5er towing question

[Al Stansell]

I am not looking for a new trailer - I love my boler just fine, but I do like to dream... Can I tow a 5'er like a scamp with a two wheel drive truck? I have a Toyota Tundra regular cab 2 wheel drive with a 6 cylinder. I know that it has the tow capacity, but it seems all the trucks I see hauling 5ers are 4 wheel drive. Any feedback on this? I know that 4 x 4's are enormously popular today, so that may be why they're all I see. Cheers, Alec

[Chester Taje]

I see no reason why you could not do it.Back a few years before 4x4s were popular thats all we used was 2 wheel drive.

[Nancy in Oregon]

Alec, we tow our Scamp 5th wheel just fine with a 6-cylinder, two-wheel drive, Mazda truck. We use Premium gas when towing to cut out any pinging while pulling hills but that higher octane gas works just fine.

Nancy

[Al Stansell]

That's what I figured. Now if I could just find a Quantam... Alec

[Donna D.]

Actually, I think having a 2 wheel drive truck is probably a better fit for most molded fiberglass 5th wheels. I know there's big a problem with clearance on some 4x4 trucks. Something about bed height. I know Scamp offers two difference height models on the 5th wheel just because of this problem. I know if I was looking to purchase new, I'd go with the taller trailer, because I'd never know what type of tug I'd have in the future...wouldn't that be the pits, get a trailer that doesn't clear the bed

Good luck on and finding a Quantum Al

[Taylor Kissinger]

Actually, I think having a 2 wheel drive truck is probably a better fit for most molded fiberglass 5th wheels. I know there's big a problem with clearance on some 4x4 trucks. Something about bed height. I know Scamp offers two difference height models on the 5th wheel just because of this problem. I know if I was looking to purchase new, I'd go with the taller trailer, because I'd never know what type of tug I'd have in the future...wouldn't that be the pits, get a trailer that doesn't clear the bed

Good luck on and finding a Quantum Al

I have a 4x Ford F150 I have to tow with the 5th wheel at the highest setting og my cross
member. The new 4x trucks are all coming out with high bed rails . I am looking at buying a 6 cylinder Toyota 2X . One for better gas mileage and 2 for bed clearance. It seems I really only need 4x once or twice a year.
Just my thoughts
Taylor

[Roger H]

Al, a two wheel drive will do you just fine. I have 4WD trucks and have had for years now as the added bad-weather traction is really nice. It's also nice to slip it into 4WD when you're moving the trailer on wet grass, or other less-than-ideal surface, but 'nice' is the operative term, not 'necessary'. A two wheel drive Tundra would haul a Scamp (or any FG) 5er very nicely. I tow my Scamp 16 with a Tundra 3.4l 6 cyl.

Roger

[Darwin Maring]

We tow ours with a 2003 Chevy S10, V6, automatic, through the mountains with absolutely no problem at all.

Read your owners manual to see the towning capacity and try to stay within 75% of the capacity.

We have 5500lb cap and tow 3500lb.

[jrnutpaul]

Al
We tow our 5th wheel Bigfoot with a Toyota Tacoma 6 cl 2X.

Paul

[Pete Dumbleton]

Some considerations to 4x4 vs 2x4 are that the weight of the 4x4 hardware counts against the GVWR and GCWR, the trucks normally stick up higher which may create a problem and there's no difference in braking. Esp with a 5W, you should have plenty of traction with the weight over the rear axle.

BTW, if you are concerned about slipping in moderate circumstances (wet grass, light mud, gravel, etc.) consider installing a limited slip or locking differential for the rear axle. There are a lot of good products out there and most can be installed by a reasonably competent shade tree mechanic -- Most do not require shimming gears, just a bolt-in replacement.

[Isaac M]

I agree with Pete on the extra weight of the 4x4 counting against the GCVW.

We tow with a 1996 Tacoma 4 cyl and have had no problems with the Cascade, Coastal Range, or Siskiyou Mountains (we generally hover at 45-50 mph up the hills and do 50 mph down). I have yet to be passed by a larger truck towing a trailer going up a hill...although I have passed quite a few. I also run premium gas and air up air-helper spring (air bags) when I tow. A little extra power would be nice, but the trade-off on gas mileage has not been worth it yet since the truck is my daily driver. We do watch our weight carefully to make sure that we don't exceed the GCVW (yes, I break the 75% rule, but never exceed the GCVW, unlike most of the bigger trucks that are towing out there). The GCVW will be the driving factor to upgrade the truck as my boys grow (most likely to a 2WD Tundra).

I talked with several others who tow Scamp 5ers with Tacoma's (surprisingly, there are quite a few if you hunt for them) who towed all over the states before we bought our trailer because I was concerned about the power and safety. In the end, the two real pieces of advice were to have air bags (Toyota springs are pretty weak) and don't be in a hurry...just enjoy the scenery. In the end, because we don't travel over very high passes too often (mostly just the Coastal Range and the Cascades) I decided that I would stick with my Tacoma until we outgrew it by way of the GCVW. I've been happy with the decision (as has my pocket book).

We're taking the trailer over the Rockies next summer...so that will be the first real test of how well the truck does going over the 2 big passes on the way to Montana. I have a feeling that if I made a regular habit of towing at high altitude I'd probably want a larger truck.

[Roger H]

Having towed with Toyota trucks for years, and having had the 1F and 2F engines as well as the 20r, 22r, 22re, the 3.0l V6, and 3.4l V6 (now x2) over the years, I can tell you that the 3.4l V6 is without a doubt the best engine Toyota has ever produced. It has significantly higher horsepower than the 3.0, significantly better power and range in general than any of the other engines, and still manages to get mileage not too far off the 22re figures.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking at any of the Toyota trucks as THE engine to have. I was impressed with it in my '97 T100 (the one truck I never should have traded), disappointed in the performance of the 3.0l in the '94 compact truck after having the T100, and am just astounded at it's capabilities in the Tundra I have now.

Roger

[Ken Moore]

I've had two experiences with my Scamp 5'er.. When we first bought the Scamp, we had a Ford Ranger 6 cyl.. There was no way that little Ranger was going to pull that Scamp "anywhere".. It wouldn't go anywhere, even on the flat, let alone in the hill country.. That Ranger was a 2 wheel drive but I don't think that had anything to do with its ability to pull the Scamp.. The Ranger was replaced with a Dodge Dakota V8.. Wow, what a difference!! It's also a 2 wheel drive truck and pulls that Scamp anywhere we want to go.. We live in North Idaho and have been all over the Northwest and narry a problem.. It's a great match: Dodge Dakota V8/Scamp 5'er

Hope my 2 cents worth is helpful it choice of pulling rigs..

Ken

[Harold Dean]

That's what I figured. Now if I could just find a Quantam... Alec

I have just logged on after being absent for quite some time and while surfing the posts came across this. I have made the hert rendering decision to part with mine as I just don't have the time to go RVing anymore nor the time to finish the refurbishing. I will be posting it on the for sale area as soon as I am able to log on to it without getting the parsing error. Harold Dean