Good tow vehicle for 2500 lb empty weight camper - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 06-13-2019, 06:12 PM   #1
Member
 
Name: John
Trailer: shopping
Georgia
Posts: 47
Good tow vehicle for 2500 lb empty weight camper

About 18 months ago I had a series of posts about what my 96 ranger 3.0L could tow and for the most part the answer was a 13 ft something (like a scamp) or maybe a 16 footer. Well, now that I've driven the truck for a year I don't think I would tow anything with it. It has NO power. Its the only vehicle I've ever owned that I would call a total performance DOG.

I am now considering buying a used SUV for towing. I've been looking at bigger used SUV's with a V-8 engine for pulling a used casita 17 or, bigfoot 17.7 or escape of similar size. I know the SUV with a v-8 is overkill, but I currently have my eye on a used jeep grand cherokee with a v8 engine and 4WD in nice condition.

Anyhow, the question is: What midsize SUV will work well for towing a trailer with a dry weight of about 2500-3000 lbs and still have some margin. I don't want another truck (I've already got one) so please keep suggestions limited to SUV's. Also, I know there is no correct answer - just looking for practical experience from people who already know what works for them.
John_M_1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2019, 06:47 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
OCJohn's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Hymer
California
Posts: 200
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by John_M_1 View Post
Also, I know there is no correct answer - just looking for practical experience from people who already know what works for them.
As a point of reference on one end of the spectrum, we tow a 2800lb trailer with an 7700lb Excursion diesel (biggest SUV Ford ever made) and it still dances around in windy conditions when driving over 60mph.

My point is no matter what you get, loading, speed and WDH/sway control can all affect your comfort and safety.
OCJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2019, 07:02 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Raspy's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Roamer 1
Smith Valley, Nevada
Posts: 2,879
John,

You might consider a Land Cruiser 200.
__________________
I only exaggerate enough to compensate for being taken with a grain of salt.
Raspy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2019, 07:59 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 4,136
Registry
Dry weight is meaningless. Get a real weight of the actual trailer. A 2500 pound dry weight could weigh 4,000 pounds. Tow ratings tend to jump from 1500 to 3500 and then to 5000 pounds or more.
thrifty bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2019, 08:45 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Glenn Baglo's Avatar
 
Trailer: Escape 17 ft
Posts: 8,317
Quote:
Originally Posted by thrifty bill View Post
Dry weight is meaningless.

Instead of saying dry weight is meaningless, why not explain what dry weight is? It's the trailer weight without options, propane, battery, personal effects, food, or liquids. It is useful when comparing the dry weight of one trailer versus another. That's all it is and should not be used to determine if your tow vehicle is adequate.

Can't be that hard for you Thrifty.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
Glenn Baglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2019, 08:53 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Raspy's Avatar
 
Name: John
Trailer: Roamer 1
Smith Valley, Nevada
Posts: 2,879
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
Instead of saying dry weight is meaningless, why not explain what dry weight is? It's the trailer weight without options, propane, battery, personal effects, food, or liquids. It is useful when comparing the dry weight of one trailer versus another. That's all it is and should not be used to determine if your tow vehicle is adequate.

Can't be that hard for you Thrifty.

Hold on there Glenn!

Are you actually starting to post some well thought out and logical comments? Let's not get carried away!
__________________
I only exaggerate enough to compensate for being taken with a grain of salt.
Raspy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 05:07 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Jon in AZ's Avatar
 
Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
Posts: 11,912
Registry
Good tow vehicle for 2500 lb empty weight camper

For a trailer with a listed dry weight in the 2500-3000# range, I’d expect an optioned and loaded weight in the 3500-4500# range with 400-500# hitch weight. A vehicle with a tow rating of 5000/500# would be the least you should consider. If the trailer has a large, boxy profile, if you plan to tow much in the mountains, and/or if you carry a lot of gear, something with 6000-7000# would give you a more comfortable margin.

