# Towing Truck Opinion?



## Irishcampers (Jun 27, 2008)

We're looking for a "new to us" towing vehicle. Currently using a 2005 Ford Expedition to tow a Outback 26KBRS (6,000 lbs dry). To accommodate bikes and other items, I was thinking about a pick up. In the mountains, we could use more power, so I'm focused on a heavy duty pick up. I'm leaning toward a diesel. As we've owned Fords, I was looking at F-250 and F-350 trucks in the 2004-2009 range due to prices. I've read a lot of trash talk on other forums about the Ford 6.0 and 6.7 diesels. Does anyone have a sense whether these engines are generally problematic? I've read not, if properly maintained, which could be a problem when buying used.

I've found a lead on a low-mileage 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 and was thinking about going this way to get the Allison transmission. With apologies to the Dodge owners, those back seats look a little small for these years, which will not play well with our older kids.

Thanks in advance. I appreciate your insights/input on reliability.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

You want huge rear seat room? So did we. We own a '07.5 Dodge 2500 MegaCab and we have 3 kids with a 4th on the way. The Dodge MegaCab is much larger than any other manufacturer's rear seat. The cab is cavernous with a mountain of storage. In terms of rear seat sizes, some years ago, my wife veto'd the GM family due to it's small rear seat size. Next is the Ford CrewCab and the MegaCab the largest. The new Dodge Crew Cab is also too small for us. We used to own a 2008 SuperDuty CrewCab and really enjoyed the truck. Quality was off the charts good. We needed a bench though with the 4th kiddo coming and the Ford had a console. The Dodge has been great. More power than we need with the 6.7 diesel and the motor just lopes along down the road at 1600rpm / 65mph. Kids love the space in the rear seats and we like being able to put all the junk we take with us back there and still have plenty of room to spare. Example - on our trip this weekend - wife hands me two life jackets that the kids use and tells to "just stuff 'em under the rear seat", so I did. 2/3 of the rear bench still had room for more stuff. In the rear floorboard, we put the DVD player box (holds dual screens, dvd's, all the wires and other stuff), diaper bag, snack bag, kids stuff, more bags holding God knows what (wife could tell ya).

Now I won't kid ya - the interior fit finish and quality of my '08 SuperDuty is better than that of my Dodge. For example - the driver's seat on my Dodge was a pile of bunk. I have had to re-work the seat foam and modify the seat frame to get it comfortable. It's good now but the seat was just awful when I got it. I don't need that luxurious of an interior (my old Ford was a KR) though. I just need tons of space!

Engine wise - the new 6.7 Ford Diesel is beast as is the trans. I haven't ever owned a DMax so Ill let others talk about how awesome that powertrain is.

-CC


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

Wise to go with diesel when pulling through moutains. You'll loose some HP as you go up in elevation with any engine, but the diesel has quite a bit more torque than a gasser.

FYI, I just pulled from San Antonio to S. Illinois through hills, dales, and all the way to grandma's house. Most of the trip was at 65 MPH in 5th gear on cruise control. I had to downshift a few times to lug over some of the steeper hills, but the truck just wouldn't quit. I went with the Duramax/Allison because everyone thought highly of the combo. I went with a 2006 because GM changed the emission control system in 2007 and successfully achieved reduced power and fuel mileage. But....everyone I've heard from or talked too still like the Duramax/Allison combo in later year models.


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

Speaking from experience, I'd shy away from the Ford 6.0 liter diesels.

I thought I was safe, until I hit 60K miles a month ago. The entire fiasco ended up costing me almost $30k - $1750 for my share of turbo repair, then $28,500 for a new 2012 6.7 liter Ford F-250. By all reports this is should be a good truck.


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## RDS (Jul 20, 2011)

If you can get the 06 Duramax go for it, you will love the power and best of all the reliability. I've been a GM master tech for 25 years and the drive train in the 06 is awesome.

If it was taken care of it should go 250,000 miles no problem. I own a 05 crew cab with over 100k on it and it has plenty of room in the backseat. I'm 6' 200 plus and can sit back there comfortably.


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## Irishcampers (Jun 27, 2008)

Thanks for the comments.


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## DH Drifter (Apr 12, 2012)

I do not have personal experience, but two of our city fleet mechanics, larger city, told me the older 6.0 and 6.7 you are discussing had major issues. So much so that we are not buying Ford PU's anymore and went to Chevys.

I hope this helps you in your decision. Do a search and you will find what thoese engine issues were.

DH


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

Irishcampers said:


> Thanks in advance. I appreciate your insights/input on reliability.


There are so many opinions on this subject ;-) but I'll offer mine...

