Your ideal towing vehicle for Scamp 13'?

[stevebaz]

Depends on how much stuff you tend to bring with you. For us 2 adults and dog and our stuff we have a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder 3.5 V6. It has 5000 lb tow capacity and doesn't care that the Trailer is back there. 21 mpg highway, 15 to 16 street or towing. Driving hills I take it out of overdrive to protect the transmission. We carry allot of stuff and I don't like to carry it all inside the 13 foot Scamp so if I stop someplace I don't have to unload the trailer to use it. For me the smaller the trailer the larger the tug you need. If I were to buy another tug it would probably be a Nissan dual cab pick-up with a bed cap.

[Burtim]

Jeep. Nearly any Jeep.

[Mark J]

I have been towing with a 4 speed automatic 2010 Subaru forester which tows OK with resulting mileage in the 17/18mpg range. Drawbacks are large hills/mountains where shifting to 3 "gear" becomes necessary. There is some "work" involved when you tow with a 4 cyl. I am looking for a new tow as well and am making 6 cyl. mandatory for the next vehicle I purchase. Am considering minivans, and a Venza = spendy!

I have owned 3 Dodge caravans since 1985 (current one is a 2000 w 162,000miles) but am afraid to tow them due to known transmission problems. Anyone towing with a newer 3.6L 6 in a Chrysler T & C with a lot of miles behind the seat?

[dylanear]

Originally Posted by johnsoba

Hi, everybody. We're looking for a new tow vehicle for our stripped down (no water, no shower, no a/c, no bunk beds--it does have brakes) 1982 Scamp 13'.

History: We've been towing with a '99 Subaru Outback 2.5 litre. On our last trip through WV over to St. Louis, we just got tired of turning off the a/c when climbing mountains, turning off the cruise control almost all the time to prevent jumping up to 4K rpm on even relatively flat land. We also got tired of turning on the heat all the way a mile before coming to a stop to prevent over-heating. And who knows how hot the transmission was getting.

I believe the 1999 Outback is rated for 2000lbs. Towing a sparsely equipped '82 Scamp with brakes I would think would be very doable. But there's not a lot of power or torque from the 4 cylinder. That said, that engine should be able to run at 4K all day long, and that is actually probably healthier for the engine rather than lugging it down under load at lower rpm. The higher rpms might make for a hotter transmission. is it just the extra noise, vibration that bugs you? Or are you worried you are hurting the car by doing it? Because I doubt you are. Are you seeing the water temp gauge go into unsafe levels, or other indication of overheating? Not sure why you are turning the heat on before stopping? Turning it on in extra hot conditions under high load I'd understand. How fast are you towing that you need to turn the A/C off to get up mountains? Are you doing that as a precaution or because you simply cannot maintain speed that's safe given the other traffic? If you're not enjoying the experience or at least comfortable with it, then certainly look at other options. But I would have guessed that trailer/TV combo would work ok. Depends on your expectations I suppose.

I'm looking at the 2005+ Outbacks with the H-6. Rated to tow 3000lbs. I suspect the later 6 cylinder models would handle your light scamp with ease if you otherwise enjoy driving your Outback.

[johnsoba]

Wow. This is a great website!
W, my wife wants to avoid minivans--at least for now.
Norm and Ginny, I've added the
8) Honda CRV, 6 cyl. Thanks!
Jon, your info on the tow packages is VERY helpful. Thanks so much. (Minivan question above.)
Steve, the
9) Nissan Pathfinder
is on the list.Thanks.
Tim adds Jeeps and I think I'll go with the Grand Cherokee already on the list as the model.
Mark underlines our experience with 4 cylinders, even with large displacement. Thank you.
Dylan, thanks for verifying the after-2005 Subaru Outback increase in tow rating. The '99 towed successfully for thousands of miles over about 8 years, but we noticed transmission slipping when pulling up mountains and assumed that the heat was lowering the trans. fluid viscosity. We also noticed more oil getting out around the gaskets, making us think that we were laboring the 2.5 l engine. But maybe, with 180K miles it was just getting tired.
The current list is:
1) post 2005 Sub. Outback, 2) Toyota Venza (Highlander dropped for expense), 3) Ford Escape, 4) Jeep Grand Cherokee 6 cyl. 8 spd., 5) Honda Pilot, 6) tOYota Rav4, 6 cyl., 7) Honda CRV 6 cyl., 8) Nissan Pathfinder

[dylanear]

I've never towed with an auto, or ever owned an auto in my 26 years of car ownership. But I believe the torque converter will slip under heavy load and that's not a sign of heat or wear in and of itself. That said, the more a TC slips the more heat will get generated. Many auto's have lock up torque converters that will stop that slip, but they won't lock in top gear generally, you have to drop down a gear (or two). I've heard it talked about on the 05+ cars, so they have a lock up, I don't know about earlier Legacys/Outbacks. I'd greatly prefer a manual, but not sure about how that affects tow rating and clutch life.

Leaking head gaskets. I think that's to be expected on these Subes with plenty of miles on the clock, probably the most talked about major maintenance issue I've seen discussed when talking older/used Subes. So you may have just needed new gaskets and the stress of towing was just making matters worse. if you were on original gaskets at 180K I think you are very lucky and it would probably be down on power, up on oil use. A compression check maybe useful if you still own that car. I wonder how the same 99 OB would fare with a fresh engine and transmission. I bet you wouldn't have as much trouble on the hills or see the gaskets leaking. But the 05+, especially the 6 cylinder I think would be a nice upgrade and be plenty of TV for your light Scamp.

I'd certainly want engine oil and transmission coolers. And a temp gauge for the trans could be added inline with the trans cooler.