The Jeep V8 sounds like a good choice for maximum flexibility. I like that it has a RWD-based chassis. Durango is another option. A V8 isn’t that much less economical when towing or highway cruising. You’ll definitely feel some pain if you do much city driving or commuting.

My personal choice would be a Toyota 4Runner or Sequoia, depending on the trailer. The 4Runner will pull a Casita 17 or Escape 17 nicely, but for the larger Bigfoot 17.5 or Escape 19 I’d rather have a Sequoia.
Jon in AZ is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 06:14 AM   #8
Member
 
Name: John
Trailer: shopping
Georgia
Posts: 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by thrifty bill View Post
Dry weight is meaningless. Get a real weight of the actual trailer. A 2500 pound dry weight could weigh 4,000 pounds. Tow ratings tend to jump from 1500 to 3500 and then to 5000 pounds or more.
I realize that dry weight is meaningless. All the campers I've looked at have a dry weight around 2500 lbs. I put that number in my question as a point of reference. Its not possible to give an exact weight for something you don't have. I also said I want to have a good deal of margin. I'm not looking for the minimum that will do the job. So let's say a 4000 lb camper when fully loaded.
John_M_1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 06:32 AM   #9
Member
 
Name: John
Trailer: shopping
Georgia
Posts: 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
For a trailer with a listed dry weight in the 2500-3000# range, I’d expect an optioned and loaded weight in the 3500-4500# range with 400-500# hitch weight. A vehicle with a tow rating of 5000/500# would be the least you should consider. If the trailer has a large, boxy profile, if you plan to tow much in the mountains, and/or if you carry a lot of gear, something with 6000-7000# would give you a more comfortable margin.

The Jeep V8 sounds like a good choice for maximum flexibility. I like that it has a RWD-based chassis. Durango is another option. A V8 isn’t that much less economical when towing or highway cruising. You’ll definitely feel some pain if you do much city driving or commuting.

My personal choice would be a Toyota 4Runner or Sequoia, depending on the trailer. The 4Runner will pull a Casita 17 or Escape 17 nicely, but for the larger Bigfoot 17.5 or Escape 19 I’d rather have a Sequoia.
Thanks. This is a useful response and was what I had in mind because its helpful. I do not have a tow vehicle or a trailer and I'm working with a limited budget so I will be buying previously owned items. I have to have a tow vehicle to tow home whatever camper I buy. You can see the problem - its a lot of what ifs. I really don't want anything huge in either a camper OR tow vehicle but I want the tow vehicle to have plenty of performance capability left when towing whatever camper I end up with.

The reason for my post was maybe to see if there are any great values in powerful vehicles that wouldn't be obvious to most people. Also, buying used in my price range means maybe not getting exactly what you want. The grand cherokee V8 I'm looking at is 11 years old and has only 70,000 miles on it AND its been maintained per its OEM maintenance schedule at the dealer and the seller has a record of all of it. I generally wouldn't buy a jeep because the reliability is usually pretty poor for any Chrysler product. But a poorly maintained toyota with 250,000 miles on it probably wouldn't be a better choice. That said, I'm with you, my brand of choice would be toyota if I could find something - I've been looking a long time and good ones are usually too expensive.
John_M_1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 06:38 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Jon in AZ's Avatar
 
Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
Posts: 11,912
Registry
Good tow vehicle for 2500 lb empty weight camper

Non-obvious possibility: Kia Borrego V8.

I agree about the difficulty of finding good used Toyotas on a budget.

Ford Expedition has a fairly good reliability reputation. Might be worth keeping on the radar.
Jon in AZ is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 06:48 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Mr Lynn's Avatar
 
Name: Lynn
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21C, NTU April 2022 (was 2013 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17)
Massachusetts
Posts: 666
We have a 2013 Ford Expedition, which we bought used in 2014. Comparable to a Chevy Suburban (but generally less money), it's rated for c. 7,500 lbs towing, so it handles our Casita 17' with ease. Might be bigger than you need. I like it because it can tote a lot of grandkids, and with the seats down can handle a 4x8 sheet of plywood.

