Which truck and what options for 5.0TA ?

[Suregrip391]

Hello everyone,

I currently tow our 5.0TA with my old 2010 Silverado 5.3 gas Z71 4x4 with 48,000 miles on her. Truck runs great and tows great but I was very unhappy with the higher RPM’s and “struggle” up hills and the constant transmission shifting up/down. On a flat road…it’s fine! I believe it has 3.07 gearing and I know it has the tow package.

I was thinking up upgrading my tow vehicle and wanted to know what you thought? I do like my Chevy a lot so why is not a lot of people tow with them? I see mostly Ford and Dodge here?

Would the new Silverado with the larger 6.6 engine help me? And what gear?

Would I be better off with a 5.7 Hemi Ram or larger? What gearing?

I would be looking at a 2500 series this time.

I’ve considered even maybe going with a diesel but I “heard” just puttering around with a diesel is not good for the engine. I do not rack up a lot of daily milage on my truck as you can see. Maybe only 3700 miles a year since my truck is only a 2010, purchased new, and now only has 48k on her. I only drive to work and back 6 miles a day. I heard this would be bad for a diesel so that’s why I’m asking about a gas TV.

What do you think?

[Keith3]

I have found that modern v8s tend to be much higher strung than the big lugs we grew up with. The torque is all found at higher rpm’s than we are used to. I don’t think it is a problem, but it feels off, like the engine is working too hard. A high reving v8 in a truck typically led to overheating back in the day, so many of us have a negative response to it.

In my experience, the turbo v6s have more torque down low and perform more like the v8s of old. Including sucking in lots of gas while making that huge torque.

Obviously, every engine is different and it depends on tranny and rear end, too. But check out some torque curves for the engines you are looking at.

Which reminds me, the new 10 speed tranny used by Chevy and Ford is dang nice.

My F150 2.7 EB pulls the 5.0TA with little effort. I would probably choose the F150 3.5 hybrid if buying today.

[davidmurphy02]

You will get a million varied opinions all across the board with a question like this.

Compare the horsepower and torque rating of your current truck with new half ton trucks. You will likely find that current half tons are quite a bit more powerful than your old truck. We upgraded from an older Ram half ton to a 2019 Ram 5.7 hemi and the increase in power, coupled with a much more capable 8 speed transmission, makes towing the 5.0 a breeze. The standard 3.29 differential works fine in any kind of terrain and will get a bit better gas mileage when not towing, IMO the 3.92 is not needed for a trailer as light as the 5.0.

You will find 5.0 owners with virtually every brand of half ton pickup and engine who report great towing experiences, a 3/4 ton is definitely not needed for a trailer this light.

The 5.0 is designed to be towable by a short bed truck since so many people have those, but a mid-size bed gives you more storage space in the back - it allows enough room to mount a toolbox in the front of the bed with our 6'4" bed. Unless you need a full 8' bed for other reasons, it will make your overall truck/trailer length longer and be more of a factor maneuvering and fitting into smaller campsites.

You will find almost any current half ton pickup has adequate towing weight limits that can easily pull a 5.0. But you will need to pay attention to payload ratings - these days many of the higher optioned pickups can have shockingly low payload capacities because the weight of all those options adds up. Standard manufacturer spec sheets can give you an idea of what to expect, but each truck will be different - go to a dealer and look at the sticker on the inside of the door frame that shows the payload capacity for that truck, in looking at several you can get a pretty good idea of what kind of payload capacity to expect on a truck with the features and options you want.

I special ordered my truck to get a minimum of options we didn't want - everyone is different in that regard - and with an eye to maximizing payload capacity. Ours is 1,800 pounds which is fairly high, and means I don't really have to worry about exact hitch weight fully loaded, what gear I store in the truck bed and back seat, etc. Most trucks will offer a factory brake controller, built in and fully integrated into the truck's electronics, a really good option to have. Factory tow mirrors are really nice and increase visibility significantly, and a larger than standard gas tank is also a great towing option on long trips or in remote areas.

