Tips to Cross Country Older Truck with Tow

[D60]

I currently drive a 2015 Impreza automatic (CVT). It is rated for no towing at all and quite frankly I would never want to tow anything more than a bicycle rack with this car as it is painfully slow. I'm sure it could tow something like the attached photo (motorcycle only tow setup, very basic). However, if I go cross country in the winter time with this I want it enclosed. A Uhaul 5x8 enclosed is 900 lbs empty. Harley is about a 650 lbs pig. No way would I trust the car (more so the CVT) to handle all that... no way.

View attachment 256450

A fullsize 1/2 ton is overkill for this purpose but I have been wanting a classic truck for a multipurpose vehicle of sorts. Can attend some cars/coffees shows etc with it (maybe not a 2nd gen Ram although techanically they are now considered classics). I may get into camping with the wife at some point (small camper trailer).

The only vehicle right now that really makes the most sense would be a new Ford Maverick. Good MPG, great tow rating for its size (4000 lbs for the Ecoboost model), and just around $30k. My logically sense tells me I should trade in the Impreza for a new Maverick and be done with it... reliable new vehicle that I can tow and commute in with decent MPG. My child sense tells me I want a vintage truck.

Do drive some 2nd Gens before you decide. 99% will be all over the road due to the steering box. Don't even dream of FLAPS rebuilds. The best I've found is Cancraft outta BC. Or there are new boxes available from companies like Lares, although I have to wonder about longevity (is the metallurgy anywhere near OEM?)

Even at their best the 2nd Gens are a bit of a handful. It's not just the SFA because my '11 SuperDuty 4x4 drives mostly like IFS as far as steering wheel feedback

I like the 2nd Gens for what they are but not sure I'd wanna take one cross country -- at least not before doing EVERYTHING possible to eliminate steering play.

 

[garystaven88]

Id argue 96-98 personally.

Why not 99-01? I know Daimler merged with Chrysler in 1998... not sure if quality took a dive after that merge.

Do drive some 2nd Gens before you decide. 99% will be all over the road due to the steering box.

Never drove one. My father is a GM man at heart... despises Chrysler products and told me back then he wanted to give Dodge a chance since he does admit they were a good looking truck. In the very early 00s he test drove a 2nd gen extended cab 4x4..... he said on the test drive it wandered so bad he turned right back around. The salesman asked him what's wrong and my father basically said there is no point in wasting their time any further. He bought a 2001 Silverado 5.3 and still has it.

 

[IndyIan]

Your car in Australia has a 2500lb tow rating, so if you've been maintaining it, the car will just use more gas, and rev a bit more. The great thing about a CVT is that you are never in the wrong gear!
Manual mode would probably be handy and just keep the rev's around 2500 rpm+ and go and go.
As for old RAM's, I like the later 1st gen's in the 90's, super smooth and quiet 318, big comfy couch bench seat. I imagine, they are cheaper and easier to "bullet proof" and have far less critical electric parts to fail than the second gens?

 

[garystaven88]

Your car in Australia has a 2500lb tow rating

That is bananas. Would never attempt it with this car. Would need a CVT cooler installed at a minimum and even then I wouldn't be comfortable towing over 1000 lbs with this car. It is a chore merging onto the parkway here with just myself in the car. Very underpowered.

 

[GR_CoB]

That is bananas. Would never attempt it with this car. Would need a CVT cooler installed at a minimum and even then I wouldn't be comfortable towing over 1000 lbs with this car. It is a chore merging onto the parkway here with just myself in the car. Very underpowered.

Are you planning to keep it after buying a truck? Or is truck going to replace it?

 

[garystaven88]

Are you planning to keep it after buying a truck? Or is truck going to replace it?

If I go classic truck route I will keep the Impreza and drive it till it dies. Been in the family from the start (wife bought it new). Good reliable car just a turd.

If I go Maverick it will get traded in/sold.

 

[JHZR2]

Do drive some 2nd Gens before you decide. 99% will be all over the road due to the steering box. Don't even dream of FLAPS rebuilds. The best I've found is Cancraft outta BC. Or there are new boxes available from companies like Lares, although I have to wonder about longevity (is the metallurgy anywhere near OEM?)

Even at their best the 2nd Gens are a bit of a handful. It's not just the SFA because my '11 SuperDuty 4x4 drives mostly like IFS as far as steering wheel feedback

I like the 2nd Gens for what they are but not sure I'd wanna take one cross country -- at least not before doing EVERYTHING possible to eliminate steering play.

My 2wd 2500 has a different suspension setup iirc, but it is very stable and has no play at all. My 4WD 2500 had some, but I’m used to it - older MB cars tended to be similar. Mine got much better with a redhead box.

