Easy question: what’s the best tow vehicle?

Looking at getting a bigger truck. God bless my tundra, but I’ve had to tow heavy a few times in the last month and it revealed how light duty that thing really is. I have a few more years of construction projects ahead of me so hauling dump trailers and equipment will be fairly common.

My lean is toward the 6.7 F350, probably fairly new. I’ve borrowed my friends 2020 to haul some loads a fairly long distance and was blown away by the performance. Runner up is the 7.3Zilla

Question 1: Any reason I should cross shop Ram or GM offerings? I have a lot more experience with Ford and have been pretty happy with their stuff the last few years, plus I have peeps at the dealer.

Question 2: Is my reasoning off here? I like the 6.7 for the power and fuel economy. I know I’ll never make up the premium for the diesel option in fuel savings, but I plan on getting that back when I trade/sell in a couple of years at most. So the day to day cost savings is nice, but mostly it’s the mental satisfaction of having that much power at those mpg’s. Coming from all those land cruisers which were both gutless AND thirsty, I feel like the catharsis of 1050 lbs of torque at 20 mpgs might wash away years of Toyota Performance Anxiety (TPA) and would be worth the extra coin up front, especially if I can get it back on the resale.

I will turn the time over to the Quorum for discussion

With your F*rd familiarity, I think your thoughts are sound. I'd likely stick to the deezel in your shoes. For me, I'd give the 7.3L gas a shot just due to how much I like my V10 truck

I agree with Marc and think you should stick to Ford. The 7.3 will do fine pulling filled dump trailers, but it will never see 20 mpg. The Ford Diesel is amazing for power, but DEF. it is my personal and professional opinion that DEF trucks need to be driven often. When they sit for half of every month, the DEF fluid clogs up the pump amd related systems. DEF is also at an all time high for cost.

If you like Ford's then you should probably buy one. I had a Chev 2500HD 8.1 for 19 years and was very happy, when I bought a new truck in 2020 I bought a Chev 3500 Duramax and couldn't be happier. The truck unloaded gets typically 22mpg, uses very little DEF and is a dream to drive. Pulling my big trailer (about 17,000 lbs) it averages about 8 mpg and seems to use a little more DEF.

I'd love to spring for a F350 CCLB 4x4 with the 7.3.
I've owned my very simple '94 7.3 IDI for about 12 years and while it has been trying at times (engine replacement, multiple injector and injector pump replacement) I love the heck out of it.

I have no doubt you'd be stoked with the power of the 6.7, I couldn't handle the potential cost of repairs.
If you're willing to accept the risks/costs of a new diesel then absolutely go for it.
I know the 7.3 gasser would handle my needs. So far it looks like you just keep gas in them and they work every time. No Def, no pricey injectors, no fussy fuel filters, no turbos...
Gas em up and let her eat.

I have a RAM and love it, but I have close friends with Ford and GM. I honestly think heavy duty diesel trucks are all similarly competent.

Ryan and I have towed all over the western states for rock crawling competitions and the only time we’ve ever been stranded was when we took his shop 6.7 Ford. Hell we got in an accident in his Megacab and totaled the other truck in NM and still drove it 8 hours to get home. And it was with one headlight which was romantic just like that song.

As far as DEF goes, it’s a concern for all modern diesels obviously and I have never even considered the cost cause it’s so cheap. I do have concerns about the DEF system getting clogged and having other issues but my truck is under warranty so 🤷🏼‍♂️

I was DEAD set on getting a big gasser this time around but I drove a diesel and never looked back. You have to decide if the trade-off of making a gasser work harder and dealing with bad mileage is worth the extra cost of diesel up front and at the pump. They just pull so effortlessly it is a thing of beauty.

For me, I want the smallest truck that will get the job done, based on the weights you know you’ll pull. This go around, my heaviest trailer was our boat that when fully loaded was just under 10k. We picked a 2021 gmc 1500 6.2l with the max tow package. This allows 5 people in the cab, stuff in the bed and the loaded boat and I’m right at max payload and under max towing load. Perfect. It ran up parleys faster than I should drive it and held the load comfortably on the way down.
Then for the other 6 days a week when I’m not towing it’s the most comfortable truck I’ve owned.

UNSTUCK said:

For me, I want the smallest truck that will get the job done, based on the weights you know you’ll pull. This go around, my heaviest trailer was our boat that when fully loaded was just under 10k. We picked a 2021 gmc 1500 6.2l with the max tow package. This allows 5 people in the cab, stuff in the bed and the loaded boat and I’m right at max payload and under max towing load. Perfect. It ran up parleys faster than I should drive it and held the load comfortably on the way down.
Then for the other 6 days a week when I’m not towing it’s the most comfortable truck I’ve owned.

