Here in Northern California, we’re spoiled by the amount of recreational activities we have available to us. With March ending and April already upon us, it won’t be long before it’s time to hook up the boat to the truck and take a trip out to one of our many local lakes.
In 2006, I purchased a brand-new Mastercraft X-Star from Meyer’s Marine in Redding. My tow vehicle was a 2002 Ford F-150 Crew Cab 4×4 in my favorite color: a shade of red I just called “maroon.” It came equipped with the 5.4L V-8 engine, seated 6 people, and could pull 8,000 lbs. During the summer we would pull the boat out to Bridge Bay at Shasta Lake. While the boat “only” weighed 4,250 lbs, I wasn’t happy with the speed at which my truck accelerated up the hill just before the exit to the marina. And as much as I don’t want to admit it, I’m pretty sure pulling the Mastercraft on a regular basis resulted in engine problems: I had to have a local dealer do some work on the cylinder heads.
To remedy this problem, I picked up a 2-wheel-drive single cab Chevrolet Silverado HD with an Allison Transmission and a Duramax diesel engine. With that as my tow vehicle, I was able to accelerate even when the boat was behind me, loaded with fuel, snacks, and any extra water I’d forgotten to drain out of the ballast (the boat held an additional 2,000 lbs of water in order to create a bigger wake).
West Mitsubishi in Orland, California is well-known as a leader in providing great pre-owned trucks for reasonable prices. They always have a good selection of used trucks from which to choose, and nearly every one of them comes with a towing package already installed. At the time of this writing, there are 31 such trucks in inventory. The RAM 1500 Crew Cab shown here would definitely be an option when considering a tow vehicle.
The 2019 RAM 1500, outfitted as a crew cab and including 4-wheel-drive, can be purchased with a 5.7 Liter Hemi engine that puts out 395 horsepower and can tow 6,370 lbs. Even with such a large gasoline engine, fuel economy is still an impressive 15 miles-per-gallon in the city and 21 miles-per-gallon on the highway. That’s more than enough to pull most fishing boats and ski boats, while still being reasonable enough on gas that the RAM can be a daily driver. While Ram is most popular with the Cummins diesel engine, even the half-ton version has an optional diesel available.
Arguably one of the best trucks on the market for towing purposes is a Superduty truck with the Ford Powerstroke diesel engine. For pure towing power, it’s hard to beat such a setup. If a person wishes to have a camper on the back of the truck, the F-350 has the most payload capacity. The pre-owned Ford truck shown here at Chico’s Bidwell Park, however, is equipped with the 6.2 liter gas engine. It has 385 horsepower and can tow 12,500 lbs. That’s far less than the towing capacity of the 6.7 liter Powerstroke diesel, which can tow more than 18,000 lbs. But few of us actually need such capacity.
Today’s cowboy Cadillacs almost always come equipped with features such as heated seats and alloy wheels. West Mitsubishi usually has most of their trucks raised and equipped with beefy aftermarket wheels and tires. Leather seats aren’t nearly as common on trucks as on cars, but plenty of trucks still have them.
Pictured here is a Ford F-150 Crew Cab 4×4 out at Black Butte Lake, which is located approximately 15 miles west of Orland. It’s a great place to fish without the crowds that congregate at better-known lakes such as Whiskeytown and Shasta.
If you prefer a truck such as a Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier, West Mitsubishi has you covered there, as well. Overall, there’s really no better place to go than West Mitsubishi. The right pre-owned truck is worth the drive from Redding, Chico and even Sacramento or Reno. Check out the current selection at WestMitsubishi.com
