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Old 09-19-2016, 10:48 AM   #41
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Name: Frank
Trailer: 2012 ParkLiner #006
New York
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ralphieboy View Post
I have a 13ft Scamp... it weighs in at just under 2000 pounds loaded.
I tow it with our 2 door Jeep Wrangler which does fine with it. My wife needs a new car and we figure on buying a vehicle that can tow the Scamp as well.
We are looking at two brand new vehicles in particular and would like your input...
2016 Ford Transit Connect Wagon (not the full size van)
and...
2016 Ford Escape
The Transit connect can tow 2,000 with tow package.
The Escape can tow up to 3500 with tow package.
I have not read anywhere about actual towing experiences with the Transit Connect Wagon... Makes me wonder if nobody is actually using it for towing small campers?????
Can anyone give me any real life experiences towing with the Transit Connect Wagon and/or the Escape?
Thanks
Ralphieboy
We bought a 2013 Escape with the 3500# tow package specifically to tow our Parkliner. Parkliners are advertised as towable behind the family's mini-van. Well, not in our case. We're going to buy a full size truck soon to tow it, as my old F150 bit the dust a while back.

Frank
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Old 09-19-2016, 10:55 AM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frank_a View Post
We bought a 2013 Escape with the 3500# tow package specifically to tow our Parkliner. Parkliners are advertised as towable behind the family's mini-van. Well, not in our case. We're going to buy a full size truck soon to tow it, as my old F150 bit the dust a while back.
Do you mean that your Escape did not provide a satisfactory towing experience? If so, care to elaborate? What is the loaded weight of your Parkliner?
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Old 09-19-2016, 11:22 AM   #43
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Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
Do you mean that your Escape did not provide a satisfactory towing experience? If so, care to elaborate? What is the loaded weight of your Parkliner?
We've never weighed the Parkliner empty or loaded, but were assured a 3500# tow capacity would be more than adequate. The vehicle does okay when not towing, but bogs down climbing slopes. Towing just seems a strain with the Escape, plus mileage plummets when towing. Not a vehicle to tow an egg into mountains at all. Some of it is the height of the Parkliner. It must put more of a drag on a vehicle that is lower than a van. We never had any problem towing with the '01 F150. It was almost like the trailer wasn't there. So we're getting another full size pickup sometime next year.

Frank
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Old 09-19-2016, 12:41 PM   #44
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Name: Chris
Trailer: Scamp 16
New Hampshire
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Comparing your experience in an F150 to one in an Escape is apples and oranges. The F150 is a brick on wheels so it's no surprise you barely notice the trailer behind. Mileage may suffer when towing with the Escape but I doubt its worse than the F150, and when you drop the trailer off, you still won't get good mileage in the F150 while the Escape will sip fuel around town.

The Escape seems to be a fine vehicle for towing a 13' camper. If you head into the mountains, the EcoBoost won't be affected by the higher elevations the way a non turbo motor will.

I'm using a 2013 Mazda CX-9 to haul a 16' Scamp. It's rated for 3,500 lbs and does just fine keeping up with traffic as long as you switch to manual mode to keep it out of 6th gear. I don't haul has many miles as some people on this forum but I'm into my 3rd season with a few long and hot trips under my belt all along the east coast. No plans to get an F150 for me...and I'm pulling more weight.
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Old 09-19-2016, 12:53 PM   #45
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As others say, YMMV.

Let me put this simpler. I would buy another Escape if we were not towing an egg. I would not if we were towing an egg. It just does not have the oomph, and we worry about the long term effect on a car we rely on to commute back and forth to work.

Frank
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Old 09-19-2016, 01:03 PM   #46
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Ford Escape

Hi, I tow my Trillium 5500, Wt 1850 dry with 2011 Ford Escape Limited with a tow limit of 3500. Handles my trailer with ease and also a comfortable tow vehicle. My advice go with the Escape!
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Old 09-19-2016, 07:14 PM   #47
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Name: Dave
Trailer: 2019 Casita SD, former HiLo and Sunline
Florida
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Sorry to be weighing in on this late, but our tow vehicle for 15 ft/2400 lb HiLo trailer is a 2015 Honda Odyssey minivan. Honda recommends a transmission cooler and the Honda receiver, and we installled those, plus proportional brake controller and nine pin hookup. This summer we undertook a 4,000 mile trip and had no problems; we felt very safe towing. The Odyssey turns out to be a very stable tow vehicle due to the long wheelbase and low center of gravity. Honda specifies a maximum tow limit of 3,500 lbs. We were well under that. As might be expected, the average gas mileage drops from about 20 to 14 mpg while towing. While concerned about low ground clearance, we did not experience any ground contact; it helped that we utilized an Anderson weight distributing hitch.
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Old 09-19-2016, 07:17 PM   #48
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Name: George
Trailer: shopping
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tow vehicle

