Shopping for a new pickup

[Royce]

Need some advice. I am starting to shop for a new pickup. I pull a 30' travel trailer quite often. My present pick up is a 1997 Chevy C1500. I would like my next pickup to be able to pull the camper a bit easier. The old one pulls it fine but really has to work a little harder than I would like it to.

My question is what is the most important consideration? Horse power, torque, gear ratio or what.

I'm not much of a motor head so any advice would be appreciated. I don't want this to turn into a For vs. Chevy vs. Dodge discussion. I will buy whichever brand best suits my needs.

Thanks.

Royce

[PastorEd]

Royce,
I drive a 2005 Chevy 2500 with the extended cab and full box, 6 liter V8. It pulls my father-in-laws 30ft trailor with no problems at all. It has been very dependable. My only complaints are with the 2 mile an hour bumpers. (they really do crumple easily) and the fact that I get 10 mpg. 10 mpg on the highway. 10 mpg in town. 10 mpg with a ton of bricks in the back. 10 mpg with the air on, with the air off. It gets 10 mpg.

Hope this is helpful.
Ed

[J Castwell]

If you can't pull it with a bright red Sebring convertable (like mine) then sell it and get a smaller one.

[Ricinus]

Are you thinking diesel or gasoline? Pros and cons to both.

Regards Mike

[Humber Brad]

If you plan on pulling that trailer ALOT I would personally spring for the diesel. In terms of brand, any of the "Big 3" are pretty comparable. The new Toyota Tundra's show promise, and Toyota has a really dependable name, but I would never advise anybody to buy a vehicle from the first year or two after a major redesign like in the 2007 Tundra's.

[Fly Goddess]

We just bought a 2007 (Classic Body Style) Chevy 1500, four door, short bed. This truck will run on gas or corn juice. We also got the tow package. It has a button on the shifter arm. Push the button in and a little trailer light comes on.
Haven't tried our camping trailer, but we do haul the band trailer (rock and roll, bunch of speakers, amps, mixers, etc) that weighs quite a bit. I push that towing button in on it and that truck has sooooo, much power it is unbelievable. We are also getting 17 to 18 miles a gallon.
That big of trailer, you might wanna look at a 2500, plus they come with the longer beds. We just don't need or want the longer bed.
Plus the engine weighs a lot less than the old ones:

[Jtaylor]

A 3/4 ton with at least 300 (more is better) ponies, 4:10 or 4:11 locking rearend, towing package and if you go with a 4X4, get it with electric shift on the fly. The manual shift tends to be a little grumpy.

[johnsonr1948]

As a confessed motorhead, here is the lowdown on torque vs. horsepower: Torque is most important, since that actually represents the ability to turn the crankshaft against a load. Horsepower is more related to top end speed. For all of the trucks you are looking at, look at the torque rating and at what rpm it is rated. The higher torque with the lowest rpm is best. Rear end gearing is important, but most full size trucks will have low enough rear end ratios. Remember that as the rear end ratio goes lower (actually a higher number) your gas mileage will suffer. A previous poster is right, go with a diesel if your trailer is very heavy, they have the most torque.

[Flyrodde]

Not sure what your price range is, and if you are looking for new or used...But the Toyota lines are looking better and better. I know a lot of guys are USA, and I used to agree, but I just can't turn a blind eye to the continued advancements of Toyota dependability, re-sale (if you don't keep if forever), and environmental impacts. Just a thought for you. Also, it is expected that Toyota exceed GM in world auto sales this coming year. The whole world can't be wrong.

I also agree that torque will be your best guiding eye for getting the load going. Torque is an actual measurment of power. While horsepower is an answer to a mathematic equation. But pulling the load is only part of the battle. I would also look at braking and different traction helping systems in my searches. It isn't fun when 30ft of metal and fibreglass sudenly wants to outrun its leader.

Good luck and keep us posted as your final decision approaches.

[John Rhoades]

Also, weigh your truck and trailer on a CAT scale and make sure you get something that is rated to tow your trailer's weight

I know Ford has a towing guide that lists all their vehicle specs, and I'd assume others do also.

I tow a 31' travel trailer (8-9000#) from PA to MT and back every year with a Ford F250 4x4 Powerstroke Diesel, and although I'm within my total gross vehicle weight ratings, I can get one or the other of my truck axles a bit overweight at full load with all my toys on board.

However, I can also go most of the way across South Dakota on about 1 tank of gas, with the cruise control set at 65-67mph, in overdrive mostly, and get around 13mpg avg, so that's OK for me.

John