How old is too old for a vehicle to tow an RV?

[lsiffer]

We have a 2001 Toyota Sequoia.  We brought a 2012 Keystone Passport, dry weight is 6000.  We don't go camping much and have pulled it over the West Virginia Mts to PA and also up to NC mts.  That was a couple years ago and we are now afraid that the truck may be too old.  Concerned we will burn the engine out.  How do we know when not to use the truck and find something else to pull the trailer?  Are there rental trucks for a one-time use to pull the trailer for a week?

 

[Gizmo]

Assuming you are within your towing capability specs, ideally with a cushion and your tow vehicle is properly maintained, needed repairs are made, I would not worry about the age.

 

[driftless shifter]

All depends on if you're a maintenance and repair as advised before it breaks, or if you're a change the oil and fix it when it breaks type. The maintenance type get alot more years and miles out of their vehicles.

Bill

 

[Jeff in Ferndale Wa]

I think if you pay attention to your vehicle,it will tell you when it's getting old.

Listen to the engine and transmission under load.
Any strange noises? Is the transmission(or clutch if standard) slipping or making any noise? What do your fluids look like? Clean and no burning smell?
Any smoke coming out of the exhaust? What color smoke? Is the engine using any oil between changes?

Have your tires, brakes and suspension checked every time you get a lube and oil change, and look at your manufacturer's maintenance schedule to see if something is overdue.

If you see or hear something that doesn't sound right, if you can't check it yourself, have it checked.

If you stay on top of the maintenance, your vehicle can last you a long time.

 

[gwcowgill]

How many miles on the truck? Is all the scheduled maint performed on the truck? Belts and hoses replaced? etc..... I would not hesitate towing with an older truck if it has been maintained and doesn't show signs of dying. MY 1989 Dodge towed in 2005 with over 300,000 on the Odometer. The only reason I got rid of it was I needed more tow capacity. You have to make the call.

 

[MT4Runner]

4.7L V8 or 4.0L V6?  How many miles now on the ODO?

In my opinion, it's a bit too much load for the V6, not the V8, but as others have noted, listen to your vehicle.
Toyotas will run reliably a LOOONNNG time.


I had a 2006 Tundra (same body style) with the 4.7L V8. 
It had no problem towing or stopping, but any trailer weight over 6,000lbs was unpleasant for handling.  That truck was a wonderfully comfortable driver, but not as heavy for pulling trailers as my current '10 Tundra (5.7L V8)

 

[travelinman]

I have a '86 truck that I plan to use as a tow vehicle when I get a 5th wheel or travel trailer. I think it's all about maintenance and if you feel your vehicle is reliable or not. Ideally it would be nice to have brand new vehicle or something a couple years old, but unless there is a pressing reason to not use what you have then I don't see what there is to worry about. I see people driving around all the time towing RV's with older trucks. I don't think it's that uncommon.

 

[Wigpro]

I towed a trailer (5th wheel) to Alaska and back with a 1997 F-150 with the small 4.6 V-8 with 232 thousand miles, but I knew the truck had been maintained and was in good shape...no problems. I recently replaced the truck with an F-250 with the V-10 with 127K miles and feel very comfortable - I have checked all the belts, hoses etc....changed the oil and feel it will give me at least another 100K.

Trucks like miles if well maintained.

Jim

 

[driftless shifter]

Some of my most reliable personal trucks have been decades old. I just sold one that was 37 years old, it was wore out. I drove it onto the trailer, guy wanted the engine. It went from Boston to NYC several times between 07 and 12 when we had two kids down there. It was an old VW van, it'd go 70 all day long.

Bill

 

[Mopar1973Man]

I own a 2002 Dodge Ram pickup I've got 230k miles on it and continue to tow my RV around. I'm aiming for 500k miles before I give up on the truck. People give up on vehicles way too quick these days.  :

 

[poncho62]

My 97 GMC tows my 25ft 5th wheel just fine...



I used to tow our travel trailer with a 51 Ford pickup, not stock drive train, but it was old....and dependable. Ypu just keep them well maintained. Even new trucks need regular maintenance.

 

[robertusa123]

age vs maintenance and condition.  if you tow vehical is a rusted out , oil eating overheats every time you drive it    yea i wouldent tow with it.    but if it runs well, and dosent have gremlines.  tow with it.  also  2001 isent that old

 

[Frizlefrak]

I just bought a new truck, but for a decade from 2003-2014 we pulled with a well kept 1989 F250.  I did all maintenance religiously, and fixed any nitpicky thing that went wrong.  We went into very remote areas with it.  It never let us down.  We bought a new TT in 2012 that was getting near it's limits, which is why we traded up, but it still did the job with that one for 2 years.

If you've owned it a long time and "know" the vehicle, keep the maintenance up, and fix whatever breaks, trading it is usually a want thing as opposed to a need thing....

 

[estes1953]

Ok, what about a really old restored truck (rebuilt engine, transmission, brakes, etc.).
My dad gave me his 1976 Chevy V8, Automatic, 4WD.
I love the truck and am considering having a mechanic restore anything needing it.
It gets really lousy gas mileage, plus has none of the newer towing features, so not sure whether it is worth using to tow a trailer.
Considering the Lance 2075 Camper.
If not, still would not buy a new truck, just a newer used one.
Any thoughts?

 

[IBTripping]

Ok, what about a really old restored truck (rebuilt engine, transmission, brakes, etc.).
My dad gave me his 1976 Chevy V8, Automatic, 4WD.
I love the truck and am considering having a mechanic restore anything needing it.
It gets really lousy gas mileage, plus has none of the newer towing features, so not sure whether it is worth using to tow a trailer.
Considering the Lance 2075 Camper.
If not, still would not buy a new truck, just a newer used one.
Any thoughts?

First welcome to the Forum. You've resurrected an old thread. It's the general practice on this forum to start a new thread when you have a question. But, happy to have you aboard.

As for your truck, if it is just a half ton, a camper will be too heavy for it. The Lance is a very well built which makes it heavier than a lot of other campers. Do you know the gross weight of the Lance? You may need a 3/4 or 1 ton truck.

 

[John From Detroit]

I would say it depends on many things.
First what was the truck designed to pull.

Second. have a good. mechenic and a good frame man go over it and insure it's in good shape.
My last towed car ran fine. appeard to be good till you put it on the hoist then it was close to end of life. So it's dead now and I have a "new" one I really, really, really, like.

 

[estes1953]

First welcome to the Forum. You've resurrected an old thread. It's the general practice on this forum to start a new thread when you have a question. But, happy to have you aboard.

As for your truck, if it is just a half ton, a camper will be too heavy for it. The Lance is a very well built which makes it heavier than a lot of other campers. Do you know the gross weight of the Lance? You may need a 3/4 or 1 ton truck.

2600. Just double checked and it is a 1977 K10 Custom Deluxe, which is 1/2 Ton.

 

[Lou Schneider]

You're going to be hard pressed to find a camper light enough for that truck. One of the important differences between a 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton pickup is the half ton uses a car style semi-floating rear axle while the 3/4 ton and above has a full floating rear axle that can handle more weight. Adding overload springs, etc. won't change the amount of weight the axle can handle.

 

[estes1953]

Understand and thank you for that info.
Alan

 

[Ex-Calif]

I love classic vehicles for their simplicity.

But 1/2 ton is a half ton. You might get away with some older (lighter) campers <21 feet.