Tow Vehicles

[Glenn Baglo]

Make sure the Rav4 SPORT is rated to tow.

RAV4 is rated 3,500 lbs and puts out 269 h.p.

baglo

[Chester Taje]

RAV4 is rated 3,500 lbs and puts out 269 h.p.

baglo

Hi Glen
I had a Rav4. What i was not sure about was the Sport model. I know my Rav4 was good for 3500lbs.

[Roger H]

Frances, there are several considerations when selecting a tow vehicle. Gas mileage when towing should be the least significant of your concerns if you only tow a couple of thousand miles a year. That being the case, the rest of your non-towing driving miles your gas mileage should be of concern when selecting a tow vehicle. Mileage is always an interesting issue. With a small engine and small tow vehicle you'll work it to death towing, and your 30mpg wondercar's mileage will drop to under 15mpg, and maybe as low as 10 or 12 mpg towing. A larger tow vehicle that gets 17mpg around town will still get 15mpg towing... and because it doesn't have to work as hard, has plenty of reserve power, and will carry all the cargo you want. 15mpg is 15mpg whether you're wearing your tow vehicle out, or merely idling along with loads of power to spare. Buy a vehicle that suits what you're going to do with it. It's your non-towing miles, and the actual number of them vs. towing miles that should determine your choice of tow vehicle in this day of $4 gas.

Also recognize that there is more to towing than getting the load moving... e.g. "rated tow capacity". Of equal or more importance is stopping and maneuvering while towing. There are lots of threads on sway control and trailer brakes. The heavier the tow vehicle, the harder it is for the trailer to push it around when you least want it to be pushed. Cargo capacity (weight and volume, inside or outside) is also important depending on how you camp and what (and who) you take with you.

If you tow primarily in the flatlands, and you are a minimalist, and you use your tow vehicle as your primary commuter car, you can probably "get by" with a tow vehicle with a tow rating close to your trailer's GVWR. If you tow frequently, intend to tow across the country, or carry a lot of stuff with you, buy a vehicle that will do the job without putting you in the poorhouse for repairs from being overloaded all of the time.

Roger

[Kevin K]

Paul Kaplan
If it's a stick go for it. Automatic I would pass, to hard on the transmission.

[Chris B]

I agree 100% with Roger. When we vacation all through the western states, especially into the high elevations, I wouldn't be confident with anything less than an 8 cylinder. For our type of camping, I don't think that we would be happy with less power or lower clearance. We go off the beaten path.

I have a friend who tows a 26' stick built and had car trouble on every single vacation he took until he purchased an Excursion. The tow vehicle could move the trailer fine on flat or short small grades, but when he would take a vacation into the Sierras or Rockies, it was nothing but problems; transmission, shocks, cooling, etc. I would hate spending my vacation at a car repair shop where you get taken advantage of.

In my opinion, for safety and performance, a tow package is a must.

[Mike Magee]

The "Sport" in the Rav4 is only a trim designation and has no effect on the towing capacity. If it has a V6 and tow package, any newer Rav4 is 3500 lb. tow rated.

I almost bought one last September, but decided on the '08 Highlander instead... 5000 lb. tow capacity, and I got the full time AWD system (the Rav has an electronic system that only kicks in the rear wheels when slippage is detected) which helps the tire wear when one tows as much as I do... about 20K miles a year.

BTW, someone else commented about the value of a V8. I used to think that way too. But my V6 Highlander far outperforms my V8-equipped 2000 Mercury Mountaineer. The Highlander rides like a luxury car, tows like a truck, and gets 25mpg highway when not towing.

Mike G.

Hi Glen
I had a Rav4. What i was not sure about was the Sport model. I know my Rav4 was good for 3500lbs.

[Paul Kaplan]

Paul Kaplan
If it's a stick go for it. Automatic I would pass, to hard on the transmission.

Unfortunately it is an Automatic- do you think adding a transmission cooler will do the trick? and of course packing at a minimum to keep the weight down?

