I need some advice guys........

Well, I am kinda in a spot where I need to make a decision. I just bought an enclosed trailer, kinda large (18'). My truck is an 2002 Silverado Z-71 with the 5.3. I noticed that the truck gets a little hot when I tow my trailer. My truck has never given me any trouble whatsoever, but I have been toying with the idea of getting a diesel. Well, my cousin tells me yesterday that he is selling his 2007 Toyota Tundra Crewmax. He is giving me a smoking deal on it, so now I am really up in the air. My truck is almost paid for, but the Toyota is a good deal. My question is........gas prices the way they are, diesel higher......do you think the Toyota is a sound investment. My truck gets about 16-18mpg, and the Toyota gets around 14-15. I am just wondering if I should pass and try to get a diesel that will run a long time. Does anyone own a Tundra or have spent any time in one?

Hey AirbornLT........u asked so here ya go....PASS get the smoker!!!! After all, they were invented to PULL!!! I have had both but now I'll always have a diesel pick up. Just 2 cents from a trucking company owner.

Well, the trailer will be the heaviest thing I will pull. I don't work contracting, and I am just wondering if the diesel as a daily driver will eat me alive in driving costs.

What I mean is this....if I am only going to pull that big trailer once or twice a month, is a diesel a good choice that I will have to drive everyday.

Well......if I drive my F350 Dully correctly I can get 18 mpg...thats out of a truck that weighs more than 8,000. The gas burners won't get that. Plus, there isn't much I can't do with it. Kinda like a reserve chute and a main chute....they both do the same thing, but which would ya rather be using?!?!?! :(lmao:

Oh and one more thing.....I drive the Dully every day!

Well, my only thing is the fact that the Toyota is about 10-12,000 cheaper than a diesel. I am just wondering if its worth it to pay all that extra money for an 06 or 07 diesel.

I'm with Foxfire. The Diesel will be more of a initial investment, and will cost more at the pump, but it will get better mileage than a gas burner, both loaded and unloaded, if your right foot isn't too heavy. It hurts to fill it up sometimes, but I will NEVER go back to a gas burner. Lately I've been filling up at around 1/2 a tank, so it doesn't hurt my wallet as bad. :D

Oh yea, I can get around 18 - 20 on the interstate @ 70. I get anywhere from 12 - 15 pulling my 7000lb camper, depending on the lay of the land. I got between 10 - 12 pulling it to Bristol, Tn running 70mph the whole way, and there were some good hills on that trip. I am also running 33" tires on it, but I do have a Bullydog programmer. BTW, I have an 06 Ram 2500 Mega Cab 4x4, CUMMINS.

If you run the numbers it wont be that big of a difference

Comparing my frontier to my dads 250 power joke going to ocala pullin the rhino it takes 2 tanks in my truck and about 1.25 in my dads

Go with the deisal , your truck has a 5.3 liter , thats a 327 , if it was still a 350 you would be ok. the toyo really dont have much more than what you have.
you need torqe not HP to pull with,
get the smokey if you want power , trust me i owned a service center for 25 years.

Chris.... :)

Well, I just know the new Tundras are freakin phenomenal compared to the earlier Tundras. My Sergeant Major tows a 30' boat and he says he doesnt even know its there. I like Chevy the best, but it is too hard to find a Duramax that has the right mirrors, options, etc. The F-250 takes it in the diesel dept IMO. The interior is much nicer, the wheels look better, and I like their color options on the Super Duty. I really do not want to buy a truck right now, but there is no point in having the Rhino and the camper/trailer if I cant pull the damn thing. The farthest I would go from FT Campbell would be to Harlan, Coal Creek or to WV, but there are some mean hills in those treks. I am afraid I may ruin the tranny on my Z.

definately a diesel, with just a few add on's the diesel will out perform any gasser out there (IMO) and fortunately for you they are really cheap right now. if you decide on a ford stay away from the 03,04 6.0 powerstroke (engine problems)
I have had 2 F250's and love them but they were both 7.3's, which are bulletproof engines

I keep hearing rumor of toyota releasing a 1ton diesel in 09, if you really like toyota's you may wanna hold out for it. Think I read it's gonna have a 8.0 liter diesel with 6 speed auto or manual trans

LT, take a look around this site. you may have to register but it's free. good luck on your search
http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/trucks/

I would not count on 14-15 MPG everyday driving out of that Tundra.

Well, I guess my gut feeling was right all along. I have been eyeballing 2500HDs for awhile. I guess I will have to start looking in January when I get back. Maybe I will get lucky and find a truck with the right color and options. Charcoal grey is the color I am looking for.