You will find any new pickup a big upgrade over your 2010 in terms of both comfort and performance. But there will be a huge cost for a new vehicle - if your current truck has such low mileage and you are otherwise happy with it, it comes down to how often you expect to tow in hilly or mountainous terrain. Our old 98 Ram struggled in the mountains but always made it to the top, and is still going strong for its new owner with 250,000 miles on it.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Suregrip391

Hello everyone,

I currently tow our 5.0TA with my old 2010 Silverado 5.3 gas Z71 4x4 with 48,000 miles on her. Truck runs great and tows great but I was very unhappy with the higher RPM’s and “struggle” up hills and the constant transmission shifting up/down. On a flat road…it’s fine! I believe it has 3.07 gearing and I know it has the tow package.

I was thinking up upgrading my tow vehicle and wanted to know what you thought? I do like my Chevy a lot so why is not a lot of people tow with them? I see mostly Ford and Dodge here?

Would the new Silverado with the larger 6.6 engine help me? And what gear?

Would I be better off with a 5.7 Hemi Ram or larger? What gearing?

I would be looking at a 2500 series this time.

I’ve considered even maybe going with a diesel but I “heard” just puttering around with a diesel is not good for the engine. I do not rack up a lot of daily milage on my truck as you can see. Maybe only 3700 miles a year since my truck is only a 2010, purchased new, and now only has 48k on her. I only drive to work and back 6 miles a day. I heard this would be bad for a diesel so that’s why I’m asking about a gas TV.

What do you think?

Hi: Suregrip391... We tow with a Ram 3L. Ecodiesel. Not available anymore. It has 3:55 rear end and it's not avail. anymore either. The 8spd. has 2 O.D.'s w/ tow haul and gets 21- 25 mpgs imperial. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[SageRpod]

Hey Suregrip391, while we haven't towed a 5.0 yet, but will next week when we pick ours up from ETI, I can tell you we chose a Ford F150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost and 6.5' bed, max tow package. We like the overall package presented by the Ford and, as you noted, it is one of the most if not the most common tow vehicle we have seen on our journeys. We previously towed with a 2019 Nissan Frontier 4X4 with a 6' bed. The Nissan has a lot of heart, but we could tell it was working hard with the Rpod and we could only imagine how a 5000# 5.0 would tax it so we purchased the F150.
In November we towed our 3500# Rpod over New Mexico mountains for its last camping trip. In tow-mode, the Ford didn't even know the Rpod was back there (I used to roll my eyes when people would say that about their TVs but now I know what they mean). The 10speed tranny is smooth as silk and there is no want for power. Gas mileage was in the 12's but we did have a tail wind for part of the trip.
Overall, we're very happy with the F150. It's comfortable for long days on the road and I suspect it is more than up to the task of pulling a 5.0 with little drama.
Good luck on your search.

[Tosh]

really like my F-150 hybrid. In tow-haul or sport mode it won't go full EV, but you still get the electric power added to the ICE, resulting in 400HP + 500lb/ft (at the flywheel).


14MPG pulling my 21NE - using the passing lanes in the mountains (big grin). Add to that the 7.2kW inverter built into the truck, and it just can't be beat. 25 MPG when not towing.



I've had diesels in the past, when D2 was cheaper than gasoline, but those days are gone (in the US anyway). My Grand Cherokee 3.0 turbo diesel, getting 27MPG, still costs more per mile than my F-150.

[WillyB]

We tow our Escape 21C with a 2016 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 4-door with the 3.5 twin turbo Ecoboost and max tow package. Max tow gives you a 36 gallon gas tank.

Tows it with ease and no high revving when pulling up long mountain passes. Highest RPM I saw on a "very" steep "very" long pass out west was 2800 RPM and that was only for a short time at the steepest point.

Lots of choices but I am impressed with the ease of towing and RPM level of the 3.5 twin turbo Ecoboost.

[Suregrip391]

How about the guys pulling with gas engines? Anyone with a 6.6 Chevrolet 1500/2500 and what gears? How’s it pull?

I don’t want to buy a diesel…..thanks!

[grump]

If you really like the truck, especially with that kind of low mileage, you might look into changing your differential gear ratio to something like 3.50 ratio or there about. It would sure be a lot cheaper than a new truck. I know someone on here knows more about the pros and cons of something like this. just my 2 cents.

[Suregrip391]

I do like the truck, it’s rust free and never had any issues, it’s just getting older and who knows what can happen.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

... You will find 5.0 owners with virtually every brand of half ton pickup and engine who report great towing experiences, a 3/4 ton is definitely not needed for a trailer this light. ....

