Recommendations for Tow Vehicle?

[LHH]

Hello

It occured to me that I will need to get a tow vehicle before a FG camper...daah....(can you tell I was blond before I turned gray?)

I would like something with more cargo room than seats. Good on gas (hopefully) and something that is reliable. A late year used would be better on the wallet. From what I can tell, I will be towing about 2000 (dry). The main priority is safety. I will be doing some mountain driving in Western North Carolina and here in New England.

I was thinking about a van (need to carry some stuff that won't go in the camper) and looked at the Ford Transit Connect. Liked at a lot. Unfortunately, Ford does not recommend towing....too bad.

So...what are you towing with? Would you recommend it? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU, You Lovely people.

[Greg H]

If you looked at the Transit Connect then money must not be that important, so if that's the case maybe a Dodge/Freightliner Sprinter, That would have lot's of room and plenty of power and there are more of them in the used market. Personally I would prefer a Chevy Astro cargo van with the v-6, but you may want more room and they don't build them anymore so it would have to be a used one.

[Donna D.]

I'm a backward thinker here... I think you should get the trailer first. Then match the trailer to the tug. What if the trailer of your dreams (and fits your budget) is a couple of hundred pounds heavier than the tug you just bought can tow.... trailers are harder to come by than tugs too.

[Raz]

A pickup with a cap will have lots of cargo room and can be had with or without backseat. They are very good tow vehicles. We have a Nissan Frontier; very comfortable and more than enough power. The Toyota Tacoma with the V6 is also a good choice and probably easier too find used. Raz

[floyd]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

A pickup with a cap will have lots of cargo room and can be had with or without backseat. They are very good tow vehicles. We have a Nissan Frontier; very comfortable and more than enough power. The Toyota Tacoma with the V6 is also a good choice and probably easier too find used. Raz

And don't forget you can still get a Ranger, and a huge pile of cash!
Or there's the one no one mentions for some reason... the Colorado/Canyon from GM, It seems OK as long as you will accept your options as packages and a "handicap" transmission.

[LHH]

Originally Posted by Greg H

If you looked at the Transit Connect then money must not be that important, so if that's the case maybe a Dodge/Freightliner Sprinter, That would have lot's of room and plenty of power and there are more of them in the used market. Personally I would prefer a Chevy Astro cargo van with the v-6, but you may want more room and they don't build them anymore so it would have to be a used one.

Unfortunately, Greg, money is an issue <sigh>. I will be trading in my beloved Chevy HHR.

The used Transit Connects I've seen cost no more, or marginally more, than a used F150. Now, the electric version of the TC are another story! Doubles the price. But, since they don't tow, it is a mute point.

Thanks for the advice and I will look into the Sprinter & Astro.

[LHH]

Thanks, Donna.... Good suggestion....but then, how do I get an egg home? My little HHR can't tow beyond 1000 #, in other word, not much.

But...I'll keep your suggestion in mind when I get closer to narrowing down an egg/tug combination. It looks as if the eggs I am interested are about 3000#, so I'll start with that number... Thanks again!

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I'm a backward thinker here... I think you should get the trailer first. Then match the trailer to the tug. What if the trailer of your dreams (and fits your budget) is a couple of hundred pounds heavier than the tug you just bought can tow.... trailers are harder to come by than tugs too.

[reeves99]

A number of the smaller SUV's have pretty good tow ratings. For instance, the Ford Escape has a great rating. Our "new" Hyundai Santa Fe is rated at 3,200. We liked these vehicles because they could be used as our "every day" car when we weren't on the road & the gas mileage is good for just running around the city on errands. As far as vans go the new Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country have a great rating but you MUST get one with a factory tow package--otherwise it's only 2,000.
Phil

Originally Posted by LHH

Hello

It occured to me that I will need to get a tow vehicle before a FG camper...daah....(can you tell I was blond before I turned gray?)

I would like something with more cargo room than seats. Good on gas (hopefully) and something that is reliable. A late year used would be better on the wallet. From what I can tell, I will be towing about 2000 (dry). The main priority is safety. I will be doing some mountain driving in Western North Carolina and here in New England.

I was thinking about a van (need to carry some stuff that won't go in the camper) and looked at the Ford Transit Connect. Liked at a lot. Unfortunately, Ford does not recommend towing....too bad.

So...what are you towing with? Would you recommend it? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU, You Lovely people.

[honda03842]

Another small SUV that has a hight tow rating is the V6 RAV 4

Norm

[Greg H]

Not to change the subject, but they quit building Plymouth vehicles several years ago. You can look at the Dodge caravan and the Chrysler Town and country. The reason I suggested the Chevy Astro or even the GMC Safari is because they are rear wheel drive and available in all wheel drive.