LT , to be honist , your chevy still should not over heat pulling this trailer.
before you make any hasty moves. you need to get it checked out.
i use to pull cars on a trailer with a 4.3 S-10 and it did not run hot.
i think you may have other issues.

Chris... :)

ChrisC wrote:

LT , to be honist , your chevy still should not over heat pulling this trailer.
before you make any hasty moves. you need to get it checked out.
i use to pull cars on a trailer with a 4.3 S-10 and it did not run hot.
i think you may have other issues.

Chris... :)

The day he was overheating it was 98 degrees and he was pulling up some hills. I would say a transmission cooler is all that is needed. Also LT, you can get some smokin deals on big trucks and diesels right now. Not much is selling and dealers are offering next to nothing to people trying to trade them.

I would agree trans cooler would make a good difference when its
hot out...

Well to be honest, I really dont want to buy a truck, but I also dont want to ruin a good truck by pulling something that is too big. I dont have to make a hasty decision. My only decision I had to make quickly was on the Tundra. He asked me if I wanted it because he is getting rid of it at the end of the year. If I am passing on his truck, I can just make several more trips with mine and see how it does. On flat ground it has no issues pulling it, it just got hotter than I have ever seen my truck get in the 4 years I have owned it. However I did hit one hill (the hill in Institute going back towards Cross Lanes) that my truck seemed to have issues with. I know one thing for sure, my brakes are not beefy enough to pull that trailer thru the mountains, even with the trailer brakes. I sincerely appreciate all the feedback. My wife just had tranny service done on her Jeep, and I told her to talk to the guy about a transmission cooler and service for my truck. I think I will start there, and pull the trailer from WV back to FT Campbell and see how it does. If it seems like it will not be up to the test, then we will look for a F-250.

Airborne LT wrote:

Well to be honest, I really dont want to buy a truck, but I also dont want to ruin a good truck by pulling something that is too big. I dont have to make a hasty decision. My only decision I had to make quickly was on the Tundra. He asked me if I wanted it because he is getting rid of it at the end of the year. If I am passing on his truck, I can just make several more trips with mine and see how it does. On flat ground it has no issues pulling it, it just got hotter than I have ever seen my truck get in the 4 years I have owned it. However I did hit one hill (the hill in Institute going back towards Cross Lanes) that my truck seemed to have issues with. I know one thing for sure, my brakes are not beefy enough to pull that trailer thru the mountains, even with the trailer brakes. I sincerely appreciate all the feedback. My wife just had tranny service done on her Jeep, and I told her to talk to the guy about a transmission cooler and service for my truck. I think I will start there, and pull the trailer from WV back to FT Campbell and see how it does. If it seems like it will not be up to the test, then we will look for a F-250.

Here's my .02, keep your current truck and invest some time and money into it, you will be happy! Get your cooling issue resolved, put a new radiator in it if you need to, get a programmer for a little more power, put a cat-back exhaust in it, headers, high flow Cats, etc. You will be a lot happier spending a little money here and there as opposed to spending $600 a month on car payments for the next 6 years. I would even consider putting a supercharger on it, you would be suprised how much better mpg's you will get by adding a ll of this (if you drive it reasonably).

I did all these mods to my 94 Impala SS and went up 4 mpg (when I was driving like a sane person). The new style 5.3 liter engine is a fantastic engine and it responds very well to minor modifications. I am getting ready to do all of these mods to my 2004 Suburban (5.3L), that I have just suggested to you. REMEMBER, most people will tell you that if you are"hotrodding" an engine, you are going to get worse fuel economy, this is NOT true, your economy will increase if you get parts that work together and drive it right!

All of that said, if you are absolutely set on buying a new truck, definately go with the oil burner, it should last forever if you take care of it (a friend of the family has 600K on an old 6.5l turbo diesel 1989 GMC). New diesel technology has come a LONG way in the last 15 years and it is absolutely amazing what you can do with these new breeds of trucks!

Just my .02, take it or leave it! Good Luck with what ever you decide to do!

Almost paid for here is the key to me. Keep the Chevy. Unless you are going to be pulling heavy loads all the time I dont think its worth it to get the HD. The HD is a strong truck as we have several in out fleet. The diesels are even stronger of course but to me the noise factor sucks. I have had my 04 Chevy 4X4 run a little hot while pulling some heavy stuff,,,,,,and it didnt seem to have any long lasting effects, that I have noticed. Mine has about 110K on it and still running strong. The biggest con against a diesel to me is around here diesel is 50 to 70 cents a gallon higher. I cant justify one just because of that. If you have the tow/haul button on the Z71 use it during times when the grade is steeper. The engine will work a little harder but the trans wont get as hot due to the lower tow/haul gears. Good luck LT.