Thanks for your input.

[marcosyh]

I'm about to embark on what might be a first. I just put a down payment on a 17" Casita LD trailer. I'm going to pull it with a hybrid.

That's right a hybrid Saturn Vue rated a 3500 tow weight. I've gotten 37 mph at 55 mph without a trailer, 32 mph at 60 mph and 30 at 65 mph.

I bought the Vue both for gas milage and because I use it to tow my 2000 lb. sailboat. I can't even feel the boat when I tow it so I don't anticipate any problems.

I'll keep you posted.

Harry, I am somewhat curious about your hybrid Vue. How did you endup installing the bargman 7 way connector socket? The saturn dealer I checked would not install a bargman connector on a hybrid stating that it shouldn't be done...... where did you take it to get it installed...any input will be great. Thanks

[Paul Kaplan]

Harry, I am somewhat curious about your hybrid Vue. How did you endup installing the bargman 7 way connector socket? The saturn dealer I checked would not install a bargman connector on a hybrid stating that it shouldn't be done...... where did you take it to get it installed...any input will be great. Thanks

Anyone towing with an Xterra? They're rated at 5000 lbs. (And Nissan is discounting them like crazy right now!) Wondering how it will do on a 17' Casita?

[Jim Bago]

With the spiraling gas prices, the 14 mpg we got from our Ranger Edge wasn't cutting it. We're downsizing to a smaller tow vehicle. The only problem is how much weight to put in the trunk up front to counter the 450 pound tongue weight and the weight of the engine. Any suggestions?

[Harry Kellogg]

Harry, I am somewhat curious about your hybrid Vue. How did you endup installing the bargman 7 way connector socket? The saturn dealer I checked would not install a bargman connector on a hybrid stating that it shouldn't be done...... where did you take it to get it installed...any input will be great. Thanks

I'm so sorry that I didn't keep all of you informed. I guess I got caught up in the Casita forum discussion.

I had to give up the idea of the Saturn Vue Hybrid. It can only tow 1500 lbs and I never even considered that it could not use a bargan 7 way. I guess all hybrids and soon to be plug ins are off the table. I'm looking for another TV as we speak.

[Paul Kaplan]

I'm so sorry that I didn't keep all of you informed. I guess I got caught up in the Casita forum discussion.

I had to give up the idea of the Saturn Vue Hybrid. It can only tow 1500 lbs and I never even considered that it could not use a bargan 7 way. I guess all hybrids and soon to be plug ins are off the table. I'm looking for another TV as we speak.

Keep us posted...I'm in the same boat, trying to find a TV. I haven't found anything that seems to get better then 15 city/20 hwy mpg while regular towing, that can handle a 16' Casita. (Not interested in a diesel)

[Pete Dumbleton]

BTW, someone else commented about the value of a V8. I used to think that way too. But my V6 Highlander far outperforms my V8-equipped 2000 Mercury Mountaineer. The Highlander rides like a luxury car, tows like a truck, and gets 25mpg highway when not towing.

I agree - Don't get too hung up on counting cylinders -- It's the whole package that counts.

My V6 (4.0L) Ford Ranger is rated to tow almost 6K lbs not only because of the engine, but also because it has the big transmission, the big differential housing, extra cooling for transmission and power steering, low differential gear ratios and low first/reverse gear for starting. that package of stuf only comes on the big V6 in my model year.

