Need truck advice for hauling 19 foot Scamp

[nancyrnfit]

Hey Ya'll,


While Scamping at Grayson Highlands in VA, we met a lovely couple who
let us tour their 19 foot Scamp Deluxe,
and I now have a case of "3 footitis".


(Yes, I'll be posting my 2004 16 foot Scamp for sale soon).


Anyway, I am now on the hunt for a 19 foot Deluxe,
but I will need to trade in my Honda Pilot for a truck.


I have never shopped for a truck before, so I have questions about what to look for, to haul the 19 foot "fifth wheel".


* Would any truck that could haul, say 7-8000 pounds, already have transmission cooler and any other internal workings for towing?
Or do I specifically need to look for a truck set up for towing?


For those of you who have a 19 foot Scamp, what are you towing with?


I appreciate your help with this--thanks!

[Baxter]

If it were me, I'd get one with a tow package, just so I know it's all been thought through. But any full-size (and most midsize) trucks won't have a problem pulling that 19-footer.

[Paul O.]

What you call a medium size truck will do perfectly well. You want one with the tow package. There is a number of them available now, but in 2013, when I was in the market, there were only two trucks in that category: Frontier and Tacoma.

I tow mine with 2013 Tacoma, 6 cylinder engine (4.0 liter), four door (crew cab) and short bed, with tow package. I mounted the hitch in the bed myself after having it shipped from Scamp. I recently posted a link to a post where I described how it was done, and I can find it again if you want. The 19Deluxe weight is well within the towing specifications of 6500 lbs. The Tacoma manual says not to tow a 5th wheel, but I think the assumption is that any 5th wheel will be at least 10,000 pounds. (Some people here actually argue that the Scamp 5th wheel is not really a 5th wheel, but that is beside the point.) It tows like a dream and we have been over the high mountain passes many times. Towing gas mileage is about 16, headwind may take it down to 12, but tailwind takes it to 18. Non-towing is 20mpg.

[Baxter]

By the way, when you said you had a Pilot I was going to suggest the Ridgeline, but looked up the towing capacity and see its only 5k. That's still capable of pulling the 19, but I think any of the competitors offer more towing capacity, and I'd probably want it.

[DeeH]

Scamp lists 4 trucks that won’t work - just give them a call. (I can only remember Ridgeline was a no.) We purchased our 19’ Scamp and towed it with a 2006 Toyota Tacoma - 4 cylinder manual. It did very well - a bit slow on hills. We have purchased a new Tacoma V6 - it will be easier. The Tacoma bed is plastic so it will need modifications to keep the bed in shape.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by DeeH

Scamp lists 4 trucks that won’t work - just give them a call. (I can only remember Ridgeline was a no).

Probably Honda Ridgeline, Chevy Avalanche, Ford SportTrac, and... dunno... Subaru Baja?

I know at least one person made the Ridgeline work with a custom-designed hitch, even retaining access to the in-bed trunk.

[Eddie Longest]

Scamp 19 truck issues. The bottom of the S-19 upper deck is about 55" from the ground. So the newer 4X4's high side pick ups can be an issue. A lot of people use the mid size pick ups but the issue there is there are no factory hitches. So these trucks need a custom hitch installation. Recently people have been having trouble finding an installer to do custom hitch installs. I don't know if this is caused by insurance regulations or people just want to do bolt on installs. Except for the trucks listed above any full or mid size truck can pull a S-19. You just have to find a truck with low sides and a hitch to pull the trailer. The other option is to lift the trailer. I towed my s-19's with a Frontier 4X4 but I did my own hitch installation.
Eddie

[thrifty bill]

"Would any truck that could haul, say 7-8000 pounds, already have transmission cooler and any other internal workings for towing?"

No. On Ford, you can get high tow ratings on F150 with no towing package. In addition, Ford sells THREE different tow packages for the F150. The first one is very basic, the second is better, and the third is very comprehensive.

So just having a "tow package" does not tell the complete story. Its which package that makes the difference.

So why get the best tow package if you are shopping for a Ford? The top package includes the factory brake controller. If you don't have one, you will want one. The top package also includes a larger fuel tank. Towing reduces MPG. A larger tank is a nice bonus.

The last thing to know is tow rating and tow packages do not address the need for higher payload. Ford sells a max payload package totally separate from the tow packages. So you can get great tow package with mediocre payload capacity. Also, the more deluxe the truck, the lower its payload. If you get a Platinum or a King Ranch, watch out for low payload. If you get the XL or XLT, you will tend to have higher payload.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Baxter

By the way, when you said you had a Pilot I was going to suggest the Ridgeline, but looked up the towing capacity and see its only 5k. That's still capable of pulling the 19, but I think any of the competitors offer more towing capacity, and I'd probably want it.

While it has been done, using a Ridgeline would reqiure special engineering to fit a hitch since a good part of the box floor is a trunk lid.


I suggest that you drive the new Ranger before you buy, unless you are already convinced that Pacific rim manufacturers are somehow superior.
Canyon/Colorado would be nice too, but you would need to buy the higher trim level as you would with Toyota to compete with the power and drivetrain of the entry level Ranger.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

"Would any truck that could haul, say 7-8000 pounds, already have transmission cooler and any other internal workings for towing?"

