New truck towing capacity

[sirmissalot]

Currently I've got a 2007 Ford F350 with a 6.0L thats been giving me fits while towing. I've spent too much money trying to get it running right and I'm ready to be done, trade it in and get something else.

The biggest thing I tow is a fishing boat, probably 9,000lb's or so and its mostly just from Shelton to westport. Occasionally I make a trip up to Lapush or Neah bay but thats maybe twice a year. Other than that I have a small camp trailer, its light and my Toyota Tacoma can haul it, so not worried about that.

I really have been leaning towards getting a Dodge with a Cummins, but I'm thinking I really don't need the towing capacity of a Diesel pickup. I know a gas engine will do just fine for what I want, but I wanted a little feed back.

If I go gas it would either be a Chevy, or a Toyota Tundra. Does anyone on here have experience towing much with a Tundra?

Should I just go with a Cummins and not worry about it?

[wildmanoutdoors]

Why hit a big nail with a smallest rated hammer? The Tundra has 400 ft/lb of torque. Thats nothing compared to the Cummins and the like.
A gas engine will do it but at what cost to the engine and transmition working it to max?

9000 pound boat is a big load!

Kinda like the folks you see towing a 22 foot camping trailer or 24 foot Bayliner with a Explorer.

[wildmanoutdoors]

Basically its like buying the Dodge for a 25000 pound load! Maxed out!

[Bofire]

I drive a chev, like the Tundras also. Like you I looked at diesel but really do not need one or the expense.
I'll tell you a story that ought to get comments going.

Monday I helped a friend pick up his Tundra from a body shop, 5.7/long box, 4X4, four door truck 1999 with 55,000 miles, totally stock.
His rental was a 2014 Dodge 5.7 hemi, short box, 4X4 four door, about 9000 miles.

We got on 512 to take the dodge back to the rent place, he in the Toyota me in the Dodge. Lined up on the freeway and both punched it, up to about 85mph, That Toyota walked away from  the Dodge so bad is was ugly. I bet he was 8-10 truck lengths ahead.
When I buy a new truck, I will look around but the Toyota looks really good to me!! I know nothing about diesels, never owned one, just they cost alot
Carl

[wildmanoutdoors]

I drive a chev, like the Tundras also. Like you I looked at diesel but really do not need one or the expense.
I'll tell you a story that ought to get comments going.

Monday I helped a friend pick up his Tundra from a body shop, 5.7/long box, 4X4, four door truck 1999 with 55,000 miles, totally stock.
His rental was a 2014 Dodge 5.7 hemi, short box, 4X4 four door, about 9000 miles.

We got on 512 to take the dodge back to the rent place, he in the Toyota me in the Dodge. Lined up on the freeway and both punched it, up to about 85mph, That Toyota walked away from  the Dodge so bad is was ugly. I bet he was 8-10 truck lengths ahead.
When I buy a new truck, I will look around but the Toyota looks really good to me!!
Carl

What gear ratios were in each truck? Thats gonna matter a heap!

[C-Money]

We had an 08 Tundra for a few years. It was a 4 door, 4x4, with the 5.7. It was amazing how much power it had. We pulled our small 5th wheel, and we also moved hay with it. It sure pulled like a champ. The tranny shifted very smooth, gosh, I cant say enough for how awesome that pickup was. We just did not want the $500+ payment anymore, so we sold it. We really were looking for an SUV to replace our problematic Suburban when we bought the Tundra. We have a F-350 that we pull the camper and move hay/livestock with, so the Tundra was not really what we needed to spend that money on. Anyway, test drive a Tundra, they are really well made, powerful pickups. If I remember right, ours was rated to tow 10,000lbs.

[Skillet]

Not to derail this, but what kind of problems are you having with the 6.0?  Do you have a scanguage hooked up to it to read your ECT/EOT delta and your FICM voltage?  Manual or auto trans?

Honestly, they are good motors (if left stock) under all of that garbage Ford put on it to meet emissions.  If yours hasn't gone too far down the road of the ECT/EOT delta and has at least 47.5 volts out of the FICM at all times, your prob's are (probably) really easy to fix. 

Just my experience with my 2006 6.0, anyway. 

