I kinda understand what you are talking about. I know the price of a 3/4 ton is unreal but there is nothing like towing with a big truck. I tow the cj with the ranger on flat ground with out a problem but if it had a V8 life would be nice and it could handle it. Also dont forget the weight of a 3/4 ton and a mini pickup. The 3/4 ton will tow much better even if they had the same motors.

Can someone please bring me a hammer my 33's just ate my fender again. Damn i need more lift.

 

The problem is not the motor, it's the brake size and sheer mass of the tow vehicle. Those are really the two that count.

JEEPN
Winter Harbor, Maine
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled, It's a Jeep, Chevy, IHC kinda thing!
'88.5 Zuki, 7" Lift, Locked, Swamped, Rolled, and just generally broken in right!

 

Have you considered a used 3/4 ton Ford? The Powerstroke has been around since '94 and the new ones really don't have that much on the older ones. I'll pit my '97 (not stock) against any brand new one. I like the looks of the new ones as well as the interior, but it sure isn't worth it to get rid of my existing truck which is paid off just for the looks.

'75 CJ5 with goodies

 

Yeah, frankly I'd be fine with a used short bed crew cab F250HD with the Powerstroke too but try to find one around here. I guess I just need to be patient. It's gotta be a crew as it will be our family long haul traveler too and I'd prefer the short bed for the size. These are hard to find though. I don't know about the brakes of the Dakota (although they got a very good rating) but the weight of the crew supposed to be up there around 5000lbs.

'91 YJ w/stuff, http://members.home.net/t.molnar

 

My 2cents is this: go with a fullsize. A buddy of mine has a Dakota with a V8 and it's a good rig (got some offroading pics of it if I ever get around to scanning them), it's got plenty of power, and is geared right. For occassional pulling I'd use it, but not with any regularity. I've also pulled stuff with Broncos and other relatively short wheelbase rigs, and didn't care for the experience. Fine for pulling, but stopping is the problem. A 1/2 ton extended cab fullsize of your favorite make would be my choice for the kinda use you are talking. Most 1/2 ton fullsizes I've played with get the same kinda mileage a new v8 Dakota does, and is simply more comfortable. In fact, a 93-96 F150 with the EFI I6 is a great little puller--lots of torque--especially after you visit Clifford Performance! Just my admittadley strange view......Though if I had the bucks I'd grab a Diesel Ford Super duty!

"If it ain't broke, try harder!"

 

Unfortunately, extended cab won't do, not enough room. It's gotta be a crew cab or I can't sell it in the family. So what 1/2 full size trucks had crew cab versions that can be found used a few years old?

'91 YJ w/stuff, http://members.home.net/t.molnar

 

Go with the full size with the diesel, I have no doubt that you will be glad you did. The full size will pull your load and you won't even know it is back there. Theres alot to be said about pulling a load with confidence. If you pull a heavy load with a smaller pick-up, you will find yourself always concerned and worrying about your load. If you pull one with the proper tow vehicle (e.g. full size w/diesel) you will find that your travels will be much more pleasant, and actually cheaper because the diesel was designed for that purpose. The diesle also get better with age (to a certain point of course) and as said before, the brakes, transmission, etc. have been designed with towing in mind.

http://bastroptx4x4.alloffroad.com

 

Tibor,
I'd like to throw out a different idea about tow vehicles. JEEPN is right, towing comes down to brakes and mass. It sounds to me as though you need a family hauler that will also tow your jeep safely. I looked in Auto-trader and crew cabs are few to say the least, all I found were toners. I suggest you look for a full size window van as a tow vehicle. Auto-trader has this one and many more like it: '94 Chevy G20 Mark III conv, Van 5.7L FI loaded w/tv, captain chairs for $3450. All the vans are thousands below the trucks and the running gear is generally the same for the size. My brother had a 3/4 ton van to tow his 26" Mako boat. We had tuna permits and towed that boat to many locations. The van did all we asked of it and more. We could even sleep in it. Maybe a Suburban would work, but they're big bucks usually, too. Just another idea, hope it helps.
All the best..
w
Hav'n fun!

 

Just having went through the same situation, I wanted the size for towing capabilities but yet was afraid of the gas mileage of the larger big blocks. I looked at some older crew cab diesels but most had high miles (100,000+)and I know that any repairs on a diesel are EXPENSIVE! Therefore I weighed the cost difference between a big block gasoline and the diesel and found that the money saved in purchasing a gasoline engine would pay for alot of fuel.

