TOPIC: Boat pulling truck options

Hey Everyone , I am just hoping for some input. I have 2 boats and am looking for a 3rd ! However I currently dont own a boat puller ! I am looking to pay cash for something used costing less than 4 grand. I believe this price range leaves me little choice but to choose an american pick up. My 2 previous "boat puller's were a early 90's pathfinder which didnt quite have the power to pull 2000 lbs of boat /trailer and toys over the 11,000 foot mountain pass's which I am surrounded by. My last was a 91 f150 ,with the 5.0 v8, which again may have lacked the necessary power, as I ended up blowing a head or head gasket pulling the boat to the lake ! To its credit it towed the boat the rest of the way to the lake (after blowing the head !) and even made the hour and a half drive home , although I had to leave the boat at the lake that day. What should I be looking for besides a larger 8 cylinder ? Does anyone think any of the big american brands are better than the others ? Ford , chevy, Dodge, GMC ?

I think you need a hummer.I used to have a 2000 f 150 and I pull boat up to 26' long everytime I stop down hill the boat push the truck Hahaha I know it not safe but I managed to get to where I want to go.I miss my truck at 300000 km she gave up.now I need a pull toy also.

I feel like you are opening a can of worms with that one!! As far as brands go everyone has there favorite.my recommendation with that amount of money you are looking at an older vehichle with lots of long term reviews on how it holds up find the one with the best reviews that's still has some life in it and suits your needs. Hope this helps.

You can't beat a short bed, stepside 4x4 Z71 Chevy (or GMC). I've owned three of them. They're generally loaded with all kinds of goodies: PS, PB, power windows, cruise, full instrumentation, decent stereo, etc. Here's my 1999, bought two months ago for $4,900. It will easily tow anything I'll ever own.

You can't beat a short bed, stepside 4x4 Z71 Chevy (or GMC). I've owned three of them. The last one logged 278,000 and still ran great. They're generally loaded with all kinds of goodies: PS, PB, power windows, cruise, air, full instrumentation, decent stereo, etc. Here's my 1999, bought two months ago for $4,900. It will easily tow anything I'll ever own.

discoboater,

For pure power, it is really HARD to beat a 3/4 ton 1991-97 Dodge 12-Valve diesel PU or any of the IH-engined Ford 3/4 ton diesel trucks equipped with a 4 or 5 speed manual transmission.
(Either can be bought in good shape, if you shop carefully, within your budget & both will "pull a house". - Less than 9 months ago, my best buddy found a 1993 Dodge with a Cummins B, 5 nearly new Michelin tires & a newly rebuilt AT for 3500.oo.)

Fyi, I have a local club member, who has a 1986 Ford 6.9 diesel with a 4-speed that has well over 400,000 trouble-free miles on it. - He has lost count of the number of new tires that he has bought but he has put 3 clutches in the PU.
Also, I know of a local 1992 Dodge diesel with over 600,000 miles on it.
(Tommy has replaced the AT 4X in those years.)

Incidentally, my 1991 Ford F-250 had 296,000 miles on it when a guy T-boned it (after running a red-light while DUI) & my insurance company totaled it out due to age. - I drove it for over 60,000 miles over 3 years, after paying 2150.oo for the truck. = I guess my point is: It's hard to beat a 3/4 ton diesel PU by Ford or Dodge, if you buy wisely.

just my opinion, satx

a good used Lincoln Navigator

I own 2.
One is the truck That I drive customers around in and keep nice. The other is my pulling truck the 5.4 32 valve motor gives 300 hp as is. Chip it and get many more ponies out of it. Pos a tract on the 2 wheel drive is sta, or go with a 4 wheel drive

