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View Poll Results: Tow Vehicle choices
Toyota Tundra 4 11.11%
Nissan Titan 5 13.89%
Chevy or GMC 16 44.44%
Dodge Ram 2 5.56%
Ford 9 25.00%
Voters: 36. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 02-25-2006, 08:02 AM   #1
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Nissan Titan towing

in another thread we have been discussing the Toyota Tundra vs Nissan Titan and of course the comparison to Chevy Duramax, and others.
I am in the market for a truck, and want to get somehthing that might tow up to a 31' Airstream should I find one I want to buy.
I still have my 280 Motorhome, but want to keep the possiilities open.
So Titan owners how about it??
shoudl I forget it and go for a Chevy Duramax...and if so is a 1500 gonna get it or do I ned the 3/4 ton?
I will be driving this rig to work so a 1 ton is out of the question for daily use.
Sure like the Tundra but I have not heard too much good about it towing anything more than a Bambi.
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Old 02-25-2006, 08:39 AM   #2
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Alan,

I have a 2005 Titan that I use to tow our 23' 1971 Safari. The Titan does great with our rig and has no problems on the highway or on steep hills. I'm not so sure how it would do towing a 31 footer. My gut feeling is that it would be a strain. I think the tow rating on the Titan is 10,000#. With your 31' loaded and your truck bed loaded with your extra stuff you might be coming too close to the max towing capacity. I'm no expert but I think the Titan would not be a good vehicle for your purposes.

Good luck with finding your new Airstream.

Larry
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Old 02-25-2006, 08:41 AM   #3
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I've towed our '97 25' Excella nearly 30,000 miles with our '02 Tundra. It gets the job done, no issues, but when it comes time to replace I'm thinking 2500 Duramax. I seldom hear someone complain about having a truck that's too big. The 2500 Duramax is going to give good fuel economy, have a sturdy enough suspension and brakes, have durable running gear, decent comfort, and it's been around long enough to get most of the issues solved.

Gotta' say, the problem free ownership of the Tundra sure makes me want to stay with Toyota.
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Old 02-25-2006, 08:42 AM   #4
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I'm happy with my Nissan Titan

I use my Nissan Titan for commuting to work and it is a pleasure to drive. I've owned 12 trucks and this is the most satisfying one. As for towing, it certainly has the rating for half-tons. But to tow a 31 footer? I think most people are going to pipe in here to go 3/4 and diesel.

I also now own a diesel Sprinter camper van. I love the diesel and the mileage it gets but there is one debit I discovered in my first 3,000 mile trip. It is a pain in the A to fill up. At every stop there was usually just one pump. In Albany, NY I had to drive through three stations before I found one with diesel. A couple of times I had to wait while gas pumps stood empty. Also, one was filthy and one was with the large diameter nozzle that I had to monitor carefully and hold the whole time. I bought a box of disposable plastic gloves which was something I never thought necessary at gas pumps. I don't think I would want to own a diesel for everyday driving.
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Old 02-25-2006, 08:44 AM   #5
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Alan--We just reciently traded our Trailer ,a 25' classic for a 30'. We were towing the 25 with a Titan and in spite of those who said it was over rated we found it to be more than adequit for the 25 and felt, while it would be pretty well maxed out with out 31, we had planned to continue to use it. While waiting for the arrivial of the new one we had a chance to trade for a low mileage 04 4x2 duramax. This truch obviously handles the 30' with ease. We been towing with friends who have a Tundra and similar size and weight SOB as our 25'. There is no comparison with the Titan when it comes to power and fuel consumption. The Toyota was consistantly 7-8 mpg and running full throttle most of the time,the Titan 12-13 mpg. This is not to question the quality of the Toyota but to point out their lack of power. Most who critisize either have never towed with them. If money is no object I would always go for the biggest possable but there are some of us who have to weigh cost with our budget. There is a big difference in price between any of the Big Three's HD Diesel models and a Nissan or Toyota. ---Pieman
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Old 02-25-2006, 08:50 AM   #6
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Alan ---Just as a side note the Duramax is only available in the HD 2500 and heavier models.The only automatic trans used with them is the Allison. That engine tranycombo is a $8000.00 option There are no diesel 1/2 tons-----Pieman
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Old 02-25-2006, 09:31 AM   #7
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Alan, CanoeStream had a Nissan towing a 25 FB. Though it moved the coach, he admitted that it was not suited for it and that it would struggle. I would NOT tow a 31' with it. I've been looking at a 31' and am not sure I'd be totally comfy with the 6.0L in my 3/4 burb with a 31' in the hills. 8.1L maybe. Keep in mind most of the Nissans and Toyotas are nothing more than glorified 1/2 trucks and that's being generous. If they had a real 3/4, the big three would be in a world of hurt, but until they get a real 3/4, the options for their truck lines IMHO are limited to 22' or less. I know the foregin models have nicer interiors, but the interiors and looks are not what move and stop the weight.

