I just picked up a used 21' Wonderer Toy Hauler. I have a 1997 1500 Dodge, it is just to old and to small to pull this and all the other stuff/people we have. I needed a newer truck anyway, so here I am. I haven't scaled the toy hauler, but I'm going to guess its about 6500# loaded with water/ no toys. I want to spend about 20k on a used Diesel truck, thinking 2500 Ram or one of the last years of the 7.3 Ford. Couple of my buddies like the 2500 Chevies with the Alison Trans and 6.6. I want a automatic transmission, and 4 doors. So, what truck is best, most reliable, and is a 2500 enough. I'm hauling 2-3 dirt bikes to weekend races in Northern Ca. Any thought would be great!!
Any 3/4 ton is going to have the capacity to PULL your trailer, but not all will have the payload to CARRY the typically heavy pin weight of a loaded Toy-Hauler.
Figure out what your loaded pin weight will be and make sure the truck you are looking at has enough residual payload after you fill it with people and stuff.
Keith J, Retired from GM Engineering
2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE 2WD/CC/SB/DA.
1999 Sunnybrook 27RKFS Fiver
Bilsteins, Line-X, Westin steps, Prodigy, Retrax, 16K Superglide, 5th-Airborne pin-box, Multi-vex mirrors.
I pulled a 23' Weekend Warrior with an 04 Titan for a couple of years but it was a chore for the Titan. Last July I bought a Chevy 2500 Duramax and it don't even know the Warrior is back there.
Sounds like the 21' is a bumper pull. Any of the 2500's would do you proud.
05 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT SC DRW 4X4 CTD G56 373's CAI,Edge Juice/Attitude,Jake,Rancho9000x,Torklift tie downs,Superhitch,Stable Loads
04 S&S Avalanche 9' with slide 26th Marines RVN 69-70 Semper Fi M-14 was the only Woodstock I saw in 1969.
Half tons should do fine also.. Pick the one you like I would take any of them, just comes down to your tastes.. And how much you want to spend... might be able to get a newer half ton for the same price as a older diesel....just another thought
2007 GMC DURAMAX,LBZ,4 by Crew, Allison
Magnaflow Turbo Back Exhaust
Predator Tuner
18by9 Helo's on BFG's
5year old boy
3 year old baby girl
Sea ray boat
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SandRail
HD WideGlide
FORD Expediton
honda Eu3000
Any of the 3/4 tons should be fine. No need for a diesel necessarily. I just traded in my 2005 GMC 2500HD with the 6.0 gas and 4.10 rear end. Only 30k miles and the dealer has it sitting on the lot for $22,995. That'd fit your budget pretty nicely. For $20k, you're going to end up with a diesel with about 100k miles.
My fifth wheel weighs about 9000 pounds loaded, and the 6.0 did a decent job with it; better than I would have expected. I ended up getting a diesel, only because I needed to get a crew cab, and the best deal I found was on this particular truck.
Great posts so far!! I went out and put a scale under the pin of the toy hauler. It weighs 660 pounds with water and no toys in the back. As far as towing it with a 1/2 ton, my current truck has the 5.9 gas engine and I was not happy going 30 miles an hour at 5000rpms up the grades (only used the truck to pick it home from buying it)Most of my towing will be going up pretty good grades, so a Diesel looks like it would provide more "relaxed" towing. I can do my own oil changes, so thats not a big issue. Looks like if I move my budget up to 22 to 24K I can get a much newer truck.
Quote: Great posts so far!! I went out and put a scale under the pin of the toy hauler. It weighs 660 pounds with water and no toys in the back. As far as towing it with a 1/2 ton, my current truck has the 5.9 gas engine and I was not happy going 30 miles an hour at 5000rpms up the grades (only used the truck to pick it home from buying it)Most of my towing will be going up pretty good grades, so a Diesel looks like it would provide more "relaxed" towing. I can do my own oil changes, so thats not a big issue. Looks like if I move my budget up to 22 to 24K I can get a much newer truck.
Bill
I think you'll find that a newer gasser is SIGNIFICANTLY more powerful than your current truck. By the way, are you sure you have the 5.9? According to Edmunds, only the 5.2 was available in the 1997 Dodge 1500, except on the 2WD SS model which came with the 5.9.
Just for comparison, the 1997 Dodge with the 5.2 had 200 HP, 300 LB ft of torque. The 2005 GMC I just traded in with the 6.0 had 300 HP, 360 LB ft of torque.
So the newer gassers are very capable. That being said, there is no question about a diesel being a more relaxed experience.
Yes, I'm sure it's a 5.9 (says so right on the side , 260hp.
I'm sure the newer gas engines run better, my dad has the new Hemi in his ram. Nce engine, but you still need to rev it to make it work.
The truck is only going to be used for towing.
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