Decent tow vehicle...

[jwykes]

... Proud new owners of a Boler here, and we've never owned an RV before. Now that we have one (which we'll be picking up next month) we're realizing there's much to learn (and do!), beginning with finding a vehicle to tow it. It's looking like we're going to have to sell our current car (Saturn Ion with a weight capacity of 850 lbs.) and move on to something that'll make the long haul to get our Boler home. I'm a little confused on weight and towing and it'll probably require someone to walk me through all those calculations, as seen on other threads, with Boler and car physically present. (The words on the screen aren't really registering -- I need someone who can explain it in ultra layman's terms.)

At any rate, our door is wide open for a vehicle purchase, limited only by budget. We've always been used car people (we've never had an SUV) and would like to keep as fuel efficient as possible. If anyone can give us suggestions/opinions on the topic of tow vehicles and what we should be looking at tow capacity-wise, we'd much appreciate it. (We're currently looking at Subarus.) ** Note that our Boler pick-up trip is quite a haul, which will also be our first camping trip with it (2400km/one week of traveling through a very rural area). Safety is key.

[DavArl]

The Subaru Forrester is rated to pull 2400lbs with a tongue weight of 200lbs. Not sure what a Boler weighs but I'm going to be using my Forrester once we settle on a FG. I like the Forrester a lot. It's rated at about 27mpg and I like the AWD.

[Orcus79]

Well you can't go wrong with a Subaru, I think most here that own one use the forester. You want to look at towing capacity and if the manufacturer says yes or no. A potential rule of thumb is take the trailer weight and add about 200lb to account for gear, if it has a holding tank for water 1L=1kg, I forget the conversion to Lbs.

Tounge weight is the weight that will be supported on the hitch ball, usually max is between 200-500lbs.

You don't need a big SUV, I have one of the new FJ Cruisers and towed a Trillium just fine. Even a small pick uo will be fine.

I think anything in the LEgacy line up of subaru with the 6 would be fine, Any number of the small SUVs and trucks would be perfecty capable to, just look in the owners manual and see what it says.

Addition equipment I would also suggest being added to any vehicle you choose to purchase would be having an aux transmission cooler installed if it is an automatic, a quality brake controler for the trailer brakes, proper wiring for the brakes and 12v supply to charge the trailer batt.

[floyd]

If your Boler is a 13, you might consider a good used 2006 or newer Ford Escape 4Cyl. A 2009 or newer would be even better with it's improved automatic and larger 170HP 4Cyl engine. This choice would yield GREAT reliability and fuel economy, along with good utility and comfort.

We often tow our 13 deluxe Scamp with our 2008 Escape 4CYL 5spd manual.
We are well satisfied with it's performance and price... and the fuel economy when towing is amazing.

[cpaharley2008]

Any small v-6 SUV or even a 4 cyl Tacoma

[Carol H]

A Subaru Outback basic can take 2800lbs total and 200 tongue weight - the next up version has a 3000lb tow rating. I can attest through thousands of miles of towing with one that the Outback is a good choose for the small trailer.

[Rick G]

Originally Posted by jwykes

... Proud new owners of a Boler here, and we've never owned an RV before. Now that we have one (which we'll be picking up next month) we're realizing there's much to learn (and do!), beginning with finding a vehicle to tow it. It's looking like we're going to have to sell our current car (Saturn Ion with a weight capacity of 850 lbs.) and move on to something that'll make the long haul to get our Boler home. I'm a little confused on weight and towing and it'll probably require someone to walk me through all those calculations, as seen on other threads, with Boler and car physically present. (The words on the screen aren't really registering -- I need someone who can explain it in ultra layman's terms.)

At any rate, our door is wide open for a vehicle purchase, limited only by budget. We've always been used car people (we've never had an SUV) and would like to keep as fuel efficient as possible. If anyone can give us suggestions/opinions on the topic of tow vehicles and what we should be looking at tow capacity-wise, we'd much appreciate it. (We're currently looking at Subarus.) ** Note that our Boler pick-up trip is quite a haul, which will also be our first camping trip with it (2400km/one week of traveling through a very rural area). Safety is key.

Our 1974 Boler actually weighed about 1500 pounds fully loaded for camping, and we kept about 150 pounds on the hitch weight. Class 1 towing is 2000 pounds, which is the lightest standard. So, virtually any vehicle that is rated to tow Class 1 or higher can probably tow your Boler, unless the previous owner did modifications that substantially increased the trailer's weight. I have always had minivans, but I have seen them towed with many different kinds of vehciles. I am referring to a 13 foot Boler, not the bigger ones.

Rick G.

[Donna D.]

Hi Jenn, I see this was your first post and I just wanted to welcome you to FiberglassRV. We're glad you're here. You'll find lots of opinions and help here... from kind folks.

I can't and won't help with your question because I tow my Scamp with a PU and monster V8.

Good luck on your vehicle decision.

[841K9]

Though you can tow with a car (yes, a Subaru outback is a car), it is far more comfortable in a truck or SUV. Weight is king. The heavier the tow vehicle, the better it will feel. Cars are low profile and your Boler is not. Wind resistance is a big deal when dragging something down the highway.

