1/2 Ton tow vehicle-Ram-f150-Titan

[MichaelThurston]

I need a tow vehicle that can pull a 7,000 pound trailer. I have owned a Ram, and while it was quick, it didn't handle all that great. I need this truck to be a daily driver that is quick and comfortable, and I would also like to take it off road. Which rules out the Ram SRT. I have drive the new F150 which on paper seemed like the ideal solution, but it was extremely slow, perhaps too heavy and underpowered? I have drive a Nissan Armada, which seemed very quick and drove nicely. I have not driven a Titan, but it seems like a great truck and if it handles like the Armada, should be great. Anyone out there have any direct experience??? Seems like some dealer people should have driven them back to back (woodhouse?). Thanks for the help.

Micheal Thurston
Lost in Australia....

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

if you're towing 7000 pounds forget a half ton with a wussy V-8. Do it right and get a diesel.

 

[doctorbob]

I think Craig is right. My brother uses a Ford F350 diesel.

 

[SapphireGTS]

f350 diesel. Either the 7.4 or new 6.0. Both will pull the old off grandma.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Heck, a Hemi will pull that with ease. The towing capacity for the Nissan is virtually identical, and I would take these two over a Ford - we sell all three.
If you go Diesel, the only way to go is Dodge Cummins Diesel --- 300+ hp and I pull my 30ft , 2 car trailer, with ease.

Bill Pemberton
Woodhouse
1-800-889-1893

 

[SapphireGTS]

Heck, a Hemi will pull that with ease. The towing capacity for the Nissan is virtually identical, and I would take these two over a Ford - we sell all three.
If you go Diesel, the only way to go is Dodge Cummins Diesel --- 300+ hp and I pull my 30ft , 2 car trailer, with ease.

Bill Pemberton
Woodhouse
1-800-889-1893

Most new gassers will pull the same as most diesels. My excursion wil do 10,000+. Diesel is good for gas mileage and longevity. Thats it!. The v-10 has the same combines TQ+HP as the PS. The cummins is good motor as is the powerstroke. Most people that have a cummins say "buy a cummins" those who have a ford say "get the powerstroke". Just shows that they are both good motors. Look out for 80 dollar oil changes. The oil filter on my old powerstroke was a BEAST.

I prefer the diesel but the 6.8 V-10 is a hell of a motor.

I am partial to ford. Lot of dodges trucks are still built in mexico (I think) although GM is coming around with their trucks (if you dont mind them looking weird)

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

The V-8's might be able to pull that much but you'll be stopping twice as often than in a diesel. My uncle just picked up a new Ram 3500HD with the cummins. It's unbleivable the torque that thing has.

 

[C O D Y]

All this diesel talk reminds me, I need to put my trash out.

The newer Cummins are much better on sound then before, but diesel still stinks.

I heard they might be bring back the v10 truck motor. I love the touque they have and they're pretty quick. The older one I have has 310 HP and 450 torque. It's rated to tow 19,000 GCVW.

 

[Neil - UK]

an excuse to show this pic (Hemi), the towing bracket has yet to be converted

 

[Paul Hawker]

The hard part is multiple needs. Must pull 7,000 lbs. Must drive great in town, must be good off road.
The priorities will change the choice.
Hemi-Ram = will do all three. Great around town, good off road, but not the best hauler. Gas mileage will take a long time to equalize diesel cost.
Diesel Heavy duty. Great for hauling, but lousey around town and off road.
I have a personal problem with Fords, but they sell a lot of them.
Most of the new trucks are improved over older models.
"Gotta get a HEMI!"

 

[GTS Bruce]

MIke visit one of the truck forums.A 1/2 ton is not enough truck to tow 7000 lbs.Realistic towing figures are 70-80% of maximum.Think of total weight.What you're towing plus you and whatever else in the truck.Short distance once in a while no problem with 1/2 ton.For a couple dollars more you get a completely different and stronger frame,diffs,axles,brakes,tranny etc.in a 3/4. Bruce

 

[MichaelThurston]

The problem with the diesels is that they **** around town. I hate the big truck feel of stepping on the gas and 5 seconds later something starts to happen. I know, I basically want a Viper that can tow and has 12 inches of ground clearance. (Porche Cayanne--ugly!!!) Maybe I should get one of those big diesels and hoist a lotus into the bed for driving when I park the trailer.....

Bill, thanks for your thoughts. Will definetely talk to you before buying. Sadly I can't call 800 numbers from New Zealand....

 

[Saleen-Explorer]

The problem with the diesels is that they **** around town. I hate the big truck feel of stepping on the gas and 5 seconds later something starts to happen.

That doesn't really happen with the new models, the new Powerstroke's are damn quick in stock form and respond very quickly to input, same for the new Cummins engine, boost comes on strong pretty fast. My friend drives his 03'Ram 3500 4x4 Lariat, of course with the h/o Cummins and 6 speed, all the time in our city and it's perfect for city driving.

The new Hemi's felt to weak to me on the bottom end, the new F-150's have an excellent low end torque curve and I think the strongest frame but aren't as quick as the Hemi's. Both would do fine though with 7000lbs. Hell, we used to tow our 29ft Fountain w/ twin 300 outboards with our V8 Mountaineer when it wasn't on our dock, handled it well.