I think it's a wise move to go with 3/4 ton or better and diesel if you want the truck to "feel" like it is really strong. Gassers in these trucks are nearly just as capable....but you have to just get used to high rpms to get the same powerful feeling.

I moved from the '97 Expedtion that faithfully served for years...to an 06 F250, 6.0 L powerstroke diesel and then a camper that was twice as big as the one the Expy was towing. My Ford has been been great, and has had none of the feared 6.0 probs yet .. I'm only at 55K miles though. In my research, you would "generally" be pretty safe with the Ford 6.0 L if stuck to 06-07 years. The one thing to keep in mind, no matter what brand you buy... diesels' will cost you more in maintenance... even if you do it yourself. Materials alone for an oil change cost nearly $50-60 for me..... Normal oil change at my dealer of choice is $90.

I'm not a fan of the Dodge interiors and how the seats feel. I do like the exterior stylling..and the Dodge Mega Cab is cavernous....and it is truly amazing to see in person.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

I'm pretty sure that Dodge has updated their interior since 2006-2007. I looked at offerings from all three manufacturers, and I thought the Ram interior was by far the best of the bunch. My seats are plenty comfy, including the rear seats. The Mega Cab has just a crazy amount of interior room, but I'm not thrilled with a couple of the electronic quirks. Overall, it's turning out to be a very capable towing vehicle as well as a daily driver.


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## hoosier steve (Apr 10, 2012)

I would strongly recomend a diesel, regardless of brand. If asked a month ago, I would have said a gas will do, but after buying and towing with a diesel......I'll never go back to gas as long as I am towing a trailer over 5,000lbs. Sure a gas will do, put your foot into it, watch the tach rise and gas gauge drop hoping to average, say 9-11mpg. A diesel will shrug off anything up to 10,000lbs. or more, pull easier, get better mileage, and feel better knowing you have power in reserve when needed. I get 20mpg empty and 14-16 towing my 312bhs, it drives just like it wasn't there. The initial extra cost bothered me alot, but it is so worth it! Just MHO.


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## baileys crib (Sep 12, 2007)

I know most like their diesels, but take a look at the 2012 Toyota Tundras with the 5.7 gas. I just traded in a Ford F-350 DRW diesel. The Tundra is my first Toyota, but it has a huge cab and great towing capabilities. I've only put a few K miles, but very happy with my decision. Good luck!


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

I just traded in my 2007 Tundra Crewmax with the 5.7 liter engine for what you see in my signature and so far I haven't regretted it. The Tundra is definitely a good puller, and I never had any problems with giddy-up & go. After my first towing trip with the Ram, it was apparent that the one-ton platform was much stiffer and we didn't have the bouncing, skittering and porpoising that we had with the Tundra. The exhaust brake is awesome, and isn't an available option on a gas engine. That little goodie helped make our descent from 4,500 feet much easier and less stressful - on me and the brakes! I won't lie & say I didn't notice the trailer behind me, because I did and I even had more sway which is kinda weird. Maybe the hitch needs a little more fine-tuning? What I'm really hoping for is that the Ram lasts longer than the Tundra did, and won't have engine and drivetrain components failing at five years and 40,000 miles. Only time will tell, but so far so good.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

hoosier steve said:


> Sure a gas will do, put your foot into it, watch the tach rise and gas gauge drop hoping to average, say 9-11mpg. A diesel will shrug off anything up to 10,000lbs. or more, pull easier, get better mileage, and feel better knowing you have power in reserve when needed. I get 20mpg empty and 14-16 towing my 312bhs, it drives just like


Our '97 Expedition would get 7-9 mpg towing our 4500 pound hybrid. Our 2006 F250 6.0L diesel (stock) gets 10 mpg towing my Sydney Outback, probably around 9000 pounds loaded. MPG is a little better, but the towing experience is good.

Our good camping buddies who travel to nearly the same destinations we do tow with '09 Toyota Double cab Tundra, 5.7L. They'll get 7-9 mpg.

If you want a crew cab, you can pretty eliminate most all of the 1/2 ton crew cabs based on payload capacity One exception is I think there is a GM "heavy duty" version that might actually have a payload







of towing a large trailer. Assume you're hitch weight will be 1000 pounds.. add weight of your passengers and gear in the truck and make sure you get a truck that has that much payload.


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## CamperKev (Feb 20, 2012)

luverofpeanuts said:


> Sure a gas will do, put your foot into it, watch the tach rise and gas gauge drop hoping to average, say 9-11mpg. A diesel will shrug off anything up to 10,000lbs. or more, pull easier, get better mileage, and feel better knowing you have power in reserve when needed. I get 20mpg empty and 14-16 towing my 312bhs, it drives just like


Our '97 Expedition would get 7-9 mpg towing our 4500 pound hybrid. Our 2006 F250 6.0L diesel (stock) gets 10 mpg towing my Sydney Outback, probably around 9000 pounds loaded. MPG is a little better, but the towing experience is good.

