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Joined: Sep 2017
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It occurs to me that I've had a 4wd Blazer or F-150 or since the '70's and I might be outgrowing my need for the truck at this point. I pull an 8' utility trailer or an enclosed 10' trailer up deer hunting and a deer would just as easily fit on/in those as in the bed of the pick up. The bigger aluminum trailer only weighs a couple thousand pounds even loaded, so I suppose that I don't need a V-8 to pull it. What have you guys found as a light tow vehicle that gets better gas mileage with some creature comforts that works better than a full size pick up?


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IMHO a 1/2 ton pickup is a minimum for safely pulling, controlling and stopping a several thousand pound load. Lighter vehicle drivetrains aren't designed for the additional strain of that load, the breaks aren't designed to stop the added load and the suspensions aren't designed to control such loads.

I'd suggest keeping the truck for pulling the trailer and getting an econo box for commuting.

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Agreed, but it is a lot of truck just sitting around depreciating waiting for a day to pull something. I am reminded of the smallish SUV over on it's side in the middle of I-94 with a bigger trailer hooked up to it. Just because you have enough guts and motor to pull something bigger than you are, doesn't mean that you should. That or I was talking with my old neighbor yesterday and her kid was pulling a big piece of machinery with a Honda Odyssey and the trailer was too big, he crashed got hurt badly and killed his passenger. Like the tail wagging the dog I suppose. But heck my trailers are not that big and lots of SUV types are rated for towing 3,500-5,000 pounds.


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I'd trust 2-3k behind any of the mid-sized trucks assuming they weren't bare-bones 4cyl models. When I had my Frontier it would pull/stop 2-3k lb pop-up camper with zero issues. That said, I don't think I'd go beyond the 2-3k lb, small camper/utility trailer. Towing that same load with my F-150 is a whole different experience, you literally don't even know it's there.

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I tow a 4k boat with my tacoma all of the time..

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You will likely miss the truck....

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Dude I drive a F-150 with an Ecoboost, on average my truck gets better gas mileage than my sons extended cab Tacoma. So there is really no sacrifice in fuel economy instead I have a whole truck not a half a truck. I can carry more, Tow more, and have way more interior space. Forget a V-8 there’s no need for that. My buddy has the same truck as me with a 2.7L ecoboost and he gets better fuel mileage than my wife’s Lexus crossover, has tons of payload, and can tow a travel trailer with it. You need to really look at your options, you don’t have to buy a V-8 half ton that gets 15 mpg , there are other options that get 20-23 mpg.

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An F-150 still ain't a truck.....

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Any small SUV should be able to tow that. Get something with a sufficient tow rating and you'll be fine, it doesn't take much to pull a 2000#' trailer. When toyota was making the V6 RAV4's they had a 3000# tow rating and would be fine for those trailers.

This is the internet though where many will try to tell you that you need a 3/4 ton diesel to pull a 2000 lb. utility trailer.

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I've had several SUV's, and most any of the mid sized ones will do what you want to do. But I still like a truck better. Anything that will pull the trailer ain't gonna get significantly better fuel mileage. A 4X4 Tacoma with 4 doors and a cap on the back will cost less than a comparable SUV, get the same fuel mileage, be more versatile, and resale for more down the road. When you have to haul off trash inside of an SUV you'll appreciate the truck, and the back can still be hosed out even with a cap on it.

I could get by without a truck and tried it for a few months. If you're used to a truck you'll be back.


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SUV for hunting.
Deer and other stuff just go on the hitch carrier.

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I agree with AlaskaCub.

I always liked the Dodge Dakota trucks. Just right size for most of my uses.

But the purchase price and fuel usage is too close to a full size to go small.
Even the light 3/4 ton trucks give you a better platform, for not much money.


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The kicker is the new mid size/compact pickups cost damn near the same amount as a full size. The back seats are tiny, the cabs are tiny, the beds don’t hold [bleep] and the fuel mileage isn’t any better than most new half ton pickups. Unless your doing a lot of off-roading in tight trails I just don’t see the value. I’ve owned 2 Tacoma’s, they’re great trucks, but for what they cost and what you get they’re way overpriced. God forbid you put a little lift on one and bigger tires, then you get worse gas mileage than a half ton.

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If one only needs a truck for a few weeks of Deer hunting and pulling, rent one.


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Originally Posted by huntsman22
An F-150 still ain't a truck.....



laugh laugh laugh laugh


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just buy a Taco truck..............

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T R U M P W O N !

U L T R A M A G A !

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The Tacoma was one of the few Toyota vehicles that Consumers Reports didn't recommend in their last auto issue. Some of those little ones don't do that well on gas either. Three of us took a Dodge Dakota to Canada one year and the thing drank gas worse than my full size truck. Maybe the heaters are better today than back when I had that old K5 Blazer, but I remember trying to heat that thing up to a tolerable level in the winter was a chore. I'm thinking something like a mid size SUV like a Highlander or a GMC Acadia with a cargo liner. That should get low - mid 20's for mileage and save depreciation and insurance for two vehicles.


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I’ve never been impressed towing behind an SUV with a front drive architecture. Maybe a Grand Cherokee or 4Runner would be a little more tolerable.

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Originally Posted by ajmorell
I’ve never been impressed towing behind an SUV with a front drive architecture. Maybe a Grand Cherokee or 4Runner would be a little more tolerable.
Unless you use an equalizer hitch and cinch it up tight, FWD will lose traction because of the weight on the rear. Towing with FWD is less stable. Also, many of the smaller SUV's have a unibody design. They have a lighter frame and depend on the body parts to add strength. They're not as strong and stable as those with a real ladder type frame.


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This being Memorial Day weekend, saw some pretty sketchy stuff regarding undersized vehicles towing oversized campers. The new 1/2 pickups are pretty mild-mannered. Unless a person has a hard time getting in/out of them or a garage that won't fit one there's really no mileage, space, or re-sale upside to a mid-size SUV w/enough towing capacity to do what you want done. The big 3 all have 1/2 ton pickups that will go over 20mpg empty. Pick the dealership you like to deal with, buy the pickup and run it for everything.

I run ford because they have the best service dept in town. Ram and Toyota would be a close second. Our local Chevy dealership's service dept has been awful.


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