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by LHH

Hello

It occured to me that I will need to get a tow vehicle before a FG camper...daah....(can you tell I was blond before I turned gray?)

I would like something with more cargo room than seats. Good on gas (hopefully) and something that is reliable.

THANK YOU, You Lovely people.

That sounds like a dream vehicle. I would love a large van that has cargo room, and seats, and gets good mileage. The diesel Sprinter comes to mind, still on my dream list.
Most other full size vans and pickups are gas hogs. Minivans might fit the bill since they hold more cargo than cars, get reasonably good fuel mileage, and most can tow up to 3500 lbs if properly equipped. Most minivans have low hitches though due to their design and will probably drag if you have a sharp incline at the end of your driveway.

I use a Subaru Outback that's rated for 2700 lbs (with brakes) and pull my 16' Scamp with it, but haven't attempted any real mountains so I can't say how it would work in BIG hills. Works fine in the rolling hills in GA though.

I also use a Dodge Dakota Quad cab with a V-8, but since I have a bed cover instead of a full shell, the cargo capacity is limited and actually less than my Subaru. I'm still contemplating if I want to get a full shell, but that's an extra expense if you go the pickup truck route and desire one.

John

[Daniel A.]

Originally Posted by Greg H

Not to change the subject, but they quit building Plymouth vehicles several years ago. You can look at the Dodge caravan and the Chrysler Town and country. The reason I suggested the Chevy Astro or even the GMC Safari is because they are rear wheel drive and available in all wheel drive.

They also have the tow transmission.

[cpaharley2008]

I think you will find 2 classes of towing specifications when looking at a new tow vehicle. The hitch for Class II hitch capacity up to 3500 lbs. and class III hitch up to 5000 lbs. So as long your vehicle and hitch are comparable then you should have no issue with finding a trailer being within those limits because it is a range. I have always tried to get a vehicle with "factory tow" which matches the hitch and vehicle capacity, and usually has auxiliary cooling with a "Tow Mode" in the transmission. You can add a hitch to any vehicle but the auxiliary cooling will make the vehicle perform better.

[MC1]

LHH... Did you end up finding an Astro/minivan, or an SUV?

[Darwin Maring]

I have a 2003 Chevy S10, extended cab, V6, Automatic with cruse and air conditioning, new tires, and around 54,000 miles.

I towed a Scamp 5r with no problem.

It also has a class III hitch and is wired for an electronic brake.

$7,500 firm

Mineral, Virginia

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by MC1

LHH... Did you end up finding an Astro/minivan, or an SUV?

The OP last posted here on April 2012 indicating they had purchased a 2007 17.5 Bigfoot - but no mention of what they are towing it with.

[MC1]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

I have a 2003 Chevy S10, extended cab, V6, Automatic with cruse and air conditioning, new tires, and around 54,000 miles.

I towed a Scamp 5r with no problem.

It also has a class III hitch and is wired for an electronic brake.

$7,500 firm

Mineral, Virginia

Sounds good. Glad it worked out. My buddy has an S10 of the same vintage and it has served him well.

[Radar1]

The new Ram with the 3.0 liter ecodiesel did pretty well in many categoreies in this comparison between the 2015 Ford, Chevy, and Ram.
Comparison: 2015 Ford F-150 vs. Ram 1500 vs. Chevrolet Silverado

[floyd]

Originally Posted by LHH

Hello

It occured to me that I will need to get a tow vehicle before a FG camper...daah....(can you tell I was blond before I turned gray?)

I would like something with more cargo room than seats. Good on gas (hopefully) and something that is reliable. A late year used would be better on the wallet. From what I can tell, I will be towing about 2000 (dry). The main priority is safety. I will be doing some mountain driving in Western North Carolina and here in New England.

I was thinking about a van (need to carry some stuff that won't go in the camper) and looked at the Ford Transit Connect. Liked at a lot. Unfortunately, Ford does not recommend towing....too bad.

So...what are you towing with? Would you recommend it? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU, You Lovely people.

The 2015 Transit connect is all new and designed and rated to tow. If I were to buy new today it would be on top of my list to replace my 2008 Escape. The Escape has years to go yet though. The Transit is rated to comfortably tow my loaded Scamp13D front bath.
If you were considering the old Transit, take another look before you buy.

Look here....
2015 Ford Transit Connect | Ford.com

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Greg H

If you looked at the Transit Connect then money must not be that important, so if that's the case maybe a Dodge/Freightliner Sprinter, That would have lot's of room and plenty of power and there are more of them in the used market. Personally I would prefer a Chevy Astro cargo van with the v-6, but you may want more room and they don't build them anymore so it would have to be a used one.

The Transit Connect not the Transit.
The Connect starts at $22,000 and is a compact van