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Vehicle to tow

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fireman4life

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I may be answering my own question, but just wanted to see other opinions. I just purchased a 2020 21' SSX with a Yamaha 115. I have a 2018 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 (with a Hemi). I went to a lake about 1 hour and 30 mins from the house. Engaged the tow/haul and off we went. Straightaways worked just fine but even the slightest incline it kicked into passing gear and seemed to labor a bit more than I expected. This is the first time I've towed something with weight. Question is would a F250 or Dodge 2500 make it a easier tow? I know I will lose the gas mileage from my Ram but is it worth the tradeoff? Those that tow with a bigger truck---can you tell a difference if you've towed with a smaller? Just curious.....
 
I have a 2017 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi and it towed my 2016 22SSX with a 200 without a problem, but I defintely know the boat is there and feel it more on the hills. Your 1500 should be enough truck to tow your Benny. It might be you just need to get used to towing something that is bigger and heavier.
 
I just bought a 2020 GMC with the 6.2, It is a beast. Power to spare , much better gas mileage under tow and around town compared to the 5.3.
 
Oh and its just a 1500
 
A heavier duty truck will absolutely make the towing experience better. Those trucks are designed to tow things and have the mechanical and electrical systems to support that task. For the boat you’re towing however, it is absolutely not necessary to move up from your current truck. I’d wager the tow rating on your current truck is at least 9,000 lbs and your boat/trailer are probably in the 4,500-5000 range loaded. The truck is operating correctly by kicking down when needed.

Purely from a towing perspective, the higher the truck’s capability the more comfortable the towing experience. The tradeoff is when you aren’t towing, you have a larger, rougher riding, possibly less fuel efficient vehicle not being used for what it was designed to do.
 
My wife has a 2012 Toyota Sequoia with a 5.8L V8 engine. I have a 2013 F-150 with a 3.5L V6 ecoboost engine. I have used both vehicles to tow our Q25. The F-150 tows it much better than the Toyota. Towing the boat up and down the hills of Tennessee I have not felt any engine strain at all with my truck. It is not all about the size of the engine. The suspension, breaks and gear ratio of the transmission also play a role in the towing capabilities.
 
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I towed my 24 SSLX with SPS and a 200 1300 miles with my Silverado 1500 no problem. Pontoons are like a giant parachute behind the truck
 
fireman4life said:
I may be answering my own question, but just wanted to see other opinions. I just purchased a 2020 21' SSX with a Yamaha 115. I have a 2018 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 (with a Hemi). I went to a lake about 1 hour and 30 mins from the house. Engaged the tow/haul and off we went. Straightaways worked just fine but even the slightest incline it kicked into passing gear and seemed to labor a bit more than I expected. This is the first time I've towed something with weight. Question is would a F250 or Dodge 2500 make it a easier tow? I know I will lose the gas mileage from my Ram but is it worth the tradeoff? Those that tow with a bigger truck---can you tell a difference if you've towed with a smaller? Just curious.....
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Hey Fireman........When towing a heavy load with my Expedition I usually turn the Overdrive off especially on hilly roads/highways. This way it won't be constantly shifting in and out of overdrive........
 
Gearing and speed will play a factor and as others said you have a big parachute behind you. Unless you have other towing needs, save the ching and drive slower, turn up the radio, and cruise to your local destination!
 
Because of the wind drag a pontoon has just about any gasoline engine truck is going to downshift on hills. Gas engines just don't have the torque for pulling so they shift to higher RPM and run on horsepower. Using the tow/haul mode changes shift pattern so the truck holds a gear longer before upshifting. Tow mode also downshifts earlier to aid in slowing/stopping when brake is applied. I never used tow mode on my gas truck when towing unless I was in heavy traffic to aid stopping.

Horsepower starts a load moving but torque keeps it moving. If you want to enjoy towing in high gear you need to go with a diesel engine such as Spoiledrotten and I have. If you look at the specs you will see a diesel usually has double or more the torque power over gas which makes them great for moving loads. The down side is cost as they are expensive to buy but do last much, much longer than gas and operate slightly cheaper over the long run. My Duramax pulls 65 miles to the lake over a small mountain range and never downshifts unless I stop. Beats the fuel mileage I got with a gas truck too!

