Towing 3rd Gen

Hey all,

I know nobody truly knows how this new IMAX hybrid will pull. Last truck I owned was a 2007 Chevy Avalance and I had a 5,000 lb travel trailer. It did ok on flat land but I live in Denver, Colorado and the second I went west I felt like that engine or transmission was gonna blow up! Im excited to get my family back into camping and im looking at 7500-8k lb travel trailers. Im wanting the Platinum and if my limited knowledge calculations are correct im on the edge for towing capacity taking into account payload and towing capacity using the 80% rule.

Any thoughts on how people think this thing will pull at altitude? I dont want a 3/4 ton because it wont fit in my garage.

 

Ya thats what I'm afraid of. I may rent a couple trailers with different weights before I buy one.

 

Look at TFLs towing videos on their YouTube TFL TRUCK channel, under videos they have a category called Ike Gauntlet. They do that stretch in CO with all sorts of trucks. For a good comparison I'd look at the F150 hybrid vs. a standard Chevy diesel.

Some of these tests they also compare the amount of times they have to use the brakes and effectiveness of a trucks auto engine brake systems.

They even test MPG when towing under a good size load.

https://youtu.be/yAGtXUb-M_g

 

wow great video for my question! So it will do it but will i be replacing the turbos and engine at 80k miles is the question haha.

 

Ya it’s the only way to do it I think. Although rv rentals is pricey!

 

Very true! Although ill never buy a new trailer again. Talk about depreciation…well in normal times

 

On the Ford? Ya probably lol

 

Never owned a TTV6 in Colorado, all I can go on is TFL's Ike Gauntlet towing test with Ford's TTV6's. The passing power appeared to be better compared to V8's. Having towed over the I70 passes you know there's a competition between the slooooow 18-wheelers, you with a 28' trailer, and the SUV/passenger cars.

Trying to squeeze a 28' trailer into the fast lane climbing the passes so you don't get stuck behind a semi doing 20mph, the passing power from a TTV6 seems helpful.

Having said that, the V8 does fine and TFL's towing tests show Fords turbo doesn't get much better MPG's towing. I think a lot of people that tow are having cranial debates about V8 vs TTV6.

Floyd Hill is a weird one. It doesn't look steep but all of a sudden you're losing speed fast. Thank god it's 3-lane.

 

I needed a transmission cooler to even give my Avalanche a chance of climbing on I70. I was the 25mph semi at times. Feel bad for the guy who bought my truck ‍♂️. Told myself id buy a diesel if I got a Travel Trailer again. I was sold on a gmc 3.0 baby diesel then Toyota messed it up with Tundra announcement

 

Tundra’s always seem to have good cooling. You don’t hear about to many overheating while towing.

The new Fords and GM’s constantly over heat the trans when towing in the Mountains. I have multiple friends that have had this happen with brand new trucks.

That being said, I don’t think 1/2 ton trucks have any business towing over 7k.

Also, that being said, the Tundra $hits the bed while towing. Horrible fuel mileage, no power and clapped out rear springs to name a few issues.

 

lol, that feeling of, we’re running out of gears to down shift to

A Friend has a new EcoDiesel Ram, which I think boasts the best power numbers. He tows a 25’ travel trailer and he said it does pretty ok, what ever that means.

 

Reality is if you tow often enough you need the 3/4 ton. I would only do it 4-5 times a year so 3/4 ton is overkill IMO

 

Renting a trailer seems very wise, but don't shy away from 3/4 or 1 ton. Mine doesn't fit in my garage either. If you want to get up into the 7k-8k+ towing you will love how much sturdier a HD truck is.

I have tried everything to make my old tundra tow 8k-10k comfortably and its just no comparison. And on most 1/2 ton trucks they throw out a huge towing number when in reality it can only tow about 60% of it.

I am not sure if they mentioned it in that video, but Andre did get a follow up email from Ford saying that the max towing number is for level ground at sea level. And for every 1000ft of elevation change you need to reduce towing ratings by 10%. So in Colorado Andre's ford should not be towing over 6500lbs. Those are the gimmicks these manufacturers play. I don't think Toyota really plays that game, but I would never consistently tow near or over 10k on a 1/2 ton. They don't have the rear end stability that is required to keep that much weight in line. Add wind onto the side of a travel trailer and good luck.

Just my $0.02

 

All great points! I just hate to put a 70k truck outside. Seems silly.
I totally understand and remember what i was like towing a 6000lb travel trailer with my Chevrolet Avalanche. Now it put out almost 30% less of the power and torque that the new Tundra MAX engine and was naturally aspirated. The Turbos should help with power output even at altitude.
Stability with the Avalanche wasn't the issue (although I have never towed with a 3/4 or 1 ton to compare). It was the power output going up I70 into the rocky mountains.
Renting is probably the best way to find out and buy a trailer based off that.

Looking back at it the Avalanche was probably over max towing taking into effect payload etc. That poor that struggled haha. Made it from Colorado-Grand Canyon-Arches-Colorado. I knew nothing about towing at the time.

 

Keep doing your research, see what TFL towing tests show. TFL decided to buy a '22 Limited as a longterm vehicle. Maybe they'll have it on the road by January and they do good comparison tests with other half tons.

 

Yes I look forward to this!

 

I have a '21 GMC 3500 gasser that I regularly tow 14K. The new gas engines in Fords and GMs are awesome. I have the SLE package so similar to an SR5 or LT2 for Chevy. I paid $47K or the same price as my Crewcab tundra MSRP. Just something to think about.

 

You would think they get one of the first full production trucks out of the assembly plant since they are huge advertisements for Toyota. Say November?

 

Man i don't feel like you can buy a Toyota Yaris for under 47k in todays market haha.

 

https://youtu.be/RmyT4UI0J3E

 

This should put to bed anyone’s worries about it being able to tow. That was very impressive.

 

Agreed. I was surprised.

My only concern was seeing how high it had to keep the revs. Can't imagine doing that for hours on end across country is great for the engine.

 

Do you mean going down hill? Because towing flat or incline with that weight the rpms seemed awesome to me.

 

I don't think anyone was concerned about the ability to tow.

4.3mpg is worse than I had expected.

 

I thought it was at 5k and up towing uphill.

 

No it was around 2k. Your thinking of the Chevy. It was nearly red lined

 

It is hard to understand how a truck can run at such low rpm and with only 6 cylinders and get worse then the v8 option with its peddle to the floor.