half ton or 3/4 for a 2500 lb caravel ?

[kevinkatz]

i am fixin to buy a tow vehicle for my 1965 caravel that weighs about 2250lbs unloaded.
we want an SUV and i am looking at suburbans.
i got off the diesel idea and think that i am going to do gas. i want a 4x4.

so the question is whether to do the 1500 ( half ton) or the 2500 ( 3/4 ton)?
i have almost convinced myself that i want the 3/4. the suspension is beefier and they all come with the 6.0 motor. the problem is that there arent many used ones around and if i was prepared to go for a 1/2 ton i would have much more choice.

do you think that there is a real advantage by getting the 3/4 ton?

[Road Ruler]

IMHO...... there would be no advantage of getting a 3/4 ton and there would be many advantages of getting the 1/2 ton including a better ride.

[HowieE]

The only reason for a 3/4 ton would be if you wanted to carry the trailer in the bed of the truck.

Clearly 3/4 is overkill on steroids.

You may even go so far as using a 342 rear with that small a trailer. However if you think you will get a larger trailer while still owing the truck get a 373

[InsideOut]

A 3/4 ton will shake your poor Caravel to bits! Go with the 1/2 ton or smaller...we tow our small <3000lb vintage with a V8 Touareg - it's the best tow vehicle we've ever had and makes for a reasonably sized daily driver when not towing.

Shari

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by kevinkatz

i am fixin to buy a tow vehicle for my 1965 caravel that weighs about 2250lbs unloaded.
we want an SUV and i am looking at suburbans.
i got off the diesel idea and think that i am going to do gas. i want a 4x4.

so the question is whether to do the 1500 ( half ton) or the 2500 ( 3/4 ton)?
i have almost convinced myself that i want the 3/4. the suspension is beefier and they all come with the 6.0 motor. the problem is that there arent many used ones around and if i was prepared to go for a 1/2 ton i would have much more choice.

do you think that there is a real advantage by getting the 3/4 ton?

You don't need a 4 X 4 to tow any Airstream, let alone a Caravel.

A half ton truck with standard springs will go a great job.

Rig it up with a Reese dual cam 600 pound load equalizing dual cam hitch, and you won't know that the trailer is behind you.

Andy

[kevinkatz]

interesting that you say the toureg. there was one that i was looking at close by. it is the v10 but looks fantastic. maybe an option.

[Stefrobrts]

1/2 ton van towed our Caravel for the last 11 years, literally did not know it was back there. Recently replaced with a Ford Flex, which is doing the job just as well. You don't need all that much tow vehicle to pull the tiny Caravel!

[rostam]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

IMHO...... there would be no advantage of getting a 3/4 ton and there would be many advantages of getting the 1/2 ton including a better ride.

I agree with Road Ruler.

[AWCHIEF]

New Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel and an Anderson WD hitch perfect combo with that light weight trailet.

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by kevinkatz

interesting that you say the toureg. there was one that i was looking at close by. it is the v10 but looks fantastic. maybe an option.

It would be a good option IMO.

Shari

[r carl]

A used half ton suburban will do you well.

[Airrogant]

The answer to your question boils down to payload. How many people do you want to haul? How much luggage do each of them carry? How much does all of the common/shared gear weigh? How much do the dogs weigh? How about food? What about the massive cooler filled with ice and beer? How about tools? A generator or two might be nice? Lawn chairs and a camp table? Maybe a wastewater container? Bicycles? Firewood? Roof rack storage container? Fuel? Will you bolt all manner of crap onto the truck? Brush bar, auxiliary lighting, air compressor, different bumpers, a winch or two, larger wheels and tires, etc., etc.

Since payload also encompasses tongue weight do you know what it will be when the trailer is filled with water, propane, gear, etc.? This can add up to a BIG number in the more modern trailers.

If you want maximum flexibility then get the 2500. It is a real truck. You won't need the payload everytime, but it sure will be nice to have when you do.

If you go with the 1500 just realize that you have a payload limit that you'll probably have to watch carefully when your trying to get fully-loaded for a campout.