 

[JHZR2]

Why not 99-01? I know Daimler merged with Chrysler in 1998... not sure if quality took a dive after that merge.

Never drove one. My father is a GM man at heart... despises Chrysler products and told me back then he wanted to give Dodge a chance since he does admit they were a good looking truck. In the very early 00s he test drove a 2nd gen extended cab 4x4..... he said on the test drive it wandered so bad he turned right back around. The salesman asked him what's wrong and my father basically said there is no point in wasting their time any further. He bought a 2001 Silverado 5.3 and still has it.

Im a diesel guy, and the typical holy grail truck is a short bed extended quad cab manual 4x4 12V, which was only made from 98-98.5 iirc.

24V Cummins bring their own pros and cons. I prefer the 12v.

But I also just prefer the classic original interior, the mechanical odometer, etc. Some may prefer the newer seats, but I’m indifferent.

I don’t know about any quality changes. My two 96 trucks are from the USA plant and they’re great for what they are. No they aren’t Denali’s, but I wouldn’t want that anyway really.

 

[D60]

That is bananas. Would never attempt it with this car. Would need a CVT cooler installed at a minimum and even then I wouldn't be comfortable towing over 1000 lbs with this car. It is a chore merging onto the parkway here with just myself in the car. Very underpowered.

I've got a client who drove his '11 Forester w CVT from WI to CO with a small U-haul trailer (I don't know how small). Between the CVT and the low mileage engine using 1qt per 1k miles, I figured there really is a fine line between genius and insanity.

That said, he made it.....FWIW

 

[D60]

You can readily get Dorman lower cushions for the '98+ seats. Every driver bottom cushion you drive will be trashed. The Dorman cushions are surprisingly good, and I rarely say good things about Dorman.

I've installed seven of them to date. They actually fit the pass side, too. They just bolt in with 4 bolts from the bottom.

Is it a solid reason to choose a truck? Of course not. But it makes it easy to spiff up your seats.

 

[JHZR2]

You can readily get Dorman lower cushions for the '98+ seats. Every driver bottom cushion you drive will be trashed. The Dorman cushions are surprisingly good, and I rarely say good things about Dorman.

I've installed seven of them to date. They actually fit the pass side, too. They just bolt in with 4 bolts from the bottom.

Is it a solid reason to choose a truck? Of course not. But it makes it easy to spiff up your seats.

Are you aware of the sane fur the older seats?

My 2wd seat was torn when I bought it so I swapped in a nice low mileage seat. My 4WD cloth is all good but the foam is a little low on the outer edge from the high exit.

 

[D60]

Are you aware of the sane fur the older seats?

My 2wd seat was torn when I bought it so I swapped in a nice low mileage seat. My 4WD cloth is all good but the foam is a little low on the outer edge from the high exit.

I looked at a '97 quad cab seat at my neighbor's and they're constructed WAY differently. I didn't see the 4 bolts underneath and I don't believe the lower cushion just unbolts.

For '98+ the Dorman cushions only work with quad cabs. The regular cab seats of the era were drastically different. I got jiggy wit it to make a quad cab seat fit a regular cab, but it was custom-fab-central (this was all '98+)
Post in thread 'What are you working on today?' https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/what-are-you-working-on-today.331303/post-7080222

When the lower cushion is removed this is effectively what you see (typically along with hair, change and old French fries)

 

[rubberchicken]

That is bananas. Would never attempt it with this car. Would need a CVT cooler installed at a minimum and even then I wouldn't be comfortable towing over 1000 lbs with this car. It is a chore merging onto the parkway here with just myself in the car. Very underpowered.

The Ford Kuga (aka Ford Escape) w 2.0t and AWD is rated at 4500 lbs in the UK, but only 3500 lbs in the USA. They are mechanically identical other than steering position, so the only explanation I can think of is that the temps are far higher in the southern US than anywhere in the U, hence the tow difference. When I was last in the UK a friend had an identical Kuga to my Escape, so I was able to inspect it closely and found no differences other than the left vs right hand drive. I have towed a Waverunner for many years with the Escape (and a Vue 3.5 v6 AWD before it) and it did quite well. The Vue also had a tow rating of 3500 lbs, and along with PWCs I also towed my motorcycle from MD to Ohio with some mild mountains in between, using a U-Haul motorcycle trailer. Although the bike was lighter than the the Waverunner, the bikes UHaul trailer was very heavy at about 600 lbs vs the 200 lbs for the Waverunner trailer, so the loads were about the same at 1500 lbs. The Vue dropped from 25 mpg to 16 mpg towing the bike at 95% highway. So if you have a small truck or a small SUV with a decent tow rating, that would be a good alternative for your purposes.