Economic truck for towing

[Clev]

Originally Posted by WA1DH

The big issue is pulling a boat out of the water. I don't know if a 2.3 Ranger could do that. Not to mention the fact that I'm leaning toward a 5 spd which would mean burned up clutch in no time if I couldn't get the load up the ramp. I have a friend with a 5 spd 2.3L Ranger and I believe he said the rated capacity was only 1500 lbs.

Yeah, that would be a problem. I believe they did have a 4-speed with granny low as an option, but that kinda defeats the FE gains.

[The Atomic Ass]

Originally Posted by WA1DH

Chevy and GMC have 4.3L trucks that do a little better on mileage

When my father used his Bravada, (4.3L), to tow a car that weighed 1,980lbs, and with trailer probably less than that, we never got the damn thing over 15mpg, even at 45mph, in OD, TC lockup, all the good stuff. Just flat out would not do it on flat ground.

Luckily we weren't going far.

Look for something with a 4 or 5 cylinder engine. They'll handle the load if you can fan the clutch properly, whatever you get will cost less to buy and will get better FE out of the deal.

[The Atomic Ass]

Originally Posted by WA1DH

Like everyone else said, the towing isn't the big deal. I'm sure I could get 3k lbs moving behind my 2L escort, albeit slowly. Stopping it is another story. The big issue is pulling a boat out of the water. I don't know if a 2.3 Ranger could do that. Not to mention the fact that I'm leaning toward a 5 spd which would mean burned up clutch in no time if I couldn't get the load up the ramp. I have a friend with a 5 spd 2.3L Ranger and I believe he said the rated capacity was only 1500 lbs.

You should be doing a burnout on the wet pavement of the ramp before burning up the clutch.

With regard to the S-10's 4-cyl, take it to 3K RPM, and keep the clutch spinning and the engine revved until you're doing 10mph, then fully engage the clutch, and pull away normally. Even with 3K lbs on a steep boat ramp you should have the clutch out within 4 seconds. I would assume the same would go for the Ranger's 4-cyl.

[Big Dave]

If you are serious about your towing and what FE, I'd recommend getting a late 90s (1997 or later) Ford Super Duty or Dodge truck. The Ford has a Powerstroke (International 444) engine. If you look, they can be had with a ZF-5 manual. The Dodge comes with a 12-valve Cummins 5.9 diesel and a NV4500 transmission.

For your load these trucks are bulletproof. They are big enough that no trailer ever bullies them around even in the worst weather. The drivetrains are so stout you can expect the trucks will eventually rust out around them working perfectly.

You get a stick version and with even rookie hypermiling MPGs in the 20s are easy. Read up on what aerohead says about aerodynamics and maybe you can get into the mid-20s.

Best of all, for your light (by the standards of these trucks) trailer will not degrade MPG like it will for smaller trucks.

The Ford is more stoutly built and has much better brakes than the Dodge but that solid construction comes at a price. The Ford is a good deal heavier and that exacts a MPG penalty running empty.

4x4 diesels go very well in the snow.

Ten or twelve year old diesel trucks can be had at reasonable prices.

[Clev]

Originally Posted by The Atomic Ass

You should be doing a burnout on the wet pavement of the ramp before burning up the clutch.

LOL. When we pulled my dad's boat out on a particularly bad ramp, we wondered why there was a decent sized crowd watching. Turned out that basically anything 2WD was having a hell of a time because of the steepness and quality of the ramp surface. Fortunately his 4.9L V6 F-150 had the granny first, but he still had to have five members of the crowd (and me) stand on the back bumper and tongue of the trailer to get enough traction to get up the ramp.

After parking, we walked back to watch a few more boats come out. The only vehicle that didn't need assistance from the crowd was a guy who had 4WD, and even he had to put it in low range. We left shortly after a guy in a Buick Electra burned up his automatic transmission (lots of RPM, no tire movement, lots of smell) trying to pull out a boat, let it roll back, got the car and trailer jackknifed sideways on the ramp, and was waiting for a tow truck.

[JQmile]

Get an 89-93 Dodge D250 that's a little beat up. Mine cost 2700 with bad paint and got over 20mpg on the highway and 17-18mpg in Los Angeles Traffic that averages about 13 mph.