Rigs. Small trucks, towing, vans. etc

So thoughts on a 4.0 V6 frontier towing a 6x12? With bike, tools and gear. Think I’ll be well under towing capacity.
Yes under if the 6x12 is a single axle trailer. Don't think you could safely load a single axle above the 2022 Nissan's max towing capacity of around 6500 lbs. I think most of the single axle trailers that we are talking about have a 3500 lb gross weight limit.

If the trailer weights 1200-1500 pounds, that leaves 2000 for bike(s) and gear. I would think plenty of capacity for you in the trailer.
 
I just bought a 1500 Sierra Duramax and love it. Camper weighs 7500 lbs loaded. After hand calculated for our trip south I averaged 12.3 mpg and that’s with driving in 4wd for 500 miles.

The third pic is with bikes and gear in the bed and speeds of 75-90 mph. Hand calculations put me at 25.1 mpg

Day to day I get 28-30 mpg. I’ve owned everything under the sun and nothing compares mileage wise.

The guy that says he getting 18-20 mpg with his ecoboost isn’t resetting his dash when towing. Towing a loaded 6x12 with the ecoboost gets 8-12 mpg not matter how fast you drive. I’ve had 4 ecoboosts f150s and they all averaged the same.
Never been or actually had a diesel. The numbers on this motor compare to the 6.2 gas motor which was my go to in a 1500, but the 3.0 Duramax makes the numbers around 1500 rpm if I remember right vs. 5600 rpm in the 6.2. That's a great set up. Definitely got me thinking that way now. Thanks for the info...
 
I think Dano has it correct. My 6x12 weighs about 1100 lbs. My 3.5 V6 Pathfinder tows it reasonably well with 1 bike and everything else you take to track. I just don't like towing a trailer over 65mph or so, and I like to drive a bit faster than that. lol. I notice the wind drag more so than weight.
 
Rated capacities are a joke, way over rated, sorry guys but you guys with 1/2 ton trucks go nowhere but flat ass ohio, take them in the mountains or down south pulling a trailer you will not see overdrive and mileage cut in half been there done that. Trailer is the way to go, but you need a real tow vehicle if you go out of state not just on 71 or 75.
 
Rated capacities are a joke, way over rated, sorry guys but you guys with 1/2 ton trucks go nowhere but flat ass ohio, take them in the mountains or down south pulling a trailer you will not see overdrive and mileage cut in half been there done that. Trailer is the way to go, but you need a real tow vehicle if you go out of state not just on 71 or 75.
I agree that I wouldn't want to pull the rated capacity with my F150, over 11,000 pounds. At 6000-7000 lbs the Ecoboost it is a beast. A lot of us travel much broader than Ohio. I think I have towed to 15 or more states through eastern mountains, Kentucky, south to Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, to Texas, and .... The wind resistance seems to kill my mileage more than hills - 10, 11, 12 MPG while towing my tow hauler. 17-19 when towing a 4,200 lb boat. Like Freeh, I am not a tow at 80 MPH person - 10-15 MPH slower. That is just me - I do normally drive about 80 on trips.

For Jack, I think a 3500 lb trailer with a truck rated at over 6000 lbs has good safety margins and should be fine.

If I towed much heaver I would move up to a 3/4 or 1 ton.
 
2020 F150 Platinum with the powerstroke 3.0 , towing 33 foot boat at highway speeds getting 16.8 mpg, empty averages 27 to 30 everyday driving .Alot of power quiet and smooth driving , not your diesel of yesterday.

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When towing a load, nothing beats the torque of a diesel. The milage on a diesel isn't great for everyday driving like these little vehicles youre contemplating, but they don't drastically drop when towing loads like the little ones will either. So it's a balancing act.

Personally I have a diesel dually for all my trailer hauling and a Ford ficus for my 31 mpg daily driving. I do haul a 3 rail trailer behind it at times with 2 bikes and still get 28 mpg.
 
Ahh, truck talk. When people asks my interests, I say dirt bikes, trucks, and hunting lol. I could talk trucks forever I have a 15 f150 platinum with the 5.0 and 3.73's 5.5 bed. It'd be the perfect truck had I bought a 6.5 bed and had towing mirrors.