I see 2001 to 2004 for less than 4,000 with around 150xxx miles all over

Ride one and you will love them

I started my business years ago with a Dodge, got tired of working on it. Got a chevy and could not afford to drive it and had problems breaking. My first F-150 went to 300,000 and I gave it to the kids to destroy.They failed after two years. I never traded an F-150 in without well over 300,000 on it unless like my last service truck I was forced to after I had to retire to buy groceries. I also had to sale a rust free wonderful Ford E 150. I also used them to tow my boat, other cars, trucks and trailers. I never paid more than $2,000 for any of them. I put 50,000 miles a year for my business. I will not buy japenese. I had an Uncle who had three Liberty ships torpedoed out from under him. Now I bought my first Ford F-100 almost 37 years ago. I still have it. In fact I'm starting to rebuild it this year using my 93 F-150 for a frame ,engine, transmission and 4 wheel drive as a donor. I sold the body off it last year except for the cab. I need the electrical system and computer and all. I once towed a 12x 65 foot mobile home with my 90 F-150 with a 300- 6 cylinder. It was not an extended tow nor up any major hills but she done fine. My son towed a car trailer loaded with two tons of wood pellets with his F-150 a few years ago with the 5.4 with ease. I know what I'd get. Here is a link about two years ago when I started the project and it stalled last summer. I had too many things to do. www.fiberglassics.com/fiberglassics-forums/home/member-projects/1962-f-100-and-goodbye-old-friend

i love my little GMC pickup.. 88 step side..2wd 350.. never lets me down..

i like my 2004 ,2500,heavy duty 3/4 ton,with a 5.7 hemi,i wish i had got the diesel though for even more pulling power,the problem with my dodge is it only gets 11 mpg and 6 mpg towing our 31 foot camper here in the hills of pennsylvania.
having 410 gears does help with towing but not mpg.
i have had many chevy pickups and did not have a problem with them,the dodge was just a deal i could not pass up.

This probably sounds crazy but if you have small boats, no more than 1000 pounds total, a PT cruiser is a good tow vehicle. I use my 2007 PT Cruiser Convertible to tow my small MFG (1000 pounds) and Arrow Glass (925 pounds) boats. PT's were rated for 2200 pounds (1000 kg) in Europe when sold, so I know it has some extra capacity there.

It serves as my daily driver, convertible, hobby car, and truck for light towing. I get 29-30 mpg highway normally (65-68MPH) and 22-23 MPG (57-60mph) towing. It has the standard 2.4 litre four with the four speed automatic. I put it in third gear if towing in hilly terrain.

I love my Land Rover Discover I, probably can get one for 2 K with low miles, mine had 97000, it doesn't feel fast but it does 65 over some crazy mountain passes pulling a 24' trailer from Denver to WA and pulls my Wacanda from Montana to Seattle in the snow at 65. Leaves you a couple grand to maintain it, it will treat you fine if you maintain it but I like working on it like I do my boats and it will climb about anything offroad.
Just gets 12-16 mpg so it's not my only vehicle.
Steve

My main tow vehicle is a '98 Ford Explorer 4x4. It's powerful enough for pulling the Aristo Craft funliner and Aristocraft nineteen I/O. 4doors,ac,pdl, pw..the usual options and enclosed to protect stuff in back. The fwd low range comes in real handy when I'm backing the boats into the basement because I have to pull the wagon partly down a bank to get lined up with the door. Mileage pulling the boats is not terrible. I'm recommending this size and type of suv more than the fact that it's an explorer. But explorers are CHEAP! You can find really nice ones for $1800- $2500 fully equipped. Buy one drive it. If it rolls down the ramp and sinks, grab a beer and laugh your a$$ off.(just kidding)

Well my van in the back ground is useless to tow much only boat 16'and under but that's the only 1 I got for now.and my toy here is more useless no space to put 3 bags of grocery once the roof is down.

OK, everyone has an opinion and you know the saying, "they're like A---oles, everyone's got one.
I have had two older Fords with the 460 engine and you could pull a dinosaur out of the tar pits with them. First one was a carb 4bbl and the one I run now is Fuel Inj but both are not easy on gas. Average 8.5 gpm pulling or empty.

i tow with my mason dump...nuff said.

