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Towing Power

rideon

rideon

Member
Lifetime Membership
I have a 2008 F-150 with the 5.4 motor. Shortly after purchasing the truck, I decided to buy an enclosed 4 place trailer. The truck pulls the trailer great, from a stabililty perspective, but I am just not satisfied with the power. I can't justify dumping the truck this year as it is less than 1 year old. However, I am in the market to replace our SUV. I am thinking of an Armada, Sequoia, or perhaps need to go with a Suburban with the 6 liter motor. (I know the 5.3 will not satisfy me.) Bottom line is that I am wondering if any of you out there can provide me with some real world towing experiences with the Armada or Seqouia as they both has significantly more torque than my 5.4 Ford. I am concerned with the stability factor on the independent suspensions on the nissan and toyota. Additionally, anyone out there towing 5,000 lbs or more with the Chev 6.0, and what are your thoughts on this? Is the 1/2 ton Suburban with the 6.0 going to make me happier, or is the 3/4 ton with the same motor a better choice. If so, why. Sorry this is so long and Thanks in advance for the input.
 
I have an 02 f-150 with 5.4 and it pulls my 27' charmac pretty good let her rev its all good.
 
thats alot of trailer for any half ton. I dont think I would ever pull that long of a trailer with any type of half ton. In my mind you just need more weight on the truck to control that long of a trailer. As for the balls factor if the half and the 3/4 have teh same motor you arent going to get any more power, it will just be a heavier suspension which is good.
 
Toyota

Does the Sequoia have the same motor as the new tundras? The 5.7? If so I would go that route. A buddy of mine has the new tundra and it will scream with a 4 place.
 
Alot depends on the roads you intend to run and the distance traveled, and the speeds you are going to do it at. Here in Alaska, I think it is suicide to pull an enclosed 4 place with less than a long 3/4 ton or better yet one ton. Skinny roads, tight corners, big pulls and lots of wind at times and always icy. I grew up in Mn and was just back there driving around and can't ever get over just how flat everything is. No wonder they all bragg about what they can pull compared to me and the mpg they get doing it. It is no fun at all to have a trailer decide to take off and not have enough tow vehicle to bring it back, or keep it on the road. Under powered is inconvieant, under weight or length can be deadly. Given the choices you listed, go with the 6.0 3/4 ton suburban. The 6.0 has plenty of motor, and the long wheel base of the suburban is a much better option and the 3/4 ton suspension to handle the weight behind you. There is no such thing as too big of a tow rig. You will always regret one that is too small.
 
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Trailering

I would rather be little underpowered in a truck then pull a 4 place with a 1/2 ton suv. (Maybe the 3/4 ton suburban) The wheel base is just way too short and they are top heavy. Every year in Michigan you can count on seeing at least 2-3 suv's every year heading north on a friday night either flipped over or down in the ditch pulling a larger tandem axle sled trailer. What I did to my 1/2 ton truck to pull better is put a cold air intake-mass air flow sensor-shorty headers-more free flowing muffler(Muffler only,keep you stock pipe because its stainless and fake duals get you no gains) a dyno tune and air bags. You will see major mpg and power gains! Although if you want to keep your warr you may want to skip the headers and the dyno tune and use the programer instead.
 
Remember the SUV alone weighs more then the truck and will eat up some of the HP and torque. Id agree a pickup always has a tendency to be more stable. I did things in the same order also had a 4place open and 1/2 tons and got a 25ft inline enclosed. Pulled it around home no problem with my F150. Pulled it out west with a cousins 1500 hemi after that I always chickened out and hooked it to someone elses 3/4ton when we were going out west. Truthfully I know its a cliche but the truth is if your going over mtn passes i don't feel safe anymore in anything less then a 3/4ton pulling an enclosed.

I've drove Chief Joseph pass with an inch of ice and 6"s of snow and had the rig behind us slide back down a hill. I've seen our enclosed trailer trying to pass the pickup as we were going over a hill with a nasty side wind, and been on bozeman pass as they were shutting it down and had to help push a state patrol that couldn't get traction with his studded tires and wishing we wouldn't have forgot the chains. Don't tell my wife these stories but after all this I want the most stable vehicle attached to the trailer and would worry more about stability then power. I'm really happy I went with a F250 6.4L this time around.
 
I forgot to mention the 6.0 motor. I used to own a 2000 2500 extended cab long bed with the 6.0. The power was right there with my 7.3 powerstroke in the mnts. Yes, it reve'd higher than the desiel, but any gasser will. If you have your heart set on a suv, the 3/4 ton suburban with the 6.0 would make a great tow rig for your 4 place. I wouldn't even think about hooking up your other two chioces to the trailer unless it was to just move it around the yard.
 
That is a lot of trailer for a 1/2 ton. It's amazing how much better a Suburban tows than a Tahoe with the same engine. It's the stability thing in the longer wheel base. I would go that route. Maybe a Suburban or Sequoia (sp?).
 
Most people drive way to fast while towing passing everyone on the roads because they got a chipped up one tonne diesel pulling a trailer that is just over 5000 pounds.But slow and steady keeps you coming back to the mountains for many years.
 
Thank you for the input!!! It seems that I should probably not even consider anything smaller than the suburban/yukon XL. Safety must be the #1 consideration. The wife is not going to be happy, she is looking forward to the smaller SUV varities.....
 
A couple of you are recommending the Denali/Escalade with the 6.2. Obviously I would need the long version. I been told to steer clear of the all-wheel-drive transfer case which is the only available drive version on these two vehicles. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Other than that, I agree. The 6.2 is one hell of a motor as far as I can tell.
 
i dont think i would worry about the AWD transfer case IMO. I have AWD in my Silverado SS, which is a little different setup than the denalis, but, I love it in snow. And my transfer case has been bullet proof so far, and that SS gets used.

AWD doughnuts anyone?
 
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