Casita 17' Deluxe and towing with Toyota Tacoma or Ford Ranger?

[Mary F]

Originally Posted by Lizbeth

I would say no to the Ranger. We have one, a 1994 and love it. It has 290,000 miles on it and is on it's 5th trasmission. I would be afraid to tow with one, even the newer ones with the newer trans style still it's the weak link. I know several people here tow with newer ones maybe someone will chime in.

Get the Ford Ranger with the 4.0L engine and tow package, and it will do just fine. (We had a 3.0L, with automatic trans, back in the '90s, that we towed a 16 ft. Casita with; and we had a 4.0L Ranger automatic that we used with our 17 ft. in the early 2000s.) Of course, we prefer the Ford F-150 for its smoother ride and larger cargo capacity, but YMMV.

[Alf S.]

Hi: All...As far as runaway Toyotas are concerned turning off the ignition isn't that great as it also turns off the power steering. The drill should be 1st. neutral, 2nd. steer off the travelled roadway. and 3rd. turn off the ignition.
I believe that Toyota has become like other auto makers in that they're squeezing their parts suppliers for lower prices...and they're getting them!!! IMHO
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Greg H]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: All...As far as runaway Toyotas are concerned turning off the ignition isn't that great as it also turns off the power steering. The drill should be 1st. neutral, 2nd. steer off the travelled roadway. and 3rd. turn off the ignition.
I believe that Toyota has become like other auto makers in that they're squeezing their parts suppliers for lower prices...and they're getting them!!! IMHO
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

Yes Alf, neutral would also be good as today's cars have rev limiters to protect from over r.p.m. As long as you don't lock the steering wheel no power steering on a moving vehicle is no big deal. Any way I think all of those people panicked and had no clue except stand on the brakes.

[Dale AZ]

I know several people who pull the 17' Casita with the current generation Nissan Frontiers (2005 & later). I can say 1st hand it works well. More hp than the others in this class and a max towing capacity of 6100~6500 depending on model. Nice to have a little more than you need.

Dale

[carsonjk]

Just wondering how the gas milage differed between the v6 and v8 tundras? Currently using my 4 cyl tacoma which is underpowered but sure love the 27 mpg when I'm not towing, very interested in the older v6 tundra if the milage seems better than the V8, towing or not.

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

I have had 2 1st Gen Tundras that I have towed with and it seems an ideal truck for us too.
I have had both the V6 and V8 and while either did better than fine,I like the extra power of the V8 for sure.

The earlier Tundra are also a good deal on the used market as most seem to want the newer HUGE Tundra?
Having the longer wheelbase of the Tundra also makes for surprise free towing compared to other vehicles I have tried.

I am always surprised how many of us have a Tundra and the recent Scamp Camp I was at was no exception.

[Greg H]

That V8 Toyota is a 5.7 liter in the old days that's a 350 Chevy.

[Ray N]

Right now you might want to consider looking at the full size Tundra as well as the Tacoma. The little trucks are selling for a premium because people want the better gas economy. I know this is true in the new market, because I take possession of a new 4.6L small V8 Tundra on Wednesday, and even though it lists for more, the out the door price was just about the same as the Tacoma.
I'm moving up from a V6 S10 which had a tow rating of 5600 pounds because I wanted more power for going up mountains - I don't like to keep a line of people behind me because I can't keep up with the flow of traffic, which is what happened the last time I went to the Smoky Mountains, and now we're thinking of going into the Rockies sometime soon.

[Ray N]

Oh, and as far as gas mileage, the new 4.6L V8 Tundra is rated at 15/20 mpg and the V6 Tacoma is rated at 17/21. The older Tundra wouldn't do quite so well since the older small V8 (4.7L) only had a five speed transmission and wasn't as efficient. Of course the very powerful 5.7L V8 would get worse mileage, the new one is rated at 14/18. All mileage is for the two-wheel drive models, four-wheel drives don't get quite as good mileage.