What's a Good Vehicle Choice to Tow ?

[Burro1]

We’ve been towing our 13 foot burro with diesels for over 20 years beginning with VW Passats and now a BMW.
We also have a 3 L gasoline powered pathfinder but without turbo gets lousy gas mileage and not near the power of the 2 L turbo diesels.

[allenfoster]

We have a Jeep Grand Cherokee, V6 with factory tow package. It is great for our 17' Casita. Lots of power and consistently gets 17 mpg average at 60-63 mph. I highly recommend it. More at https://www.youtube.com/RVadventuresTV

[GoneToTheDogs]

Well that scares me I have a 13 FT fiberglass Playmor and a 2008 Ford Escape 6cyl, Only towed her once. Did you tow in mountains?

[bmoores]

A 2011 BMW 335D diesel sedan supports a class II hitch from Uhaul. The car is epa rated at 36mpg highway and has 425 ft lb of torque from a 3 liter dual turbo. I prefer a class III custom hitch with equalizer and trailer brakes. A 2011 with 90k miles costs $6-10k.

[afiddler]

We towed a 17' Casita from Reno to Austin with a Nissan Frontier. Be sure to get a tow vehicle with a transmission temperature gauge. If it starts to get hot up a steep grade, then you can shift into a lower gear without hurting your truck.

[Mike J. L.]

I’ve used a 2013 Subaru H-6 since 2013. We had a 4-cylinder before, which did move the 13’ Scamp, but not so great in high passes. Not good for passing. The H-6 has good torque and moves right along, and since the engine has an easier time of it the gas mileage when towing is between 17.5 and 18 mpg. And the AWD works perfectly in a safe and reliable car.

[Burro1]

Yes lots of miles in the Rockies some above 10,000 feet. pathfinder would slow down and downshift diesels would also downshift but any speed I wanted was available.
The Burro’s been modified with a heavier frame and axle weighing in now at about 1500 pounds.
Though above 50 mph wind resistance takes over as the major energy consumer.
Torque on the 2L BMW is 315 and the 3L pathfinder is 270.
Turbo helps of course at higher elevations
Good luck

[Burro1]

Also the diesel gets between 25 and 27 MPG pulling the Burro

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by barryra

Our Ford Escapes transmission went out for the 3rd time & at this time we don't have a vehicle that's able to tow our 13' Scamp.

What is a good vehicle choice that's not a gas guzzler & not to spendy? I'd prefer buying used.

Thank you

You might consider a AWD (all wheel drive) Toyota Sienna. It has double the towing capacity you need. They are one of the highest rated for reliability. Lots of used ones around. Plenty of room for extra gear hauling. The AWD is a very nice feature to have for a camping setup.

[Liteone]

One suggested is used Rangers - S-10 Pickemthemup Trucks. There are plenty of good deals on these vehicles, especially if you can find one that was used to delivery auto parts, local municipalities, and wasn't abused.

The four cylinder should be powerful enough for the trailer task. Adding a camper shell is also suggested for several reasons. Most of us are all guilty of traveling heavy (with items we really don't need but would like to have). Grills, Bicycles, Horse Shoes, Fishing Gear, and etc. can be carried there instead of taking up very valuable space in the trailer. The camper shell will come in very handy in such situations.

In addition, when there are situations where additional visitors want to spent the night, the camper shell can be used as an overflow bedroom. Also, when domestic situation require......"utilization of a Dog House", the camper shell comes very useful.

[floyd]

Pete Hein and I don't share common views on the physics of towing.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I concur with the camper shell.... but as an inveterate bargain seeker, I'm 0 for 2 on late model used camper shells staying completely dry inside in rainstorms, both the Snugtop on my Tacoma, and the Leer on my F250 leak in the front corners, and sometimes around the rear window/hatch... These were both vehicle specific toppers. I've found a rubber bed mat helps a lot, the moisture tends to stay under the mat, so stuff on top of it stays drier than it would without it.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by floyd

Pete Hein and I don't share common views on the physics of towing.

the classic two-door wranglers are really twitchy vehicles on the highway, I'm not at ALL surprised by Pete's observations. big tires, extremely short wheelbase, tall suspension, fast-ratio steering for offroading. Now, my Wrangler experience is limited to a few weeks of driving YJ models that were rented while on vacation on a couple occasions.

Although I do wonder.... were those 13' U-Hauls /really/ 1300 lbs as typically packed and towed? I'd expect maybe 1300 lbs dry, but as much as 2000 lbs loaded. I always go by the trailer GROSS weight unless I have actual measurement data to prove otherwise.

[barryra]

I ended up buying a friend of a friend's 1998 Chevy Silverado. Has 98,000 miles & is in almost perfect shape.

Another question I have is... when towing my 13 Scamp... should I have it in 4 wheel drive?

Also, would I push the 4 Hi button while in park?

Thanks for all of your posts everyone!!

[Jon in AZ]

No reason to use 4WD- high or low- unless you’re towing in winter conditions or loose gravel causing wheel slip. Using 4WD increases driveline wear and reduces fuel economy. Using 4WD low on dry pavement can cause damage on some vehicles.

Read your owner’s manual for use of 4WD, especially 4WD low. Part-time truck systems are a lot different than full-time AWD in passenger vehicles.

Nice truck! Backing a 13’ trailer is going to be a bit challenging due to the long wheelbase. You can’t turn the trailer any sharper than the truck can follow. You’ll figure it out!

[thrifty bill]

I tow my little Trillium with my F150. Sure its overkill, but I also use the F150 for my Escape 19.

Backup camera for the win!

You will know when you need 4WD, otherwise, 2WD it is. Save the 4WD low for when you get stuck in a campground.

1977 Trillium behind truck by wrk101, on Flickr

[steve dunham]

My guestion / view has always been that if you can’t afford a proper tow vehicle or the fuel to power it , then why would you buy a travel trailer . It’s kind of the cart before the horse theory
These types of threads are extremely entertaining

[Anachron]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

My guestion / view has always been that if you can’t afford a proper tow vehicle or the fuel to power it , then why would you buy a travel trailer . It’s kind of the cart before the horse theory
These types of threads are extremely entertaining

Agreed. There is an almost comically wide spread in people's opinion of how much is enough and how much is overkill.

"I tow my 25' Bigfoot with a Mini Cooper. (The S model of course)"
"I won't tow my 13' Boler with anything less than an F-350 Dually"

I see the need to consider the tow vehicle as a daily driver during all the rest of the year, but you're right. If you can't afford all the associated costs of owing a vehicle capable of towing a particular sized trailer, reconsider the trailer.

Being in the market for a 13 footer, I could get a Nissan Frontier for about the same price as a Ford Escape and it would be much more capable as a tug. But the rest of the year I'd be driving a pickup through the narrow streets of Vancouver. So, as a soon-to-be first time trailer owner, how much is enough?

[bmoores]

Originally Posted by Burro1

Also the diesel gets between 25 and 27 MPG pulling the Burro

That's Awesome! I had similar results with a 2L Jetta TDI turbo diesel, towing 1800 lbs.