Tow Rig suggestions

spykosshow

spykosshow

New Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2005
Location
Raleigh, NC
I'm looking at getting a tow rig here soon, but have a few questions for you guys that are knowledgeable on this.

I'm looking to get something that has enough power to pull a 16~ bumper pull for my Jeep ZJ. I'm looking at dodge 2500's and F250s. What engines do you guys suggest in these? I've found a 99 dodge 2500 that has the v10, ext cab, 4x4, lariame, etc. for pretty cheap. Wouldn't this suffice? This will have to be able to tow a concession trailer as well, but anything that can tow my ZJ can tow my other trailer.

I have to keep it cheap, I'm a college student. :lol:
 
I've also located a 1994 Ford F250 2WD SuperCab that has the 7.5L gas. Any suggestions? This one looks good because I'd like to have a decent sized cab.
 
find you a first gen Dodge ('89-'93) CTD...

I paid $3500 for mine, and I think Ken (BRUISER) paid under $2000 for his...

mine's a 1-ton dually 2WD...his is a 3/4-ton 4WD...

Greg
 
Yeah, thats a possibility, but I'm really looking to get as new of a rig as possible. I've been looking on craigslist and autotrader, but I can't really find anything that cheap. Any suggestions as to where to look?
 
bigwaylon said:
Ebay!! :)
I found mine on AutoTrader...
Greg
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I've tracked down a chevy suburban k2500 with a 454 that's main bearings have gone out on for cheap. What would be the best way to tackle replacing the motor? Rebuilding it (depending on what exactly is wrong with the motor), or dropping in a salvage yard 454?
 
don't expect to get much over 10 MPG with any of the gassers. I would go with a diesel if you can, BUT, with a diesel, you have more power (normally), but they are more $$$ to fix if something messes up. You can drop a whole crate motor in a gasser for ~$4000, doubt you could rebuild a diesel for that.
 
looka t the 6.0 chevy gassers. good trucks, fairly cheap.
 
What should I expect to get out of a diesel tow rig? I'd like to go diesel, but they're a fair amount more expensive than the 454 gas rigs I'm looking at. I'd really like to get something like a suburban for a tow rig so that I can still have cargo space inside. A pickup isn't practical for me as a daily driver.
 
on a gasser expect about 10-13mpg on a diesel expect 16-22mpg it will pay for its self in the end
 
not sure about that anymore. With the price of fuel, maintenance costs of the diesel, initial purchase price, it'll take a LOOOONG time for that desel to pay for itself. If i didn't have one already, i'd be looking at a gasser.
 
I have never gotten less than 16.5 (not towing), on long trips towing I think I get 13-15 mpg. I have a 99' Powerstroke w/ 6 spd.

Dodge's get better mileage than any of the diesels so I hear, but I wanted a 12V manual, and they were very hard to find.

I shopped around for my truck, found it on AutoTrader near Knoxville, but I got a very good deal on it, and it had low mileage, and was exactly what I was looking for (in a Ford). I love it so far, and although many will say auto trannies are easier to use/drive, I like the manual for two reasons:

1: Engine braking
2: Being able to hold a gear, auto's "search" sometimes.
 
look for some early f250's 7.3 PS would be nice! and if not concerned on 4x4 you can pick up a decent 2wd cheap. a guy i know local just picked up a 95 7.3 excab 4x4 for 5k. but dont expect to find a deal like that easy.

i would stay away from chevy tow rigs other than the 454 ones. all the diesels in the years you can afford i dont think are up to par. (my opinion)

a gasser would be ok if you dont tow all the time. if you only tow 1-2 a month it wouldnt be to hard on ya. and a 7.5 460 is a beasty tow rig. theres a 89 4door 460 LB 4x4 D70/D60 i think. for sale on my road . 140k miles i think. nice truck (inside is spotless!). let me know if you want me to check it out for ya. PM me if so.


still looking for my baby though. 95-96 Std cab, LB,7.3, stright drive, 4x4 with low miles. hard damn truck to find!
 
spykosshow said:
I've tracked down a chevy suburban k2500 with a 454 that's main bearings have gone out on for cheap. What would be the best way to tackle replacing the motor? Rebuilding it (depending on what exactly is wrong with the motor), or dropping in a salvage yard 454?
Click to expand...

A junk yard engine is an unknown, you do not know what you are getting, yeah, it may have run in the truck it came out of, but thats all they checked most times.

rebuilding your own engine is an option, but you need to know the details, and who/where to go for good machine work ( that can be tough), space and time are also a factor.

Check in to Goodwrench and Jasper crate engines, they both come with excellent warranties ( 3yr/100k parts AND labor) and while they might be a little expensixe, you have every thing you need.

At that, while you have the engine out, REPLACE the OIL COOLER LINES ! and flush the cooler out. IF the truck has a bearing issue, there is stuff in the cooler lines that will take the new engine out in minutes, I've seen it happen.
 
I have an 01 Excursion with the 7.3. My wife drives it daily about 90 miles for work on the interstate and it gets around 17mpg. I have a chip and sometimes you forget you are pulling a trailer. Like you I wanted something with inside storage. I can pull the 3rd row seat out and a full size air mattress fits perfectly.
 