Everyday travel is off-roading in this town....

 

You know, it's not a bad idea. I was thinking about that also but I had nobody to ask who had actual experience. Heck, for that kind of money I'm game, as long as it's a woody! /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif Since I don't know anything about these types of vans help me out please. What makes and types should I consider? Believe it or not even my wife expressed interest in one of these at one time. Heck we were even offered one to spend our honeymoon in by a relative and it was equipped - as he put it - "just right" for that kind of thing, if you know what I mean. /wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

'91 YJ w/stuff, http://members.home.net/t.molnar

 

Whoa, as one who is planning a honeymoon, a conversion van offered by a relative who makes a claim like that downright scares me.../wwwthreads_images/icons/blush.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/blush.gif/wwwthreads_images/icons/blush.gif...

When looking at vans (or trucks), make sure you go by what equipment it has, and not what rating it is. There are a lot of "3/4 ton" "2500" chevy vans out there that are not built all that heavy...and the same is true of trucks (and other manufacturers. Just make sure you're checking out what kind of axles/tranny/etc. it has, and make sure you're not getting something that isn't any heavier duty than a minivan. BTW, if you do buy a used van, expect to replace ball joints and steering parts...for some reason, they go through 'em like water (despite the truck chassis)...might be a good bargaining tool if you find one in otherwise good condition that has loose joints. Fixing 'em takes a day and a $100 in parts (plus $50 in tools if you wanna get professional), but if you paid someone to do it, you'd probably pay $600 or more...so you can leverage for the $600 or whatever the going rate is in your town.

That said, I'd get a club cab pickup with a cap over a van any day of the week. Way more versatile, and just as secure. Are you sure a 3 or 4 door extended cab truck with a cap wouldn't provide enough room (as compared to a club cab)?

I Jeep, therefore I am.

 

Maybe it's best if I explain our situation and how this vehicle would be used. I have an '88 Civic which still runs fine but we only use it for short commutes and without the baby because of safety concerns. My wife has a '94 Toyota Camry Wagon that is our main family hauler for now. In thinking of getting myself a different vehicle I was thinking of something that can seat 5 adults comfortably for long trips (we have guests and inlaws visit often), has enough room to carry some camping and baby gear (7hr drive to PA to inlaws) and be able to pull the jeep occasionally. The trips to trails would be mostly on hwy and not many hills to deal with. I guess I should have refrased my initial question as "family haluer, with occasional towing". I know about big engines, good breaks, heavy chassy and long wheelbase making all the difference in a thoroughbred tow vehicle. My initial tendency towards crew cab pickups were because the stout build and room they provide. I guess many makers only started to make the kinds I want recently, like the F150 SuperCrew, Dakota Club Cab, Chevy Avalanche and the like so these are all going to be expensive. Maybe the other option could be just to get a cheap beater for the tow only and use the Camry for everything else. This is however harder to justify to the familiy. It's like having yet another vehicle next to the jeep for one specific task only. It was hard enough to sell the jeep as a daily driver for god's sake... /wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif

'91 YJ w/stuff, http://members.home.net/t.molnar

 

I towed a 74 CJ5 on an 18-foot trailer for 8 years with a 92 Yukon. Never had any troubles.

Total weight of trailer and Jeep was about 5500 pounds. The trailer had electric brakes. If you are within the towing capacity of the Durango Go for it. I might recommend the Full-size SUV, Expedition, Yukon, Tahoe, or Suburban, depending on your brand of choice. The Talk of F250 or 2500 trucks is just overkill unless you haul stuff that you have not told us about.

Some important things to think about are:

How much do you tow? This will decide if the Durango or any other vehicle will do the job a second time.

How often do you tow? Can you justify the cost of the F250 for once or twice a year when a Durango or smaller vehicle will work just fine?

Where you tow? Colorado? Nebraska? This makes a big difference how much over capacity you need or think you need.

For pickup vs. SUV I always like the SUV over the pickup because I hauled the dirty stuff on the trailer when I needed to haul it. Using a flat bed trailer is never as convenient as throwing it in the back of a truck but I never hauled that many items that would not put in the back of the Yukon.

