Quoted:
most of the new 1/2 tons are rated over 10,000lbs, some close to 12,000lb to tow
if all i was towing was 7000lbs, i'd stay with a 1/2 ton.
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Quoted:
How often are these towing excursions? if regular or semi regular upgrade, it will be more pleasurable to tow. If infrequent might want to stick with a 1/2.ton and add a trans cooler.
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Quoted:
1/2 tons will run out of payload before running out of towing capacity.
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To answer everybody at once:
-The Chevy I have, after you do all of the math, is about maxed out on gross combined weight when you add a family of 5 and all the gear to the trailer and truck bed.
-We pull the camper about every other month, so it's not a weekly event but it's often enough that it makes me think about regularly.
-In the research I've done thus far, a lot of 1/2 tons say they can tow the weight but when you add payload and take into account vehicle weight and transmission (I have to have a crew cab and 4x4) the reductions seem to bring me back to where I am now. Then you add the upgrades to increase tow capacity (trans cooler, axle ratio, bigger powertrain, etc) and you've priced out to the same point as a 3/4 ton truck. I'm not married to the idea of either a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton, just don't want to buy wrong, especially undersized. If there's a reliable 1/2 ton that would do the job I would prefer that for a better ride (for the family, I don't mind if a truck rides like a truck).