I love this truck. I've found gearing plays a HUGE role in how these trucks feel. Plus, tow ratings vary largely. Mines "rated" at 10,900 where as the same truck with 3.31s is like 7400. Not that I'd regularly ever tow my max, but I have in the form of a dump trailer and mulch. Lol. Bumps stops were working, but the motor had no issues. My dad had a 5.0 with 3.31s at one point and I swore I'd never own one because I felt like it was gutless. Then I searched out the different gearing available and drove the 3.55 and 3.73. My truck feels like a damn mustang in a truck, and will pull it's ass off at high rpms.. I get (well, my wife gets) around 15 in the winter. Summer I get close to 17 mixed. 21 was my best on a vacation trip to FL on stocks. Pulled a 31' camper which weighed around 8k loaded to lake Norris this summer. 7.4. It took some getting used to these gas rigs and how they scream compared to my diesels I've had in the past. Once I got over high rpms, they do a great job working in the meat of their hp.. I liked my 6.2 in my f250 too. I don't miss my diesels very often with all the other headaches considered. If I was to buy another truck to pull heavy, I'd really entertain the new 7.3 gasser with 4.30s.. If I towed heavy daily, I'd bite the bullet and buy another diesel. Till then, big diesels aren't very appealing anymore.

I'm trading it off soon as my mileage is getting up there. However, I'm undecided. I'm considering a 3.5 eco max tow with 3.55 or 3.73 based off eco tow reviews.. I'm just not sure I can ditch the 5.0 3.73 combo though. A little monkey wrench thrown in recently is I actually won't find myself towing much with what I buy because my dad and I agreed to both buy new trucks, and I buy the half ton and he buy a 1 ton (which is ordered). Then depending on what each of us are doing, we can swap trucks either for pulling heavy or mpg trips. I'm making out there and it's saving me over 10k, but when I buy the 5er, he'll be making out. Lol. This towing situation alone also has me considering a 2.7, which I thought I'd never say. What I buy will mainly be my wife's grocery getter as I'm in my work vehicles during the week for the most part, but I still need to be able to haul bikes on weekends and have a place to haul deer in the winter.

For a little while I was contemplating selling our f150 and my 1500 work truck and buying my wife the new bronco and a nice transit or something I could put bikes or materials in. Then I remind myself it's nice only having 1 car note. Lol. My 1500 is just my run around truck for estimates, getting materials, or whatever and my 17 3500 extended van is the main tool/material/man hauler to work out of. Both are paid for though.



MX implements brief review of that baby dmax is convincing though. I may do a little investigating there. I haven't even considered one to be honest as I've always preferred my Ford interiors.

Those new frontiers look nice, but I know nothing about little trucks. I do know that I've ridden in a newer taco and felt damn near claustrophobic. Lol. Seems you're on a Nissan kick though, so buy what you're in to. I will say, with what you're going for, you may even consider an extended cab 2.7 f150. I don't know your budget, but even the xl with stx package is pretty sweet, however, the XLT or better is bad ass. If you go the Ford route, I'd point you to Sarchione Ford and could give you a solid contact there too.
 
IF you buy a van, buy the extended length for sure! The tall roof is was a bonus for me, but the extended length is a must imo!

Check out Elyria Budget Auto Sales, these guys treated me super well and had a couple units at the time I was up there so I could see the different options all at one place.
 
Ahh, truck talk. When people asks my interests, I say dirt bikes, trucks, and hunting lol. I could talk trucks forever


MX implements brief review of that baby dmax is convincing though. I may do a little investigating there. I haven't even considered one to be honest as I've always preferred my Ford interiors.
I guess you weren't kidding... lol

Did you see the post about the Ford small diesel? It was actually out first. Good reviews. I'm a GM guy myself, but you know Ford wouldn't be outdone by GM... lol

Definitely a lot of options. I've never had a diesel and until I'd find out about all the additional maintenance, etc. probably wouldn't bite. Gas is just simple to me. Gas it and change the oil for the most part for miles... Ignorance is bliss on my part I suppose...???
 
I guess you weren't kidding... lol

Did you see the post about the Ford small diesel? It was actually out first. Good reviews. I'm a GM guy myself, but you know Ford wouldn't be outdone by GM... lol

Definitely a lot of options. I've never had a diesel and until I'd find out about all the additional maintenance, etc. probably wouldn't bite. Gas is just simple to me. Gas it and change the oil for the most part for miles... Ignorance is bliss on my part I suppose...???
Lol.. wanna talk about deer?

I drive myself nuts sometimes over analyzing the options.


Since the emissions crap took over the diesel world, it's been of no interest to me. Plus, I haven't had anything to tow that required one. Cost of ownership is so much lower when you're only doing 7.7qts of oil motorcraft and an air filter every other oil change. Lol.
 