The SUV did a much better job for me of hauling family, friends and luggage than a pickup would. Family, friends and luggage was my primary cargo.

I hope this helps...


JAS

 

Evidently you dont need a 4x so that drops the price there. When I was looking for our pick-up, I sure found a lot of them in Texas..I mean a ton of them down there and they are all pretty much highway rigs and in excellent condition too.

Everyday travel is off-roading in this town....

 

Hehe, everybody and their grandma is driving pickups down there. I used to live in Houston so I know but I was a student so I was driving my Civic.
To answer the questions:
The heaviest I'd be towing is the jeep.
It would be maybe 5-6 times a year. Trips ranging from 2 to 6 hrs in length.
It would be on the east coast, VA and PA and mostly on the highway.

The interesting thing is that I heard a lot of bad things about Durangos but rather good things about Dakotas. Don't they share lot of the drivetrain components?

'91 YJ w/stuff, http://members.home.net/t.molnar

 

Over the last few years, I have gone through towing incrementalism just like my Jeep experience. I live 10 hours from the CO mountains and started flat towing with a ZJ about 5 years ago and bought a trailer and new Chevy 1/2 ton truck a year ago. I kind of wished I had bought a 3/4 ton but I only tow occasionally also and it seemed like overkill.

You do not say whether you will be flat towing or trailer towing. There is a major difference. You will also find there is a significant difference in the towing capacity rating of the F150 and the Dakota. If you ever plan on using a trailer to haul your Jeep, you will need a minimum of the F150. The trailer towing is a lot more comfortable because of the braking system. It more than offsets the additional weight.

In the mid-west, there are quite a few older 3/4 ton Ford crew cabs used by the RV 5th wheel crowd and you can pick these up used if you watch the RV classified ads.

Later, Ken

83 CJ8, 4.0 HO/AW4, etc.

 

I'm planning to get a trailer. Any web sites for those RV classifieds in the mid-west?

'91 YJ w/stuff, http://members.home.net/t.molnar

 

Depending on how much you want to spend you can find some really nice Chevy burbans and 3/4 vans for under $5k that would tow well and have large roomy seating. My parents have a '88 chevy C20 conversion van and we have towed all kinds of jeeps home with it and even the M715, 123k and no major problems.

Luke
http://www.cj7jeep.com

 

I think like most ideas and needs a little reflection on your situation will bring you a solution. For the vans Ford makes an Econoline, Chevy has a Savana, Dodge had their Tradesman, Be careful of the minivans, lots of those about and most won't tow a jetski. The older 4 door trucks I''ve found have been pretty good money even for the older one ton rigs, like the Chevy 3+3's although one is being sold with the train track wheels still on it.
Some of the smaller RV conversion vans would do you well. Handle the family easily and tow the Jeep when needed, and the wife would find it easy to go shopping with, too. Most areas have some sort of auto-trader or auto-hunter magazine. Look in the yellow pages and go visit the lots.
I wish you the best of luck in finding what you desire.
w

 

I think the idea of looking for a used travel trailer tow rig in the midwest is a good one. A well maintained diesel truck will run for a long time. I have a friend that hauls newspapers. He always buys a one ton diesel pickup, his last one was a Dodge with a cummins and an NV4500. In 500,000 miles he never replaced anything on the engine except for the water pump and the alternator, he actually had a lot of trouble with the overdrive gear on the tranny, but the engine ran flawlessly. He has had similar results with the Navistar, but had to do a top end job on the Ford at 400,000. A lot of older people buy the one ton ford four door trucks to tow their travel trailers, and many of them don't see that many miles. Admittedly, most of them are two wheel drive, but the price is reasonable in most cases. The diesels will also get reasonable mileage for their size. My friend usually got around 17 from the cummins when he was loaded, and a couple mpgs better empty. It is unfortunate that Dodge never made a four door with the cummins, they would have cleaned ford's clock, and we all know they need it after giving twenty million to the greens.

Cage Up, Wheels Down
Jeepfiend
All my Jeeps are in pieces! Except for one!!

 

I started out towing a 20' boat with a Ford Ranger pickup. The little 4.0 litre did okay except on hills and heavy braking. It was always and experience. I had to put a second axle under the trailer to stabilize it.