Any thoughts on suitability of a 2011 Ford Ranger with a 6 cylinder, 4 litre engine with an automatic transmission.
It does have a factory " trailer package " which I should investigate further
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Old 09-19-2016, 11:43 PM   #49
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Casita SD17 2006 "Missing Link"
California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by George Ay View Post
Any thoughts on suitability of a 2011 Ford Ranger with a 6 cylinder, 4 litre engine with an automatic transmission.
It does have a factory " trailer package " which I should investigate further
Welcome to FGRV George. Shouldn't be a problem. I tow a Casita SD 17 with my '02 4L automatic 4DR Ranger XLT. Your factory manual has a chart list on tow rates for the different models/engines and options.
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Old 09-20-2016, 03:24 PM   #50
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Deisel towing

We just did a 4000 mile trip pulling our 1,400# Burro with a new bmw deisel wagon.
It did great even some four-wheel-drive roads and averaged 27 MPG overall

QUOTE=ralphieboy;608927]I have a 13ft Scamp... it weighs in at just under 2000 pounds loaded.
I tow it with our 2 door Jeep Wrangler which does fine with it. My wife needs a new car and we figure on buying a vehicle that can tow the Scamp as well.
We are looking at two brand new vehicles in particular and would like your input...
2016 Ford Transit Connect Wagon (not the full size van)
and...
2016 Ford Escape
The Transit connect can tow 2,000 with tow package.
The Escape can tow up to 3500 with tow package.
I have not read anywhere about actual towing experiences with the Transit Connect Wagon... Makes me wonder if nobody is actually using it for towing small campers?????
Can anyone give me any real life experiences towing with the Transit Connect Wagon and/or the Escape?
Thanks
Ralphieboy[/QUOTE]
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Old 09-20-2016, 04:18 PM   #51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frank_a View Post
We've never weighed the Parkliner empty or loaded, but were assured a 3500# tow capacity would be more than adequate. The vehicle does okay when not towing, but bogs down climbing slopes. Towing just seems a strain with the Escape, plus mileage plummets when towing. Not a vehicle to tow an egg into mountains at all. Some of it is the height of the Parkliner. It must put more of a drag on a vehicle that is lower than a van. We never had any problem towing with the '01 F150. It was almost like the trailer wasn't there. So we're getting another full size pickup sometime next year.

Frank
Your Parkliner could easily push 3000 pounds when loaded (2300pounds empty). Also the Escape is rate limited with the tow package and the 2.0L Ecoboost engine to only 30 square ft of frontal area. The Parkliner is double that.
With those things known, it is obvious that conservative speed and acceleration habits would be needed to find it satisfactory for this application.
The Escape 2.0L would be hotrod with a Scamp13 behind it.
Check out the 2.7L F-150 you'll be amazed! Take your trailer with you for the test drive.
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Old 09-20-2016, 06:11 PM   #52
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Trailer: 2012 Escape 19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by floyd View Post
...The whole point was to say that "generalities are always false" ...
Isn't that a generality?
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Old 09-21-2016, 09:41 AM   #53
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Name: Kip
Trailer: 2003 Casita 17' SD Deluxe, Towed by '09 Honda Ridgeline.
Georgia
Posts: 611
Been towing campers, large and small boats, and other trailers for 50+ years and have come to hard fast conclusions.

I've had tugs that were considered "adequate" for a given trailer that performed ok on level ground, but failed badly in the mountains. To make matters worse, when deciding to get a larger camper, the tug was no longer "adequate" and had to be upgraded also.

I don't recall ever hearing someone with a few towing years and miles to their credit, saying they wanted to get rid of their tow vehicle, and downgrade in favor of something that is "adequate".

At FG rallies, I've heard and seen many folks upgrade to V8 trucks or SUVs, even for the FG units.

Manufacturers put ratings on vehicles, depending on engine, frame, tranny, gear ratios, suspension and other considerations. For example, a P/U truck with a given engine size is typically rated to tow more than a mini-van with the same engine. Our Honda Pilot (SUV) 4wd with towing package was rated at 3500# towing. Our Honda Ridgeline 4wd is rated at 5000#. Both using the 3.5 V6. They didn't just change the electrical connector from 4 pin to 7 pin.

They added to the Ridgeline a subframe, slightly different engine torque configuration, a stronger rear axle, and gearing tweaks, to the best of my knowledge. And the 7 pin connector was standard. I don't know about current models of both.

Our 17' Casita Deluxe weighs in the neighborhood of 2450+/- lbs., plus whatever we add. And the Ridgeline pulls it fine. No way in the world would I consider towing that trailer with a 4 cylinder, or even a V6 with a lower rating of say 2500#. I also would not consider the Ridgeline adequate to tow it's full 5000# rating, except on relatively flat terrain.

