What do you tow with?

[MargaretB]

We have abandoned our plan to buy a small hybrid and are looking at a number of hard-sided TTs, in the 22'-26' range. We have to buy a new vehicle to tow it with and are thoroughly confused. We've decided that we want an SUV instead of a truck. We've been looking at used vehicles.

A dear friend who tows a 22' Airstream does so with an MB diesel and insists that diesels are the only way to go, because they develop full torque at 2000 rpms instead of 3500 rpms for non-diesel cars. We can't afford an MB, so he recommends a VW Touareg.

We love he idea of smaller "regular" SUV because whatever we buy will tow for maybe 5-10% of the time and b a town car the rest of the time. A local dealer says that the Touareg certainly has the torque to tow at 6000-7000 lb. trailer, but probably does't have the braking power to handle it on a downhill slope. Touareg diesels are incredibly hard to find - we've found three used ones in all of California and can't afford a new one.

We've been looking at Toyota Sequoias and Ford Expeditions, which aren't diesel. Our friend is pooh-poohing those options.

We're hoping not to add another vehicle to the mix, but we're hearing good things about the Tahoe and the Silverado.

So my question is - what do you drive to tow a TT in the range we're considering? How is it working for you? Is there anything else you wish you'd bought instead? What are your thoughts with regard to diesel vs. gas?

[MargaretB]

I wish we could buy without compromise but we've already had to. The absolutely perfect unit we found, which had everything we wanted and nothing we didn't except for one fixed window that I didn't like, is too long at 26' box and too heavy at 51xx dry weight for us to tow comfortably with the Sequoia. So I've compromised on two items that are fairly important to me, and my husband has given up one, and if we can get a decent price on the Surveyor Cadet we found, we'll live happily with those compromises. Definitely a First-world problem.

[Uplander]

The Sequoia by Toyota is an excellent choice as it is built on the Tundra truck frame with the same drive-train. Be sure it either has a factory tow package or at the very least a heavy duty trams-cooler.

Shop around for a TT that fills your wants and needs without compromise. Try to attend a regional RV-Show to see the variety the industry has to offer. Many dealers have limited variety. Also check Craig's list for slightly used units that might fit your wish list....that will save you thousands. If you are new to the game enlist the aid of a TT camping veteran to help you check out any used purchase.
I have found a huge supply of used Travel Trailers on Craig's list that have seen little to no real use.
Many not so happy campers buy a trailer and move up to something bigger in a very short time. Find one in this category and you score a bargain. Private sales give you the best bang for the buck.

Good Luck!

[rbpru]

We tow a 26 ft. Dutchman Lite of about 6000 lbs. loaded with an F-150 E-boost 4x4 of 350 hp. or so. We are at or a bit over the Max cargo limit depending on how much "stuff" we pack. We have had no issues with handling, swaying or passing when necessary.

We travel at 60 mph. and get 10 mpg.

I had a 200 hp F-150 but it could not handle the same load. We had a top speed of 62 mph and any hill slowed us down to 50 or 55 mph. It was alway a constant battle to keep it from down shifting.

[MargaretB]

As an example, my trailer has a dry weight of 4,820 lbs. I also added a slide out topper. So, after getting it and transferring our gear, I had it weighed just before a short trip but without food or drink packed. My trailer ended up weighing around 6200 lbs. And, as I said, that is a really good weight to tow with a 1/2 ton truck. If you figure 15% for the tongue weight, I'm at 9,300 lbs. which is within the truck's payload rating.

Hope this helps....sorry for the long post.

By my math, 15% of 6200# is 930#, for a total of 7130#, not 9300#. Or am I misunderstanding you?

There are two of us and we tend to go light. Our plan is to use the rig for 3-4 day trips, with an occasional longer one.

Yesterday, we bought a used Toyota Sequoia, which is rated to tow 7500#. The TT unit we really like is rated on the sticker to tow 5724# with full tanks. But we realized that it's too long to fit into our driveway or back into the road. So now we're looking at TTs rated at 22', which would probably run about 25' total. The one we liked is the Surveyor Cadet SC226, which has these numbers:
Length 25'5"
Hitch Weight 492 lbs
Dry Weight 4,880 lbs
Cargo Weight 2,612 lbs

It that turns out to be too heavy, we'll keep moving down until we find what works for us. We still have some wiggle room on our "wanted features" list.