[rtspring]

Just got the 5.7 tundra a few months ago.  It has a ton and I mean a ton of power! I also got into a little drag race with my boss and his cummins, same story It wasnt even close.  Yes the diesel has more torque but the 5.7 will tos that boat with ease..  I was also on 35's while he was on stock tires.

Ive owned plenty of trucks, fords mostly but the Tundra will out do any I have owned by a mile!!!!

Rtspring

[Kittman]

Why hit a big nail with a smallest rated hammer? The Tundra has 400 ft/lb of torque. Thats nothing compared to the Cummins and the like.
A gas engine will do it but at what cost to the engine and transmition working it to max?

9000 pound boat is a big load!

Kinda like the folks you see towing a 22 foot camping trailer or 24 foot Bayliner with a Explorer.

Agree.  What about brakes extended mountain road grades, and stopping, heat dissipation, engine cooling, chassis durability, & what the tires are load rated at in #'s capacity?  I personally would not select anything less than a vehicle that was really meant, I mean designed to haul & stop especially a 9000# load.

[netcoyote]

Some confusion here between horsepower and torque. Horsepower will get you to the end of a drag race if that's what you need to be done, but towing a heavy load up a grade will require torque to continue up the grade without loosing speed. It's a bit more complicated by gear ratios, tire size, engine size etc. Picking the winner of a drag race to be your tow rig won't get you what you need.

Like someone mentioned, a 9,000 lb load is a not a trivial thing. You probably want to be looking closer at a diesel solution. Be prepared for the extra cost of maintenance though. All that torque doesn't come free.

[sirmissalot]

Why hit a big nail with a smallest rated hammer? The Tundra has 400 ft/lb of torque. Thats nothing compared to the Cummins and the like.
A gas engine will do it but at what cost to the engine and transmition working it to max?

9000 pound boat is a big load!

Kinda like the folks you see towing a 22 foot camping trailer or 24 foot Bayliner with a Explorer.

I understand, but why buy a big hammer to pound big nails when most of the year you're driving finish nails?

The trailer has its own brakes, and the truck tires will have the same load rating as my F350 has, so that's irrelevant.

It would be one thing if I fished like I used to, towing the boat all over the coast from Neah Bay to Ilwaco, but I just don't anymore. Most of the summer it sits in a slip in Westport, and for the one or two trips up the coast I was thinking a gas engine would do just fine. My camp trailer weighs just 3,000lbs so like I said even my Tacoma can tow it over snoqualmie without an issue.

RTspring, have you towed anything with yours yet?

[sirmissalot]

I've owned two Ford power strokes now and one thing I've noticed, other than the $7000 added cost for the diesel engine, is the increased maintenance and upkeep costs. Between basic oil and lube, ball joints, brakes, rotors and tires, the added cost of owning a big heavy diesel just seems to stack up.

Just weighing my options here, I appreciate the feedback from everyone.

[coop2424]

I have the tundra with the 5.7 and tow my enclosed trailer with utv.  It is not 9000lbs but I think all loaded it was around 5000 and it is 8.5 wide and 8ft tall so not real aero dynamic..  It tows really well with no issues other than mpg.

[NRA4LIFE]

That 5.7 Tundra will struggle mightily with that load.  My buddies new 5.7 had a hell of a time going over Tiger Summit on 18 with around 7000-7500.  9000 would cripple it I would think.  My older GMC 2500 HD had no problem with that load.  I also tow my boat at about 8400 fully loaded with no problem.

[wildmanoutdoors]

Just got the 5.7 tundra a few months ago.  It has a ton and I mean a ton of power! I also got into a little drag race with my boss and his cummins, same story It wasnt even close.  Yes the diesel has more torque but the 5.7 will tos that boat with ease..  I was also on 35's while he was on stock tires.

Ive owned plenty of trucks, fords mostly but the Tundra will out do any I have owned by a mile!!!!

Rtspring

If your gonna but a truck for racing get a Hemi with .488's. Not a Tundra.

Put 10000 behind that Toy and the Dodge and race up the vantage hill and see where your Toy is then!

These drag race comparisons are completely irrelevant to towing. Lol