Gen 3 VS 3/4 Ton for towing TT

You're in a Capstone?

 

"Vehicle purchases are, at heart, irrational."

Bingo.

People's vehicles are part of their costumes. Lumberjack guy with skinny jeans. Carhartt guy. Black rifle t-shirt with tactical shorts guy. A truck is part of the "I'm capable" messaging people are signaling to each other.

 

Eh, yes and no. Once I got to where I didn't want to tow a travel trailer I could have gotten by with a 4Runner instead of a Tacoma, but I didn't for a few reasons.

1. I'm not in a car in the first place because I have to have ground clearance and the ability to handle snow. If I didn't, I'd have stayed in my WRX.
2. Though I may not do it often, when I do haul something in the bed I like that it isn't in the cab. Gas cans, lawnmowers, propane tanks, greasy grills, etc. are all items that I would rather not have in the passenger space.
3. Going away from the travel trailer want put me in the RTT camp, and I'd rather have the RTT mounted lower over the bed of a truck than way up on the roof of a 4Runner.
4. Hunting. I don't go every year, but often enough that I want a bed for the dead animal to ride in.
5. Kayaks are way easier to manage in a bed than on a roof, though I can and have used a trailer for it when hauling other stuff.
6. The bed has better ways to secure stuff than the cargo area of an SUV. Rails and tie downs keep things from falling over or sliding around.
7. And the big reason I'm in a truck; The 4Runner costs more than the Tacoma for the same trim/options.

I realize that my anecdotal experience is not the norm and there may be many who do drive vehicles to "signal" as stated, but that doesn't mean there aren't valid reasons to have a truck even if another vehicle could be made to work.

 

hell no, I don’t like 22” clown wheels , panda bear interiors and chrome, ha!

Fully color matched platinum for me, Toyota did a great job on the platinum interior imo, like the blue stitching , blue ambient lighting etc on a blue truck

 

Then the previous statements weren't regarding you. They were all about Capstones and the features they have that don't make sense with the trucks configuration.

 

Having multiple personalities can be expensive. I'm a RVing, kayaking, fishing, tree hugger, suburban, old man. So I need a Full size truck, mid size truck, Subaru, Prius, and Macan. But I only have a two car garage!

 

Well yeah, I don’t mean everyone. Lots of us actually use our trucks. I was replying to @Melikeymy beer’s comment about the people who tow, use the bed, or off-road once a year, which is a very large % of the truck driving segment.

 

I really wish I had another space in the garage. I always drive my wife's car when she's not using it and I'm not hauling or towing. I'd really like to have a fun little car. Maybe electric or hybrid. I think the new Prius looks really good. I might have to go look at one and just widen my driveway a little.

 

It's a gamble for me. Some years I'm too busy and I don't fully utilize it, and I really could have made a 4Runner work. There's nothing I do that I couldn't have used it for, but the Pro 4Runner is a few thousand more than the Taco. That was the biggest factor. The other stuff is just conveniences.

 

thanks for the nice compliment, appreciate that!

 

top notch. the seat is really comfy and the vented seats finally work this time. My old 2016 platinum the vented seats did nothing, thats nice when is smoking hot outside.

They really made the new interior nicer since it doesn't have the hodge podge of materials my last platinum had.

One small thing that is SUPER nice, that big arm rest on top of the door, they had their thinking cap on with that one.

Seat comfort is great, and I was worried about the lower top windshield line a bit before I got it, but I must say, vision is fine and it gives you a real cockpit type feel. At night the blue ambient lighting looks really really nice.

and lastly, this is the quietest truck inside I have ever owned, I did my first longer trip last week 4 hours, and I was not nearly as fatigued with the MUCH smoother ride with the AVS set to comfort, super quiet interior and effortless power and slick 10 speed also got 5 mpg more and its not even broke in yet.

so far, I love this thing, lets hope that nothing pops up.

lastly, when you color match the stash and black out the logo on a platinum it sure looks nicer IMO.

 

sorry OP for the small derail.

I would go 3/4 ton if I was traveling any kind of distance or frequency. If its only an hour or two and a few times a year, a gen 3 tundra would be good, I would recommend the auto leveling rear, that would help

 

Yeah, we Jumped the Shark for sure. I think OP got some good feedback tho.

 

I'd like to have the HUD in my truck. Love it in our ES.

 

I would estimate 90% of ford raptors in my county dont see more dirt than i can handle in my 2wd

 

it is really nice, even gives you turn by turn using CarPlay, lots of good info there.

 

I dont think I have seen a single crewmax with over 1500 lbs of payload by the sticker, although the stickers are usually a bit low. But either way, if you wanna abide by the GVWR, that trailer would be at the absolute limits.

 

I heard a rumor Ford is killing that engine already which is disappointing as I like the simplicity - have you heard anything about that?

 

Yes, because Ford seems to have been having issues selling 400k F150's a year at current prices. And GM. And ram.

Prices will come down because inventory will go up, just like before the big C. And then the Tundra will be sitting there looking like a terrible deal. But tundra buyer.will only look at MSRP and compare that not realizing they can get 15-20% off an F150 no problem.

 

If they do its only because they came out with the 6.8L which is just a shorter stroke version of the same motor. Literally its brand new for this year, so it doesnt seem like that motor family is going anywhere.

 

I would get a 3/4 ton truck, preferrably a diesel for the safety factor alone. You get an exhaust brake with them that will save your brakes and they have larger drivetrain components that help to safely carry the trailer. The Tundra will do it but you are getting to a gray area that I would error on the side of safety and go bigger. My diesel Ram I had before gets the same mileage in day to day driving as my Tundra and actually beats it significantly when towing a heavier travel trailer.

 

If you're going to work it hard a diesel is fine, but modern diesels are garbage for daily driver duty on short runs. The dependable diesels of old are no more, sadly.

 

3rd Gen is still halfton, same as the 2nd Gen. If it's not safe with your 2018, it's not safe with a 22/23.

 

For my own personal situation, when we go to get a bigger trailer id be hard pressed to also get a bigger truck.

how many times per year does everyone tow their camper? Some people take 2-3 trips per summer. Is a half ton overloaded? Yeah. But most of those families have no need for a 3/4 ton the other 340 days a year

 

Though I get where you are coming from, that's a selfish way to approach it. If anything goes wrong because of the half ton being overloaded it is entirely possible someone besides the driver could pay the price for it. I'm very much against holding grudges, but if some idiot in a half ton pulling a trailer that's way to big loses control and kills somebody I love..... well I'm not sure how forgiving a mood I'd be in.

 

Here’s some even more discouraging math for the shitter on wheels crowd…. Er I mean “camper” crowd.

You guys buy a camper, most people finance them, so you have say a $500 camper payment. That’s $6000/year for something that gets used 2-3 weeks out of the year and maybe a few weekends here and there. Plus it costs money in fuel to tow it to a destination and cost money for a campground space, around a bunch of other campers. So let’s say each outing in the camper costs $500 in fuel, campground fees etc. so there’s another $1000-$1500 per year on top of your camper payment. You also have to insure and license it, not sure how much that is but there is an associated cost.

I have to observe that for upwards of $7,000 per year I can book some very very nice lodging in scenic areas for a few vacations each year, plus travel to and from if I drive. All without the stress and ass pain of towing a toilet and mediocre beds on wheels.

 

I think there is a big difference between being 500lbs over payload and pulling a 5er with a tundra….
And @Coal Dragger that is spot on correct! Renting an rv is almost always the way to go

 

Who said anything about a 5th wheel?