Canoe went to the Duramax and from what I've read is happy as a clam with it. It will tow any size Airstream, even two at a time.

BTW, the Duramax/Allision combo is a $5k to $6k upgrade depending on rebates, package discounts and negot skills ($7800k is retail). At 31' Airstream (newer) you'll like the benefits of the upgraded trans, brakes, hubs, differential, etc of the 3/4 ton, regardless of what engine/trans combo you opt for.
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Old 02-25-2006, 09:59 AM   #8
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Alan...I use my Titan to pull a 3 horse trailer ( over 6000#) it handles the load with no problems...It is my favorite vehicle ever... I compared all trucks when I bought it...I reall thought I wanted a Tundra until I compaed it to the Titan...I liked the Toyota but it was just not big enough...I liked the comfort of the Ford over all the pickups...good luck in your quest...joe...
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Old 02-25-2006, 11:21 AM   #9
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Mostly Nissan Titan experiences

Eric -- Alan has read some of my comments in the current Tundra thread. I will state absolutely that the Titan is no more and no less than any other 1/2-ton truck. Just pay attention to your particular loading needs. Alan, I owned a Titan LE for 25 months until I sold it at the end of January. My satisfaction level was very high. The Titan towed my new 25' Safari (newer models being heavier) just fine last fall, though I believe I was a bit over payload capacity -- and that is just with 2 average size people and 90 pounds of dogs aboard. I did not have a truck cap or tonneau cover. A truck cap + any internal cargo (bikes, canoe) would have pushed the Titan's published payload even with the Argosy!

Pulling the Titan's supposed 9000# towing capacity, hitch weight would be 1080# at a charitable 12% on the hitch -- okay if the human cargo weighs no more than a thoroughbred jockey. Titan drivetrain power is awesome and the low-geared 5-speed really delivers, though it does impact mileage -- maybe 10.5mpg in non-leadfoot city driving, just under 10mpg highway towing at 60mph out of overdrive (per manual instructions!). Driving overdrive in tow mode didn't help -- it would 'search' on gently rolling hills, surging down to 3rd gear frequently. My experience with the Titan's tranny temp gauge gave me other doubts about durability. The Duramax/Allison manual lets me tow in overdrive under most situations. I ultimately wanted to operate within specs for safety, emergency maneuverability, and reliability reasons.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie
Canoe went to the Duramax and from what I've read is happy as a clam with it.
Well..... my GMC dealer is happy with all the clams! Which comes to money. I paid virtually the same amount of money for a nicely equipped 2006 2500 Sierra with Duramax as I did for my 2004 Titan (ignoring any rebates -- which were both similar when I shopped for my GMC in January). With the top trim Titan LE you get the necessary tow accessories (except brake controller); eg, the hitch receiver is only an available option on the lower trim lines but included on the LE. Don't listen to Eric about the "Big Tow" package not increasing capacities -- no it doesn't, but the individual items are needed anyway.

The Titan had side air bags -- not available on any GM or Ford up to the present, though I hear they're considering this for 2007 -- difficult to get hard facts. But to get the Titan side air bags one has to opt for either the Navigation System or the Off-Road package; I had the nav system -- really helped me a couple times and offered convenience at others.

Take a look at Nissan Trucks, click King or Crew Cab, then Capacities. The payload will need to handle everything you want to put on/in the truck. Crew Cab and 4X4 and LE options decrease the payload. I will point out the top trim LE includes a factory sprayed-in bedliner and the so called 'high utility' bed system -- have at it Eric... . Trouble is that the spray-in liner and bed system cut your payload by 100 pounds or so!

Evidently the more recent Club Cab Tundras have higher capacities. Barkingspider spoke to that issue here. I still wouldn't take a current Tundra to be anything more than a 1/2-ton truck.
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Old 02-25-2006, 01:40 PM   #10
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I pulled a 1978 31' Excella (5800# Light) with a 2004 Tundra Double Cab with a tow rating of 7200#. It did well although the big bridges and hills would cause it to slow down some and seem to strain. I liked the feature with the entire back window that would roll down. I've pulled between Pensacola, Fl. to San Antonio and Austin Texas.

