kook

Looking for recommendations for an older tow vehicle to tow short (<20 miles) trips, for under $5k. Any recommendations? 5000 lbs min, but prefer something that can haul 7500#'s. Current vehicle is 4 banger Tacoma 5 speed, towing total weight of 5000# - working out OK, but ramp must be very good condition and have only a slight slope. Hardest part of towing is getting boat out of water - hard on drivetrain which is meant for 3500# max (and I'm surprised that it's rated for even that much) - I'm limited to one or two ramps in the area because of my tow vehicle, and it takes a definite technique to pull the boat out without smoking the clutch too badly. On relatively flat roads, I do not have any problems towing. Truck is paid for, and has a lot of good mile on it, so no chance of me changing my daily driver in the near future. Plan on keeping the 'lil truck for at least another 4 years.

[ 01-20-2002: Message edited by: kook ]

Shorgasm

89-91 Ford Bronco's can run from 4k -6k...with miles varying.......Four-wheel drive and 302HO's........Strong motors and strong trannies...

The Eddie Baeur's have the 351's.....about the same money.....little bit more torque....
but worse gas mileage........Mine runs about 15 MPG....without towing but it's a big truck on big tires.....

Remember 4Low without engaging the front end is great at the ramp....don't have to touch the gas pedal....

turbo2256

I got an 78 F150 auto 4wheel drive with a 400m for 3800. Has about 350 375 HP. Have never needed 4 wheel or low to pull a boat out great for a winter beater too.

[ 01-20-2002: Message edited by: bopp ]

Payton

Bronco's are a good choice but if you have a very long trailer the short wheelbase of the truck may make it wander a little. I used to tow a 19'er everywhere with a Bronco. If you are only going 20 miles though, it may not be worth it to look for a pickup in that price range.

supercrash

There is a 1990 F350 7.3 Diesel AT 4x4 for $6500.00 in the truck trader..overkill on a tow truck is OK..trust me..

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

i gotta go with shor on this one.i tow my 24 mirage with my bronco.most if the time i can hardly tell its there.the short wheel base can help if it gets tight.an the top comes off too, i pull mine off around april first and put it back on around nov first

offshore score

hey kook, I have a 1989 chevy 3500 with 454 turbo 400 trans, dual rear wheels and 4x4 for $6000.00, call me at 301-399-3872 or 301-743-6004 and i can take youre toyota in trade

kook

What's the trannies on those older Broncos? C4?

mmo jo

A friend of mine has an 85 chevy 4x4 for sale.It has a brand new moter and trans.and alot of other new parts cheep 3.000 .He set it up to tow a 6000lb fishing boat.new tires gears all kinds of stuf.bodys kind of rough but it only a tow vehicle .

pullmytrigger

I just went through all this, Im pulling a 29 Fountain with twins. I picked up a full size 89 Blazer, Fully loaded, air,windows, cruise the works for 5 grand, the body is mint. Im with Shore on the 4wd, cant beat it, although around here with the 45 degree launches(it seems like it) its a nessesity.I checked and the full size Blazer is rated to tow 7500 with the 411 gear. I do get a very slight sway over 65mph while off the gas going downhill and it is a little unnerving because you know it could be the start of something real bad, I talked to a RV guy and he showed me a product that appears to be a shock absorber that installs between the hitch and the trailer tounge and he says my problem is very minor compared to what he sees and this will fix this problem very easily.I have gone to some lengths to get the trailer level and I may pull the boat up on the trailer for more tounge wieght. You have to remember we tow 120mile round trip every weekend and sometimes tow 200 one way. I reasearched this whole thing extensively and it came down to this. I have a company vehical so the truck is not a daily driver so I couldnt justify a new truck and its payments while it sits in the driveway all week. I needed something with a back seat because I have a family, I could get kind of a beater (need paint, high miles, some rust, needs tires, exhaust etc) 88/89 (newer style)1/2ton extended cab 4x4 (GM only) or I kept bumping into these mint old Blazers for about the same. I went with the Blazer fully certified and it even has the TBI 350 that they used up until a couple of years ago.And it has a much larger back seat than the ext cabs of that era. What also Im finding there is a whole bunch of Blazer fans out there that love those trucks and come up and talk to me about it all the time, There is a picture of it in the readers rides thread on pg7 I think. Just make sure you put the biggest tranny cooler you can find on it...........Doug