tow/dd

dyer91

dyer91

Active Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Location
Greensboro
looking at getting my wife a daily driver which i would also be using as a tow vehicle. i have been looking at 2000ish expeditions(5.4L) and tahoes(5.7L). both 4wd. i cant afford a diesel so i hope one of these would tow pretty good. right now i use a 87 bronco with a 5.0 and it does really well except for in the mountains. would either of these choices do better in the mountains than what i have? anything to look out for(stay away from) with either? are there any other vehicles i should be looking at for a tower/dd? looking at spending 10k and it kinda needs to be an suv of some sort(family thing). any input would be helpful.:driver:
 
Kinda depends on how much weight your gonna pull. for example you might find you are better off with a 3/4 ton rig that can pull hills and gets mediocre (for a DD) fuel mileage.....or stick with a 1/2 ton and get mediocre fuel mileage on something that can't pull much. Not knocking you, just saying a 1/2 ton is good for light duty. You need to provide more precise info about your plans.
 
my wife drives 4 miles to work round trip and we will be using it to take trips to tennessee a few times per year. i will be towing a yj on 36s with an 8.8 rear end/d30 etc. i am not really sure how much it weighs. my trailer i believe way 1200lbs
 
the ford 5.4 is a pretty good motor.
I tow generators with mine (work truck), and it does much better than I ever thought it would.
Any of the above is gonna tow better than a fairly SWB bronco.
 
Either of those choices is fine. I tow with an F150 with the 5.4 and it does fine. I don't win any races up Old Fort Mtn, but it gets me to the top. I do hope your trailer has good brakes though, going down the hills can be harder on your rig than going up them!
 
I have a couple of friends that tow with the Tahoe and like it OK. I think as long as you have adequate trailer brakes the 1/2 ton will do fine, just realize your rigs limits and drive accordingly. I tow with a 2500 Ram 5.9 gas truck so I think the 5.7 Tahoe would perform similarly. Does fine on the flats, drops to 45 on Black Mountain or 421 up to Boone, gets 11-12 towing, 15-17 unloaded on the road.
 
Caver Dave said:
Are you sure? I picked up a used CTD for $3500... a few hundred for fluid/filter changes & tags and is good to go. Shop around, you'd be surprised...
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yup I got mine '92 1st Gen CTD for $1500

but to be honest my wife will not drive it unless it is an emergency :)

so if he is buying a car for his wife my bet is she would like something newer and nicer :)
 
I towed a few times with a '00 Expedition with the 5.4L.. was just fine, though it MUST have the FACTORY tow package with the auto level suspension. The steering was way too quick, but that's about my only gripe.

For a 4 mile trip, she could put up with a 3/4 ton I would think...
 
you could possibly consider a 2500 suburban or excursion possibly? not much bigger then a tahoe/expedition, but youd have some extra towing capabilities....

of course that is you cant talk her into a 3/4 ton truck...
 
dyer91 said:
my wife drives 4 miles to work round trip and we will be using it to take trips to tennessee a few times per year. i will be towing a yj on 36s with an 8.8 rear end/d30 etc. i am not really sure how much it weighs. my trailer i believe way 1200lbs
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Your jeep weighs in roughly at 4000lbs. I had to weigh my TJ several years ago to ensure that the toyhauler I was going to purchase would handle the weight. Without the doors or top on, it was 4k lbs.
 
We towed the Jeep with our 03 Excurusion with the 5.4 and had no issues at at all. Man I wish I knew you were looking as we just got rid of ours a few weeks ago and could have made you a sweet deal. We took a beating on the trade:shaking:
 
i do have trailer brakes on one axle. i am leaning more towards the expedition over the tahoes because they seem to be a little cheaper. the 3/4 ton would be better but i am not sure she would drive that big of a truck. i have seen a few 2500 subs with 454s but so far the ones i have seen have been abused pretty bad. whatever i get it has to be fairly nice because my wifey wont drive ugly stuff like i will
 
My '99 GMC K1500 Suburban pulls a TJ on a trailer very well. Hauled one up to Crozat and back, dragged my XJ to Tellico a couple times and hauled the Mazer back from the mountains. By the way it's for sale.
 
chevy tahoe/burban with a 5.7 both have a smaller (8.5 inch) axle, but good motors and plenty of upgrades to do for a lil extra power.
Expeditions and Ford trucks with the 5.4 have the large (9.75 inch) axle. Unless you go with the excursion or 3/4+ ton then its bigger. Only things i can say on the Fords is that i would look for one thats an 03+ with higher flow heads, but also watch out, seen a few mod motors that have blow a plug outta the head before.
Both have goods and bads.
 
1500, 4X4 5.7L 150k, Air Conditioning, Power Door Locks, AM/FM Stereo Cassette Compact Disc, Privacy Glass, Rear Air, Running Boards, Power Windows, Leather, Towing Package, Tilt Wheel, Third Seat, Alloy Wheels, Cruise Control, Roof Rack, Towing Package, Luxury Ride Package, Pewter outside, blue leather inside. Auto dim mirrors. 18+ mpg on hwy.
$7500
PM me your email and I will send them to you.
 
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