all the emission crap you have to deal with these days.  The hard thing for me would be which engine platform to chose,..... 5.0,.....OR,....the Ecoboost V-6 Twin Turbo.

id have to look it up but they must have a max tow f150 package , might be worth looking into my 24ft enclosed is 4100lbs empty loaded with car and tools id figuare total be around 8-9k

I had an 11 F150 EB ext cab with the offroad package 3.73 gears and added airbags and the compressor with wireless remote. FWIW, the F150 had power to spare, and the EB made it's torque at a lower rpm the the 6.2/6.4's. Now, I towed the same loads I mentioned in my earlier post, and got a ton of porpoising, even with sway bars on the tag trailer. Got so bad on a section of I69 up by Flint, MI that I da#n near lost control before dumping the air out of the bags (was glad I got the compressor and wireless remote). Not sure if the max tow package added an stiffer rear suspension, but with the same loads with the 2500hd I had NO porpoising. Summary.. LOVED the EB but the 3/4T is the way to go. Also regarding gearing, my 2500 has the 3.73 gears and is rated for 12,610lb (4x4) but with the 4.30 gears it's rated for 15,610. I believe the F250 has similar tow capacities. I get about 18.5 mpg hwy not towing and 10-11 towing with the 3.73's, not sure what it would get with 4.10's.

I have a 2012 superduty I got off Lem 6.2 gas works fine with my 28" enclosed and race car, just won't do 85 up a cliff like the newer diesel stuff...... but it's also a bunch cheaper to buy too

5pointslow wrote:i was looking at the dealer the other day and cant get over the size of everything on the newer 3/4-1 ton trucks

i currently have a high mileage 2500hd 6.0 gas 2001 , comparing my truck next to any of the newer 3/4 ton trucks everything from eye test .
Size overall and frame basicly everything make my 2001 look like a modern 1/2 ton and after doing some reading its crazy the 70s and 80s 1 ton trucks are about on par with a later model 1/2 ton . im towing a 24ft enclosed trailer that weights 4100lbs empty and i figuare loaded id be up around 8500ish give or take with car and tools ,im looking at newer ford f250/350 with the 6.2 gas and looking at the gm 2500 , not sure but i have not looked at the new ram with 6.4 .

id be looking at gas not diesel , i dont justify it and not crazy about all the emissions and have to bring to dealer if anything goes wrong . Hell id love an old camper special with a 390 that would be cool looking but im not sure the tow ratings on somthing that old would be ideal or stopping it with a 24ft trailer and track is 1hr 20 minutes away lol
i may keep driving what i have dont cost me anything , i dont drive it daily (if i went new i would) .


any opinions on new gas trucks 6.2 ford , ram 6.4 hemi , gm 6.0 ....anyone towing with an older 70s-80s truck ? (enclosed trailer )

I have some input that may help. I've towed between 10 and 16k pounds with 3 different vehicles with probably 120k miles of seat Time. I hauled cars and boats all over the country for people. That being said it's my opinion that the newer trucks are more capable in the ride and luxury department. My first truck was a 91 f350 sc 2wd dually 460 5 speed with 4.10 gears. That may have been the strongest tow vehicle I've owned. Handled tongue weight and gooseneck trailers great... Got 14 unloaded and never worse than 10 towing even through the Poconos... That truck was a fluke I think. My next one that I hauled the most with was an 01 f350 crew 4wd short bed dually 7.3. It had a tuner 5 inch exhaust and a cold air intake. I hauled a 2 car gooseneck trailer with 2 cars on it from Western NY ( where I live ) to Texas, Colorado, northern Montana, Florida, Wyoming, pretty much east of the Rockies. The truck was slightly more capable than my 91 mostly because I ungraded the rear springs to 4400lb units. The fuel mileage was obviously better 13.5 with 2 car on it if I stayed under 63. Long story short on a trip home hauling a Nissan quest and a 00 Dodge ram sc 4wd with a Cummins my 7.3 broke a piston just north of Columbus Ohio. Caught a ride home fired up old Tex!... My 79 f350 sc long bed 2wd I bought when I was hauling cars to Dallas.... It's a 460 I ported the heads on put a comp cam, headers and a weiand intake on with a 600 Holley. I hauled everything back with that truck. Took me a couple trips. The trailer alone weighed 4800lbs. Combined weight truck and trailer was probably around 19k and it did it fine. Moral of the story they are all more than capable of what you will do with it. My feeling is 70's trucks are the coolest. Obs trucks are a close second and the superduty has the best creature comforts and best transmission due to extra gears. Feel confident in choosing what you want cause they can all get the job done... My choice is something with a 460 as long as it has 4:10 gears

