I currently own a 3/4 ton suburban with the 6.0L engine. I routinely pull my boat from San Diego, CA to Yuma, AZ and back, I take the 8 freeway which runs East and West. If anyone is familiar with this drive you know its quite a climb to and from.
My question is, how will the new Tundra handle pulling by 5500 + lb. boat over the 8 fwy pass between El Centro and San Diego? My suburban is a complete dog, sometimes reaching speeds as low as 30 mph and downshifting to 1st gear My 5.3l silverado did much better, although it was much lighter than my suburban.
I know people may say that 1/2 ton trucks will pull 5500 lbs, I know I had one, but I want something that will pull with authority and reliablility. I am considering a diesel but I am impressed with the Tundra based on a test drive I took and what Ive read so far. Before I make my decision I would like to hear from any Tundra owners that may have experience with this type of driving.
If you have the 5.7 engine, you will find that if you dont pay attention you will be speeding up hills! I pulled a 27 foot travel trailer up the grapevine and later up the mountain from Clovis, CA to the high sierras to Camp Edison and had to slow down to allow a Chev 1500 6.0 engine (brother-in-law's) pulling a ski boat to catch up to me. Before I realized it, I was at 65mph in a 55 zone and still picking up speed on a 8% grade. I was extremely surprised at the pulling power of my 5.7 Crewmax.
I currently own a 3/4 ton suburban with the 6.0L engine. I routinely pull my boat from San Diego, CA to Yuma, AZ and back, I take the 8 freeway which runs East and West. If anyone is familiar with this drive you know its quite a climb to and from.
My question is, how will the new Tundra handle pulling by 5500 + lb. boat over the 8 fwy pass between El Centro and San Diego? My suburban is a complete dog, sometimes reaching speeds as low as 30 mph and downshifting to 1st gear My 5.3l silverado did much better, although it was much lighter than my suburban.
I know people may say that 1/2 ton trucks will pull 5500 lbs, I know I had one, but I want something that will pull with authority and reliablility. I am considering a diesel but I am impressed with the Tundra based on a test drive I took and what Ive read so far. Before I make my decision I would like to hear from any Tundra owners that may have experience with this type of driving.
Thank you for any responses anyone may have.
Chad
It will do just fine. I recently towed 8000lbs of gear/trailer/rig 2200 miles and it did great From SoCal to Utah and back... only twice was the truck in 1st gear (it was increasing in speed) and they were highways that were rarely used between Bryce/Zion/etc.
I don't do a lot of towing but a lot of long ride with heavy items and with the new tundra it is like moveing a cloud and the truck will last if you take care of it change the oil and other important things.
Trust 381h power!!!!
Towed 6000lbs from GA to NC in the mountains and back. Not only will the truck handle the pulling, but for saftey sake, I found the brakes to be up for the challange as well, and them some.
If you want a gasoline truck to handle your pull and don't want to go Diesel, then this is definatly the right truck. NO DOUBT!!
I currently own a 3/4 ton suburban with the 6.0L engine. I routinely pull my boat from San Diego, CA to Yuma, AZ and back, I take the 8 freeway which runs East and West. If anyone is familiar with this drive you know its quite a climb to and from.
My question is, how will the new Tundra handle pulling by 5500 + lb. boat over the 8 fwy pass between El Centro and San Diego? My suburban is a complete dog, sometimes reaching speeds as low as 30 mph and downshifting to 1st gear My 5.3l silverado did much better, although it was much lighter than my suburban.
I know people may say that 1/2 ton trucks will pull 5500 lbs, I know I had one, but I want something that will pull with authority and reliablility. I am considering a diesel but I am impressed with the Tundra based on a test drive I took and what Ive read so far. Before I make my decision I would like to hear from any Tundra owners that may have experience with this type of driving.
Thank you for any responses anyone may have.
Chad
Any reputable dealer will let you hook up your boat and take her for a test pull.
I regularly pull a horse trailer which comes in around 6500 loaded. No problem at all for the Tundra. Even on long hills I can accelerate easily if need be and can maintain speed without a thought.
