Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

Is your tahoe a 2500 or a 1500? My buddy sold his 01 1500 chevy that could barely tow my Baja 272 (as I mentioned earlier in this post) and bought a 04 1500 avalanche w/5.3. Never tried towing my boat with it but he claims it tows more stable and smoother than his truck did other than its still a gut-less wonder with the 5.3. He has towed his new (to him) 95 checkmate 28 ft which is probably another 500 to 1000 lbs heavier than my Baja and he says its killing it,he ordered a 2500 duramax like mine. But back to the original question,test tow your boat with whatever your thinking of buying,a 24 ft open bow Baja should be able to be towed without much compromise by a suitably outfitted 1/2 ton truck or suv,if your towing ALOT then maybe a 3/4 ton is going to make you happier, Smitty

Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

Nissan Titan: mine pulls a 29 Fountain with ease and I have yet to use 4 wheel drive to pull it out on a steep ramp. I get about 12 to 13 mpg pulling around 60 to 65 or so. (11 is the worst I've seen but there was a 20 mph headwind). More room in that cab then any other truck I've been in. People at the ramp still don't believe the truck can pull that boat or even pull it out of the water. Next time, I'm going to start betting beers :drink:

Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

Here ya go. And less money than a 2500 :drink:

Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

My F-150 w/ 5.4 tows my 288 fine,,, I wouldn't even think of towing anything bigger with it,, and I am right at 7K. I have coil overs, I upgraded the factory class 111 to class 4 everything. a 1/2 ton will do fine, especially the newer ones that when properly equipped will tow 9K... if you plan to tow a lot or very far for peace of minid you might want to consider a 3/4..

Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

Yes....more junk these guys are towing with.....yup tow it up boys!...see what happens :evilb:

Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

Good grief people :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

That man is towing a 24 foot Baja...not a 42 footer. :drink: :evilb: :drink: :evilb:

Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

They only make 1500 Tahoe's, The optional 4.10 rear end makes a big difference when towing, it's not that the motor doesn't make good power, but with the standard 3.83 rear end the motor is off the cam at freeway speeds.

BTW, the Avalanche and Tahoe have identical rear suspension setup at the 1500 level. The design has way better side to side control of the rear axle compared to a leaf spring setup.

As mentioned before the original equipment tires were selected for price and ride quality, Tires with a stiffer side wall like the Yokohama's make for a way better tow.

Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

Arcticfriends is right on those GM 5.3 vehicles. In my opinion anything over about 5K is the limit even though the towing capacity is rated higher. My Avalanche 1500 that is mentioned earlier is for sale. :D

Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

Hey there mr "old navy",if that beautiful avalanche doesn't sell cancel the Duramax and drop off the avalanche (along with a blank check) and we can beef up the trans,re-gear the axles and throw a supercharger on it, :D ,Smitty

Re: How Much Truck do I need?
 

Thanks for all the good responses guys. It looks like I'm going to get the 2500 HD at a minimum. My tows are 200 - 250 miles in length. I would probably due this 4-6 times a summer. Again my biggest concern is going up 6% grades. Towing on flat highways is one thing, but towing up a mountain is a whole different kettle of fish.

I was very disappointed to find out the new Avalanches will no longer be offering the 2500 with 8.1 as an option. The new Tahoe's & Burb currently don't have a 2500 configuration. Hopefully they will be available later down the production schedule.

The new Silverado's don't come out till after summer so I guess I'm stuck for another boating season with the little ole Rainer.

As far as claims of I can tow my 3x or 4x footer with my little old XXX. Here's my 2cents. My Buick Rainer does have 4.1 gears out back and an air leveling suspension that helps a lot. It's rated to tow my boat, and I get lots of looks around the dock when I pull it out of the water. People are amazed when I tell them I towed my boat from Deleware. But, the fact is it's NOT ENOUGH equipment to do the job properly. There are MANY MANY parts besides engine & tranny that go into a 2500, 3500 vs. any regular sized truck, 1500, F150, Titan, etc... All you need to do is open the case on your rear diff to get the picture. The Gears on a 2500, 3500 are HUGE in comparison to a regular truck. I have had the pleasure to tow my BAJA with a 3500 Dually/Diesel and it was just plain silly easly to do. The major drawback I have with the 3500 is the WIDE ASS DUALLY is never going to fit in my garage and with my HOA rules your not allowed to park a commercial truck out front. I think DUALLY makes sense if I plan to upgrade, but I don't see that happening for 5 years or more.