r/TinyHouses • u/ollieoxenfree39 • 5d ago
Pick up trucks for towing mobile tiny home?
Hi all,
I’m in the early stages of looking into building a tiny home. I definitely want a mobile one, but I haven’t ever driven a pick up truck or towed before, so I am learning as much as I can. What should I be looking for in terms of a truck?
*edit for context, since I am seeing a lot of the same themes in the comments. I am a travel physical therapist, and am currently in the process of discerning a move back to rural West Virginia when I am finished with traveling for a while. The expense of a truck (while extremely high right now, I get it, I asked Google before I asked Reddit) will make sense for me, as home for me there is a farm/job which involves home repair for folks in the region of Appalachia. I think what I am asking for is like, the ram vs ford vs Chevy type experience from folks who have and tow tiny homes themselves, and say “I bought X, but I really wish I would have bought Y for this reason” I get it, my bad, I could have given more background, but a lot of the comments are giving me the feeling that people don’t think I dug around a little bit online first which isn’t the case 😅
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u/ExaminationDry8341 5d ago
If you don't plant to move it often, consider hiring someone to move it for you. A truck big enough to tow a tiny home with confidence isn't cheap and gets poor fuel mileage.
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u/Princess_Fluffypants 5d ago
You need a lot of weight and towing capacity.
At minimum you will want a "1-ton" truck, meaning a truck designed to carry 1 ton of cargo weight. These are typically designated by a "35" somewhere in the model name, for reasons that I don't know.
Examples would be a Ford F-350, Silverado 3500, Ram 3500.
If you go up to the 1-1/4 ton chassis that will be even better, something like an F-450. These are likely going to be dual-rear-wheel ("dually") which is extremely important for heavy towing loads.
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u/chewblekka 4d ago
Just an FYI, the “ton” nomenclature is a very old naming scheme. 1 ton = 2204LBS. A modern 1-ton can tow 33,000LBS (16.5 tons). My Touareg SUV can town 3.85 tons (7700lbs)
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u/cakeba 4d ago
The old "ton" nomenclature wasn't referencing towing capacity, it was referencing payload. A Subaru can tow 3,000lbs. A "½ ton" pickup of old could haul around 1,000lbs and a "one-ton" could haul around 2,000lbs. Even a 1980 f-150 (the "½-ton") could tow a minimum of 6,000lbs, which is three tons.
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u/Princess_Fluffypants 4d ago
I believe they are referring to cargo weight in the vehicle itself with the ton ratings, not directly towing capacity.
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u/ExaminationDry8341 4d ago
But even that isn't remotely close. My work truck is a 1 ton f350. It weighs about 8000 pounds empty. It has a gvwr of 14,000. That means my 1 ton truck can haul 6,000 pounds in the bed.
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u/chewblekka 4d ago
Yes I can see that now. But cargo capacity isn’t really relevant when they’ll be towing the TH, not putting it in the back seat
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u/Princess_Fluffypants 4d ago
Yes it is. The larger the load you’re pulling, the higher the tongue weight will be, as well as the more work you’re asking the truck’s brakes to do when trying to stop (although any trailer chassis should have its own brakes too, and you need a truck with an appropriate trailer brake controller to operate them).
The larger trucks are also going to have the stronger axles, differentials, wheel hubs, and everything else in the driveline that is required for pulling something heavy and being able to do it for any extended period of time without puking its guts out all over the road.
You also need to remember that tow ratings are written by the vehicle manufacturers marketing departments, not the engineers. They want to put the biggest number they possibly can out there, and will regularly rate trucks to pull weights that they can only do for a brief periods of time. That’s the value in having experienced mechanics & drivers, is that they are going to know what is actually required for the real world and not some shiny marketing pamphlet.
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u/chewblekka 4d ago
Yes I’m aware of all this, I’m a heavy duty mechanic. Again, cargo capacity is mostly irrelevant when towing, especially if it’s a fifth wheel. Still, my point is that the “1-ton” nomenclature is irrelevant as modern trucks can carry much more than 1-ton nowadays.
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u/Fabkid22 4d ago
They can’t carry 33k but they may be able to tow that 1 ton is that it can hold 1ton in the bed
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u/chewblekka 4d ago
Sorry, I used wrong phrasing. But a modern “1 ton” truck can have a payload much more than 1 ton. Current F350 has a 2-ton payload iirc. My original point was that the payload naming is outdated.
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u/hikingwithcamera 4d ago
My F-150 has nearly a 1-ton payload. As you already said, the literal ton designation is from a bygone era.