If anyone reading this is shopping a new truck to tow with do not listen to a salesman speak of horsepower. Horsepower does not tow loads. Instead ask about how much torque the truck has. Expect most gas engines to deliver around 350 - 400 Ft. Lbs torque compared to diesels that are all approaching 1000 Ft. Lbs. torque in the new tier four engines. THAT will move your boat over hills!!
 
I thought the ecoboost in my expedition max would tow well because the max torque is at less than 3,000 rpm which is were the engine runs most of the time at highway speeds. With the 10 speed transmission you don't feel the shifts. Last year on the way to Canada, it towed great, plenty of power, smooth, comfortable and 8.2 miles to the gallon. I barely made it to my normal first fuel stop. The tank is 6 gallons less than my old Ford so that hurt. This truck gets almost 19 mpg without the boat. My old Suburban would shift out of overdrive and it was annoying, so I turned of the overdrive when towing. You are towing a large brick with lots of drag, your truck can handle it.
 
It’s a beast. I’ve also got it chipped. Not sure the exact capacity, but I’ve even pulled this set up through the smoky mountains.
 
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im with Spoiledrotten I forget that I have a trailer behind me sometimes. Pulling, I get around 13mpg but I only bump up to 15mpg daily and around 17-18 on long hwy trips. I also pull a couple of trailers at my business that range from 15-17k lbs.
 
I typically don’t tow long distances, but have done a lot of recreational (motorsport) towing over the years with a variety of trailers/weights. Tow vehicles have typically been the highest hp gas offerings at the time (several GM half ton with 6.0 and 6.2 engines, a 8.1 gas, a 3/4 ton Ford 6.7 diesel, and currently a 1/2 ton Ford Raptor eco boost). If you tow weekly or long distances the diesel may be worth it, as nothing tows like a newer diesel with torque rating at around 1000ftlbs. There are trade offs though. The modern diesels are not 300,000 mile engines anymore with simple routine maintenance. I feel the issue is emissions requirements that have been the Achilles heel of the new diesels, especially if used for short trips and it’s trying to regenerate constantly. It seems most of the issues come down to systems associated with complying with emissions. My Ford diesel had cab off repairs with the engine apart twice before it hit 30k miles. I was not happy and would not own a late model diesel without warranty. The previous 6.4 and 6.0 Ford diesels had issues, such that the 7.3 that hasn’t been available in about 18 years is still desirable. The Duramax and Cummins have their own documented issues. My thought on diesel trucks is that a Ford truck with an Allison transmission and a Cummins diesel would probably be worth buying, but they don‘t make those! The problem is that diesel repairs are quite expensive outside warranty.
In my experience, the V8 gas engines would pull OK, but mileage while towing was atrocious. The diesel was terrific from the towing performance standpoint, but difficult to deal with on a daily basis while not towing. The sweet spot for me has been the eco boost. Part of it may be due to the 10 speed tranny. It pulls significantly better than any V8 gas I have owned and is a far better all around truck than the diesel to live with daily.
 
Agreed on the 3.5 Eco! I had 2 and then a 2.7 Eco which spun a rod bearing pulling my boat. The funny thing is I praised that motor right up until the day it failed. Handled the boat fine and got decent gas mileage. Recently switched to a 2020 Ram with the Hemi and am very impressed at how well it handles the boat. Would have had another 3.5 if the Rams weren't so cheap by comparison. Having been in construction for 25+ years, I can attest to the additional costs of owning diesels. The initial cost of the truck plus the upkeep costs make it hard to justify unless you really need it for towing.
 
Toyota Tundra V8 towing our Axopar 28 last week, a little less than twice your weight. We mostly tow in the flatlands of Florida, but it is exceptionally stable with the Myco trailer.

AZHeat's post pretty much sums up my decision to get this instead of a new diesel. I just couldn't live with them daily with the small amount we actually tow our boat. This does the job for our needs and is "old school", but very reliable and comfortable.

Tundra and Axopar towing - 1.jpeg
Tundra and Axopar towing - 1 (1).jpeg
 
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