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Which tow vehicle?


cjohnson8080

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I'm going to be purchasing a late model tow vehicle for around 10-12K. I'd like to get some opinions on what the minimum engine size I should consider for towing my 2008 VTX. I don't do a lot of towing but now that I don't live on the lake I will have to tow to the launch and back (5 miles) with an occassional trip to Eastern Washington which would entail mountain driving.

Thanks in advance for any input :biggrin:

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Much more info required.

Kids? Dogs? will this be your #1 veh? 4 x 4? Do you have other hobby's?

I will use it as my daily driver...my office is 5 miles away but I am a soccer and volleyball dad for a 13 yr old so I will travel some...probably put 10K a year on it. I've been looking at Tahoe's, Denali's, Sequoia's, etc.....I like the idea of a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland or Lmtd...Toyota 4runner v8. As I'm sure you are aware many of these suv's have the 4.7. I guess I'm wondering if that is enough motor to tow my vtx?

No dogs, and yes I prefer a 4x4 for the occassional snow we get.

Edited by cjohnson8080
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You cant beat the power of the 6.0 liter all wheel drive Denaili. I had a 2007 XL and it had the traction and power of a tank. With the the stock 20 inch rims, the traction control and the antilock brakes it was almost more fun than a snowmobile on Ski (snow) trips. It also came with load leveling rear suspension.

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As an owner of a Sequoia with the 4.7L, I can tell you that your requirement of mountian driving, even once per year, should take the Toyotas with the 4.7L out of consideration for you. Mine tows my Sunsetter LXi just fine, but I'm in Central Florida, and the biggest mountain I climb is an on-ramp...and the truck lets you know the boat is back there when I'm on those ramps.

Edited by RTS
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The new Jeep Cherokee is a nice ride, with the new multispeed tranny it should perform very good with the 5.7L and tow that VTX nicely.

Yeah find him one for 10-12k.

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As an owner of a Sequoia with the 4.7L, I can tell you that your requirement of mountian driving, even once per year, should take the Toyotas with the 4.7L out of consideration for you. Mine tows my Sunsetter LXi just fine, but I'm in Central Florida, and the biggest mountain I climb is an on-ramp...and the truck lets you know the boat is back there when I'm on those ramps.

Thanks RTS, I figured that was the case but wanted to here from someone with experience towing with a 4.7L.

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Thanks to all for your opinions, even those that think I have an open check book. I'll probably go with an '02-'03 Tahoe or Yukon with around 100K miles as there are quite a few in the area in that price range.

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my 01 Tahoe with the 5.3 is great for towing my VTX. Could use more power on the mountain passes but it still does the job. I wouldn't want any smaller motor thats for sure.

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without naming a specific truck/suv, my general rule of thumb is 300hp minimum. you can get away with 290hp, sure. but 270hp, like a Ford 4.6L, just wont get it done for more than 5 miles...and i pull a Response.

to retract a bit, you could pull with 200hp if you really had to, but you will have no command over your rig. i was not comfortable pulling with a 4.6L, traded to truck back in a week's time and got a 5.4, then a Nissan Titan (which will pull a house down). I traded the Titan back because in 2004, the 7 pin connector is low on voltage and would not power the trailer lights (this is a well documented factory problem that was sorted out by 2005). i got a Cummins after that and havent looked back.

Dollar for dollar...for $10k-ish, I would go with a 2WD crew cab Titan. just make sure the 7-pin will power all your lights.

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What about an 02-03 F250 crew with a P-stroke?

it'll get the job done for sure, but find me one with less than 200k on it for $12k. sure, then engine is good for many more miles, but the rest of the truck is trash.

keep in mind 2003 was a split year for the 7.3L and 6.0L. I wouldn't even gamble on a 2003 6.0...unless i planned on a cummins conversion :biggrin:

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it'll get the job done for sure, but find me one with less than 200k on it for $12k. sure, then engine is good for many more miles, but the rest of the truck is trash.

keep in mind 2003 was a split year for the 7.3L and 6.0L. I wouldn't even gamble on a 2003 6.0...unless i planned on a cummins conversion :biggrin:

Good point, I wonder if you could find like a 99 Ford for that money, those were pretty solid. Not many with low enough miles though... A good tow rig for that money is a tall order.

This is the closest thing I could find, I dont know that I would want that truck with that many miles...

Edited by Levi900RR
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Good point, I wonder if you could find like a 99 Ford for that money, those were pretty solid. Not many with low enough miles though... A good tow rig for that money is a tall order.

This is the closest thing I could find, I dont know that I would want that truck with that many miles...

that's a pretty clean truck. an engine detail would have gone a long way. i wouldnt want it to be my only mode of transport, but for a local tow rig, it should be just fine.

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without naming a specific truck/suv, my general rule of thumb is 300hp minimum. you can get away with 290hp, sure. but 270hp, like a Ford 4.6L, just wont get it done for more than 5 miles...and i pull a Response.

We tow my VTX with an 06 Ford Explorer LTD with the 4.6l and the 6 speed tranny and it pulls great. I live in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and have made a few trips over into BC with the Explorer. More than enough power, but it does get pushed around more than behind my Avalanche.

Edited by Malibuzer
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We tow my VTX with an 06 Ford Explorer LTD with the 4.6l and the 6 speed tranny and it pulls great. I live in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and have made a few trips over into BC with the Explorer. More than enough power, but it does get pushed around more than behind my Avalanche.

I'll bet the 6-speed auto tranny is the difference there. :thumbup: I was stuck with a 4 speed in the F-150. It was pretty anemic.

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