1/2 ton tow vehicle fo 25?

I have a newer GMC 1500 4x4 and it pulled the 25 just great. but, it did not have sufficient braking power for the 25. when we sold the 25 we hauled it to Grants pass from North of Seattle and it had no problems pulling the hills. it was when we went down the other side that became a little dicey. The brakes were quite hot when we pulled in to Grants Pass to meet the buyer. we traded the 25 for a 22 and the trip back was so much better on the downgrades.
 
What about adding electric over hydraulic disk brakes on all four trailer wheels? I am wondering if adding trailer stopping power and a weight distributing (possibly WD & anti-sway) hitch will largely make up for towing the CD-25 with a half-ton vehicle. Sounds like horsepower/pulling is not the limiting factor with a 5.7L V-8 truck....

Anyone have experience with this approach?

Pete
:?:
 
cdory25":31b9knya said:
I know its been a while, but I was cleaning out my in box and came across this. Wanted to thank all those who chimed in about their rides. I ended up with a new Silverado Z71 4WD 4Dr with the 5.3 auto. Its rated to tow 9200 lbs as is or 9400 if i put a tranny cooler on it. Seems ample for a 4000 lb boat w/2000 lb trailer. We've had it a while and haven't pulled the boat yet (trip tom Key West is being planned) and it gets 17.6 mpg around town. Road trip coming this week so we'll see what Hwy mpg is.
Click to expand...

I'm sure the 25 loaded for traveling is WAY more than 4000#.
 
I'm in Florida and don't see a lot of mountains in the near future. Trailer has 4 wheel disk brakes and I was under the impression they would be electric. Not so, but I could always put a big brake package on the truck before venturing too far north. Thanks for the heads up PeterQ. The half ton trucks are as big as the 3/4 a couple years ago. 9,400 lbs!
 
Just a point about the Electric over Hydraulic comment. This will not increase your stopping power over the 4 surge brakes you probably already have (assuming they are working correctly) but it will greatly improve your control over how the power is applied, particularly on long downhilll runs.

A W/D hitch is nice and will give you a better balance of your truck brakes etc but be careful of using one with surge brakes. You may have to go to electric over hydraulic if you use this type of hitch.

M
 
We towed the C Dory 25 over 15,000 miles with the Ford Excursion 7.3 L diesel. It was a good combination--much better with the weight distribution hitch. We didn't specifically had problems with the brakes, but after one long down grade there was a hot bearing, which I suspect was due to the disc brakes dragging on that down grade.

The surge brakes will do fine in Fl. I am currently driving a 2012 Yukon XL with the 6 speed transmission , tow package and 2 range 4 x 4. For Florida this would be an adequate tow vehicle, with its capacity of 8500 lbs. If I was going to do a lot of mountain driving, then go with the electric over hydraulic brakes. A longer wheel base, and weight well distributed in the vehicle makes a better tow vehicle. We prefer the SUV ride over the pickup--plus the secure area inside of the cabin--and ability to lie down and sleep inside the SUV if necessary.
 
We towed our 25 with a 2006 Dodge hemi 5.7 for about 3 years. We towed around Vancouver BC and from Vancouver to Prince Rupert BC. As others have said the power is not a problem. The brakes on the 1500 are adequate for stopping but they do not last long when you tow a 25 quite a lot. Probably had to replace the front rotors at least once a year. We did have an equalizer hitch and I did change the trailer brakes to electric over hydraulic and that helped a lot. If I was towing short distances, or not towing regularly I would not hesitate to use the Ram 1500 to tow the 25. For cross country towing I don't think the truck brakes would stand up. At least the 2006 model brakes wouldn't.
 
I'm not going to lie, I prefer an HD 3/4 ton chassis for towing a heavy load for a number of reasons. All of them obvious: bigger brakes, heavier frames, bigger sway bars, heavier shocks, larger springs, larger axles, and the list goes on and on..... If you do a comparitive analysis it only takes 10 cents worth of brains to see they are more up to the task.

But, a properly rigged 1/2 ton will do the job if it is rated for it. And, you have to be careful which one you get because they are not all equal - there are so many configurations these days. The best ones are the long wheel based models as they lessen driver fatigue and tow far nicer.

I'm envious of you, I haven't had a new truck in my entire life.......The newest one I have sitting around here is an 83 GMC......Oh well.....
 
Back
Top