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?

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.

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.

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.

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

You will likely miss the truck....

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

It's hard to call any of the new full four door pickup trucks "trucks". Comfy for four good sized passengers, really decent fuel economy, but no payload to speak of, and only enough room in the bed for a shoe-box if you use a shoe horn......

Couldn't imagine being without a K 5 blazer...

They do still make them with both 4 comfortable seats plus a good payload. I have one, a 3/4 ton longbed Dodge. However, there are drawbacks. It's 23' long and won't fit in any standard garage. When in town, I park it well away from the crowds as it's turning radius isn't like a Smart Car. That long wheelbase sure makes it a dream on the highway, though.
The car makers try to keep them under 20' so they'll fit in garages. So, the longer the cab, the shorter the bed. A lot of people don't want to mess with a long one like mine but I really like it.

As noted above, just because you can pull something with a smaller vehicle does not mean that you can stop it or turn it in an emergency. Typical case here in KY is long downgrade, lots of traffic, come around a bend, and suddenly everything in front of you is sitting at a standstill. At some point (under 7K lbs?) the trailer is not required to have trailer brakes, so, it is all on the tow vehicle to maintain control. Your tow vehicle either has the azz to manage the emergency case as well as the normal case, or, you're gonna have a sucky day...

I am going thru the same thought process as OP at the moment. Have had multiple 3/4 ton 4x4 Dodge diesels in the driveway over the years. Once Class 6. Almost all standard cab long bed. Considering getting either a Dodge or Ford, 4x4, half ton, short bed, nicely appointed with four full doors to have plenty of room for four full size guys. And enough chutzpah to handle under 7K lb loads without changing my underwear when traffic gets sporty. Two planned road trips per year. One to CO for elk. One to WKY for ducks. Otherwise people hauler, tool hauler for mission trips, and bad weather / backup commuter for work.

Worked for Toyota for 15 years. They make good vehicles. However, the current Dodge and Ford 4x4 1/2 ton trucks can be configured to get as good fuel economy as most of the Taco 4x4 trucks. And you have a full size truck. The full size Tundra trucks are nice. Had a chance to get one once as a company vehicle. But, passed specifically because of the fuel economy. So focusing on the full size, four door offerings from Dodge and Ford...

Just my dos colones...

Most states require brakes on anything over about 2k LOADED. Idaho is different. They require them on any trailer over 1500 EMPTY. That's dumb. You can get a an empty trailer with tandems that still weighs under 1500 but can carry several tons. You can get a loaded trailer that weighs 6 or 7k and still not need brakes.

Not sure of all the rules and regs. That was the reason that I put the question mark. However, still see a lot of trailers going up and down the road with just the flat 4 pin connectors. OR, nothing connected at all.

The equipment rental companies around here are starting to rent the 10K-14K dump trailers. Waiting for some yahoo to load one of those up behind a half ton truck and pile it up. Some of these guys have never pulled anything bigger than their little red wagon. Buy a new truck, and then think they can drive / tow / trailer as well as a 40 year OTR driver...

Most of those rental trailers have surge brakes. When you step on the brake, there's piston in the trailer hitch that's compressed by the momentum of the trailer. It's a hydraulic brake so no electrical connection is needed. All of UHaul's heavier trailers use them.
We have an equipment rental place here that won't rent you anything on a trailer if you don't have the truck to safely pull it.

It sounds like you need a Subaru.

My last 3 Silverados with the 5.3 liter motor have consistently gotten over 20 mpg on the highway, usually between 21-22. I don't know that the smaller V-6 trucks best that by very much. Now maybe the new F-150 diesel will be better and still able to tow are decent amount?

It reads like what I should be looking for is at least something with rear wheel drive with a decent frame and enough weight. I do see a lot of Suburbans pulling trailers out on the road and don't they use the same frame as a four door 1500 or 2500 pick up? Here again I'm not talking about pulling a 26' travel trailer up a mountain at 8,000 feet, just a 10' aluminum v-nose box trailer with maybe a hundred pounds of tongue weight. Given that the weight of the engine is over the pulling wheels on a medium sized fwd SUV, wouldn't another hundred pounds or so on the back axle with a trailer more evenly distribute the weight of the pulling vehicle? What about an all wheel drive SUV vs a front wheel drive for pulling?

i was going to suggest that but knew i'd catch some grief. my subaru outback is a great hunting vehicle for PA. granted i haven't towed with it but they are rated for 3000 lbs.

If you've never had the experience of using a vehicle that is maxed out towing a load in anything other than perfect slow acceleration, slow deceleration I can understand why you're questing the recommendation of more than enough vehicle. If you had the experience most likely you wouldn't be questioning.