Picking that one excerpt from all the great wisdom in David's post, here's just one one example among many:

[Perry Butler]

Towed our 6,200 # Bigfoot, 25' Cougar, 24' Lance, and our former 5.0 with our 2015 F150, 3.5 EB, six speed tranny. The six speed tranny was shifting way to much with the greater spread between gears. When tow haul was engaged it was worse.

Then we purchased our current 2019 F150, 3.5 EB, but with a 10 speed tranny. HUGE difference! I never feel it shift. We now have nearly as many miles hauling a camper with the 2019 (26,000) as we had with the 2015 (29,000). I wouldn't get any truck today unless it has a 8 speed minimum, but preferably a 10 speed or greater. We don't even feel the 10 speed shift. We don't use tow haul though, find ECO a better choice, and I manually shift in the mountains.

Diesel? Look at the extra original cost, noisier cab, and the cost of fuel. Last Saturday when we traveled to see Terry's father and family members standard gas was $2.99 and diesel was $4.40. You'd better get higher gas mileage to break even, perhaps at 2-300,000 miles maybe. Plus, was in to the Toyota and Ford dealers in October and they don't offer the premium trade-in price for a diesel like they did before. Higher yes, premium no. People want the modern gassers. When it comes to pulling and torque my 2015 3.5 EB blew away my former 2003 Chevy 2500 diesel and my 2019 is even better.

Just another opinion,

Perry

[Keith3]

Originally Posted by Suregrip391

How about the guys pulling with gas engines? Anyone with a 6.6 Chevrolet 1500/2500 and what gears? How’s it pull?

I don’t want to buy a diesel…..thanks!

Just to be clear, the ford eco boost engines are twin turbo gas v6s, not diesels.

The ram ecodiesel is another great option, but has the downsides of being diesel and discontinued. I expect something great will fill that gap, but I don’t know what.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Keith3

Just to be clear, the ford eco boost engines are twin turbo gas v6s, not diesels.

The ram ecodiesel is another great option, but has the downsides of being diesel and discontinued. I expect something great will fill that gap, but I don’t know what.

The next generation of engines for large rear wheel drive vehicles at Stellantis (including Ram) are turbocharged gasoline 6-cylinders. They're inline, not vee, but otherwise similar to Ford's EcoBoost 6's. Light-duty diesels are a dying, and spread nearly dead, breed.

[brroberts]

2010 5.3L with 48,000 miles: I couldn’t fathom replacing a truck like that for towing any Escape, but if you want something different, there certainly are lots of choices. Even my Ranger has 1823lbs payload, and I’d never, personally, won’t less. Lots of people tow with less, but I’m within a couple of hundred pounds of that with my E19. So I second the advice to check payload.

[Craiger]

I have a 2022 GMC half ton with a 3.0 diesel. Mileage on the freeways not towing under 65 averages about 31 my mileage towing my escape 19 averages 18 to 20. I was coming up the backside of the grapevine towards Los Angeles (five freeway) and coming up the hill I was averaging 55 miles an hour with the 18 wheelers averaging 25 it's got more power and torque than I'll ever need.

[sleepy]

In February we replaced our low mileage 95 with a 2022 Sierra 1500 Elevation.

It has the 10 speed and tows easily.

The 95 only had 188,000 km's on it.

I don't have a lifted 5.0, and I use a conventional hitch.

The new truck is quieter, comfier and gets better mileage.

And to make it easier they took the old one, on trade.

[Ooshkaboo]

Tundra, taking me everywhere these last few weeks.

[salmo7000]

Originally Posted by Suregrip391

How about the guys pulling with gas engines? Anyone with a 6.6 Chevrolet 1500/2500 and what gears? How’s it pull?

I don’t want to buy a diesel…..thanks!

Honestly, if you like Chevys, I would replace what you have with a 2023 Chevy 1500 Silverado. In every engine and trim configuration, this truck will make a great tow vehicle for a 5.0TA. Make sure the specific truck you’re looking at has at least 1,500 lbs of payload, but other than that, any of them should give you a great tow.

You don’t need to size up to a 2500, or any other 3/4 ton.

[Suregrip391]

Here is m6 trucks info….