No. On Ford, you can get high tow ratings on F150 with no towing package. In addition, Ford sells THREE different tow packages for the F150. The first one is very basic, the second is better, and the third is very comprehensive.

So just having a "tow package" does not tell the complete story. Its which package that makes the difference.

So why get the best tow package if you are shopping for a Ford? The top package includes the factory brake controller. If you don't have one, you will want one. The top package also includes a larger fuel tank. Towing reduces MPG. A larger tank is a nice bonus.

The last thing to know is tow rating and tow packages do not address the need for higher payload. Ford sells a max payload package totally separate from the tow packages. So you can get great tow package with mediocre payload capacity. Also, the more deluxe the truck, the lower its payload. If you get a Platinum or a King Ranch, watch out for low payload. If you get the XL or XLT, you will tend to have higher payload.

On the Ranger there is only one tow package which provides a 7500 pound tow rating. The wiring is supplied for the Brake controller but not the controller itself... four wires must be butt spliced to connect the controller. Everything else is supplied including trailer charge, trailer back-up lights etc. along with both a 4 pin and 7 pin wiring harness and outlet and a Class IV receiver. The truck has a suite of trailer controls plus Tow/Haul mode.
The SuperCab has an 1860 pound payload and both versions have a 750 pound tongue weight at the receiver.
It is comfortable and competent with way plenty of margin to tow a Scamp 5er Deluxe and your travel gear.

[nancyrnfit]

Thank you all!
This gives me a good starting point to ponder tow vehicles
for a Scamp 19.

[trainman]

Originally Posted by Baxter

By the way, when you said you had a Pilot I was going to suggest the Ridgeline, but looked up the towing capacity and see its only 5k. That's still capable of pulling the 19, but I think any of the competitors offer more towing capacity, and I'd probably want it.

I've had two Ridgelines and both were excellent toe vehicles for a trailer of that size, problem is the Ridgeline has a composite bed and is not setup for a 5th wheel hitch. Never seen, or heard of a Ridgeline used with a 5th wheel setup, but probably could be done by using the uni-body under frame, but that's another topic. Personally I would get a 1/2 pickup, you don't have to get the $60,000 model, with today's discounts you can get a nicely equipped 1/2 ton in the $35-$38,000 dollar range, they get better fuel mileage then many of the mid-size pickups and over all just do a better job in towing and hauling the extra camping gear, plus they ride and drive much better.

trainman

[Mike255]

Hi. We tow ours with a 2016 Chevy Colorado Z71. We have no issues an get about 16 to 18 MPG at 60 MPH. I added and K&N intake and gibson exhaust to get more low end power but that made things quite noisy. I've done quite a bit of work to quiet it down but am happy with the results. The diesel would be a good option too but a bit pricey. I think I would have preferred a diesel

[floyd]

Bear in mind that we are talking about a Scamp19 here !
Comparatively VERY light and aerodynamic.
Get the right tool for the job and still something you will like to drive and park.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by DeeH

Scamp lists 4 trucks that won’t work - just give them a call. (I can only remember Ridgeline was a no.) We purchased our 19’ Scamp and towed it with a 2006 Toyota Tacoma - 4 cylinder manual. It did very well - a bit slow on hills. We have purchased a new Tacoma V6 - it will be easier. The Tacoma bed is plastic so it will need modifications to keep the bed in shape.

There is no truck that won't work... there is only a truck which hasn't been prepped properly. For instance I saw a great hitch design in a Ridgeline which worked great and looked Fantastic. It even allowed access to the "in bed trunk" AND the Ridgeline is a "unibody".


I wish I had the guy's contact information.

[Paul O.]

For years and years Eveland's used a Ranger, and I think it was a four-banger, to deliver Scamps all over the country. Anybody know if they still do?

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Paul O.

For years and years Eveland's used a Ranger, and I think it was a four-banger, to deliver Scamps all over the country. Anybody know if they still do?

They had that (Circa 1996) Ranger up until just a few years ago and may still have it, last I saw it it was parked next to a newer Ranger (Circa 2010).
That old truck is a 3.0L V6 but it only made a little less than 150HP.
Ten years later even the 4CYL made 30 more HP than that.

[Glenn Baglo]

I remember, years ago, getting a ride from a fellow canoe club member, in his new Ranger. The vinyl on the inner door panel was already scuffed and revealed pressed cardboard.

Last time I ever considered a Ranger, although I did buy a used Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer.

[Jon in AZ]

Glenn, I had my own issues with a Ranger “years ago” (actually decades ago). The current offering has little in common with the older Rangers but the name. Surely it deserves to be evaluated on its own merits.

[nancyrnfit]

Floyd and Bill---
Deluxe Scamp 19 acquired!
Am very interested in the new Ford Ranger--2.3 L/4 cylinder engine with 10 speed transmission--reviews are very good.
We stopped by a Ford dealership last night, and looked at Rangers from the outside--I like that it is not too big, and gets about the same gas mileage as my Honda Pilot.

Will test drive one soon!