get a 95-97 f250 or 350 460 e4od 4.10 and it will tow great get decent mileage and is basic enough to work on. I have had 2 . first one std cab 2wd 3.55 gear. towed my 10000 lb enclosed great and got 11mpg on the hiway on mostly flat land. only thing with that truck I would change would be extended cab and 4.10 gear.
current truck is 4x4 std cab and 4.10 gear. heaviest i have towed is about about 6,000.

wayne

A new truck just isn't in the cards for me at this point in my life so I have to run older stuff. Seeing as I'm a truck and transport mechanic for a living I bought a 99 F250 4x4 crew cab 2yrs ago with 286,000 miles on it. Oregon truck, 7.3, rebuilt 4R100. It was very well maintained from new, I have every part receipt ever spent on it including the window sticker. It has 302,000 miles on it now and I love it. I tow the Mustang and camper with it all summer and it works great. So far it's just wear and tear items that have cost me money, the old 7.3 never skips a beat. I added a 4" MBRP exhaust and TS 6 position chip. I only run it on the 50HP setting and I usually see 15-17mpg (Imperial) towing and 20-22mpg empty. I'd love to have a new 4x4 super duty with a 6.2 but they ain't cheap.

Load up the 2500HD and take it to the track and back once. See how it does and then make a decision. I think it will do fine.

supervel45 wrote:Load up the 2500HD and take it to the track and back once. See how it does and then make a decision. I think it will do fine.

i know what i have will do the job for now , just looking due to my truck higher mileage 193k to be exact .

5pointslow wrote:i was looking at the dealer the other day and cant get over the size of everything on the newer 3/4-1 ton trucks

i currently have a high mileage 2500hd 6.0 gas 2001 , comparing my truck next to any of the newer 3/4 ton trucks everything from eye test .
Size overall and frame basicly everything make my 2001 look like a modern 1/2 ton and after doing some reading its crazy the 70s and 80s 1 ton trucks are about on par with a later model 1/2 ton . im towing a 24ft enclosed trailer that weights 4100lbs empty and i figuare loaded id be up around 8500ish give or take with car and tools ,im looking at newer ford f250/350 with the 6.2 gas and looking at the gm 2500 , not sure but i have not looked at the new ram with 6.4 .

id be looking at gas not diesel , i dont justify it and not crazy about all the emissions and have to bring to dealer if anything goes wrong . Hell id love an old camper special with a 390 that would be cool looking but im not sure the tow ratings on somthing that old would be ideal or stopping it with a 24ft trailer and track is 1hr 20 minutes away lol
i may keep driving what i have dont cost me anything , i dont drive it daily (if i went new i would) .


any opinions on new gas trucks 6.2 ford , ram 6.4 hemi , gm 6.0 ....anyone towing with an older 70s-80s truck ? (enclosed trailer )

"i may keep driving what i have dont cost me anything"

Think of all the money you could use for the race car and racing and don't forget the cost of insurance on a new truck either. When you get to 300K miles then flip it. Invest the money paying off the house, they usually go up in value.

2 years ago I went from a 1984 F350 cc  2wd w/460 to a 2011 F250 cc 2wd with the 6.2 gasser and 3.73 gears.

Huge difference. Love the Super Duty.

That Super Duty gets 17 mpg empty and around 9.5 mpg towing the enclosed.

I put the AirLift air bags on the rear a few weeks ago and I feel that is the best 300 dollars I have spent on the truck.

