Awe!!! tow talk. I just can't find the right vehicle. I pulled a 17 ft Glastron w/ a 92 6 Cyl Ranger till the clutch finally gave out on me. Pulled fine down the road but the ramps gave me problems. I now pull my 21' Skeeter Fish n Ski with a 2000 Ram 1500 w/ the 318. Great down the road but I have been stuck on some steep ramps and had to get pulled out. Lately, I use my wifes 4x4 Trailblazer, (her not happy). Not sure about the long haul, but it yanks it out. My next truck will be a 4X4, here pretty soon. I am tired of slipping my wheels on a wet steep ramp. That and it seems to kill a transmission. I wonder why.

I have a 16ft tracker to pull (lightweight). Does anybody have a full size Chevy truck with a 4.3 6cyl? I think this may be the way to go with my next truck the only problem that I can think of is the resale value but I kept my last truck for 12 years so that may not be a problem. I have also considered a Colorado 5cyl. What kind of mileage are these getting on highway? I already know it will suck when pulling a boat.

Monte: Do you know what kind of prices you are getting on these trucks say on the models without all the bells and whistles.
The only things that I need is Automatic Trans, Air, & pwr windows/locks

It all depends on whay you want to get out of it. If you just want what will do the job economicaly then any of the half tons with a v8 will do you just fine. If you are going to want to race the guy at the stop light while pulling your boat then you better get a diesle. I have been bulling a 30' travel trailer and a 20' boat with a half ton truck with a small block since 1994 and have had no problems so far. The truck now has 230000 miles on it and I still dont hesitate to hook either of the trailers up to it. Like I said before, you aint going to be lookin a zero to sixty times but it will do the job just fine.

matt

I had to consider the amount of time I was not towing..which was about 95% of the time..the other 5% I did not care what the mpg was....For me it was not worth figuring into the equation..I ended up with an 06 Tacoma dbl cab 4x4...17.5-18 mpg around town and will pull my 18' Ranger faster than the law will allow with ease...and no problems at the ramps.......

You guys don't need a big vehicle but theres nothing wrong with one. You might be dissatisfied with the mileage of a trailblazer. They aren't much better than a 1/2 ton.
One thing to get for sure is a limited slip or locker type rear end. It will make your towing vehicle much better at the boat ramp.

If you are wanting a diesel and don't pull 10k lbs daily don't get a Dodge or Ford. The mileage isn't much these days. The leader today is the Chevy as it appears they are still getting the same they have been getting for the last few years.

Remember the 1/2 ton diesels will be out in the next year or two and they will do much better on fuel than anything out there today.

Chuckster, I knew several people that pulled much bigger boats all over the country with Astro vans. A guy who lived in Mexico and fished the BASS invitaionals named Raul would travel from one tournament to another, park the boat and go home till the next tournament and then fly back. His van was a number of years old and he pulled a Bass Cat Jaguar big boat (yellow and black). Another guy that used to use an Astro van was Jim Moynagh. He traveled all over the country pulling his big Ranger.

I have a 07 Tundra 5.7 L, 2WD and it pulls my 06 ZX 225 like its not even there. SWEET TRUCK!!!

Haven't had a problem pulling my BassCat with my GMC Sierra 1500 SLE, next truck for me is 08 Tundra 5.7 4WD. Like Allison1 said you need to have limited slip or locker type rear end.

Joe B.

My '05 Nissan Frontier w/ 4.0L V6 will pull 6000 lbs and change with ease and it's never been a problem at the ramps. Pulls my buddy's 21 footer like a champ. It's basically a 3/4 size Titan and will get about 19mpg on the hwy while towing.

19 mpg while towimg a 21 footer??????what must your mpg be while not towing??????

On the highway it's around 24mpg, assuming I'm behaving...