But, as with owning a Viper, eventually your going to want to modify, and diesel's will put out a sh!tload of power for the money with simple things as just a chip/exhaust alone, and will get even better mileage then before.

PS - we just took out an 04' F-150 Supercrew Lariat as I'm thinking of picking one up later on (or maybe an FX4 model), wow, I swear that interior appears to be better built then any american vehicle I've been in. Gaps and seems were as tight as ***/German makes and the plastic even felt solid and of high quality. It didn't have the top end pull of the Hemi, but it was extremely smooth and powerful down low which matters more to me. It rode very nicely and had perfect steering feel, never knew a truck could be so quiet on the highway, thought I was in a Lexus lol.

All I gotta say with that, is the gap is getting very close now with American cars reaching foreign build quality. Ford and Dodge are both producing very high quality products, new F-150, newer Expeditions have top notch build quality, new Durango is supposed to be very solid and tight feeling from what people have said..

 

[fuelman]

I tow my viper on an open trailer with a Ford/Harley F150 supercrew. It has the space of a large sedan inside, a real back seat for the kids. The supercharged 5.4 liter makes more than 400 hp and almost 500 ftlbs torque, with a little tunning from Macedo. 6000 + pounds and it runs high 13s at 100 mph in 1/4 mile. I have towed my Viper more than 1200 miles in one trip with it, no problems. Trailer and Viper chime in around 5500 lbs. 7000 lbs might be an effort, but with airbags and weight distributing hitch I think it would be fine. The 1/2 ton trucks have come a long way, I towed the same setup to Bowling green last May with Macedo's 2500 Hemi Ram and it kicked but. 85 mph straight up the mountains, the Ram 2500 might give you a good blend of daily easy driver and tough tow rig. Good luck.

 

[Sam 01 RT10]

Well, my .02.

Since I work at a Nissan dealer, I've driven the new Armada and Titan, and all I can say, is WOW! I've got a friend with an '03 Silverado, and I've driven the '04 F150, and the Titan just rocks. It's rated at 9400lbs tow capacity when equipped with the tow package. The 5.6 V8 sounds awesome, and 379ft/lbs of torque combined with a 5-speed auto makes for some great off-idle pull.
I'm a die hard Domestic buyer, BTW, so for this thing to impress me, I think it's pretty good.

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

New Durango also tows 9,000. And the Infiniti version of the Armada is about to come out QX56. It also tows 9,000 More money than Armada but lot's nicer looking and ultra interior.

 

[BadVenm]

Michael,

I towed my Viper from Cleveland Tenn. over 850 miles in an enclosed 30' trailer (aprox. 3,000 plus) with my wife's Ford Excursion, 1 Ton truck frame, V-10 Engine. Once the Viper was in the correct place inside the trailer, it did fine. (I had it too far towards the back at first) No real off road possibilities with this other than mild field drive in's for some bird hunting or the like.

I tow a 3,750 LB. stock car (racecar) in a 26' enclosed trailer (aprox. 3,000 lbs) with a Ford F-150 Supercrew. Trailer, car tools, 55 drum of fuel, spare parts, most likley pulling a load of 8,000 lbs plus. No Prob what so ever. This truck currently has 35" Goodyears on it, it rides fine in town, and just got back from deer hunting. Tracking a wounded deer, we drove through a draw planted with sunflowers where stalks were 2 foot taller than the truck. We went off a 24" to 30" vert. drop, without knowing it before it happened, but came right out the other end of the draw. The draw was one mile long end to end. Had to use a buffer for an hour to clean up the scratched paint, but that's what a truck is for. A good in town, good off road, and good intermediate towing truck.

I've owned two F-350 Crew Cab's Diesel's used to tow 24' enclosed trailers with dirt modifieds in them. They had no prob.'s They were the old 7.3 L's.

This past spring I rode in a buddies new 6.0 L Ford F-350 while pulling a 38' Formula boat which is 10,000 lbs by it's self. Couldn't even tell it was behind us.

I had an H2 but never towed with it, My brother towed a 30' trailer to Daytona and Sturgis with 6 bikes and loads of gear in it with his H2. He said it did fine. Trailer aprox. 2,700 to 3,000 lbs. Six big Harley's about 650 to 700 lbs each so about 5,000 lbs..... Four guys gear for two weeks maybe 500 lbs....? Cool ride, however probably not good for a lot of heavy duty hauling. Killer ride like a big fat caddy, killer off road.

I towed a friends Viper in a 1/2 short bed two wheels drive GMC in a 26' encolsed trailer, man that was death waiting to happen! Do not try that at home!

I owned a Freightliner FL-70 Crewcab with a custom tow bed for the back. I towed a trailer that weight was over 8,000 lbs empty. That truck was about $10k more than a loaded Crewcab 1 ton truck. Best tow vehicle I ever owned. It's about 3/4 the size of a big rig.