[Jennifer Crawford]

Hi all - I"ve been skimming through the towing info - we just upgraded from a 13ft Boler to a 17ft - it is causing a bit of stress with towing concerns. We do have a truck, but upgraded b/c of our expanding family and the carseat and two adults in the cab of a conventional truck is a bit tight of a squeeze (ok for shorter hauls, but no good for mom to have her knees up around her ears for longer hauls). Anyhow we towed the 13 footer with a Toyota Sienna with no problems (obviously). We are considering gearing up the van for the 17 footer too. Talked to a hitch shop and got advice that we need a brake controller (obviously), sway bars, and should also put a transmission cooler on the van. All that plus a new hitch (the van only has class 2 and can't accomodate the sway bars) was close to $2000 - almost half what we paid for the trailer!!!! So, before we go with all that stuff, I thought I'd post and see what people's experience has been with towing the 17 footers and what people with some experience think about towing with a tow vehicle that is rated for 3500lbs. The trailer (on the specs) weighs about 2900lbs dry, so I suspect we'd be coming close to the 3500lbs full of all our stuff. We like to go into K country, so not completely flat towing. Don't want to wreck the van or do anything dangerous to ourselves or others.

Also would like to know if any of you have added any of these components yourself and how hard it is - obviously avoiding some of the install charges would make the mods to the van a easier fix.

Any thoughts out there would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Jennifer Crawford]

Hi Sandra - no factory tow package - only the Class 2 hitch...still haven't decided what to do - hoping for some replies from the more experienced folks regarding best options.

Cheers!

[Pete Dumbleton]

Installing a bigger receiver can be done at home easily, a transmission cooler is a bit more technical but is not rocket science and a brake controller is a bit more challenging, wiring-wise. Depends on the expertise and tools available.

Parts alone will not cost anywhere near the price quoted.

ETrailer.com is a good place to browse for hitches; note installation times and degree of difficulty -- The dividing line is whether holes need to be drilled because they are typically larger than the usual home toolbox.

Prodigy controllers are available on EBay for less than $100.

[Jennifer Crawford]

Installing a bigger receiver can be done at home easily, a transmission cooler is a bit more technical but is not rocket science and a brake controller is a bit more challenging, wiring-wise. Depends on the expertise and tools available.

Parts alone will not cost anywhere near the price quoted.

ETrailer.com is a good place to browse for hitches; note installation times and degree of difficulty -- The dividing line is whether holes need to be drilled because they are typically larger than the usual home toolbox.

Prodigy controllers are available on EBay for less than $100.

Thanks Pete - we thought that maybe we could at least do some of the work - my husband is hopeful that the bolt holes for the class 2 hitch will match up with the bolt holes for the class 3 (probably too good to be true). Will check out the site you mentioned for parts. Thanks!

[David & Leslie]

Paul - be careful about the X-terra. I really like the look of them, but have found they did poorly in crash & rollover tests, so no go. Still looking. I'm leaning toward a full-size van (Ford or Chev) for many of the reasons Roger stated ... still have to convince the money-guy the lower fuel economy is worth the extra muscle (and space). L 'n D

[Glenn Baglo]

Paul - be careful about the X-terra. I really like the look of them, but have found they did poorly in crash & rollover tests, so no go. Still looking. I'm leaning toward a full-size van (Ford or Chev) for many of the reasons Roger stated ... still have to convince the money-guy the lower fuel economy is worth the extra muscle (and space). L 'n D

Sam Tremblay is a very knowlegeable owner of a shop that fixes all kinds of cars and trucks. He handles our fleet, for one. He appears regularly on CBC here in Vancouver to answer mechanical questions.
I've rarely heard him tell a listener to stay away from a certain vehicle, but the X-terra is one that he advised was nothing but trouble.

baglo

[Pete Dumbleton]

Thanks Pete - we thought that maybe we could at least do some of the work - my husband is hopeful that the bolt holes for the class 2 hitch will match up with the bolt holes for the class 3 (probably too good to be true). Will check out the site you mentioned for parts. Thanks!

If you dig into the details on the ETrailer site it will tell you whether drilling is required or not. I've gotten one rear and one front receiver hitch from them and found everything to be as described.

There are a number of threads in the archives on installing a brake controller, plus the documentation with the controller is good and the Tekonsha tech support people are very knowledgeable and helpful. Likely you would want to install the wiring to charge the trailer battery at the same time.