63 Sabre wrote:

OK, everyone has an opinion and you know the saying, "they're like A---oles, everyone's got one.
I have had two older Fords with the 460 engine and you could pull a dinosaur out of the tar pits with them. First one was a carb 4bbl and the one I run now is Fuel Inj but both are not easy on gas. Average 8.5 gpm pulling or empty.

Yeah, I guarantee those 460s will get the job done. I used to pull my 63 funliner with my 65 ford f100 all the time. It has a 352 FE big block that does very well towing the boat. It just got to where I was afraid to leave it parked at the ramp 'cause one time I got back to load up the boat and found the hood unlatched. That's a good reason to drive the ford explorer. Nobody wants to see the engine on it LOL.

JimL,

Hood locks are CHEAPER than another PU.

yours, satx

satx78247 wrote:

JimL,

Hood locks are CHEAPER than another PU.

yours, satx

satx,that depends on the hood locks Seriously, I used the PU before I had a family also. The 4 door works better for me now.

Lots of good info on here , thank you all and keep it coming ! One thing Ive been wondering about is tranny ? Ive always prefered a Standard over an automatic up here in the mountains , I have heard that autos are better for towing, but here I am always either going over a hill or around curves.Is one really better than the other ?? towing in the mountains ?

discoboater wrote:

Lots of good info on here , thank you all and keep it coming ! One thing Ive been wondering about is tranny ? Ive always prefered a Standard over an automatic up here in the mountains , I have heard that autos are better for towing, but here I am always either going over a hill or around curves.Is one really better than the other ?? towing in the mountains ?

I had always heard the opposite,that a manual was better for towing at least with heavy loads. The one place I'd say the auto would be easier would be at the ramp IMHO.

My current boat tow rig is a 1998 GMC 1500SLE extended cab with a 6'box 2wd with posi and a 5.7l Vortec V8 The truck has just a tad over 124000 miles and still sports it's original paint. The 5.7 still has all it's pony's and hauls my 3500lb bowrider (truck is rated for 6000lbs with a 342:1 axle)with ease. I bought the truck in 2011 for $3000 and have put another $3000 into it updating the steering, suspension, tires, tranny cooler, and the usual GM intake and head gaskets (thanks Dexcool). Personally I think the 88 through 98 GM's where the best models they ever made and there are still tons of them on the road even up here in the salty roads north. Really good ones are starting to command bigger $$ I was recently offered 6K for mine but what would I replace it with? Anyway the 5.7 Vortec V8 in either 2 or 4 wheel drive from 97 or 98 is the best version of this engine and will tow just about anything.

I cut my baby teeth on stick/clutch but mountain and hill driving I prefer the auto. If you're going to pull a heavy load with any vehicle you choose and have an auto transmission I would suggest that you have an extra tranny cooler installed. Cheap insurance. IMHO
Cal

My boats are small but my favorite towing vehicle was an old Bronco II I had. A friend had an overloaded 4 door chevy truck way overloaded with a 20 foot trailer way overloaded stuck on a hill. I went and got on the solid pavement in 4 wheel low and between both of us we got it up the hill. His truck was two wheel auto and it just would not pull it alone. But remember it was way past grossly overloaded.

I think my current tow vehicle is the best one I've ever owned, '05 F150 Super Cab STX w/ 4.6L V8 and AT. Previously used S-10 and Ranger sized trucks - they would pull the load okay, but were a handful if you had to stop or drive evasively in a hurry! The most important thing to me is to do it SAFELY, make sure you have equipment capable of doing the job.

My favorite boat mover is also a Yoder Toter

That is funny. There are several Amish communities in my area but I only see the orange slow moving vehicle on the buggy backs. Wonderful people. For a tow vehicle you have to put more pizaze(?) in it.

