Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire New 1/2 ton trucks - which one?

About time for a new truck. Things have changed in the last few years since I have been in the market. Seems like a large crop of turbo 6 cylinders taking over for smallish v8's. How are they working out? Enough power to pull a small camp trailer? or do you have to rev them to 5,000rpm to get any power? Which one is your pick and why? I really have no loyalty to any of them and probably prefer Toyota or Nissan to the domestics due to quality issues.

Toyota Tundra they have good low end power, not great on gas mileage but good power.

The modern twin-turbo sixes make their torque down low and require less revs for pulling than some of the smaller V8 offerings. It sure seems backwards, but that's how they are set up these days. The standard 3.5 EB that Ford puts in the F150 makes 500lbs of torque at 3,100 RPM.

Nissan Frontier. Great vehicle. My brother has the same truck and we were towing a 600 pound airplane in a 4,000 pound trailer, all over the mountains.
I drove my girlfriend out to Yellowstone in the Frontier 2 years ago, she thought it quite comfortable and her car is a Lexus.

I ordered a 2023 Silverado, with 6.2L engine. That motor is constrained, so I have no idea when I’ll get it. I own a 2019 of same vehicle and it’s been very good, as were the two before it. But I essentially use it as my around town vehicle and for hunting.

Just about whatever you like. Everybody's truck is the best.

Define "small camper" - even a rather anemic 3.5 in the Tacoma is rated to tow 6500 lbs and makes more HP than the old Ford 5.0 pushrod did.

1/2 ton would be something GM with a 5.3 for me.

YMMV

Anything, but an obamamobile.

I'm thinking about the 3.0L GMC diesel for my next 1/2 ton and keeping it to 300K.

It sure is a tough time to be in the market for a truck. Prices are obnoxious. My past 2 trucks have been Rams. I have been very happy with them. I normally get better highway economy with my Hemi than I did with either a 4 cylinder Tacoma or a 6 cylinder Frontier. The trucks ride great and are very quiet in the cabin.

F150 5.0. Simplicity. My brother just picked up a 2022, first tank through the cascade mountains was 22 mpg

I get 21.5 in my Frontier. 3.5 liter V6

You dont want a Ford. My kid turns wrenches at a Ford shop. Says he'll never own one. He's currently shopping for a Toyota Tundra.

Not hearing very good reviews on the new Tundra. Turbo issues on the V6. Can't get a V8 in a new Tundra.

Clyde

I am not a ford fan but their ecoboost seems pretty solid. It's doing much better than I thought it would.

That being said, I would want a GM with a 5.3 or bigger V8.

If you're not beating on it around a farm, it's hard to beat a 1/2 ton Chevy with a 5.3. Motors are indestructable.
Get the chip that disables the cylander deactivation and motor shutoff at stops. I like reliable.

I would consider any of the top 3 (Ram, Chevy/GMC, Ford) in todays world. Flip a coin. Just personal preference at this stage of the game.

Lightly used Toyota with the V8. Piss on the UAW!

Well if all he works on is Fords, what did you expect him to say? It's not like people drop off their perfectly reliable cars and trucks just for the hell of it. Toyota dealers are full of Toyotas in for repair, same as ram, GM, Nissan, Honda etc.