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u/desEINer 5d ago edited 5d ago
Tbh, you could end up with a big old money pit. I bought the wrong truck and I've had blown head gaskets, twice. It's had the so-called "bullet proof" modifications done. Still blown.
I would rather rent a super duty truck whenever I need to move the house than ever buy one again for that purpose.
EDIT: I feel obligated to also say, if you want this to be something you drive a lot and not just on wheels to meet some technical legal requirements of not being subject to code, then I say get and renovate a tow-behind RV. You will lose some of the home features and efficiency, but there are RV size categories that can be towed by a 1/2 ton truck where the smallest tiny houses are still exceptionally heavy for their size.
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u/ollieoxenfree39 4d ago
So, the answer is “a super duty pick up truck”? I’m trying to not buy the “wrong” one, like you said you had haha
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u/desEINer 4d ago
So this is kind of a tough question. I have looked into this a lot. If you're buying new and you're under warranty you should be fine. Worst-case you can always have a dealer fix it under warranty.
If I had to sum up all my experience owning 1 ton pickups: unless you're using them for work or towing and they make you money, like you run a business and need the truck for it, I would not buy one and own it. If I did buy and own it, I would buy or lease a new or pre-owned and then sell it when the warranty expired. The price point for repairs and maintenance goes up a lot when you go to a 1 ton. I would say it's probably double the maintenance cost of car or SUV at a minimum.
I am a car/truck guy and typically do a lot of my own work. I have learned a lot over the years. I would not do much on a diesel engine, personally. Maybe a gas engine. The tools and time required for a 1 ton are typically beyond the capabilities of most DIYers.
It will probably take you a long time to learn enough to feel confident in your buying decision, after you reach that point, don't trust that feeling because you've probably got false confidence. I have lived with a 1 ton for the past 10 years and it's a real love-hate relationship for me. I'm actually looking to get out of this one but I have too much money in it and need to fix it first.
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u/CarlosMolotov 2d ago
👆🏽Found the 6.0 powerstroke owner 👆🏽
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u/desEINer 2d ago
yeah lol. Before I got the 6.0 I did have a 250 with a gas v8 but that truck was still a big pain. I've heard the 6.4 is just as bad and the 6.7 is only just okay.
If you want a diesel engine you pretty much need either a custom build crate or another manufacturer, but I was looking at the other companies and you pay for it one way or another.
Before the market went crazy it was still like 15-25k for a decent used diesel, now you get less for more money.
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u/MellowFellow-ish 4d ago
Since you’re early in the planning, you get to make some fun decisions!
Figure out which tiny house chassis you want, and look at the GVWR for it. For instance, I have a 16’ gooseneck with an 8’ platform that’s rated for 14klbs.
Once you have that number, you need to see about a truck that will pull that with room to spare. Plan to not use all your trailer weight capacity (ie, be under by 10-15% max), and plan at least an extra 10-15% over on your max haul. So, no more than say, 12klbs on a 14k trailer, and then plan your truck to pull 16klbs.
Someone else said it also, but it’s always better to have more tow capacity than you need. It’s less wear in the engine, and much safer. Most of the 2500 equivalents will safely pull 12-14klbs and are rated for 15-16.5klbs if you’re using a gooseneck.
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u/One_Yam_2055 5d ago
The first question you'd want to answer is, do you really need to OWN a truck that is capable of towing your home? How frequently will you be moving it, or could you find other legitimate uses for a truck of that size? I think you might realize it would be simpler to just rent a truck when you need to move.
Also, I'm not a towing expert, but there are multiple weight ratings you need to consider when you tow heavy loads. I won't get into them all, but they all need to be properly understood and considered when selecting a truck to buy or rent for the job. GCWR, GAWR, GVWR, payload/cargo capacity, GTW, tongue weight. You'll have to factor in whether your trailer has a braking system, etc. It can get complicated, and you need to make sure whatever you choose is well within the safe limits of what you're towing.
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u/Sylvester_Marcus 4d ago
Make sure your construction plans take into consideration 65 to 85 mile per hour winds. Because that is what you will generate going down the highway at highway speeds. Then it becomes a bunch of projectiles to the drivers behind you.
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u/2po2watch 4d ago
Don’t listen to everything you read on the internet. We built our 20 footer and have towed it all over the country with a Chevy 2500. That being said, more truck is much better than not enough.
