Tow Vehicle & Trailer combos - POST INFO

[biw314]

2007 Kia Sedona
3.6 L V6
15 mpg towing, 22 mpg not
3500 lb rated
16' Scamp, ~150lb tongue, ~2000lb on axle (varies quite a bit)
typ speed: 60 mph

[Mike Magee]

That is our first Sedona in the spreadsheet. Thanks.

[Barb and Alan]

We recently replaced our Tahoe with a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Duramax 6.6 for our TV. Max tow rating is 14,000. Mileage is 14 towing or not. I try to keep the speed to a max of 65. The trailer is a 2005 Bigfoot 25B175G. It weighs 3620/400 loaded for camping but all tanks empty. The trailer has Les Schwab load range E trailer tires. Some might call it overkill but we like to think of it as a comfortable safety margin. And 50% better mileage than the Tahoe is a bonus.

[starsea]

2002 Chevy S10 ZR2 4X4 4.3 liter V6 Automatic 4 speed. 3.73:1 rear-axle ratio .
2012 Parkliner. Highway towing 10-12 mpg, highway non-towing 19.

[redbarron55]

Just finished a 2500 mile trip over the Memorial Days holidays (two weeks).
We tow a much modified and heavy Scamp 16 that weighs 2800 lbs with ab-ut a 300 lb pin weight wit a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country 3.8 Liter V6.
We averaged ~16.5 MPG towing and some off towing driving for the entire trip.
We towed 65 - 70 mph interstate and 60-65 back roads.
The van gets 25-28 mpg if carefully driven on the highway.
We have found it to be a good tow vehicle, roomy with plenty of power and large enough to be quite stable even in gusty conditions.
This van has the towing suspension and HD cooling packages and we added the factory hitch, replacing the rear bumper bar along with the factory wiring kit.
Although I have not added a weight distribution hitch for the Scamp one is called for if towing more than 1800 lbs with the T&C,
I am on the lookout for a light duty WDH for the van. It would make a good setup a great one since one problem is spinning the front wheels on gravel starting uphill. That nearly 300 hp will spin the tires if not careful.
As an aside on short, unhurried trips I often get 18+ mpg towing 55 - 65 mph on relatively flat ground which was not the case on this long trip.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

...a 2016 Chrysler Town and Country 3.8 Liter V6...

JD, surely you meant the newer 3.6L Pentastar V6? The 3.8L was phased out in 2011.

[redbarron55]

Yes You are correct.
The engine is the 3.6 Pentastar V6 as is used in all of the cars and Trucks built by Chrysler FCA.
It is a very strong engine and is mated in this case to a six speed transmission.
The new Pacifica has the same basic engine with a tune for a little more horsepower.
The Pacifica uses a ZF 8 speed transmission.
If there is a weak point in the van it might be that 6 speed tranny, but mine is very smooth and I hope it will hold up.

[Joe MacDonald]

here's some real world hot off the press info for my combo:
2006 GMC Envoy Denali 5.3 litre, 4wd
1981 Trillium 5500, tanks full, 2- 20#propane
trailer loaded, 3 week vacation,
5248.6 km, 18.3707 litres/ 100km
for the non metric
3280.375 miles, 12.963 miles/USG

there may have been about 300KM unhitched

Joe

[Joe MacDonald]

updates- trailer 3825#,
tow rating 6500#
envoy tires 245 60 r 18

[Tom Buck]

Bigfoot 25B21RB
GVWR 7500 lbs
Around 1500 miles

Ram 1500
4.7L Hemi gas engine
3.92 rear axle

16 mpg non towing
9-10 towing from WA to MN up to 70 mph

Tom Buck

[Mike Magee]

Tom, what year is that Ram? I assume it's one of the older models, since they now put in a 5.7L.

The table is up to date.

[Wacenturion]

2008 Bigfoot 30th Anniversary 25B25FB, pulled by a 2002 Ford Excursion Ltd. with a 7.3 diesel. Trailer weight approximately 6950 lbs. loaded, Excursion curb weight approximately 7600 lbs. and tow rating 11,000. GCVW is 20,000.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Wacenturion

2008 Bigfoot 30th Anniversary 25B25FB, pulled by a 2002 Ford Excursion Ltd. with a 7.3 diesel. Trailer weight approximately 6950 lbs. loaded, Excursion curb weight approximately 7600 lbs. and tow rating 11,000. GCVW is 20,000.

Great. Do you have any fuel economy figures?

[Wacenturion]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Great. Do you have any fuel economy figures?

Yes, towing I get a honest 13-14 mpg. Not towing 18-20 mpg. No lack of power when needed. Trailer pulls very nicely. Milage may or may not improve slightly as I just put new Goodyear Endurance tires on the Bigfoot and run them at max for my rims....65 psi cold.

[Trill136]

I tow mine with an F150, full size, 'eco-boost'.

Doesn't even notice that the Trill is attached.

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

Yes You are correct.
The engine is the 3.6 Pentastar V6 as is used in all of the cars and Trucks built by Chrysler FCA.
It is a very strong engine and is mated in this case to a six speed transmission.
The new Pacifica has the same basic engine with a tune for a little more horsepower.
The Pacifica uses a ZF 8 speed transmission.
If there is a weak point in the van it might be that 6 speed tranny, but mine is very smooth and I hope it will hold up.

I went to 153,000 km, 95,000 miles, and never had a transmission problem.
It's been 3 years since I towed a Bigfoot 17ft with stabilizer bars, loaded 3000lbs and everything is fine. A few times I would have appreciated the 8-speed transmission, but everything went well anyway ...

Currently I am looking for a 1500, 2016, EcoDiesel RAM, V6, 8 speeds, differential 3.92 = 1.
I should have fewer questions to ask when I meet mountains.

[rjg433]

Perry --
Recently bought a Scamp 13 (no bath) & have a 2013 Odyssey for TV...Based on your experience, what's your view on 1) transmission cooler & 2) trailer brakes? Appreciate any help/advice...
Richard

[Jon in AZ]

Yes and yes.

I cross-shopped the Odyssey when we bought our Pilot in 2013 and I seem to recall the manual mentioned an add-on ATF cooler for towing duty across the board and trailer brakes over 1000 pounds. The Pilot was the same, except the cooler was included as standard equipment (along with a hitch and 7-pin wiring).

We're also towing a fairly basic Scamp 13.

[Debbie in Florida]

This is so useful. I went to the google spredsheet link but for some reason only the 1st sheet shows or prints out. I did not see any place to go to the next sheet as you can in excel. Any tips? Thanks.

[Gompka]

I tow our 2013 scamp 13 with a Lexus nx200t (2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo) i get about 30mpg without the scamp and averaged 18mpg on a recent 4000 mile trip from the midwest to New Mexico/Utah, this included mountain passes and elevation changes. The car did great. My scamp was fully loaded for a 10 day trip, including a full fresh water tank.