I can't speack towards any other brands as far as towing goes, however would love to try the big Dodge dually rig.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Tom Sessions]

Have you driven a new high output Cummins yet.Once you do you will change your mind.How many Diesels do you know of that will smoke both rear tires?The ** Cummins will.Its quite,rides good,low maintance costs.I may be a little bias to Cummins since I have 2 in my driveway and 3 more in the family and am the Viper / Diesel tech for the dealer I work for.

Tom

 

[MichaelThurston]

Thanks for all the help. Maybe the new F150 FX4 I drove was just a dog. I have also driven a F350 diesel and it was a slow dog. When I get back in country, I guess I'll have to try the new diesels. Just really like the get up and go, and when I drove the Armada it felt smaller then it was. It's funny, the only real tow comparison test I have seen was in a New Zealand car magazine. All the truck were American, and specially imported. But they tested acceleration, and braking, head to head. Would think you could find a similar test in the states....

 

[MannyC]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

I know this is an old thread, but I have a question. I am thinking about purchasing an eclosed trailer to load up the viper to take to road course events. My open trailer is OK unless I am staying the night somewhere, and then I wake up to see finger prints all over the thing, plus I can't load up as much gear as I want (tires, gas, etc.)

Problem is that the enclosed trailer is about 3,000 pounds, then the car is another 3,200 pounds, then I have about 1,000 pounds of misc stuff (tools, tires, gas, etc.) In all, that puts me at over 7,000 pounds and my Hummer H2 is rated with a max towing capacity that is lower than that.

So, I am looking to pick up a truck that can tow this with ease. The trailer is a goose neck, and was wondering if the long bed is required or recommended over the standard bed on a pick up? I like the Dodge Ram 2500's or 3500's with the standard bed, as the long beds make the truck just soooooo damn long. What's the deal with gooseneck trailers and what should be used?

Also, is a 1 ton recommended, or is a 3/4 ton fine?

-Manny

 

[GTS Bruce]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

1/2 ton not enough truck.3/4 ok.Max rated towing is for flat level,no hills towing.Anything else rig should not be more than 70% of max. Bruce

 

[CTViper]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

I have a Titan Super Crew Cab --Great truck! power, comfort, styling! I haven't pulled anything but its supposed to be good. I know all the mopar people out there will say different but i like mine. I have a certificate from VOI#8 for any dodge product! Yellow Special edition Viper truck is a sharp vehicle to trailer your Viper. Comes in Crew cab also. Let me know if you want my Certificate. 1% below factory invoice.

 

[turbodoc]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

Go to Dodge.com and order you the 2005 RAM SRT-10 Quad Cab. They should be coming available in mid October 04.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

SRT10 Ram Quad Cab started production this week in Yellow. Red will start production mid. Oct. Should be(yellow) on the show room floors very soon.

 

[GTS Bruce]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

You're in the wrong forum for honest nuts and bolts truck advice.Go to any truck forum.Tell them what you want to tow and no one will recommend less than a 3/4. Bruce

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

I just towed my viper to voi 8 in my 2003 1/2 ton HEMI ram. What a piece of crap. This truck is a great performer with no trailer , but towing was a night mare. The truck was struggling and you knew the trailer was there all the time. Im trading this week for either the titan or ram/cummins. The only reason I might shy away from the diesel is the fact I only tow maybe twice a year. I lost my 1% dodge cert. from voi. If you are not going to use yours, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Jay Herbert]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

I just towed my viper to voi 8 in my 2003 1/2 ton HEMI ram. What a piece of crap. This truck is a great performer with no trailer , but towing was a night mare. The truck was struggling and you knew the trailer was there all the time. Im trading this week for either the titan or ram/cummins. The only reason I might shy away from the diesel is the fact I only tow maybe twice a year. I lost my 1% dodge cert. from voi. If you are not going to use yours, I would greatly appreciate it.

Email me your address if you don't have a cert yet. I've towed with gas engines, and diesels.... Cummins diesel all the way. While you are at it, get a performance chip for the diesel, it is worth every penny, you only think your Hemi was a performer until you put a chip in a diesel!

 

[Rocket65C]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

I know this is old but I wanted to add my 2 cents. I have a 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 that I bought new with the V10(it was as close as I could get to a Viper at that time!). The V10 would outpull the diesel at that time, plus the diesel was loud. Now, I would definitely get a 3/4 ton diesel, as you have much more modification upgrade options with the diesel and you get twice the gas mileage. My old '98 is rated to 10,000 lbs. with a bumper hitch and 11,000 with a 5th wheel. The one ton 3500 was only rated to 13,500 max. BTW, if you like luxury vehicles, check out the Ford King Ranch Edition. The leather in the 2005 is more plush than car or any couch that I've ever seen.

 

[2MANYTOYS]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

Buy you a F-250 and add the Edge Power chip, 4" Exhaust, and after market air filter. I promise you won't think diesels are slow anymore. They look good, tow good, drive good, and get good gas milage.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Re: Tow vehicle for the Viper

Lots of Great Choices, I like the Quad Cab SRT RAM and the Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Hemi. Both will pull 7,000 pounds. The Jeep is also one of the best off road choices offered and is fast.