/Mr Lynn
__________________
"The Molded Fiberglass Obsession"—From a Pickup Cap to a Casita

"Hillbilly at Harvard"—Honky-tonk Country and Bluegrass
Mr Lynn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 06:55 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 4,136
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo View Post
Instead of saying dry weight is meaningless, why not explain what dry weight is? It's the trailer weight without options, propane, battery, personal effects, food, or liquids. It is useful when comparing the dry weight of one trailer versus another. That's all it is and should not be used to determine if your tow vehicle is adequate.

Can't be that hard for you Thrifty.
The title of this thread is good tow vehicle for a 2500 pound empty weight trailer. I think that weight is meaningless for picking tow vehicle. It’s ok we disagree. Endless threads on trailer dry weights, better definitions than I could come up with. Yours is pretty good.

They are misleading to those that don’t understand them. I have friends that bought a trailer from camping world based on dry weight. I told the husband, “good news you will be getting a new truck”. Sure enough after their first camping trip they got a new higher rated truck,

In the SUV world I continue to prefer one of the nice four door pickups. They have similar utility to an SUV yet truck capabilities too.

As far as “bargains” in the used market, domestic full sized pickups are often a bargain out there. I bought my five year old F150 with only 12,000 miles on it for half what the seller paid new. Truck had been for sale for a couple of weeks so it’s not like I scooped it up lightning fast. On the other hand if you buy new, you better keep that domestic truck a long time or you will get the other end of this example.

I use my F150 to tow an Escape 19, dry weight 29xx pounds. I do not consider it overkill. Now when I use it to pull my Trillium 1300, it’s overkill, but a lot cheaper than owning two tow vehicles.
thrifty bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 06:56 AM   #13
Member
 
Name: John
Trailer: shopping
Georgia
Posts: 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
Non-obvious possibility: Kia Borrego V8.

I agree about the difficulty of finding good used Toyotas on a budget.

Ford Expedition has a fairly good reliability reputation. Might be worth keeping on the radar.
Thanks. I'll check that one out. I had a 2009 Hyundai Sonata 4 cylinder that was a very very reliable car until it got to be about 10 years old (recently). Its now starting to just fall apart and I took extremely good care of it. If I bought a used hyundai or kia it would have to be nearly new.
John_M_1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 08:23 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: Escape 15A
Minnesota
Posts: 452
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon in AZ View Post
For a trailer with a listed dry weight in the 2500-3000# range, I’d expect an optioned and loaded weight in the 3500-4500# range with 400-500# hitch weight.
Do you guys really load up your campers with 1000+ pounds of stuff and water?? All I do is throw in sleeping bags, pillows, and a few camping items like chairs and screen tent. All the heavy stuff goes in the vehicle, but even then I seriously doubt it all adds up to 1000 pounds.
Steve Carlson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 09:15 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Trailer: Scamp 16 ft Side Dinette
Posts: 1,279
Once again, I point out that the engineers designing tow vehicles are ultra conservative. You can confidently pull a loaded trailer at and over the rated towing capacity. You just need to learn how to downshift on hills, up and down,
use engine braking, stay out of "overdrive" the highest gear.
Wayne Collins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 11:20 AM   #16
Junior Member
 
bobnjudy78748's Avatar
 
Name: Bob N Judy
Trailer: Escape 5.0TA
Texas
Posts: 23
A real good T V

We used our 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe XL (6 cyl) with our 2010 Casita 17'. Was a dream to pull, followed like a a puppy. Great ride, plenty of space to load, 5000# tow, 290 hp.
bobnjudy78748 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 01:11 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 721
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Carlson View Post
Do you guys really load up your campers with 1000+ pounds of stuff and water??
We don't, our 17' Casita SD weights just about 3000# loaded for travel
Our first 5 years of ownership we towed with a Jeep Liberty 4 cylinder Diesel with a 7000# tow rating, It had it's hands full because of the transmission.