So is your nisan rated to pull six and change or have you done it. I dont think it will pull it with "ease" that is alot for a little truck. Pull it yes, not with ease. To me pulling with ease means not much change in start and stop times, and that truck with that trailer is going to have lag with six and change on the back.

matt

"I have a 16ft tracker to pull (lightweight). Does anybody have a full size Chevy truck with a 4.3 6cyl?'

I pull a 18x70 Xpress tunnel hull all over the country with a 2001 Chevy 1500, it has a 4.3 V6, automatic, air, and power. It gets right at 20 MPG @ 65 MPH without the boat and 14 MPG @ 65 MPH with it. The truck has 210,000 miles and the four wheel disc brakes make stopping easy.

redchevy, it's not a little truck. Bigger than a Ranger, smaller than a Titan. Plus, it's got nearly 300 ft-lbs of torque and 265hp. It's doing alright for itself.

To answer your questions, it's rated at 6500 lbs, have not done it, but have pulled a few boats (16'-21') and some trailers with it and the engine/drivetrain doesn't strain to do so. I can tell I'm pulling something, but it's not to the point that I have issues with accelerating or stopping.

Sorry to tell ya Redchevy, but he is correct. I have the same 4.0 v6 in my pathfinder and pull my z200 and trailer no problems. The load is 4500 pounds with full tanks. I can tell I am pulling a 20 foot boat, but the power is undeniable. 19 mpg while towing? No!! Maybe 14-16 depending on the length of the trip

I have a little Ford Ranger. I'm currently pulling a 16 ft. jonboat. I want to get a 19 ft. G3 that weighs 2100 lbs. The engine is 2.3l standard transmission. Does anyone think that this could pull the new boat?

Most of this trucks, be it full size or mini, will pull most bass boats up to 21ft, IMO. But the best starting, stopping, and speed is what most people really want in a tow vehicle. I personally have pulled flat bed trailers with a full size Chevy vans and those boat size Cadillacs on it with my '88 Toyota 4wd truck with the 22re motor many times. It was slow and I had to stop from a longer distance, but it pulled it just fine, it does take practice and patience though. You also have to remember that you will put more wear on the smaller trucks or smaller engined trucks because they do have to work a little harder. Luckily, 4wd Toyota trucks all have four piston calipers up front.

If I had to buy a truck that will tow only my boat occasionally, than I would go with the current Tacoma or Frontier 4wd. These trucks have a much larger V6 these days and have a good amount of torque for pulling. They are also alot larger in size, wider and longer. Gives it good stability. Plus they are easier to maneuver when you are not towing anything than a full size.

Danny Boy, I would be a careful with the ranger pulling a boat that size and weight. The ranger is a good truck, but I think you would toast the clutch up fairly quickly with a boat that size. But it is also depends on the gearing of the truck. Stopping might be an issue though.

I have found that YouTube is a great place to find research and reviews on vehicles. There is a great video comparing Frontier vs. Tacoma pulling veh on trailers and the Frontier pulled a little better.

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I have already replaced the clutch once on this truck. My problem is I can afford the boat, but not a new boat and truck payment.

No problem. The only way to know for sure if it will pull that boat is to find a friend that is willing to let you test the towing ability of your truck with a boat or trailer similar in weight to what you want. Just don't pull it with fifth gear going down the highway, you may wear out the syncro like my Toyota. It won't stay in fifth any more. Just take it slow and easy and you should be fine, be careful at the boat ramp though. I don't know about the torque a ranger puts down. My Toyota did not have much torque, but 4 low made up the difference in tough pulling situations. I would consider upgrading the rear shocks possibly to help with the handling and maybe good tires. Good luck.

The newer Toyota Tacoma's with the 4 liter V6 will tow a 20' bass rig with no problem whatso ever. I would expect it to get 17-18 towing and 22-24 without the rig. Part of your gas mileage depends on how you drive. Example my buddy has the exact same 07 truck that I have, he gets 16-18 on the hwy. and I get 20-21. He wants to run 75-85 on the interstate and I set the cruise at 72 and let her roll.I Don't have to be concerned with the troopers either.