[kodiakcanuck]

pappcam wrote:

The Armada and Sequoia are Nissan'a and Toyota's truck based full sized SUVs like the Expedition, Tahoe and the Suburban. Dodge doesn't have a full size truck based SUV.

I dont count Nissan's and Toyota's as trucks :B

[pappcam]

kodiakcanuck wrote:
A smaller SUV will certainly limit what you can tow, so you will want to be careful on that. In my opinion trucks handle towing better than any SUV, with the exception of the large truck based SUVs like Tahoe, Suburban or Expedition. Those large SUVs are really a truck in disguise, they use as much fuel and are required when you want to haul a lot of people and cargo.

Since it is two of you I cant see that you would want such a large SUV, you might as well get a truck. 4 door version with a small box and very comfortable and less like a truck. The Ram's have the ECOmode that cuts to 4 cylinders when cruising on the highway without the trailer, so you average above 20mpg. The Ford EcoBoost will also give you some gas saving when unloaded. Since you live in Cali you are probably looking to cut fuel cost like we have to up here.

If you do go with a midsize SUV, I think you will want to keep the trailer under 26 feet. Durango or Armada are some good options?

I agree with the others, you have to pick either the truck or the trailer and then work your way towards what works with each...Good luck!

The Armada and Sequoia are Nissan'a and Toyota's truck based full sized SUVs like the Expedition, Tahoe and the Suburban. Dodge doesn't have a full size truck based SUV.

[PAThwacker]

Cheap third vehicle gas hog: k2500 suburban. If I did not have a 90lb lab I would have a 10 year old dedicated 3/4 ton gas crew cab

[kodiakcanuck]

A smaller SUV will certainly limit what you can tow, so you will want to be careful on that. In my opinion trucks handle towing better than any SUV, with the exception of the large truck based SUVs like Tahoe, Suburban or Expedition. Those large SUVs are really a truck in disguise, they use as much fuel and are required when you want to haul a lot of people and cargo.

Since it is two of you I cant see that you would want such a large SUV, you might as well get a truck. 4 door version with a small box and very comfortable and less like a truck. The Ram's have the ECOmode that cuts to 4 cylinders when cruising on the highway without the trailer, so you average above 20mpg. The Ford EcoBoost will also give you some gas saving when unloaded. Since you live in Cali you are probably looking to cut fuel cost like we have to up here.

If you do go with a midsize SUV, I think you will want to keep the trailer under 26 feet. Durango or Armada are some good options?

I agree with the others, you have to pick either the truck or the trailer and then work your way towards what works with each...Good luck!

[Uplander]

Ever notice that you can bring a horse to water but you cannot get them to drink. Nothing more frustrating than people who do things a**backwards and end up with regrets even those who know better have tried to save them from their lack of experience.

[1wayhighway]

MargaretB

Have you guys ever towed anything before? Pop up, car trailer anything?

Forums are great because you can get a lot of good information and forums are bad because you can get a lot of information that can be confusing.

What determines a travel trailer to be large is very subjective and everyone will have a different opinion. We pulled a 13 ft pop-up for years, that's small. Now we pull a Whitehawk (28DSBH, 32ft bumper to hitch), to me, that's big and I was very nervous about buying it because of the size. We traveled about 4000 miles this summer and it has taken most of that time for me to begin to feel confidant towing it and getting it in and out of places.

If you haven't done much towing you might really think about going used on everthing to make sure you will be comfortable towing, it will help you get a feel for it without as much monetary risk. If you go new and hate it or if you go to big and hate it, well it's gonna cost you.

If you are set on that trailer you need to check the dry weight on the yellow sticker not the published dry weight (they will be different) and you are going to be in a 1/2 ton truck no matter what you friend says. Check actual weights, don't go by published weights.

[patricks99]

TV: 2005 Silverado 2500HD Crew cab 4x4 6.6 diesel 12k tow capacity
trailer: 2009 Fleetwood Wilderness 260RLS 7900 GVWR

weight dist. hitch and air spring kit make for easy towing.

[MorMJS]

2009 Dodge Ram Quad cab with a 6.7L Cummins turbo diesel and 6 speed auto trans.

[jake2250]

2012 Silverado 2500HD 6.0, 6speed auto, pulling a 20' 4500 pound trailer. Takes all the worry out of traveling!

[Dennis_Smith]

Ford F 250 crew cab short wheel base, 5.4 L pulling a 23 foot Fun Finder. perfect size truck for pulling 4000 pounds.