__________________
2007 Double Cab 5.7 4X4 SR5 TRD in Radiant Red
Towed 6000lbs from GA to NC in the mountains and back. Not only will the truck handle the pulling, but for saftey sake, I found the brakes to be up for the challange as well, and them some.
If you want a gasoline truck to handle your pull and don't want to go Diesel, then this is definatly the right truck. NO DOUBT!!
I am thinking about 07 Tundra and my camper weights about 6000 lbs. Did the back end drop down alot? I have weight distributing hitch on camper with sway bars..
I am thinking about 07 Tundra and my camper weights about 6000 lbs. Did the back end drop down alot? I have weight distributing hitch on camper with sway bars..
I you set up your hitch correctly, the front should drop just as much as the back...If you need a tutorial, I am sure many of us will be willing to help.
__________________
Beer please! CBTMA (Member and Founding Father: Est. August 15, 2008)
Clicky>>> What The Heck is CBTMA
Unknown - "The biological purpose of pain is to prevent the recurrence of stupidity."
I currently own a 3/4 ton suburban with the 6.0L engine. I routinely pull my boat from San Diego, CA to Yuma, AZ and back, I take the 8 freeway which runs East and West. If anyone is familiar with this drive you know its quite a climb to and from.
My question is, how will the new Tundra handle pulling by 5500 + lb. boat over the 8 fwy pass between El Centro and San Diego? My suburban is a complete dog, sometimes reaching speeds as low as 30 mph and downshifting to 1st gear My 5.3l silverado did much better, although it was much lighter than my suburban.
I know people may say that 1/2 ton trucks will pull 5500 lbs, I know I had one, but I want something that will pull with authority and reliablility. I am considering a diesel but I am impressed with the Tundra based on a test drive I took and what Ive read so far. Before I make my decision I would like to hear from any Tundra owners that may have experience with this type of driving.
Thank you for any responses anyone may have.
Chad
No disrespect, but it will blow the doors off the Suburban. Look at it this way, much more HP and Torque than the GM 6.0 (not knocking the 6.0, it can be made to run good, but out of the box, it's a dog), plus you've added a 6 speed tranny, and the icing on the cake (IMO) is the 4.30 rear end. I guarantee you it will pull that little 5500 lb boat up the big 6% grade out of Bishop California on hwy 395 at better than 70 mph. Been there, done that with my 6,000 lb travel trailer (more wind resistance than your boat too) and hardly noticed the steep grade. Don't give it a second thought.
__________________
2007 SR5 CrewMax, SiLver w/5.7 V8
>Bakflip Tonneau Cover.
>Rampage Running Boards.
>Heavy Duty 6 ft. Rubber Bed Mat
out of my 2000 Tundra cut to fit!
If you have the 5.7 engine, you will find that if you dont pay attention you will be speeding up hills! I pulled a 27 foot travel trailer up the grapevine and later up the mountain from Clovis, CA to the high sierras to Camp Edison and had to slow down to allow a Chev 1500 6.0 engine (brother-in-law's) pulling a ski boat to catch up to me. Before I realized it, I was at 65mph in a 55 zone and still picking up speed on a 8% grade. I was extremely surprised at the pulling power of my 5.7 Crewmax.
After your trip post your results...
EXACTLY! As noted above, we pulled the 6% grade with our 6,000 lb trailer out of Bishop on 395 like it wasn't there. 9 miles straight up. It went by so fast we joked later that we forgot all about it-and that was true-we did forget the hill was there! We were too busy talking and listening to the stereo.
__________________
2007 SR5 CrewMax, SiLver w/5.7 V8
>Bakflip Tonneau Cover.
>Rampage Running Boards.
>Heavy Duty 6 ft. Rubber Bed Mat
out of my 2000 Tundra cut to fit!
I am thinking about 07 Tundra and my camper weights about 6000 lbs. Did the back end drop down alot? I have weight distributing hitch on camper with sway bars..
Steve, the back end stayed pretty level, and no sway what so ever. The Trailer I towed is a tandom of course, no sway bars, and no weight distributing hitch.
Tundra Towing
My 5.3l silverado did much better, although it was much lighter than my suburban.
Linear Mode