Click to expand...

This has also been my view. Unfortunately my last few loads have been above what half tons are rated for (14k on the last one) which was white knuckle city. Changed my philosophy to getting enough truck to easily and safely handle anything I might need to haul. Since this won’t be my daily driver I’m okay moving into a vehicle that’s a bit more unwieldy than a half-ton

I've got a 2012 Ram 2500 with a 6.7 Cummins and my work truck is a 2016 F250 with the 6.7 PS. Honestly just driving around the Ford feels better. Its a little peppier with no load and drives good. The dodge is more comfortable and tows better. Both get about 15-16MPG combined, but I have to pay attention to get that out of the Dodge. Driving with a heavier foot I get about 14 mpg out of it. The Ford just kind of stays at 16MPG all the time. Both tow everything I need them too, the Dodge just feels more comfortable towing. Neither have had any major mechanical issues (both trucks between 125000-150000). The Dodge does have some electrical gremlins (clock spring, controls, blend door actuators). The Ford does not like to keep an alignment. Granted most of the miles are dirt road with a fully loaded work truck, but its worth mentioning. T think I've had to have it aligned 4-5 times now.

johngottfredson said:

This has also been my view. Unfortunately my last few loads have been above what half tons are rated for (14k on the last one) which was white knuckle city. Changed my philosophy to getting enough truck to easily and safely handle anything I might need to haul. Since this won’t be my daily driver I’m okay moving into a vehicle that’s a bit more unwieldy than a half-ton

Click to expand...

A 14k dump trailer loaded with bark or tree trimmings is fine with a 1/2 ton. A full load of dirt/gravel is a completely different animal. I've seen tongue weights as high as 2,000 lbs with mine. This is not suitable for a 1/2 ton. It isn't about the motor, it's the chassis and suspension.

^^ This. My son wanted to tow my dump trailer with his K-5 or CUCV. To the dump loaded with clippings and brush is just fine, but full of rock is not.

I made the switch you're thinking about back in Feb. The 6.7 F-350 I picked up is a bit older than what you're considering (2012) but I don't regret the move at all. The Tundra did alright for a majority of the loads I was pulling at the time, but it's all that much easier with the F-350. Right now it seems that I've always got a loaded 20' enclosed behind my truck, couldn't imagine pulling that daily with the Tundra.

Like has been said if you aren't driving it regularly I would shy away from the diesel, and while you might make some of the premium back selling it in a couple of years the routine maintenance is going to hurt a lot more than on a gasser. Oil changes are about 3x the price and you need to do your fuel filters about 2x a year. Those fuel filters are really pricey and you will have a big problem with the common rail fuel system if you don't keep up on it near religiously. The power an mileage are nice in the diesels but unless you are planning on pull over 20k of trailer regularly I would just get the gasser. Those 7.3s are pretty nice and the 10speed makes them get pretty good mileage for what they are. The emission systems on the newer diesels can cause a lot of issues that cost a lot of $$$$ if anything goes wrong. I don't know how many sensors are in the exhaust for a 6.7 but my 6.4 powerstroke has 4 pyros and 3 pressure sensors all without a SRC system I just have the exhaust filter so I would bet that the SRC systems have more sensors because they have to monitor more parameters than just having a big filter in the exhaust.

All of that said if you want the big diesel get it

Just saw this one. Thought it was appropriate..

Just get an Ecoboost. There’s a really inspiring thread on here somewhere about all the people that still love theirs even though they constantly need work 🤣

Look at the Ford 7.3 gas truck with 4.30 gears. Its rated to tow almost the same as the Powerstroke in SRW configuration. I rented a newer Super Duty with the 6.2 motor and towed a 11k lbs skid steer / trailer combo out of Denver. It did well enough that I preferred it over my 99 7.3 Powerstroke. The only place it struggled was the steep pass outside of Denver. If it would of had the 10 speed I dont think I would of had an issue.

SnwMnkys said:

Look at the Ford 7.3 gas truck with 4.30 gears. Its rated to tow almost the same as the Powerstroke in SRW configuration. I rented a newer Super Duty with the 6.2 motor and towed a 11k lbs skid steer / trailer combo out of Denver. It did well enough that I preferred it over my 99 7.3 Powerstroke. The only place it struggled was the steep pass outside of Denver. If it would of had the 10 speed I dont think I would of had an issue.

Click to expand...

My last Ford was the 6.2. I found it just OK. I agree that the 10 speed would help that motor a lot. The 7.3 is a lot more motor, even though the numbers on paper aren't massive difference. I'd be interested to see what guys are getting for mileage with a 10 speed and 6.2, but nobody seems to order that trans without also ordering the 7.3.