I am in the market for a different truck. I can’t bite the cost of a new one but hope to find something around $18,000.
I want something that can handle pulling an 8′ x 16′ Ice Castle up and down the road and has enough poop to handle off road snow travel on the lakes. I currently have an o5 Tahoe and found it ok other than getting off trail. I also want something that has enough tire clearance for tire chains, the Tahoe doesn’t.
Thanks for any and all tips and comments.
WS
Tundra. Right now I’m driving a T100 which is a V6. I love Toyotas and the life you get out of them. For me the smaller T100 is perfect, but if I needed more power, I would get a Tundra hands down.
Sounds like a Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge vs Toyota question. Good luck getting a unbiased answer. 
Dodge. For 18k you should be able to get a year or two old Ram with the 5.7 hemi that will have no problem with your Ice Castle, or some off frozen off roading. That’s what I did, and have loved every minute of it. Mine is an ’11 and gets about 20 mpg, and the newer ones are even better!
Thanks for the quick responses. Yes, this could be as Dutchboy says, however I hope it doesn’t. Maybe I should have asked, with what you are pulling with, what don’t you like.
My Tahoe has served me well. It just ticks me off that in order to use chains I have to drop a size in tires to allow clearance. I have a dump trailer and chipper that I also need to also pull around for side work, so the new truck will be doing more than just fish house detail.
Anyway, I sure hope more people give their views. Thanks again for your time in helping me.
WS
I love my tundra. With a family you would want 2004 or newer for the crew cab. All have positives and negatives. Mine has 215k and I have put about 1500 in maintenance sence I have owned it 100k
Ford 150 with the big 6 with the ecoboost, has all power i’ll ever need, but you wont find one for 18, i would look for a good used tundra, great trucks. DK.
Toyota T100 hear love it bought it new in 1997 it’s been through 2 teenage boys and will soon be a dedicated fishing hunting truck. Pulling with it is kinda tough but the Tundra with the v8 should do the trick. The only down fall is Toyota hasn’t really kept up on the MPG end of the truck market. I plowed snow with Dodge trucks for a few years and really enjoyed the ride and interior features but had a bunch of transmission problems with them.
if your tahoe is in good shape,save some coin and put in a four inch lift kit,and new shocks/struts’
the ride quality is still great,and you have time to shop for something that suits your needs down the road.
Don’t let all us GM lovers down! Lift the Tahoe! Air bags on the rear would be something to consider on the rear to handle the towing weight a bit better.
I would avoid a basic ‘key’ type lift. They can make the ride pretty rough compared to a quality. You get what you pay for in a lift generally. To keep the best ride possible, you’d want to do a crossmember lift, which isn’t going to be cheap, or easy to install without a hoist.
They look soooooo good lifted though…
10216946_201232015137-1.jpg
Assuming most all off road lake travel will be done on plowed roads out and back, I personally would look into a lift kit of some sort as mentioned but also check into a installing Posi traction in your rear differential in you don’t already have one.
It all depends on it you are sure or not if you have enough power with your Tahoe to travel up and down the highway pulling your Ice Castle for I am not sure how much they weigh.
During off ice season what do you use your truck for ?
Tundra’s are nice trucks but repairs can be up there pending issue !
If it I “looking to up grade” I would look for a nice GM truck with a 5.7 or bigger from down south,there are companies out there that specialize in doing that,but you would be buying a tuck you know “NOTHING” about.
How well do you know your truck now and how often is it used to pull your Ice Castle ?
Decisions,Decisions…spend $2000-$3500 to update your existing truck to fit your liking/needs or spend up to $18,000.00 for different one ? Only you as the owner can make that choice !
Good luck and let us know what you decide and how it works out !
Thanks for giving me a headache everyone! lol
My Tahoe has the 5.3 engine in it, I believe it has around 90,000 miles on it.
It seems to pull pretty good other than if you are going into a head wind and then it has a tendency to shift back and forth enough that I take the cruise off.
The truck has had a few issues since buying it new, but most were from lack of use. It is our third vehicle so it is our weekend truck, which spends most of it’s time in the garage. Humidity has given us a few problems but that’s not the trucks fault and we will have the same problem with a replacement.
I never gave a lift kit a any thought and it seems like an option worth looking into. I did today call 2 different GM dealers and asked their opinions. Frankly both said they would get chains and try them on. They claim the fit problem will be fender related, and that I should first try putting a pair on. I guess I am from the school that when something says DON’T, I don’t. Color me the fool!
I will let you all know what I find.
It is repetitious, but Thanks again!
WS
I guess I should have prefaced my previous post with, I am a GM master tech, and a Tahoe owner. They are great all around vehicles, as I’m sure you’ve found.
