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Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: 2007 Chevy Silverado 1500 as tow vehicle?
Why not simply change the rear end ratio to one that does work?
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donn0128
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01/01/10 08:24am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Would you trade? 2010 Dodge 3500
OK, lets put this in prospective a bit.
Old truck = No emissions, known issues that can be repaired for a known amount of dollars. Probably paid for.
New truck = Pretty to look at, more bells and whistles, better ride, emission systems that will cost you fuel economy, Payments. HUMMM
Your choice.
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donn0128
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12/31/09 08:11am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: K & N air filter for Duramax
They are not recommended for the newer vehicles. Over oiling can adversely effect the performance of things like the Mass air flow sensor. Test have proven that they do not flow any more than stock filters. Most of the diesel forums are adamant about not using them. But if you want to take the chance go ahead!
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donn0128
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12/30/09 03:33pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Toyo tires & RMX shocks from Les Schwab
Do a search using the function above. You will get a lot of posts about Toyo tires. Some good, some not so good. IMHO they are too expensive for what you get. Heck, for the price LS wants for then I can get Michelins and have a true 80K mile tire.
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donn0128
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12/30/09 09:00am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: New Tire Purchase .
Why do you want to go to a larger size? IMHO I would look into the load carrying capacity of the rims and possible go to an LT245 tire. You will sacrifice some ride comfort for a better towing experience.
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donn0128
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12/30/09 08:54am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: I looking for ideas to reduce weight on my rig.
The simplest and least expensive is to simply sit down and make a list of everything you have in/on your rig and then start looking at the last time you actually used each item. If it has not been used in six months, get rid of it!
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donn0128
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12/30/09 08:51am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Please help with my education on tow vehicles
3/4 ton Chevy with the 6.0L gas motor and a 3.73 rear end would be nearly ideal for your 9200 pound trailer. The 6L has never been known for the greatest in fuel economy, but pulling it is pretty good.
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donn0128
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12/29/09 04:21pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Best SUV v6 for towing?
I am learning a lot here. Thank you all. Now that some of you folks have been mentioning the practical advantages of the pickup 1/2 ton truck over the SUV, I am thinking into that with attention. Any particular toughts about used pickups that may be important to consider?
Ford super crews are really popular and have very long lives. However with the really small fuel tank that limits range to around 250 miles I personally would discount them. 2002 to 2005 GM products ext cab with the long bed have fuel tanks of 35 gallons and will travel 400+ miles before fill ups. The 5.3L gas V8 is a very good motor and should go close to 200K with very little to worry about. I would suggest driving all of them and decide what will best suit your needs. Even pulling a light under 5000 pound GVWR trailer the 3.42 rear end would be adequate, but not ideal. Try and find one with 3.73 rear end or plan on paying to change to that ratio and you should be good to go. That is until you discover that the trailer is not big enough and/or is not well enough insulated to allow for your needs and you want to trade up to larger. Which always happens.
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donn0128
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12/29/09 01:45pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Best SUV v6 for towing?
I keep researching my car choices. One parameter that may be helpful is the year of the car I am looking for (2000-2002). Are some of the brands more reliable than others when considering the used condition, high mileage, etc?
thanks a lot for the help.
Now that all of the little boys are finished ranting and raving about who is the biggest, yes there are sites that post reliability ratings.
edmonds.com for one can be very helpful in determining the overall reliability of a certain brand. It is in no way going to give you information on one particular vehicle. So take the information with a grain of salt. You have gotten a lot of good information when you get through all the BS, so I hope you take to heart the comments about the small SUV's you are considering. It really is no fun towing with a vehicle that does not have enough oomph to do the job. And the bigger vehicles with a V8 are not as bad on fuel economy as you might think.
My last company truck 1/2 ton Chevy long bed ext cab 4X2 returned a respectable 20-21 MPG on the road at freeway speeds. Towing a smaller trailer like you are considering I would expect it to get 12-14 MPG. Far better than you will see with any of the V6 SUV's towing. Adding a nice match painted canopy to them and any pickup looks just like an SUV from 20 feet away. And they are way more versatile than the SUV. Like others have mentioned, think of fire wood, generators, wet dogs. Do you want that sort of thing inside that pretty SUV interior?
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donn0128
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12/29/09 08:34am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Cedar Creek vs Montana -
I just love these A vs B threads. All sorts of people come out of the wood work claiming theirs is best. IMHO, since it is YOUR money why are you asking a bunch of strangers?