I've owned several RV's ranging from a Coleman Taos to a 30' Sandpiper and my current Scamp 13'. My 1 ton Work truck has lived most of its life with a 4,000lb box trailer attached to it.

[honda03842]

My little four cylinder has no trouble towing a fiberglass trailer.

Last year at the Fiberglass Rally in PEI there were probably 30 Bolers being towed by all kinds of vehicles. Across the street from me was a Boler 13 being towed by a 1954 Mercury.

The Mercury had less torque and horsepower than my Honda and weighed about the same. The guy had been towing the Boler with it for decades without issues. His Boler had surge brakes.

The Maritime rally is being held in New Brunswick this July and is well worth attending.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Here ya go. This should tow your trailer just fine.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by 841K9

Though you can tow with a car (yes, a Subaru outback is a car), it is far more comfortable in a truck or SUV. Weight is king. The heavier the tow vehicle, the better it will feel. Cars are low profile and your Boler is not. Wind resistance is a big deal when dragging something down the highway.

LOL - trust me my Outback is a very comfortable ride and wind is not an issue - this winter while in Nevada a semi end up side ways across the highway in front of me - could not figure out why until I got out of my car while waiting for the highway patrol to clean it up - windy you bet! & yep I was pulling a trailer & hadnt even noticed the wind. ;-)

[jwykes]

(Byron -- LOL, how's the fuel economy on that thing?) There's much to consider here. (Q. I'm assuming a 4 cyl. engine can do it as long as it has a decent tow capacity? And which 4 cyl. cars out there have that capacity?) I'm a bit bummed that I have to sell my current car as I've grown a bit attached to it, but my mechanic says 'no way'. On-line look-up says 1000 lbs. I'd like to go with a car for fuel efficiency purposes but don't want to waste the time browsing through things that aren't going to suit my purpose. So far I've come up with the Outback/Legacy and of course the Forester, which is also fuel efficient among the SUVs -- thanks to all who gave me a run down on what's out there on the Subaru line and thanks for the suggestions and warm welcome.

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by Carol H

LOL - trust me my Outback is a very comfortable ride and wind is not an issue - this winter while in Nevada a semi end up side ways across the highway in front of me - could not figure out why until I got out of my car while waiting for the highway patrol to clean it up - windy you bet! & yep I was pulling a trailer & hadnt even noticed the wind. ;-)

Sorry Carol- I apologize in advance for my incredible lack of ability to resist but: The wind was strong enough to blow a semi around and you were driving one of those Australian SUVs called a Super-Roo, towing a Fiberglass trailer and you hadn't noticed the wind?

methinks a bit more coffee may have been in order to acquire some alertness!

[jwykes]

"The Maritime rally is being held in New Brunswick this July and is well worth attending."

That would be cool! I can't wait to be 'in'! (And I'm scoping CRVs too.)

[jwykes]

Or is Fuel Economy either full of crap, or a bit "off"? (Maybe it's just Me.)

[841K9]

Originally Posted by Carol H

LOL - trust me my Outback is a very comfortable ride and wind is not an issue - this winter while in Nevada a semi end up side ways across the highway in front of me - could not figure out why until I got out of my car while waiting for the highway patrol to clean it up - windy you bet! & yep I was pulling a trailer & hadnt even noticed the wind. ;-)

Even my fiance's "Jeep" Liberty felt the wind with a trailer behind it. Not much, but its there. I prefer the feel and price of towing it with my K5 Blazer.
Man, Liberties are sure hard on fuel for their size.

[841K9]

Originally Posted by jwykes

"The Maritime rally is being held in New Brunswick this July and is well worth attending."

That would be cool! I can't wait to be 'in'! (And I'm scoping CRVs too.)

The CRV only comes in 4 cylinder and can only tow 1500lbs.
It would work, if you don't mind not passing anything.

Check out a pre-owned Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner or Mazda Tribute with a V6. They get similar actual MPG to the CRV and are far better on power. The VW Tiguan would also work.

You could try finding a Jeep Liberty CRD (Diesel). But everyone wants an arm, leg and your firstborn for one. One came into a diesel shop I worked at a few years ago. A little tuning, intake and exhaust work and it got 34mpg!

[john warren]

yup small suv, minivan, small pickup truck.
our jeep liberty and my ford ranger both tow beautifuly

[lamimartin]

Originally Posted by Orcus79

(...)
(...) transmission cooler installed if it is an automatic, a quality brake controler for the trailer brakes, proper wiring for the brakes and 12v supply to charge the trailer batt.

I would add that a transmission cooler is a mandatory precaution for ordinary cars performing towing with an automatic transmission, unless you only drive very short distances in coll weather. Asking a transmission specialist the cost difference between a cooler and a cooked transmission is quite convincing.

"a quality brake controller" does not cost a big deal more than a cheap one, considering installation cost. The basic model with manual adjustment of brake intensity is to be avoided. The better models will automatically increase the braking intensity based on the amount of time you apply your foot on the brakes (only a bit better than basic model) or will adjust with an inertia detector (the best by far). There are several manufacturers that now offer inertia sensitive controllers at very affordable prices. Inertia brake controllers it will actually perform better and make your trailer brakes last longer. This will make your towing much safer.