As for a place to have a lift installed, you may have to look into smaller independent shops, or specialty off road shops. Most dealers want nothing to do with installing stuff like that.
I think the main problem you’ll have with chains is the front steering limitations. The chain’s will add a bit of overall ‘tire height’, and giving the chain the reach to contact both the front fender and the frame at full lock.
Ideally, the smaller the lift the better. If it has torsion bar front suspension, which I believe it does, the front ride height can be slightly adjusted by tightening the key bolts. This will effectively raise the front suspension anywhere from 1″-2″ max. This doesn’t do great things to the ride, but the price is right.
The rear can be leveled a little bit by a simple inner-spring air bag kit, for around $100-150 for a simple kit. These don’t hurt the right much at all, with my experience. Coil spring spacers would be the other option on the rear, which wouldn’t be all bad either, but will need some other parts to go along with them to lift it RIGHT.
the chains is an interesting question that I’m trying to figure out.
I had a 2003 Tahoe with Z71 and fully loaded. Really was awesome at getting around on a lake so I never thought about chains.
Now I have a 2014 Silverado that likes to get stuck. I know this is outside your price range but one piece might be relevant. Looked at my manual the other day and it says not to run chains. I don’t if that’s legit or if it’s just a disclaimer.
Where I’m headed is make sure the vehicles you look at can accept chains. Sounds like that might be a deal breaker for you so the lift kit may be the better choice.
If money were no object
Ford
Tundra
RAM
GMC/Chevy
the chains is an interesting question that I’m trying to figure out.
I had a 2003 Tahoe with Z71 and fully loaded. Really was awesome at getting around on a lake so I never thought about chains.
Now I have a 2014 Silverado that likes to get stuck. I know this is outside your price range but one piece might be relevant. Looked at my manual the other day and it says not to run chains. I don’t if that’s legit or if it’s just a disclaimer.
Where I’m headed is make sure the vehicles you look at can accept chains. Sounds like that might be a deal breaker for you so the lift kit may be the better choice.
the reason chains are not recommended is because you will rip off the anti-lock brake sensor wires in the front along with the caliper hoses,and you can tear up the park brake cable,and or caliper hoses on the rear brakes depending on whether you have drum brakes or disc brakes on the rear.
personally before thinking of running chains,I would run either a softer tire,or lower the pressure in the existing ones to get a better grip on a slick surface,the latter is a pain,but doesnt take long if you plan ahead.
a good quality lift other than running up the keys is the best option as you will maintain ride quality,and you wont wear out the drive train or tires.
the air bags are great as well for the rears,just keep in mind that the air hoses are plastic,and they get brittle when its really cold out and they can snap easily if struck with any form of road debris.
an addition of a posi rear end is a good idea as well,all in with the posi kit,and lift kit will set you back about three grand.
the 5.3 litre is indestructible with good care,it is not unusual to see them last three hundred thousand miles.
the early ones did have oil consumption issues,but that was taken care of and there was a technical service bulletin on that.
Chances are it already has an eaton locker in the rear end.
Even a set of snow tires would be anice improvement over the common all terrains.
My old boss had 347k mi on his 5.3 when he sold it. Yes I said sold it. It was a sierra 1500. The Tahoe you have will run forever. If your mind is secretly made up to buy a different rig there are a lot of good trucks out there for the price you mentioned or less. I just know the gm v8s run a long long time. If its a weekend truck I am assuming the mpg isn’t a super huge factor. The 1500hd or 2500hd with 6.0 would be a good option also with bigger brakes and suspension.
Chances are it already has an eaton locker in the rear end.
Even a set of snow tires would be anice improvement over the common all terrains.
You would be surprised what a set of dedicated winter tires can do.Blizzaks are good,Firestone Winterforce are real nice.You can get a set of wheels for that Tahoe for very reasonable.2005 should not have those TPM sensors,so easy switch in the spring.
I’m a Duramax fan, As a guide I don’t have a lot of disposable income and need a truck that will tow, get good mpg’s and be reliable. Yes, it’s going to weigh more but the + out weigh the -. My opinion only, shop for a low milage 2004.5 or newer 3/4 ton Duramax and enjoy great mpg’s, more power than you need and the chain clearance even with wide 33″ tires.
Tundra.
Something seems fishy, there appear to be more people touting Tundras in this thread than I even see on the road!
I’m a Ford guy, but the 5.3 is a bulletproof engine. Not super powerful, but good enough and gets decent mpg. If I were you, I’d stick with your Tahoe and get winter tires. If that doesn’t get you where you want to go, you need a sled or tracked atv.
I like my raptor lol
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