Go out and get rid of the salesman and sit in each one. Pretend you are sitting on the toilet, taking a shower, sleeping in the bed, getting dressed, making a meal, watching TV. Which one do YOU like the best. Look for things like where do you place a garbage can in the kitchen area? Are the chairs comfortable for you and DW? Can you comfortably watch TV without getting a neck strain? How about the lighting and the placement of them? Is it sufficient for your life style? See what I am driving at? If you happen to be 300 pounds and 6'6 inches tall you might not like the recliners I have in my fiver. Same holds true if you happen to be 5'5 and 150 pounds. Same for the bed. Montana has been number one in sales for a long time for a reason. My opinion or what I bought and for what reasons I bought it are not relevant to this discussion. It is your money remember!
P.S. I tow a Cedar Creek with a Dodge.
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donn0128
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12/29/09 08:16am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Heat Pump
Remember this, a heat pump is nothing more than an AC unit that is working in reverse. If the out side air temp is sufficiently low enough it is quite possible that the HP is not able to supply sufficient heat output for the house. Consequently the gas furnace is trying to supplement the heat output. Also possible that there is a problem. Might be time for a service call from a qualified technician to verify that things are working correctly.
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donn0128
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12/28/09 08:34pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Keystone Laredo with XPS RIBS?
What is the overall diameter of the factory junkers? My guess they are just about the same. Look on the tire manufacturers web site to get the information and go from there.
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donn0128
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12/28/09 06:03pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Galt, CA to Coos Bay, OR summer 2010
IMHO I would prefer staying at Winchester Bay RV park. This is a first class RV park with full hookups and views of Winchester Bay that cannot be beat by many places on the coast. And on top of all that the prices are pretty reasonable.
On your way North, look at Valley of the Rogue State Park. Right off the freeway, very nice park.
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donn0128
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12/28/09 08:31am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Cedar Creek WBH
BTDT! Forest River has a bad habit of under reporting the real ready to camp weights of their RV's. I would not consider the brochure numbers as any thing more than some estimate from some unknowing employee at the factory. Better to use the GVWR numbers than get the same surprise I had after loading my Cedar Creek fiver up and going across the scales one day.
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donn0128
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12/28/09 08:24am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Ford Motors to avoid?
Plenty Of 6.7 Problems, and it's not even a forum dedicated to them.
All the new diesel engines are having problems with the new EPA requirements. The Duramax seems to be having the best luck, but I don't hav any numbers to back that up.
Pretty obvious reading is not one of your strong suits. :B The link you posted goes directly to the Dodge Cummins forum. :S Most of the problems you are trying to site are people that have done all sorts of things to their trucks. But that is 75% of the problems with any vehicle. Some of the early 6.7's have had issues, mine included. But the factory has taken care of everything with no complaining except when one dealer recorded the wrong mileage on the truck. Brand bashing does not suit this forum.:(
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donn0128
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12/27/09 09:35pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Best SUV v6 for towing?
Consider a Tahoe or Expedition instead of the lesser sized vehicle. You will find that the bigger vehicle will tow any small trailers much better and the fuel economy will be about the same. Plus you will have way more interior room for all that junk that people seem to accumulate. That 3500 dry will translate into o0pver 5000 pounds of loaded weight very quickly. I doubt seriously that you will be very happy towing up the slightest hill at 25MPH with your over loaded SUV.
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donn0128
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12/27/09 12:41pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ford Motors to avoid?
Ford 6.0L in the earl;y years were really bad. Remember also that the 6.4L is only a three year life cycle motor. It will be soon replaced by the new in house built diesel to meet the 2010 emission standards. Stick with the Cummins. Any of the 5.9's are great. The 6.7 came out Jan 1 2007 and the early ones have had some problems with emission systems. But the later ones are smooth quiet and powerful and have few to no issues if driven properly.
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donn0128
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12/27/09 12:36pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Two Problems help PLEASE
Voltage, gas flow, gas regulator freezing up all could be problems.
How long of a shower do you take? Remember, you only have six or 10 gallons of hot water available at any one time.
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donn0128
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12/27/09 12:12pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Air Compressor
I got a Masterflow Tsunami and could not be more satisfied. It is 12VDC powered, so no generators needed and it will inflate a truck tire in about three minutes. I understand that they now have a twin piston version that is even better.
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donn0128
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12/27/09 07:55am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Truck Question Help Needed
For that fiver you will be right at the limits of the trucks GVWR before you add anything to the truck. Seriously consider a dually for that much trailer. You will not be disappointed.
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donn0128
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12/25/09 03:54pm |
Towing
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