Next TV was a 2007 Silverado Z71 extended cab 5.3L V8 and 4 speed transmission. Last 2 years our TV has been a 2017 Sierra with updated 5.3L V8 with a 6 speed tranny. The difference between 4 and 6 speed transmissions is night and day.

Since you don't want another truck over on the Casita Forum several have Grand Cherokees and are happy with them. As mentioned it's primarily rear wheel drive, is stout enough and space for "stuff".

Anyone here tow with a Grand Cherokee?
Joe Romas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 02:54 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
David B.'s Avatar
 
Name: David
Trailer: Former 13’Scamp, now Snoozy
Arizona
Posts: 2,316
Registry
When I picked up our Lil Snoozy at the N.C. factory, I drove from the Phoenix AZ area to El Paso to pick up a friend along the way. He offered to use his GC (V-8). It towed our empty LS (2500 lbs stated dry wt.) with ease. Loaded up for extended camping it is 2895 lbs. sitting on the scale by itself. I later borrowed a tongue scale and it was 350 lbs. I don’t see the GC as having any problem towing the weight you are looking to have. Another friend of mine who is a big Ford F 150 fan, has owned a echo boost V-6, a 2016 V-8 with a 6 speed automatic, and now a 2018 V-8 with a 10 speed auto. He tows an R-Pod and was not happy with any of the previous F 150’s for towing mpg, but really loves this last one.
A couple of years can really make a huge difference in any brand.
Dave & Paula
David B. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 03:07 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Jon in AZ's Avatar
 
Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
Posts: 11,912
Registry
Good tow vehicle for 2500 lb empty weight camper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Carlson View Post
Do you guys really load up your campers with 1000+ pounds of stuff and water?? All I do is throw in sleeping bags, pillows, and a few camping items like chairs and screen tent. All the heavy stuff goes in the vehicle, but even then I seriously doubt it all adds up to 1000 pounds.
With four people and two teens, our food alone weighs close to 50#... LOL!

Seriously, though, options are a big and often forgotten source of added weight. Tools are another. LP, battery(-ies)... it all adds up. Half a ton? Not in my Scamp 13, but judging from the trailer weights database, it’s not out of line in a larger trailer. See the thread “Trailer Weights in the Real World” in the General Chat section (post #297 links to a handy spreadsheet).

Putting gear in the tow vehicle reduces towing capacity, so while it may aid weight distribution or convenience, it does not really give you any more capacity overall.
Jon in AZ is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-14-2019, 03:21 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
Jon in AZ's Avatar
 
Name: Jon
Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
Posts: 11,912
Registry
Good tow vehicle for 2500 lb empty weight camper

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayne Collins View Post
Once again, I point out that the engineers designing tow vehicles are ultra conservative. You can confidently pull a loaded trailer at and over the rated towing capacity. You just need to learn how to downshift on hills, up and down, use engine braking, stay out of "overdrive" the highest gear.
I’ve overheated a transmission towing several hundred pounds under the rated capacity. I was towing conservatively and doing all the things you list. The conditions at the time- grade, temperature, and winds- were severe.

If you only tow in gentle conditions, sure, you can get away with a lot. But manufacturers have to take severe conditions into account, thanks to the J2807 tow testing standards. Even so, the standards call for relatively low profile trailers, which reduce the impact of a headwind.

I’ll have to respectfully disagree with your statement that tow ratings are overly conservative and can be disregarded simply by driving conservatively.
Jon in AZ is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
weight


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Amerigo Empty Weight samcrimm Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 6 01-04-2013 03:00 PM
Tow vehicle - weight and balance - safety Pat M Towing, Hitching, Axles and Running Gear 4 06-19-2008 09:18 PM
Tow weight vs vehicle weight Paula Bindrich Towing, Hitching, Axles and Running Gear 20 06-21-2007 08:16 PM
Bigfoot 17.5 empty weight Dale H Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 7 08-06-2006 05:48 PM
Tow Weight/Tongue Weight Legacy Posts Towing, Hitching, Axles and Running Gear 7 11-29-2002 08:49 PM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:57 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.