I too have the Excursion with Diesel and it is a great SUV tow rig.

But, I will say that right at the moment if I was buying I would get a gasser. Diesel keeps going up/usually MORE than gas now and it takes FOREVER for the extra mpg to pay for the difference.

That is even MORE true if you start factoring in the "time value of money" function, ie 10k vs a 16k machine, pay 10-30 cents MORE per gallon for fuel but "saving" 4-6 mpg....the fact you are ahead 6k up front takes a really really really long time to recover using "present value" calculations.

So...if you find a good gasser, cheap, then it sounds as if you are set. That 2500 you mentioned will be a good rig, I wouldn't get a 1500 (1/2 ton), mostly due to they are not as "built" for towing no matter what they are rated for.

(Exception to this would be the new tundra which isn't specifically rated as a 1/2, 3/4 or 1 ton...but appears to be built as a 3/4 to 1 ton...I know they can put a full 1 ton in the pickup bed)

So...in todays enviornment, gasser...this is before we factor in all the "mods" you will want to make on the diesel, which REALLY make it hard to ever pay for itself. (I can do the spreadsheet sometime to prove this if someone doesn't believe me)

Now...final thought...diesel does tow nicely and if you WANT a diesel, they are fun, but don't pretend that it is a "monetary" reason, even with the higher resell down the road, because the higher upkeep during ownership wipes that out too when you are looking at 16ish quarts of rotella every oil chg.

Sam (has an excursion diesel for sell heh) Hinton
 
agreed. how often will you really tow? How much weight? Ad EVERYBODY lies about the mileage their diesel truck gets pulling!
 
I tow about once every couple of months w/ my '97 F-250HD SC w/ the 5.8 gas engine.....does not have the torque of the diesel, but pulls & stops really well.

The rest of the time, it's my daily driver w/ about 15 mpg or so stop-n-go (better on the interstate).....a diesel would be a waste for me overall.

My father-in-laws Super Duty 2wd w/ the diesel (empty) gets 20 mpg on a long, steady drive @ 65-70 on the interstate, otherwise, not much more than mine driving around town or really hauling down the highway.

D.
 
This will be my daily driver/tow rig. I plan on only really towing once a month or so, and it will be a 16'~ trailer (3500lbs?) and my jeep zj (3500lbs?), so really not a WHOLE lot.


If I had the cash to get a excursion, I'd get one. I don't so thats not an option.
 
Ive got me one of the newer 2500 yukon xls, and i wouldent trade it on a truck anyday. Having all the room inside is just great, especially for camping. I towed mine with mine, then towed it with a 2500 truck both gas, and i felt the trailer a whole lot less behind my truck.Id look for an older surburban imo
 
For what it's worth, i loved my 93 f250. It had a 7.3 NA diesel, and 5 spd trans. Truck had well over 400k when we sold it. It doesn't have the power of the newest turbo diesels, but i never had problems towing setups that weighed 18k lbs truck/trailer/load together.

Got 17mpg unloaded, city/highway whatever. got about 15 loaded. If i was looking for a used towrig and was on a budget, a pre-powerstroke 7.3 would be my first choice, and a 93 earlier dodge w/5.9 cummins a very close second. Only because I like the ford truck more than the cummins engine with the horible dodge body
 
I was talking to a buddy of mine and he said that the chevy 2500 suburban with the 454 only gets like 9 miles to the gallon not towing...anyone hear of that?
 
What about an 85 f250 x-cab diesel 4x4 that....

ford remanufactured engine with aprox 80,000 miles, truck showing aprox 260,000, banks turbocharger, banks stainless exhaust system, k&n air filter, gear vendors overdrive behind bulletproof c-6 automatic, boost and exhaust gas temperature gauges on a pillar, xlt lariat with tinted windows, cold air,power windows/doorlocks, sliding rear window, split bench seat, tan interior, new headliner, new batteries, new glow plugs and controller, new starter, new alternator, new vacum pump, starts faster than a powerstroke and pulls just as well, 4.10 axles, contractors cap with two toolbins, bedliner, trailer brake controller, reciever hitches front and rear
old yeller needs cruise control repair, tires are worn, paint is original, some rusty corners, dash is cracked,carpet is muddy, upholstry is worn always very reliable, average 18mpg
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I'm about to jump on this.
 
spykosshow said:
I was talking to a buddy of mine and he said that the chevy 2500 suburban with the 454 only gets like 9 miles to the gallon not towing...anyone hear of that?
Click to expand...

10mpg with a nice tail wind and a grade !

No, they are not mileage mizers, especially a 2500 'Burb. You'll be hard pressed to get 15+mpg in any GAS powered truck, of any size. A big block anything is even worse ( be it a 454 or 6.8L V10 )

My '73 K25 GMC gets 10mpg AT BEST, it's there when I need it, but it sits most of the time. Drove it to Sanford last week, does 70 mph all day long, but gets 10 mpg. Did I mention it sits most of the time ?
 
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