FWIW: I've heard owners of other midsize pickups with 6000-7000# ratings
talk about some grade they encountered to get to the campground, being difficult. I expect their higher rating was due to the body on frame configuration and stiffer suspension.

To each his own!

k
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Old 09-21-2016, 10:07 AM   #54
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New York
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Thank you Kip, well stated!

We will keep our Escape, as it is a great small SUV, but get a full size truck for towing the camper.

I expect we will sell the Parkliner in a few years anyways and get something bigger. I would prefer going back to tents, not so much the little woman!

Frank
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Old 09-21-2016, 10:52 AM   #55
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Trailer: 2003 Casita 17' SD Deluxe, Towed by '09 Honda Ridgeline.
Georgia
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Frank,

Interestingly enough is that the folks that trade in their Mid size V6s say they get about the same mileage, when towing with their New V8.
Kind of surprising to me as the V8 Truck was much larger and heavier than what they had.

Quick story:

Speaking of "the little woman".

My wife is willing to rough it! So we have a small color TV in the camper. It is a Coby and the screen is about the size of an average lap top screen. But we were smart and got one with a DVD player, just incase the antenna couldn't find anything.

Last camping trip we met some friends at High Falls State Park and camped below the dam which put the lake way up there and between us and Atlanta. No reception.
No problem. Except the DVD player refused to work.

We were faced with having to talk to each other after we separated from our friends. After nearly 51 years of marriage, there isn't much left to talk about. She spent the rest of the evening trying to get Net Flix to work on her phone. That in itself was entertaining, and I eventually fell asleep watching her struggle, to no avail.

As usual I got up at 5am when the coffee started perking, and instead of her sleeping in as usual, she appeared at the door shortly after I went outside. About 5:10 am. With an announcement. "We are going somewhere to buy a DVD player"! So we drove the 20+/- miles to the nearest Walmart and got one. And all was peaceful in Camelot, once again.

Pretty sure that night of roughing it is more than she ever wants to do again.

k
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Old 09-21-2016, 10:56 AM   #56
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Name: Lynn
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21C, NTU April 2022 (was 2013 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17)
Massachusetts
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What Kip said makes the most sense to me. Over-engineering for the job is always the safest. Fortunately, we had just bought a one-year-old 2013 Ford Expedition EL 4x4 in 2014 before we started looking at trailers this year; it is basically a Ford F-150 frame with an SUV body (someone will probably tell me I'm wrong, but that's what I've heard), and it came with the trailering package, including brake controller. This Expy is rated for up to 8,700 lbs, so even if our little Casita 17 pushes its own axle limit of 3,500 lbs, we should be in good shape.

Of course for most MFGs you might not have to go so hefty, but extra won't hurt, and gives you some margin to play with. And BTW, if you get a pickup truck, you can also look at 5th-wheel trailers, which are said to be much more stable than 'bumper-pulled' trailers. Of course then you sacrifice most of the space in the bed for carrying gear and goodies—but then you can tow a bigger trailer, too, maybe even one with outside storage.

/Mr Lynn
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Old 09-21-2016, 11:17 AM   #57
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Towing w/ Pathfinder

We also tow the Burro with a 3 liter Pathfinder when we get really off road (13 mpg). It's not as strong up hills especially at higher elevations as our old (now retired Passat 2 liter diesel wagon). The new BMW 2 liter turbo diesel AWD wagon is even stronger and can accelerate up a mountain pass like the trailer is not there, and still average 27 mpg. There is a reason why tractor trailers are all diesel. Torque not horsepower.
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Old 09-21-2016, 11:23 AM   #58
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Name: JD
Trailer: Scamp 16 Modified (BIGLY)
Florida
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One reason for lower tow ratings is the SAE rating methodology.
They have to prove the vehicle capable of climbing the Davis dam incline on a 100 degree day (or some high temp) with the ac on full and not overheat or have any warning.
My VW TDI tows well and it is the torque that counts.
So far no overheating problems even in 110* F Texas heat.

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Old 09-21-2016, 11:26 AM   #59
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Overkill is fine if all you use the vehicle for is towing. Not so great if it is also your daily commuter.
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Old 09-21-2016, 11:36 AM   #60
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New York
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Kip, when we tow with the Escape, mpg drops from like 25 to 15. When we used to tow the same egg with my '01 F150, I might lose one mpg.

I love that little woman story. You & I must be cousins, as I am up at 5 or earlier making coffee. It is very rare the little woman gets up before 7, camping or not! We do have a TV mounted in our egg (folded up out of the way), but have only used it once during a bad storm to see what was going on. The little woman does have a DVD player that we've yet to use. I'm a books, magazines and music kind of guy, and with all the bluetooth stuff now out, and decades of music on my cell, I am rarely not entertained.

Lynn, i wholeheartedly agree with everything you said!

Frank
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