Pickup trucks are a top seller in Canada, but if one’s in your plans, how much truck do you need? There’s nothing wrong with wanting a big truck just because you do. But many people overestimate, and you could save a lot of money by tailoring the truck you buy to your actual needs. Here are some things to consider.
Weight Rates
Towing capacity (what the truck can pull) and payload capacity (what it can carry) depend on a number of factors, including engine, axle ratio, and configuration. Overloading affects braking and handling, and strains components. A truck can always pull more trailer than its numbers say, but can’t stop more trailer, and that’s the important part. These are the ratings to know…
Curb Weight is what the truck weighs by itself, including fuel, but with no passengers or cargo.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the maximum the truck can weigh when it’s loaded, including passengers and cargo. It also includes trailer tongue weight – how much downward force the trailer puts on the hitch – but not the trailer itself. Subtract your truck’s curb weight from its GVWR, and that’s how much you can put in it.
Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) is the maximum weight of truck, trailer, and everyone and everything in both.
These numbers are important, but there are so many variables and it’s not always easy to figure them out precisely. When buying a large trailer or camper, it’s best to have the RV dealer match it to your truck’s capacity, including the appropriate hitch for it.
Truck Truths
Part of what makes capacity as much art as science is how trucks are marketed. They’re commonly known as half-ton (150/1500), three-quarter-ton (250/2500) or one-ton (350/3500) because back in earlier days, that’s how much each could carry. Today’s trucks are much stronger – for example, the lowest-rated F-150 half-ton has more than a three-quarter-ton payload.
Automakers like to yell out the highest towing and payload numbers, but they likely won’t apply to the truck you want to buy. We’re back to factors like engine and configuration. For example, the 2020 Chevy Silverado has a maximum towing capacity of 13,400 lbs, but that’s for one specific Double Cab model. Crew Cabs are far more popular, and the highest rating there is 12,000 lbs. That’s still very respectable, but that’s a 1,400-lb difference, and at the other end, the lowest-capacity Crew Cab only pulls 6,600 lbs. Be sure you know what you’re getting.
Engine Economics
Truck engine choices include turbocharged and naturally-aspirated (non-turbo) gasoline engines, and diesel. Consider them carefully to figure out how much engine you need.
Turbocharged engines work on the principle of fuel savings inherent to their smaller size, but make bigger-engine power when needed. These engines can get very thirsty when they’re worked hard, and if your trailer’s on the back most of the time, a larger, non-turbo engine could be cheaper in the long run. It’ll burn more fuel when the truck’s empty, but less than the turbo when it’s pulling. Some naturally-aspirated engines include fuel-saving technologies, such as cylinder deactivation, or on Ram, an available mild hybrid system.
Diesels are the workhorses with their low-end torque, and you’ll want one if you’re towing a heavy work trailer or fifth-wheel camper, but they cost more to buy and maintain. Ford, GM, and Ram offer light-duty diesels in their half-tons — and GM even in its midsize trucks — and they get better mileage than gasoline. But unless you drive a lot of kilometres, it’s hard to make up their higher cost.
Two or Four?
Four-wheel drive is popular, but will you get your use out of it? Most 4×4 trucks use a part-time system that’s two-wheel drive until you activate four-wheel. On hard surfaces, the four-wheel system can bind and damage the components, and should only be activated off-road or in very deep snow. Only a truck with “4 Auto,” usually found on upper-level trims, can be driven on asphalt.
If you never plan on leaving the street, a 4×2 will save cash and gas, and because it doesn’t have the four-wheel’s extra weight, it’ll probably have a higher payload.
So how much truck to do the job?
If you’re not sure what your trailer and toys weigh, take them to a scale. Here are rough estimates on some common pull-behinds.
On average, a small fishing boat and trailer comes in around 3,000 lbs. Every full-size will handle that, of course, but you can also go midsize. It’s beyond the Toyota Tacoma, which maxes out at 2,950 lbs, but Ford’s Ranger pulls 7,700 lbs; Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Sierra range from 3,500 to 7,700 lbs; the Nissan Frontier gives you up to 6,640 lbs; Jeep’s Gladiator goes from 4,000 to 7,650 lbs; and the Honda Ridgeline can pull 5,000 lbs.
A pop-up camper usually weighs up to about 3,000 lbs as well, so any of those should handle it. For camper trailers under 25 feet, any of the midsize trucks rated at 7,200 lbs or more shouldn’t have a problem.
An average snowmobile weighs about 500 lbs, and a two-sled trailer generally about 400 lbs. Take two machines to the trail, and any midsize will get you there. These trucks should also handle utility trailers and smaller dual-tandem trailers, taking into account what you’re putting into them.
Up from there, you’re into full-size, and for most fifth-wheel campers, a three-quarter to one-ton truck. For lighter stuff, though, start your search at the smaller end and go up from there. Depending on your needs, you could save yourself money that could be better spent on the toys you’re trailering.
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August 07, 2020 at 07:07PM
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How much truck do you REALLY need? - Driving
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