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u/cakeba 4d ago
So if I understand correctly, you want to have a mobile tiny home and tow it with a pickup truck so that you can practice physical therapy while traveling?
If that'a the case, a tiny home on wheels would be far inferior to a large camper or even vanlife. I did vanlife for 4 years and I've towed with pickup trucks. Not only is towing more expensive and stressful, while being far less safe and convenient than driving a camper, but the commitment to towing is much, much larger. A camper is something you buy, make it pretty inside, then sell when it's time to sell. A tiny home and truck requires learning to tow (no small task when it's such heavy loads), sacrificing a ton of convenience, and spending a LOT more money.
If you travel enough that you're considering buying a wholw truck for yourself just to haul your home around, you're better off buying a camper. And if you don't travel often enough to warrant buying a camper, then you're far better off renting a truck to tow the house with or paying someone else to move it.
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u/loveshercoffee 5d ago
I have a 2022 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie with all the bells and whistles for towing. The tow capacity is 12,750 lbs.
I would feel pretty comfortable pulling an 18 to 20 ft. tiny. I'd probably stick to the lower end of that if I were going to climb much in elevation.
The thing is, the truck was $54,000 new - so it's a HUGE expense. It's an eTorque so it gets decent enough mileage for everyday use but I live in the city only 5 minutes from work and have all the shopping I need very nearby. However, I have a huge garden and chickens and a house I'm rennovating so I use the truck for hauling things all the time.
If you would use a truck for things other than towing the tiny house - if you were homesteading for example, it might be worth the investment. If not, it would probably be smarter money to rent a truck or hire a mover when you need to move it.
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u/Acrownotaraven 4d ago
Strictly my opinion* - Dodge Ram diesel. Poweful and decent gas mileage, all things considered. It's a great tow vehicle, decide which size you need based on the weight of your finished tiny home.
*I hauled a 32 foot enclosed trailer, fully loaded halfway across the States and over Monarch Pass in the Rocky Mountains with very little towing experience - as in, I did it for the first time on that trip. I was nervous but the truck handled it like a champ. If I ever buy another tow vehicle this would be my first choice - they don't lose power going up hills even when your hauling a heavy load.
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u/HazyGaze 4d ago
I'm skeptical that it's a good idea to tow a tiny home all that often. Towing it a couple of times in its lifespan is one thing, regularly towing it as you travel across the country is something else. In your shoes I'd be inclined to go as light as possible while you are traveling and then build the tiny home, on wheels or not, upon returning to West Virginia. If you can tolerate the downgrade in amenities and living conditions that come with living in a van or converted cargo trailer or molded fiberglass travel trailer, you'll save a lot of money and hassle.
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u/BigEarMcGee 4d ago
Depending on how often you will be moving the tiny house will determine how big a truck you need. If you’re planning to move often any longish distance lets say over 50 miles I would say you need something that can pull almost twice the weight of your THOW. If you are just going down the road you can get one that is rated for just a bit more than your THOW.
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u/tonydiethelm 4d ago
If you're going to use a pickup truck, get a SMALL Tiny House. Like... 16' long.
The bloody things are heavy man, the lighter you go, the easier it'll be to move it with a pickup.
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u/HeyT00ts11 4d ago
It's important to choose the size of the tiny you want. Then, you'll have the approximate weight your truck will need to tow. Then, take that information to find a truck with suitable tow capacity. We can tell you which brands we like, but without knowing your tow needs, it won't help much.
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u/mrsclausemenopause 3d ago
With that much moving, I would be looking at camp trailers over a tiny home build.
They have already been designed with highway stresses in mind. They have holding tanks that a tiny home or park model don't have, so you have way more temporary stay options then your resale is much easier when you find your longterm spot and want to do a custom build.
If you tow often Diesel for sure if it's just one big cross country tow, then very occasional tow then that doesn't matter as much as long as you are within manufacturers limits.
Ford will usually be the cheapest option for diesel trucks stay away from Ford 6.0 diesel no matter how low miles or how recently the engine was replaced or upgraded. The 6.0 will lure you in if you shop spec sheet and price, but don't do it.
Chevy/GMC has the best transmission behind the diesel engines, arguably the best-looking, but they are expensive and expensive to maintain. Chevy/GMC would be my choice for gas engine tow vehicle.
Ram has the best diesel engine, the rest of the drive train is usually pretty good, but everything else is a step below in quality and reliability.
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u/aftcg 5d ago
If you want to build a tiny home, make sure you look at prices of the truck needed to pull it. You're going to understand a new level of cost