Trailer Towing an 80 (1 Viewer)

[AppleTech]

I'm planning no getting a new truck in the next year. Right now I have an 80 and a 100. The 80 is a trail toy and for budget reasons I'd like to try and keep it off the road as much as possible as it will save me on tires and repairs (trail toy repairs vs. DD repairs are handled differently!). So I'm considering getting a trailer to tow it with (I'd love to get one of those aluminum featherlights but I'd have to watch the market for a while to get one at a reasonable price).

I'm looking into getting a 2011-2014 F-150, either with the base 3.7L or the 5.0L. I'm looking at the 3.7L for fuel economy but the max towing in the best config would be 6700lbs. I would imagine towing an 80 on a car trailer with that just likely wouldn't work since it would be so close to the limit, right?

The question I have is would towing one on a trailer with the 5.0 even be advisable? Ratings for that go from 7900lbs to 10k lbs but I don't know if anyone has experience doing that.

My other thought is to try and sell my 80 and in a few years get a Sami that I can easily tow on a small (even single axle) trailer, but I don't know if I can say goodbye to all the work and money I've put into the 80!

 

[AppleTech]

Interestingly I see the Silverado lists the towing capacity with the 4.3L V6 at 7300? That's interesting considering the Ford 3.7 has more HP and tq!

 

[WHG423]

Just my two cents, but maybe look at an older Ford with the 7.3
I did a lot of homework before settling on a truck. I needed it to do one thing - tow. I settled on a clean low-mile Excursion with the 7.3
And tow it does. Rated at 10k I pull my 24’ Airstream, car trailer with all kinds of cars, scout trailer at around 8k, I pull the high school marching band trailer, a skid steer, and anything else. It never slows down and gets 13 mpg loaded down. I love it.

 

[AppleTech]

I guess my problem is I want the best of both worlds... I want to be able to tow but I also don't want to spend a fortune in fuel. The two are pretty mutually exclusive. So that's why I'm looking at smaller rigs - 95% of the time the truck will be doing around town duty and ferrying the kids around. I know logic states that I should just get a minivan or wagon and RENT a tow rig when I want to go 4x4ing but I can just see that as being an obstacle to wheeling it whereas if I have a truck that can occasionally manage it that gets decent mileage I wouldn't feel bad about it.

I like the F-250 and Excursion platforms I just don't know if I could get into the 7.3. I love diesel but I have found that everything for a diesel engine tends to be more expensive (maintenance, parts, etc) and I'm looking to get into something with low miles that won't require any major maintenance in the next few years (we have 2 young kids so wrenching time or budget is very limited). I don't think I tow often enough to justify the additional maintenance costs (since they wouldn't be offset by using the engine as intended). Definitely something I'd love to have though - that is a nice looking rig!

 

[WHG423]

Thanks!
I also don’t feel you will be happy with stepping down to a samurai. My dad has a samurai and every now and then I get a wild hair and go borrow it. I quickly return it once I am reminded how terrible the really are. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a highly capable off road machine but build quality and comfort between it and an 80 are night and day.
Keep the 80 you have a lot of time and money it seems. You would regret letting it go.

 

[AppleTech]

Thanks for the feedback! In reading about the 2014+ Sierra/Silverados, apparently the 4.3 EcoTec3 is a pretty good motor and fine at towing. Down on HP from the Ford 3.7 but more torque. I may look into getting that as it seems like with a light enough trailer I could comfortably tow my 80 and not have the remorse you mentioned!

 

[Hack]

Since you're going to be using the truck only 5% of time towing, I'd just get a gasser. My present tow vehicle:

2018 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE, regular cab, standard box. 4x4, Z71 package, and every other package I could order on that model. 5.3L, 6 speed, 3.42 gears. 8600 pounds towing capacity.

I get 20+ mpg normal driving (best mpg is 55-65 mph), 14-16 mpg towing (boat, pontoon, utility trailer).

 

[AppleTech]

Yes in the past couple weeks I have kinda made up my mind that a 2014+ Sierra/Silverado CC is what I need, with the 5.3. The 4.3 seems like a nice motor but for 1MPG diff I think the V8 is the way to go. Plus we know that engine will be reliable since the basic architecture has been arouns for a long time.

 

[Hack]

There are a lot of good deals on left over 2017 Chevy/GMC pickups. Zero percent financing.

The reason I didn't get a Crew or Double Cab truck was wheelbase. My Regular Cab, Standard Box wheelbase is 119". I've got a narrow road in front of my lake house, and backing my 23' pontoon into my drive is tight. Longer wheelbase, and I'd be all over the neighbors' lawns (not good). For the most part, it's only me, or me and the wife in the truck. If I was planning any long hauls with a travel trailer, then I'd be thinking about the extended cab. Only for the wheelbase and place to stow 'stuff' inside.

I briefly considered a Colorado/Canyon (with the diesel), but my son talked me into the full size truck (I could get his GM 'A Plan').

Of the three domestic pickup makers, only Ram had a regular cab, standard box that I could really 'option out'. And they had a lot more color choices than either GM or Ford. Their Sport model is a good looking truck. Ford only goes to the XLT trim level with their regular cab, standard box (but it's a good looking truck). GM only offers the SLE trim level in the regular cab, so I couldn't get a bunch of the 'niceties' that I would have liked: Heated/Cooled seats and heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, direct link-up for my garage door remote, to name a few. And the interior is pretty much one color (if you select certain packages).

I also looked at the Tacoma, Tundra, and the Titan XD (diesel). I like the Cummins diesel in the XD. But none of the dealers in my area seem to order regular cab trucks. Consumers seem to love their 4 door pickups.