I then upgraded to a Grand Cherokee. That was better. A bigger motor and more weight made quite a difference. I was happier with the whole package but climbing hills wasa b!tch. Then one day I had to test the vehicle in a panic situation with the boat behind me. It failed miserably. I took the entire family for a bumpy ride into the desert to avoid the jerk who pulled out in front of me. (the surge brakes on my boat trailers are always serviced twice a year. The wife totally agreed when I told her we needed something bigger to tow our toys after that.

I bought the F350 Crew Cab shortbed diesel. It has been wonderful. I drove the 250 and the 350 doesn't seem to ride any worse. I figured a little extra capacity couldn't hurt. I barely notice anything behind me when I am towing.

It was an expensive purchase and I have been working hard to pay it off in two years. (I hate loans /wwwthreads_images/icons/frown.gifunless they are on appreciating assets /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif) I know I will have a vehicle that will last a good long time and take my family on safely on our vacations no matter what we tow. I consider this worth the price of the vehicle.

Vehicle pricing and incentives are excellent right now. You might find that stripped down new truck for the price of that Durango.

Otherwise the van is an excellent idea. I borrowed my fathers 3/4 ton many times to pull stuff. It did great.

Soemtimes a little extra now can save you a lot later.

Good Luck!

Craig
84 CJ7
BRC Lifetime Member

 

I don't like to spend $$$. I think the best bang for the buck, that will more than fill your needs is a nice used 1 ton van. You can pick them up for real cheep. A budy of mine just bought a Ford w/ 460 that was converted to 4wd by a utility company. Its a blast.
But then again, my Mom drives a 2000 crew cab, 4wd, dually, long bed, deisel, Ford w/ a six speed. It pulls a steel 5 horse trailer fully loaded with no problems at all.

'80 CJ7 w/ AMC401, T18a, TeraLo Dana 20, soon to be sprung over w/ dual Dan 60s!!

 

The only thing that would discourage me from buying the Durango, other than the thoughts I expressed in my eralier post is that they are almost as expensive if not as expensive as a good used diesel 3/4 or 1 ton.

SUV's are way over priced and you don't have near the room you would have in a large truck...The van idea isn't a bad idea, you can get the vans alot cheaper than a truck...

I am seriously thinking of buying a used blue bird school bus and converting it into a RV/Jeep hauler,,,,basically modify it to allow the Jeep to pull up either into the rear of the bus or chop the bus and make a ramp portion for the Jeep, then build the rest into an RV.

They are fairly cheap used, and I would either purchase one with a decent diesel or put a rebuilt diesel in it. Then I could travel to the Jeep events and have a place to stay, and still be able to hook up a trailer if needed to the rear of the bus,,,,,

http://bastroptx4x4.alloffroad.com

 

My input, I had a 93 Dakota, the paint peeled off, and the electronics went out just after the warranty expired. it had plenty of power but I was not happy with the fit and finish. I then bought a 99 F-150 extended cab 5.4. I used this truck to tow a #5500 trailer to the california sierra mountains from San diego. The truck did fine and I was happy with the truck overall. I just traded that truck in on a 2001 f250 4X4 v-10 extended cab. A big difference in the towing department, a lot more stability. Gas F-150, 14-15 in town 17-18 highway 9 towing. F-250, 12 in town 14 highway, 10 towing. A diesel it would take 80,000-100,000 miles of use to break even on the fuel saving vs diesel price. A diesel would be more expensive maintenance wise. A diesel pulls a load better. with Fords 2.9% interest on Super Dutys It may be worth a look. My vote would be the F-150 for your towing requirements. if you may upgrade to a larger trailer in the future (5th wheel, travel, or toy hauler) go for the F-250. Be carefull when looking at advetised tow ratings. The only way to really know is to weigh the vehicle then subtract that weight from the listed gross vehicle combined weight rating.

 

I LIKE school bus idea. Sounds like a blast.
Get it all rigged up with an area for sleeping. A shop area. and on the back, (if it's a long bus not a short one.) why not just chop the roof/sides and drive the Jeep right on it.
It might be a little tall, but who really cares anyways.

And then if you wanted to get really hard core you could have sides that slid out (expencive RV style.) and a canopy for working on the Jeep, on the back of the school bus, in the rain.

Whatever you do, don't spray paint flowers on it, and have planters in the windows.

I'm pretty sure with one of those busses power isn't an issue. I've seen one tow a full sized picup up a really steep hill, with a full load of kids in it.