Our good camping buddies who travel to nearly the same destinations we do tow with '09 Toyota Double cab Tundra, 5.7L. They'll get 7-9 mpg.

If you want a crew cab, you can pretty eliminate most all of the 1/2 ton crew cabs based on payload capacity One exception is I think there is a GM "heavy duty" version that might actually have a payload







of towing a large trailer. Assume you're hitch weight will be 1000 pounds.. add weight of your passengers and gear in the truck and make sure you get a truck that has that much payload. [/quote]
What about the F150 Ecoboost crew cab with max tow pkg and HD pkg? Keep in mind that the OP's trailer is only 6000lbs. Yes a diesel is obviously far superior but figuring the extra cost of a diesel plus the extra cost on maintenace seems to be over kill for a 6000lb trailer that the F150 ecoboost would pull without breaking a sweat.. Just for the record my trailer loaded is 7400lbs, im within my trucks ratings, I average 10.6mpg towing and couldn't be happier.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

CamperKev said:


> Sure a gas will do, put your foot into it, watch the tach rise and gas gauge drop hoping to average, say 9-11mpg. A diesel will shrug off anything up to 10,000lbs. or more, pull easier, get better mileage, and feel better knowing you have power in reserve when needed. I get 20mpg empty and 14-16 towing my 312bhs, it drives just like


Our '97 Expedition would get 7-9 mpg towing our 4500 pound hybrid. Our 2006 F250 6.0L diesel (stock) gets 10 mpg towing my Sydney Outback, probably around 9000 pounds loaded. MPG is a little better, but the towing experience is good.

Our good camping buddies who travel to nearly the same destinations we do tow with '09 Toyota Double cab Tundra, 5.7L. They'll get 7-9 mpg.

If you want a crew cab, you can pretty eliminate most all of the 1/2 ton crew cabs based on payload capacity One exception is I think there is a GM "heavy duty" version that might actually have a payload







of towing a large trailer. Assume you're hitch weight will be 1000 pounds.. add weight of your passengers and gear in the truck and make sure you get a truck that has that much payload. [/quote]
What about the F150 Ecoboost crew cab with max tow pkg and HD pkg? Keep in mind that the OP's trailer is only 6000lbs. Yes a diesel is obviously far superior but figuring the extra cost of a diesel plus the extra cost on maintenace seems to be over kill for a 6000lb trailer that the F150 ecoboost would pull without breaking a sweat.. Just for the record my trailer loaded is 7400lbs, im within my trucks ratings, I average 10.6mpg towing and couldn't be happier.
[/quote]

That setup is really nice. You get 8 lug wheels and LT tires with it as well. It's a 3/4 ton with half ton badging.

-CC


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## stang5302 (Aug 31, 2010)

if you will go one or two yr older look for a F250 crew cab with the 7.3 l diesel, very good trucks


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## RDS (Jul 20, 2011)

Once you tow with a diesel you will never go back.

As far as maintenance is concerned I don't spend anymore on my diesel than I did on my gasser.

I change the oil and the fuel filter, I spend less on fuel and never buy spark plugs.


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

CamperKev said:


> What about the F150 Ecoboost crew cab with max tow pkg and HD pkg? Keep in mind that the OP's trailer is only 6000lbs. Yes a diesel is obviously far superior but figuring the extra cost of a diesel plus the extra cost on maintenace seems to be over kill for a 6000lb trailer that the F150 ecoboost would pull without breaking a sweat.. Just for the record my trailer loaded is 7400lbs, im within my trucks ratings, I average 10.6mpg towing and couldn't be happier.


Oh yeah! I forgot they added that HD option to the Super Crew in 2012!! Good point!


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## Tangooutback (Apr 16, 2010)

Another nice thing about diesel truck is you don't have to go through the smog inspection, at least that is the way in Texas....


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## rjstorlie (Sep 12, 2011)

We are in the same boat, need a bigger truck. Have a 02 Durango rated at 7500 trailer weight with the 280RS starting at 6600 empty.
I am renting a 3/4 ton ford, dodge, Chevy from Enterprise Commercial to really TestDrive with my Outback.

Pulled the Rockies from Salt Lake to South Dakota without even grunting in a Dodge diesel. All I can say is WOW
Looking forward to the others. I will post a plus/minus for each truck when done.