1998 GMC Jimmy and 1998 GMC half ton longbed 2WD, both with 4,3 V6 and tranny coolers, rated 5000 lbs. The Jimmy is my wife's driver and the tow vehicle for family outings or unfamiliar ramps- 4Low has pulled 2000 lb boats out from some really crappy ramps. P/U is my familiar ramp, solo boat test, boat purchase vehicle. Both get around 20 mpg hwy unloaded, have enough power for my needs (no mountains in Michigan), not too much $. The p/u has 283,000 miles, runs like a top. Jimmy has 140,000 and gets babied most of the time.

Kerry, seems like 1998 was a good year for tow vehicles. I had, emphasize HAD since I totaled it in a rollover a year ago, a 1998 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 had over 342000 miles and used it to tow my Sabre (avatar) which was a heavy woodie.

I agree. The only major expenses on both in the last five or so years was a fuel pump for each at $120 each and my labor. They seem to last about 120,000 miles or so. I hope my 2013 Dodge Dart is as reliable, cause I love the 34 mpg average for my 28 miles one way commute to work.

Kerry wrote:

I agree. The only major expenses on both in the last five or so years was a fuel pump for each at $120 each and my labor. They seem to last about 120,000 miles or so. I hope my 2013 Dodge Dart is as reliable, cause I love the 34 mpg average for my 28 miles one way commute to work.

My son also has a 2013 Dart. So far,it's been great. I've drove it and like it a lot better than my daughter's 2011 Ford Fiesta. But in all fairness,I think the Dart is a little more high end.IMHO

I've had 4 chevy trucks over the years. The first was a '67 shortbed with a 350 from a Caprice cop car and a 4 speed top loader from a camero. Confused people since it still had the 3 on the tree!

But for towing, current and previous are chevy K2500. 95 and 05. Sold the 95 to my buddy and he still uses it to get firewood. over 200k on the motor but he just put a transmission in it this year.

Sold that to him so i could buy a 4 door chevy k2500. Got tired of a car seat in the middle of the old 2-door truck pretty quick! Paid $9000 for the 05. Have hauled my MFG to NY and NC with it a few times. Recently went to get my PowerCat back from Tim in NY (i live in southern PA) in the snow and didn't have any trouble. The PowerCat even has twin Mercs on the back now! Going up and down the mountains on route 15 was not a problem.

Incidentally, both of my last two truck were fleet vehicles with high mileage. Depending on the fleet your luck could go either way i guess. But i've had good luck so far.

Jeep made a 5.9 Grand Cherokee Limited in 1998 that was built to tow. Google it and check out the specs.

My tow vehicle is a 1996 Dodge 4x4 with the 5.9L Cummins. It's easy to forget the Feather Craft Vagabond is back there as it has no effect on the truck. Over 20mpg on the highway easily but I drive like the old man I'm becoming.

After reading all of the posts, I almost think we need two categories of hauling here: heavy and "standard" towing. Some of you guys have big rigs with diesels that can pull a house off the foundation. My dad has one of those, a big old Dodge. I think it's a one ton and it's a beast. We haul vintage John Deere tractors with it.
For most of us such a truck is overkill. I was surprised that no one had mentioned a Suburban yet! My first truck as an adult was a 1999 Ford Expedition. We got it to haul our 32 ft travel trailer. The short wheel base made it less than ideal. I traded that up for a 2001 Suburban. Night and day difference. My current truck is a 2002 Suburban that has 242,000 miles on it and I'd drive it anywhere. Not counting tires, I think I have less than $800 in repairs over the last 7 years.
My daughter (she owns a fiberglassic) will be restoring her boat this summer and gets her temps for driving in a couple of weeks. I just bought her a 99 Tahoe. My older daughter will drive a 2001 Suburban I just got.
Two nice things about the suburban over a pick up: lots of interior cargo space for lighter things that might fly away in the bed of a pick up, and, for whatever reason, the suburbans/tahoes don't seem to rust like their truck cousins.
And we get 18 miles per gallon in the Suburbans when not towing...not too bad!
The Tahoe has the 350, and only gets 15 mpg.

On the topic of auto vs manual trans, if you look in the owner's manual for nearly any truck, the towing capacity is always higher with the auto than with the manual trans.