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Lol.. wanna talk about deer?

I drive myself nuts sometimes over analyzing the options.

The Ford mini diesel is sweet, but the legal towing capacity is much lower than the 3.5 and 5.0. It was low enough I wrote it off.

Since the emissions crap took over the diesel world, it's been of no interest to me. Plus, I haven't had anything to tow that required one. Cost of ownership is so much lower when you're only doing 7.7qts of oil motorcraft and an air filter every other oil change. Lol.
Dude, I so know your space...well, except the deer part. I just eat a little venison on occasion, nothing else...lol. Sorry.

I have dissected the GM truck from 2016 to current, built a many online, know practically all the options, max tow package, yada, yada. I'm actually a fan of the 2016-2018 body styles more so, but I do like the new HD Chevy's with the 6.6L gas engine. Has me thinking of upgrading. It's been fun to drive myself nuts with all of it. I'm like you, when someone brings up a truck, what engine, axle ratio, etc. my brain kicks into high gear. I wish I knew as much about my dirt bike...lol.
 
When towing a load, nothing beats the torque of a diesel. The milage on a diesel isn't great for everyday driving like these little vehicles youre contemplating, but they don't drastically drop when towing loads like the little ones will either. So it's a balancing act.

Personally I have a diesel dually for all my trailer hauling and a Ford ficus for my 31 mpg daily driving. I do haul a 3 rail trailer behind it at times with 2 bikes and still get 28 mpg.

I have a work vehicle now and I only live 10 miles from work so my daily isn’t the issue anymore. I just couldn’t bring myself to pay for a full size truck.
 
Dude, I so know your space...well, except the deer part. I just eat a little venison on occasion, nothing else...lol. Sorry.

I have dissected the GM truck from 2016 to current, built a many online, know practically all the options, max tow package, yada, yada. I'm actually a fan of the 2016-2018 body styles more so, but I do like the new HD Chevy's with the 6.6L gas engine. Has me thinking of upgrading. It's been fun to drive myself nuts with all of it. I'm like you, when someone brings up a truck, what engine, axle ratio, etc. my brain kicks into high gear. I wish I knew as much about my dirt bike...lol.

I’m a big fan of the 6.6 gasser. I got one last year. Have had a 6.0 in the past and the 6.6 is light years better. Initially wanted a duramax for towing the toyhauler but now I’m glad I couldn’t find one. The 6.6 pulls it great.
 
I just bought a 1500 Sierra Duramax and love it. Camper weighs 7500 lbs loaded. After hand calculated for our trip south I averaged 12.3 mpg and that’s with driving in 4wd for 500 miles.

The third pic is with bikes and gear in the bed and speeds of 75-90 mph. Hand calculations put me at 25.1 mpg

Day to day I get 28-30 mpg. I’ve owned everything under the sun and nothing compares mileage wise.

The guy that says he getting 18-20 mpg with his ecoboost isn’t resetting his dash when towing. Towing a loaded 6x12 with the ecoboost gets 8-12 mpg not matter how fast you drive. I’ve had 4 ecoboosts f150s and they all averaged the same.

View attachment 74695View attachment 74696View attachment 74697
Damn you! Now you've got me thinking since I sold my Mini Ex and Skid Steer.

Any interest in a 2017 Duramax Denali with 72k on it? lol
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When towing a load, nothing beats the torque of a diesel. The milage on a diesel isn't great for everyday driving like these little vehicles youre contemplating, but they don't drastically drop when towing loads like the little ones will either. So it's a balancing act.

Personally I have a diesel dually for all my trailer hauling and a Ford ficus for my 31 mpg daily driving. I do haul a 3 rail trailer behind it at times with 2 bikes and still get 28 mpg.
Yes, apples to oranges on some of this. Guys showing pictures of $60,000 diesel trucks plus cost of maintenance is higher on trucks; tires, brakes, oil, everything.

I want a van but not good for a daily driver for me
 
I just traded in my 2018 Nissan Frontier with the 4.0 ( cause they gave me $2,000 more then I paid for it a year ago ) I’ve towed a 4,000lb boat with zero issues and wouldn’t hesitate to go long distance. However, the gas mileage even when not towing is TERRIBLE. I was getting 14.5-15 in the city.. I had a k&n cold air intake, MBRP cat back on it, and some Falken Wild peak at3 tires which didn’t help. It’s on the lot now for $29,900 which is nuts.
 
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