Need Toad Advice

Hahn007 · February 17, 2015, 12:48 PM

Hi,

I am looking for a small long bed pickup that I can tow behind a 31' motor home.

Thinking of an older model with a manual transmission that is suitable for towing without disconnecting the drive shaft.

It has to be a pickup as I need to haul a small boat and trailer on top of it.

I want to flat tow it and do not want to use a tow dolly.

i am not real particular about make or model.

Thinking about an older Toyota SR5, Ford Ranger, S10, etc.

For reliability reasons, I would like to go with as new a model as possible, but still be able to flat tow without issues.

Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated.

Chris

Lefty · February 17, 2015, 09:31 PM

Advice? Try Craigslist or your local swapper paper for older vehicles. Places like AutoTrader or TruckTrader usually are overpriced and don't have much listed for vehicles over 10yrs old due to high cost of ads. Check the smaller local car lots, as they often carry older stuff that the bigger dealerships won't put on their used car lots.
Many newer SUV's and trucks with automatics or all wheel drive can be towed flat now, with no modification.. So do some research before buying, you might not have to have a manual transmission.
Lastly, be sure to check local laws regarding towing doubles (IE: a vehicle pulling another vehicle, and an additional trailer attached) It is illegal in most states, and highly restricted in the ones where it is legal. In just about every case, the total length must remain under 60 feet in total length... That will be tough with a 31' RV, 3' tow bar, and a pickup pulling a trailer.

Hahn007 · February 18, 2015, 11:15 AM

Thanks lefty. I wasn't planning on pulling doubles. I am going to load the boat and trailer on top of the pickup.

eXodus · February 18, 2015, 12:44 PM

you should first gather information of how much you can tow safely, and then go and seek advice for a truck.

Which kind of hitch do you got there ? Frame extension ? GCWR GVWR ? Have you had the motorhome fully loaded on a scale ?
You towing capacity can be anywhere between 2000 and 7500lbs.

A full size Pickup with a single Cab can be lighter than the ones you listed. For Example single cab short bed Ford F150 can be as light as 3800lbs.

I would go with a Fullsize Pickup since the parts are more available everywhere and they are often times cheaper and more reliable,
F150
Ram 1500
Sierra 1500

Often times they do come with 4x4 and the all wheel drive gearbox has often a feature to un-clutch the driveshafts. So you can still have automatics and tow flat.

Rickf1985 · February 19, 2015, 07:01 AM

But that full size pick up with a boat and a trailer on top of it is going to be quite heavy. (not to mention a sight to behold)

eXodus · February 19, 2015, 07:22 AM

I'm just saying that a Full Size Pickup can also have the same weight as a small pickup.

For Example a Ford Ranger is between 3000 and 3700lbs, but the maximum payload of a Ranger is only 700-900 lbs so the boat + trailer on top is maybe a problem.
Going one bigger you have 1500-2500lbs load capacity and the much better truck, with only a couple of pounds more empty.

DonD · February 19, 2015, 09:54 AM

Here's some late model stuff

http://www.royrobinsonrv.com/images/pdf/DinghyGuide2013.pdf

Hahn007 · February 19, 2015, 01:50 PM

The weight and eye sore factor shouldn't be too bad as the boat is a 12 foot Livingston on a light weight trailer. Total weight under 700 pounds with boat, trailer, motor, fuel. Etc. Total height from bottom of trailer tires to top of boat only a few feet. Want to unhook at campground and use truck to launch and retrieve boat.