Disclaimer: I just bought a 2013 Suburban 2500 4x4, to tow my trailer, and I just had my front overhead cabinet fall down. I can't ignore the possibility that it might be related to my new towing setup, although I've received plenty of feedback suggesting that the two are coincidental.

OMG - The engine and exhaust sounds are just so sweet. I don't even bother turning on the radio with this truck.

[Jim Lee]

for what it's worth.....

1978 Airstream Sovereign 31', tow vehicle 1999 C2500 2WD 3/4 ton Suburban with the big block..... I treat generously with maintenance and upkeep. 162,000 plus miles and going strong. 10 mpg pulling the trailer. 14 w/o

[dkottum]

Two of the longtime Airstream dealer/repair shop owners here (Inland RV and Can-Am Airstream) have repeatedly cautioned against using too a tow vehicle with too stiff suspension to avoid damage to your Airstream.

Your Airstream Owners manual also advises against it, as well as stating to never exceed 1,000 lbs tongue weight for the trailer. This weight limit means you don't need heavy payload to support the trailer; it comes down to what you must carry in the truck.

So these can be conflicting interests. My take on it is to match the truck to your trailer and hauling needs, with careful thought about what you really need to haul around.

[xrvr]

Yes, payload! Jim

[msmcv51]

When it comes to towing gas mileage, I have towed our trailer with both a F150 5.4 V8 3:55 rear end, and a F250 6.8 V10 4:10 rear end. Believe it or not I get about 1/2 mile better with the F250. I use an Andersen hitch that takes a lot of the shock out of the ride. I know that a lot of people may disagree about the hitch, but that's life on the highway.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by msmcv51

When it comes to towing gas mileage, I have towed our trailer with both a F150 5.4 V8 3:55 rear end, and a F250 6.8 V10 4:10 rear end. Believe it or not I get about 1/2 mile better with the F250. I use an Andersen hitch that takes a lot of the shock out of the ride. I know that a lot of people may disagree about the hitch, but that's life on the highway.

Hard to believe a larger, heavier truck with a larger engine gets better gas mileage than a smaller one, both being gas modern engines.

And yes, I used the Andersen hitch. Those two little plastic bushings when compressed for weight distribution are taking up very little shock. One of the many reasons we no longer use it.

[Tyvekcat]

3.55 rear end has to be the worst gear you you would want for towing. It is just set for fuel mileage outside of town and running down the 'Super-slab' empty. I had that rear in a half ton truck. Bought my first travel trailer, not a large one 21' 3500-4000 pounds. It was ok in flat land, or the tidewater region.
If you are headed to any hills or mountains, get ready for high rpm in second or third gear, and hanging out in the truck lane on the interstate.
A 3.73 rear seems to be very popular with good power and decent fuel mileage when not pulling. 3.90 or 4.10 are also good for pulling and not being super-extreme in gearing.
I have 4.10 now, and it provides excellent fuel mileage, even when you have a 28' International behind you. (provided you can keep your foot from going deep on the accelerator)
Heck if you can find a Dodge Power Wagon, they come with 4.56 from the factory. (PW may not be optimal for towing as it has High ground clearence) That maybe to extreme, not made for running down the hard road, I digress.
You really don't want 3.55 unless you are just getting groceries ( or want a uni-body vehicle) IMHO
Have a good one !

[schkube]

As a different viewpoint on the 3.55 topic, we towed our 23FB with an '11 F150 Ecoboost (3.55 rear) about 7,500 miles this summer. We experienced hills through SD, WY, MT; as well as I-64, I-81 and I-40 through WV, VA and TN. Never once did we have trouble maintaining speed either up or down the hills.

Our feeling, given our towing combo, is that we were very comfortable with our speed and stability the whole way.

[dkottum]

We have used the 3.55 rear end in our 2012 Ram 5.7 for the last two years coast-to-coast and border-to-border several times without problems. I use tow/haul mode and put the transmission in the gear we need for the task, as we should.

That said, if we had a larger trailer or carrying more stuff I would certainly consider a 3.92 rear end if buying a new truck.