The Tundra had the towing package with the oil cooler, big alternator, ect. and it was a pleasure to drive. I also used it to comute for work about 100 miles a day. I got about 17 mpg comuting and about 10 - 12 mpg towing @ about 65 mph.

I decided to upgrade to a 3/4 ton powerstroke diesel a couple weeks ago. I tow mostly in the south with not too many hills but expect to tow in the mountains this year so the diesel seemed like a better choice.

I have not owned a Titan so they may be a good choice although when I bought my Tundra I found that Nissan had some 2004 issue with the cooling system and they would not condone a 5th wheel set up on the Titans.

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Old 02-25-2006, 04:45 PM   #11
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great info guys...it sure looks like the duramax 2500 Ram cummins combo would be the ticket, although I might be closer to buying a Chevy 2500 gasser as they are closer to my price range. My wife thinks we shoudl forget all this and stick with the Moho. I am on the fence.
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Old 02-25-2006, 05:48 PM   #12
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Now after discussion we could consider a 25' AS, as it would have the same living space as my 28 moho. Then a 1/2 ton truck would do the job.for the most part anyway at least from what I see here???. So a Titan and a 25 or a Duramax or Ram and a 31...choices.....
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Old 02-25-2006, 06:04 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ALANSD
My wife thinks we shoudl forget all this and stick with the Moho. I am on the fence.
There's no fence there. Listen to the wife.

Seriously, she probably understands the situation better than you. Woman tend to be more pragmatic and less given in to the spontaneous midlife crises tinkering we men tend to love to go through.

I have another bit of advice. Don't buy a new truck before you buy a trailer. You certainly won't want to be tooling around in a Duramax with nothing to pull.
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Old 02-25-2006, 07:55 PM   #14
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Alan: I have an 04 king cab titan and towed a `81 excella from arizona to washington state and later up to british columbia through the steep fraser river canyon. I was very pleased with power and fuel consumption [about 10mpg up to destination and 13 on trip back down]. Oh, sorry trailer is 28`. I never had any overheating issues but I don`t ride the gas peddle hard.
My fishing partner has an 03 ford f-150 and tows a 25` overlander and says he has plenty of power going up hills...........? Just some observations............................jerry
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Old 02-25-2006, 07:57 PM   #15
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Aland...I agree with the wife...but, I'm prejudice way in favor of a mh...My wife would never agree on a trailer...she likes the convenience of traveling with the couch and bath nearby and of course, room for all the dogs...good luck on your decision...joe...
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Old 02-25-2006, 09:14 PM   #16
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85% (as of this posting) of folks that responded can't be wrong.
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Old 02-26-2006, 08:48 AM   #17
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yikes....a lot to consider;
-a Titan with a 28 footer or smaller.
-a Durmax or Cummins 3/4 ton with a 31
-keep my motohrome and status quo
- a Tundra and an SOB plastic trailer ( not a choice for me)
-VW campmobile, tent, guitars, 8 track, large bong ( flashback ---oh sorry that was 30 years ago)
Seriously thanks again all. I will continue to ponder.
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Old 02-26-2006, 10:59 PM   #18
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My 03 Tundra 4x4 is a good match for my 25' Trade Wind. I would not want to pull a larger TT with it however.
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Old 02-27-2006, 05:44 AM   #19
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so the Tundra does ok in the hills with the 25...
we do have a lot of hills in our area and in further up N Georgia where we camp often.
Is there a difference in towing with the 4x4 versus 4x2?
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Old 02-27-2006, 06:19 AM   #20
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Have a 2005 Toyota Tundra Step-Side with the towing package and Prodigy brake control. I pull a 24ft, 1978 Argosy without any problems. Granted we have few "hills" in Oklahoma, but we do have some mountains in the Southeast where our lake property is located. My husband has had very little problems with this truck pulling the "Twink" at the posted 70MPH speeds. I myself don't like to push it that much, but it takes it in stride. I agree that I would not want to pull anything much bigger with it. I bought a Toyota because of its great resale value and reputation for workmanship. I have not been disappointed. We also have a 2000 F-150, 5.4L Triton V8, that does an equally great job with over 200,000 miles already on it. We have just purchased a 26ft, 1958 Overlander, and I don't forsee any problems with pulling a vintage like that either. I thought about a 4x4, but that reduces your towing capacity by about 500lbs. No real need for that in Oklahoma.
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