good rig to pull 8x23 ice castle/toy hauler

[hooked79]

i just got a 8x23 ice castle toy hauler

i currently have A 97 f350 4x4 crewcab 460

i am sick of the mpg

eather empty or pulling it sucks azz

i am lucky if i get 10 going down hill with the wind at my back

and the power isnt very impressive

my dad has a 92 chevy 1/2 to 4x4 we hooked up my ice castle to it

and it seems to pull it just fine

so i am thinki9ng about selling my f350 and looking into a suburban 1/2 ton 4x4 with a the 350 vortec would this be a good option for pulling my ice castle

i belive it weights about 4,700 empty and i would say about 1,200 worth of gear with the atv in it

so it should not be over 5,900

i would upgrade the tranny cooler and possibly a towing chip and overloads on the rear springs

or i am crazy for even thinking about it?

[Powerstroke]

You'll do a little better on MPG, but not much. A suburban in that setup will still not get better than 15mpg and more like 12 for average. It will certainly handle the weight, but I'm not sure you'll gain much in the mileage dept.

[russ]

I thought about something with better mpg too but I couldn't justify spending over $30,000 to save a few dollars on a tank of gas. For me it was purely economical. Good Luck.

[hooked79]

well my ford gets about 8mpg so 12 would be a big improvment

i am kinda thinking a 96 or newer 3/4 ton 4x4 surban that way if i want to

pull a larger trailer i can and it is all around a stronger unit

kinda hard finding one with the vortec 350 i dont want to 454

[delcecchi]

Maybe you ought to read the ecoboost ford f150 thread....

That should handle 6000 pounds.

[hooked79]

gotta keep it cheap cant afford anything new or newer

i found a guy that might wanna trade my 97 even up for a 99 suburban

and it is a 3/4 ton 4x4 with the vortec 350

it has 238,00 on it but my ford has 201,000 on it

the vortecs seem to be good motors with good power

[PurpleFloyd]

Have you thought about a used Ford Excursion Diesel? That would keep you in the Ford family, get you better mileage and more towing capcity and all of the room of the Suburban.

[hooked79]

ok a update yea i know almost a yr later

i did end up tradin for a 99 suburban 3/4 4x4 350 vortec

and i love it pulls the castle very good put some good m/t tires on it and i cant complane the 350 has about the same power as my 460 ford had lol nothing wrong with fords but this burban turned me into a chevy fan anyhow just thought i would upodate incase someone out there is wondering what would pull a ice house good

and fit alot off ppl now i hope for good ice this yr so i can use it more

[Whoaru99]

The big question is how much hard savings in gas costs, if any?

[hooked79]

honestly i have saved alot in gas compared to my old f350

i would say i get atleast 12+ pulling the ice castle

and around 15 empty

the f350 would get around 8 pulling any trailer and maybe 10 empty

and the burban rides way better i do miss havin a truck but happy about my choice take the back seat out and my quick flip 3 and gear fit perficly in the back hook the trailer up with the wheeler and i have a rig thaty still fits 5 ppl or put the rear seat in a i can fit 7

[GSP4ME]

I have seen a lot of issues with the 3/4ton suburban trannys

[hooked79]

well mine has 240k and my dads truck has 310k so if something goes bad with the tranny i wont be to mad

i have seen issues with ford trtannys and dodge trannys

proper maint and a good tranny cooler and keep the od off when pulling

will make any tranny last

i like ford and dodge and chevy i wasnt a chevy fan till i owned one

[Jeremy airjer W]

[hooked79]

lol dont make fun of a tundra one showed up at a truck pull a few yrs ago

at this pull they had a 10yr and newer stock class

and they had alot of truck show up dodges chevys fords they were all there

and than i see a tundra pull up i thought to myself yea right whats that thing gonna do well after it pulled i was impressed and i think it won

had alot of power and hooked up very good

i still have a hard time calling a yota a work truck but it seems like a good truck

[Jeremy airjer W]

Thats funny!