# Best Tow Vehicle



## Meister (Oct 9, 2008)

Howdy All, John on this end. Just bought an Outback Sydney Edition, 30RLS. Towed it home with my 2000 Dodge Dakota, 4.7 Liter V8 with Tow Package. Did OK but know that the truck is only rated to tow 6,100 lbs. What I would like to know is which of the big three diesels is the favorite tow vehicle. Thanks.


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## WillTy3 (Jul 20, 2004)

Wow the dealer let you off the lot pulling a 30 footer with a Dakota









Will


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

*WELCOME AND CONGRATS ON THE 30RLS !!!!* You have found a really great site all due to its wonderfull members.... ENJOY !!

Oh boy...... you had to ask the which truck is better question didnt you ???

I chose a 2008 Ford F350 for a lot of reasons. I felt they have the best interiors, looked great, plenty of capability and i got employee price and $6500 in rebates. That really helped take the sting out of the $55k sticker. I also went with a 1-ton as the orice difference was not much and it allows for more upgraing later if needed. I would have done the F450 but the DW thought it was overkill.....

They are all very good and have their pros/cons. Enjoy the search, now seems like a good time to buy.


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## kyoutback (Jul 12, 2004)

Once again someone has ...................









Take your time. Drive them all and see which one you like the best. Everyone will have their own opinions. Some based on facts some based on "my family has always driven XYZ brand" It's your truck and your investment.


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## Beaner242 (Jun 25, 2007)

HAHA After pulling it with a Dakota, any of them will be an improvement.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Do yourself a favor and drive all 3 WITH the family. They all have good powertrains and are a marked improvement over the Durango (sortof like night and day, only more so....). Find the interior you like best! You can find each of our votes by looking at the signatures in the numerous posts that will soon be included in this can of worms...


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## webeopelas (Mar 11, 2006)

Just to make sure the Ford crowd doesn't have the only say in the Signatures...









Choose the Dodge for the Cummins, the MegaCab, and the $10000 off sticker I got it for.

Wish I had the Chevy LTZ amenties in the cab, but that is all.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Sayonara said:


> *WELCOME AND CONGRATS ON THE 30RLS !!!!* You have found a really great site all due to its wonderfull members.... ENJOY !!
> 
> Oh boy...... you had to ask the which truck is better question didnt you ???
> 
> ...


Have to agree. We just bought our F-350 in July for about the same reasons. I felt the Ford just gave me a better overall value and towing. Now, I'm not a loyal FORD guy...it just so happens this was the model I bought. I came from a Chevy Suburban and loved that too.

Drive them all....read all the material...get a GREAT deal. You are in control at this point...dealers will do just about anything to sell a truck now.


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

webeopelas said:


> Just to make sure the Ford crowd doesn't have the only say in the Signatures...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I agree with *webeopelas*! The deciding factor for us was the Cummins engine and the Mega Cab offered in the Dodge. We chose the Dodge with the Mega Cab because the dogs (2 Great Danes) can fit comfortably in the back with the seats folded flat, and we chose the Dodge because the Cummins (arguably) is the best of the three engines. I think that the engine is the most important factor when choosing one of these trucks and the Cummins has an incredible reputation. I mean honestly, 350k miles before the first recommend overhaul?!? It doesn't get any better than that.

All three diesels (Powerstroke, Duramax and Cummins) provide pretty much the same power output, so what I feel is important here is reliability, service life, and overall maintenance costs. Afterall, we plan on keeping this truck for a VERY long time.

That said, I really liked the interior of the Ford better than the others, and the Chevy has the renowned Allison transmission. Neither had the interior room of the Mega cab, however.

All in all, I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the big 3 if you go for the diesel. You certainly won't get one for a better price these days. Dealers can hardly give one away with the economy crashing and the current price of diesel.

Good luck in your decision and welcome to Outbackers! Don't forget to let us know what you ended up buying.


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## Rob_G (Feb 16, 2006)

WillTy3 said:


> Wow the dealer let you off the lot pulling a 30 footer with a Dakota
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Actually, I'm surprised only Will questioned about the dealer letting this go off the lot like this.


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

I just picked up a 2008 6.6L Diesel Chevy Silverado 2500HD with all the extras....

Asking which is the best truck is like asking folks which ice Cream flavor is the best... you're going to get more answers then people answering...

i went with the Chevy becuase the interior was nicer then the Dodge and the transmission was better rated then the Ford.. but thats just me....

I also went wiht the Chevy becuase they told me to simply take 13,000 off any of the trucks on the lot MSRPs to Start and gave me a good price on my truck...

No matter what you get -- NOW is the time to buy though -- the prices are just ridiculously low....


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## daves700 (Jun 12, 2006)

The best TV .............. My 2006 f350 very low miles and nice truck (see for sale adds)

Best TV for you ... see above

It could be in your driveway! (and you can tow anything outback makes!)


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## grock52 (Sep 6, 2008)

Year end deals lead me to go to my dealer, was going to buy a Duramax, they were all out, so got a 2008 Dodge 2500 crew cab short box for TV. Then came home and researched my decision. Found out all new trucks (Diesels) from 2007 1/2 to forever have low emissions exhaust systems. This means no black smoke. By using Ultra low sulphur fuel, catalyst,DPF (Diesel particulate filter) your now getting less MPG and putting less junk into the air at the cost of burning more fuel. Thru much research and just asking folks with diesel trucks I came across, Dodge seems to have less problems getting the new tech to work, although the first 2007 1/2 models had people getting out of their trucks using Lemon laws in their respective states because of DPF filters and turbos constatntly clogging up. Dodge does seem to get a little better mpg's though not as good as 2006 and earlier models. Chevy is next at mileage, Ford is last with some owners getting as low as 9 mpg without a load. Ford still problems with turbos,injectors and other engine malfunctions. Read the posts on different Internet sites and you'll get an eyeful.
If your into beautiful, Ford nice, fully equipped Chevy is probably one up on that, Dodge is pretty Spartan (plain) compared to the others. 
If your into performance, I'm really surprised as the Cummins, Way Powerful compared to my old 01 F150 with 5.4 V8, 3.55 rear end. Took the rig to Peaceful Valley Colorado (8500 ft.) and like towing a rag doll around even passing thru the 9000' +, I have an 06 23'KRS,about 5800lbs loaded this trip. The standard exhaust brake and 6 speed auto makes mountain driving a breeze. 
So if your going to haul with it and drive your new model diesel on 20 miles commutes you'll be fine. If you do short trips and idle your truck allot, your new emission equipped truck will see the dealer allot. 
I now have 850 miles on the truck and got 10.4 mpg towing,doesnt seem very good untill you consider my F150 got 5.9 quartering into the wind and 7.5 at best conditions towing this trailer.
Diesels are the only way to go, it is so much less stessfull driving, no howling gas v8 trying to pull its guts out to get you there at 50 miles per hour. 
I live in Wyoming elevation 4700 ft. 
Hope this helps.....


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

You could get this one, with the optional Cummins ISC-330 for a powerplant, it should tow that Sydney very nicely.

The best Tow Vehicle

Tim


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

hatcityhosehauler said:


> You could get this one, with the optional Cummins ISC-330 for a powerplant, it should tow that Sydney very nicely.
> 
> The best Tow Vehicle
> 
> Tim


lol

Carey


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## cabullydogs (Jul 12, 2008)

A Ford Excursion, of course, is the best! High towing capacity and room for up to nine. Oh yeah, they stopped building them in 2005, but you can find one used.....


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