I need to pull a 19' Stratos, single axle. Will a small V-8 do the job COMFORTABLY? I am in the market for a new truck. Saturday morning, I go shopping. Anyone have recommendations, make model, engine, rear-end? Should I be thinking 5.3 and 4-wheel drive? I have driven Fords all my life, but heard GMC Vortec was sweet. Feedback please. If you have a dealer I should holler at, tell me so. I am in San Antonio, but don't mind traveling, if I am treated right.

A v-8 will be just fine. I have a vortec 5.3 Z71, and it pulls my 20ft boat great. If you are in SA, i'd try Cavenders in Boerne.

Cooter for the boat you have all you mentioned should tow fine, if you need help with a Ford give me a call. Many TFFers get their Fords from me at Bob Utter Ford in Sherman we are very active in supporting the outdoorsman in the North Texas area. If you are not out buying one now give me a call on Monday. Chris 903-813-5056

I pull my 2006 Skeeter 21i with a 2005 Ford F-150 with no problems whatsoever. There's plenty of power. Everyone that's ever ridden with me when pulling the boat is amazed at how easy it pulls it. It's got the 5.4L V-8 and it's a 4 X 2. Not really any need to have a 4 X 4 IMHO. My boat/motor weighs over 2,500 lbs and I have never had a problem pulling mine out of even the steepest ramps.

A good customer/friend of mine named Buck Dove works for one of the Ford dealerships in San Antonio. I've emailed him the link to this post so hopefully he will jump on here and give you his contact info. Chris (cmtbasser) will do you right as well, but Buck is right there in San Antonio and will give you the same low price. If I'm not mistaken Buck's dealership is one of the largest truck dealers in Texas so they have a great selection.

By the way, I get 18-19 mpg on the highway and about 16 overall. I get about 12-12.5 mpg pulling my boat and it weighs quite a bit more than most boats on the market.

Good luck.

Txcooter,
I own a Kia and Chevy Stores in the Sinton and Corpus area. We are a Christian ran, family owned and operated dealer. No bull, just good people to deal with. Bill Marion, the STX federation director from SA just came down and bought a truck from us. I would like the oppurtunity to earn your buisness. You will not be disappointed in the way you are treated here at all. Thanks for the look............
God bless.........Robert Divin
cell# (361)688-4124
store#(866)972-4542
home# (361)767-9546

I've got a 05 chevy ext. cab with the 5.3 2wd. It gets 21 to 20 on the hwy and 16 to 15 pulling my zx225. Its a very comfortable truck. Monty at Moritz hooked me up with a great deal just like he has done for a bunch of us on here. Also the new Chevys have posi rear ends so the 2wd has no problem getting up a ramp.

I have a 2006 F150 4x2 3:55 limited slip rear axle and 5.4 motor.I pull a 901cdx nitro 19`2" with no problem. Average`s 16.5 on fuel.Last truck was dodge 5.2 4x2 GOOD truck but it does not compare to new Ford.
J.D.

The small V8's are fine around Texas. Without the boat you'll get better gas mileage than the larger V8's.

Chevy, Ford or Dodge? I use Chevy, but it's all personal preference.

Good luck.

Im a sales manger for southway ford in san antonio and would be glad to answer any questions you have and have a great selection and pricing. call me @ 210 922-2222 ask for Edward dove (Buck) You might want to check out this link before you make a decision.http://www.fordvehicles.com/trucks/f150/truth/

I'll vouch for Robert, as I'm familiar with the partners of the organization. Everything he's saying is right on.

My Chevy is 12 years old and has 282,000 miles on it. It's a 2 door Tahoe 4x4 and I pull my 21ft stratos just fine.

If you go Chevy...make the drive to Tejas in CC. Avoid Gunn....if you want to go Ford, email me.

Ok, really, really I'm not trying to stir anything up... but how can a comparison not be biased if it is done by a manufacturer? I looked at most of the links above, and it seems that some of the other vehicles were left off of some of the test. For example, in the fit and finish section, only the Dodge Ram is compared?
Just curious how people feel about this. I know that when I see something like this (from ANY manufacturer) I take it with a grain of salt.

I have a 2004 Nissan Titan. Pulls very well.

http://4wheeldrive.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/comparison/articles/101958/page005.html

Here is a comparison of Titan, Ford and Chevy. Change the fields to change vehicles compared.

.year=2006&vehicle[1].make=Ford&...p;strTrim1=3565

Get a hemi and you will never know the boat is back there.

But you will know where every gas station is.....
I know...I have one...No bash intended.

I have the gmc 5.3 and it pull a 20' ranger fine and gets about 14 to 15 mpg and 19 by itself at 2000rpm @ 75mph I would highly recommend 3.73 rear end ratio. Don't let them sell you 4.10 gears. Also remember what ever you buy, it needs to be able to stop when you want it to. Little trucks are not the way to go. Ken