Pic shows the truck after the air bags installed and the trailer loaded with the race car ( around 7500 lbs.)

My experience with tow vehicles are two you asked about .For 20 or more years I towed with a 66 f250 .The engine was a built for towing 390 with a np 435 transmission 3.73 dana 60.I had a new main leaf added to the rear springs my trailer was a tagalong open style with brakes .It pulled my 3200lb comet just fine .It stopped good enough the trailer brakes were a big help with stopping .Whenever I retired in 2011 I bought a newf150 with the five liter engine 6 spd. auto 3.73 gears .That little engine has torque ABOVE 2500 rpm .At towing speed 55-65 it runs along at 1800 rpm.To go up a hill you have to kick it down to the lower gears to accelerate up the many hills we have in middle Ga.Gas mileage is 14-16 when towing .The 66 had 8-10 mpg.I wouldn't want to tow an enclosed trailer with my f150 you would work it to death I believe .My owners manual states a towing rate of 9600 lbs. If I had 4.10 gears if would be a better tow vehicle .I think a 70s-80s f250 390-460 with good brakes and rebuilt springs might do the job for you if you have good trailer brakes stopping shouldn't be an issue .My 2011 hasn't failed me and has gave me good service with the exception of needing a fuel pump this last September .Good luck man get your car to the track you have been through a lot enjoy it Doug

I'm shocked that your trailer weighs than much. At 4100# that's similar to most 28 footers. If your package was less than 8,000# a newer F150 would be okay. I got lucky to find a 2012 F150 Heavy Duty with a 3.73 gear and class E tires rated for 9,400#. It pulls my 7,500# loaded enclosed at 75 mph on the highway. Then when driving on the highway unloaded it gets around 18mpg with the Coyote and 6R80.

It looks like the 2011 and up F150's tow equal or better than 2007 F250's. If you're buying for towing select an 11 or newer unless someone gives you an older F350.

I had a 2005 f250 5.4 that did fine but wouldn't win any races with a trailer on the interstate. The 2000 f350 dually with 7.3 is another animal as far as handling the load.i had a 48' LQ trailer that was a heavy sob and it handled it well @ 75-80 but as one would expect it didn't exactly run away with it. My open featherlite trailer with anything on it that'll fit is hardly noticed.  I have a kenworth Toter now so the dually needs a new home. one owner 53,??? Miles 7.3 automatic crew cab 2wd....

Dave De wrote:I'm shocked that your trailer weighs than much. At 4100# that's similar to most 28 footers. If your package was less than 8,000# a newer F150 would be okay. I got lucky to find a 2012 F150 Heavy Duty with a 3.73 gear and class E tires rated for 9,400#. It pulls my 7,500# loaded enclosed at 75 mph on the highway. Then when driving on the highway unloaded it gets around 18mpg with the Coyote and 6R80.

It looks like the 2011 and up F150's tow equal or better than 2007 F250's. If you're buying for towing select an 11 or newer unless someone gives you an older F350.

yes steel frame 4100lbs empty , not sure if its due to the 6000lb dexter torsion axles i ordered it will that added weight but its made by car-mate out of PA

I was in looking at the 2017 SD the other day and they offered me a lot more for my 2013 than I thought it was worth, so I ended up driving off in a 2017 King Ranch 6.7L, 3.55.  Let me tell you,,,,,,,,,,,   I thought my 2013 had more power than could ever be used. The 2017 puts the old one to shame.  Yeah, it's a lot of money, but if it ends up being as cheap to drive as my 2013, I won't mind the write off this year!  

Curt wrote:I was in looking at the 2017 SD the other day and they offered me a lot more for my 2013 than I thought it was worth, so I ended up driving off in a 2017 King Ranch 6.7L, 3.55.  Let me tell you,,,,,,,,,,,   I thought my 2013 had more power than could ever be used. The 2017 puts the old one to shame.  Yeah, it's a lot of money, but if it ends up being as cheap to drive as my 2013, I won't mind the write off this year!  

awesome truck ! love the interior