BTW Enterprise Commercial allows towing, not the regular rental offices. Give your short list a real try
And they do sell the used trucks, which is my big plan


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## Tyvekcat (Aug 28, 2007)

rjstorlie said:


> We are in the same boat, need a bigger truck. Have a 02 Durango rated at 7500 trailer weight with the 280RS starting at 6600 empty.
> I am renting a 3/4 ton ford, dodge, Chevy from Enterprise Commercial to really TestDrive with my Outback.
> 
> Pulled the Rockies from Salt Lake to South Dakota without even grunting in a Dodge diesel. All I can say is WOW
> ...


Impressive! That's a plan !


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## Minor007 (Jul 17, 2012)

Have been towing for 20+ years and I bought my first diesel about 4years ago . . . No going back . . . . I will not have another gasser for towing my camper . . . .Just my personal opinion . . .


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## raynardo (Jun 8, 2007)

Tangooutback said:


> Another nice thing about diesel truck is you don't have to go through the smog inspection, at least that is the way in Texas....


Unfortunately this is no longer true in California.

But since the don't have any testing equipment nor standards set up yet, it's just a physical inspection to see if anything has been done to the engine. Add-ons like Banks, Flashpaq and the like didn't have CARB (California Air Resources Board) approval for a time so that made them illegal, but that may have been changed.

I had a Flashpaq Superchips tuning on my 2006 F-250 6.0 diesel which is just a computer change, nothing on the engine to give it away to the California inspectors. It would be impossible for them to detect. So, a rumor I heard that these inspectors were using was that if they saw any smoke coming from the exhaust under power, they'd fail the truck.

This is probably just another scam for this impoverished state to attempt to raise some more funds.

Now that I have a 2012 F-250 6.7 diesel, my Flashpaq Superchips is available for sale to the first person who wants it in exchange for $150. Please contact me privately via PM.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Tangooutback said:


> Another nice thing about diesel truck is you don't have to go through the smog inspection, at least that is the way in Texas....


This is the case in Oregon...I just found out 3 days ago. My trucks tags were due ( 4yrs between when bought new ) and I was told by the nice man at DEQ I had to simply go to DMV to get my tags. I had to ask DMV to change my registration to show my truck is deisel and "heavy duty". Now when they are due again in 2 years, I can simply do it online.


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Another nice thing about diesel truck is you don't have to go through the smog inspection, at least that is the way in Texas....


This is the case in Oregon...I just found out 3 days ago. My trucks tags were due ( 4yrs between when bought new ) and I was told by the nice man at DEQ I had to simply go to DMV to get my tags. I had to ask DMV to change my registration to show my truck is deisel and "heavy duty". Now when they are due again in 2 years, I can simply do it online.
[/quote]

unfortunetly not that simple. My Oregon registration says diesel, says over 8600GVW so it is exempt. yes you don't need to go through DEQ but DMV online registration still says NO! you are required to go through DEQ. won't let you do it online. A real PITA. so you need to download the "declaration of exemption" form, and then mail it in or take it to DMV. I've had several conversations with DMV and DEQ and each blames the other for the fiasco.

I though in 2008 after getting registration changed to diesel I'd be able to go online in 2010, nope, 2010 though they'd have it fixed by this year. No luck got the stuff in the mail a few weeks ago, registration says diesel, and same old song and dance from DMV and DEQ. Either go to an office and fill out the exemption form or download and mail in the info. No online registration and DMV says they don't intend to change to system to allow online registration for exempt vehicles. What a PITA.


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## Barry (Mar 13, 2011)

Just got back from my first trip with my 23 KRS Kargaroo and my new used F250 7.3. I was pulling with F150 4.6 litre 4WD before. Same trip last year the F150 used a full tank of gas. The diesel this year used 1/2 tank. 28 gallon tank vs 26 gallon on the F150.

I was also able to leave the diesel in overdrive and cruise and felt so much more stable towing and no where near as tired.

Go for the diesel.


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## jayger (Sep 29, 2011)

Same here. I found a 03 7.3 in great shape an pulls so much better than our 1500.. as it should. The trans very seldom drops a gear while in cruse control, the chevy 1500's six speed would shift constantly. So now I don't have to worry when we upgrade to the 312 next year.


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## Irishcampers (Jun 27, 2008)

After some advice and further research, we decided that the F150 with the Ecoboost would work well for us to tow and be a daily driver. I found a new-to-us 2011 with 13,000 miles on it. It has the max towing package.



We towed our 26" Outback down to Orlando and back from Pennsylvania (more than 2,000 miles round trip). The truck was a champ (although I realize there were not much hills on this trip). If I didn't know, I would have said that we had a V8 up front. The integrated towing brake controller was great. My favorite feature is the back up camera. The truck has some anti-trailer sway feature. At one point, we hit a severe wind gust and the truck automatically applied brakes and reduced engine speed to slow down to reduce sway.

We can't wait to get out again!


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