Small SUV's, crossovers or whatever you want to call them are compact unibody sedans with a different body shape and sometimes AWD vs. FWD. If you carry four adults and load up the back of it with gear you can feel that the engine and suspension is being taxed. If instead you pull a 3000# trailer which with a correct tongue weight will be 300# on the tongue you're going to experience the tail wagging the dog.

If you're talking about a 1000# gross weight trailer/load with a 100# tongue weight, no problem. But you did state 3000# gross weight and that is an entirely different animal.

No way would I pull a 3k trailer with a Subaru.

I've driven a Nissan Murano for almost 1yr. 260HP V-6 zips the thing around pretty darned well. That said, I wouldn't be pulling anything with it, I don't think the CVT would last long if you did. I had a Subaru Legacy for a work car for about 3yrs and I wouldn't tow with that powertrain either (2.5L 4cyl/CVT).

We rented a Nissan Murano out in Montana two weeks ago and it worked well enough for what we used it for, but I did not see a trailer hitch or any trailer hitch on most vehicles that I see out on the road today. Those big V-6's are putting out over 300 hp these days and my 5.4 F-150 is only rated at 330 hp. True enough I have never maxed out that Featherlite v-nose, but the truck sure doesn't seem to know that it is pulling something from what I can tell. My 3.8 V-6 Buick has a hitch too which is kind of rare, but it only pulls the 5x8' utility trailer.

I had a Frontier with a 260hp/280tq 4.0 v6 and now an F-150 with a 320hp/390tq 5.4 v8 and there is no comparing the two with equivalent loads behind them. Generally speaking, hp is pretty irrelevant for towing.

You lost me on that. You can't compare 260hp to 320hp (I assume you mean that 320 is far better than 260) but hp is irrelevant for towing?

Peak horsepower tells nothing useful about how a vehicle will perform as a platform for towing, what is more important is torque, and especially low rpm torque.

The old 12 valve cummins 5.9 liter diesel made ~220 hp, well down on the frontier's 260 hp. But, that engine made 440 ft/lb of torque and made that torque across the rpm range. I can guarantee a vehicle with that engine would handily out tow the 260 hp V6.

Yes, that was my point. Torque is far more relevant when talking about towing, and not just peak numbers but how the torque is distributed across the powerband

The torque converter on an automatic helps a whole bunch too. "Ol Blue" was a cab and a half F-150 with the 5 liter (302) with a 5 speed manual and 3.5:1 rear end. It was totally worthless for low end torque and for pulling something. My neighbor has the same old 5 liter in his large van only with an automatic transmission and he towed his very large like 26 foot travel trailer out to the east coast and back. He isn't real mechanical, so he probably didn't know that he shouldn't have pulled that much with that van, but he did and it did it. Low end torque is why I got the 5.4 engine and the six speed automatic in my next F-150.

Agreed. I had the same rig in dark red. 1995 model. Pulled a boat OK. Tried to pull a ~20' camper owned by dad's buddy once. I was in 3rd gear on the hills in ND. I have no idea how I would've gotten that thing up/over Bozeman pass if we'd actually gone elk hunting that fall.

I had an '05 F-150 w/5.4L and 4-spd auto and 3.73's. Tried to pull an empty 16' enclosed trailer into a 25+ MPH wind @ 75MPH on the Interstate once. Wouldn't do it even w/OD locked out, kept surging. Had to back down to 65 and kept OD locked out.

I will say that with reasonable loads at reasonable speeds both my '01 F-150 w/5.4L and '05 w/same were pretty fool-proof pullers and I can't say that I felt "under-trucked" with them. I don't think I ever pulled anything heavier than 6k-6500# with either of them though. Just lock out OD and go.

I pulled a 5'x8' enclosed utility trailer w/ about 2000-2200 total weight all over the west w/ my 4wd 4runner. Absolutely no problems uphill or down. Towed w/ ease and was stable even in the wind.


mike r

The payload is far higher than trucks of the 70's, 80's, and 90's.

Well the "new" 5.0 is nothing like the old one and will pull anything just fine that doesn't require a 3/4 ton or bigger truck.

Tried hauling 60 small square bales of hay in one?

Well "Thirsty" has four doors and a 6.5' box and it won't fit in the garage if the trailer hitch is on. It is one l-o-n-g F-150. Actually that aluminum 5x8' aluminum utility trailer gets most of my carrying chores and there isn't much that I can't carry with that trailer hooked up to the V-6 Buick. I've had an 8' box and a 6 3/4' box and this 6 1/2'.. Standard on those four door trucks is the 5 1/2' and they fit in garages and have a shorter turning radius, but I didn't want to go that short.

Wife and son have had good luck with 4runners.