Ideally I'd want the turbo 4 (XT), similar power to the 6 but will make the same power at 12,000 feet as at sea level, which the 6 won't do. But the 4 is only rated to 2700lbs, turbo or not. Not sure what the factor was that caused that lower rating. I doubt it's safety related as the chassis is otherwise about the same. I'm guessing it's more about durability, but that's a guess. Now finding an XT (turbo) is pretty hard to do, rare car. Then finding one with a manual even harder. Though I bet that model got more manuals than any other Outback.

[Larry Tenhage]

I've been told to stay FAR away from the Jeep / Chrysler 8 speed transmission. I'd prefer the newer Subaru or Toyota for towing.

[johnsoba]

Thanks for the good ideas, Dylan.
And thanks, Larry, for the red flag on the Jeep 8 spd. tranny.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Larry Tenhage

I've been told to stay FAR away from the Jeep / Chrysler 8 speed transmission. I'd prefer the newer Subaru or Toyota for towing.

The way I read the Jeep forums, the 8 speed is a great tranny but they had some shorcomings in the software initially. I think they have ironed things out now, and even the early 8 speeds can be easily flashed with the new software version.

That said, in the price range you suggest, I think you are looking at an earlier model year with the 6 speed anyway.

What about pickups? Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger (especially the V6 models) would handle a 13' just fine.

Beyond that, I second the nomination of the V6 Rav4. Amazing turn radius, incredible 270 HP pep, and well built. The ones with 3rd row seats received somewhat heavier rear suspension than the ones without.

[ericw]

We tow our Scamp 13' with an 2007 Honda Odyssey. We love it and would do it again. We comfortably fit our family in both with space to spare and have towed it to Maine, CA, and FL comfortably. We do have brakes on our Scamp.

[tractors1]

I wouldn't write off a truck. A used Tacoma pickup can certainly haul a small trailer, is more rugged than most cars/SUVs, and the bed can be fitted with a hard top shell or a canopy to haul/hide all the stuff that won't fit in that small trailer. GVWR ratings are much better.

[MC1]

I have experience towing with an Infiniti G35 sedan. Works great.

But since you are looking for an SUV I will run this vehicle by you. It is an Infiniti FX35. This vehicle is at the top of the list when it comes to handling, braking, reliability, and towing power. Very comfortable, secure ride. The 3.5 V6 was on the Wards top ten engines list for a number of years. You can find a good used one within your price point.

[floyd]

Remember we're talking about a Scamp 13 and budget. You can't buy more reliability, comfort, and towing competence for less money than the Ford Escape. An '09 4Cyl would fit the bill nicely with plenty of money left for travel expenses.

[MC1]

I understand Floyd, that is why I suggested the FX35.

They clearly stated they want power. The FX has it and a 4 cyl Escape is weaker than their Subie.

..........and to make a long story short there is no comparison between a Ford Escape and the FX.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by johnsoba

7) Honda CRV 6 cyl

No such animal - all CRVs are 4 cyl.

Now a Ford Escape with a 6 cyl. might be an economical option, and would have more power than the 4 cyl. version.

Also agree that a RAV4 V6 would be a great choice. May become hard to find in decent condition since they dropped the V6 in the latest redesign.


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[Marg]

My Nissan Frontier, 4wd, automatic, is my choice for a tow vehicle. Mine is a four door but there are two door models available. No trouble pulling my 13' Scamp, in fact is it the 2nd Nissan Frontier I've had. I would recommend it and it is fairly easy on gas. Marg

[floyd]

Originally Posted by MC1

..........and to make a long story short there is no comparison between a Ford Escape and the FX.

I certainly agree, two Fords for one Datsun.
I paid under 15K for my Escape (new in 2008).

I am sure the FX is a fine car, and so is the Subie.
Like the Subie, Model year and drive train choices make a big difference on the Escape...
Then there is that "American Made" stigma to overcome!

My Escape has towed my Scamp13D for 6 years now and tens of thousands of miles. Great balance of power and fuel economy...(a slight bias toward fuel economy)

To be fair...
There is no comparison between an Airstream and a Scamp13 either.
We considered a 16Bambi CCD when we bought the Scamp.
Same issues in reverse...
The Escape matches the Scamp13, about as well as an Expedition matches the Bambi.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

No such animal - all CRVs are 4 cyl.

Now a Ford Escape with a 6 cyl. might be an economical option, and would have more power than the 4 cyl. version.

Also agree that a RAV4 V6 would be a great choice. May become hard to find in decent condition since they dropped the V6 in the latest redesign.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

The '09 (still 3rd generation)Escape came standard with a 2.5L 4CYL with 15% more power (than the '08 2.3L which I tow with) . They also offered an optional 6CYL at that time.
The newer (4th generation) Escapes have the 2.5L as the base engine and two EcoBoost 4CYLs as options.

[Jon Vermilye]

I've towed an Escape 17B (3010 lbs loaded) for almost 49,000 miles with a 2010 RAV4 (V6 & tow package). Towing MPG - 15 US, non towing MPG Highway 25, around town 21-22.

While there are times I wished for a truck to have exterior storage, as both a tow vehicle & a daily driver, I've been happy with the RAV4.

[SilverGhost]

Originally Posted by Marg

My Nissan Frontier, 4wd, automatic, is my choice for a tow vehicle. Mine is a four door but there are two door models available. No trouble pulling my 13' Scamp, in fact is it the 2nd Nissan Frontier I've had. I would recommend it and it is fairly easy on gas. Marg

My dad has a V6 Frontier 4wd and that thing is anything but easy on gas. We could nurse almost the same MPG out of his V8 Chevy, but my step mom insisted on a newer "reliable" vehicle.

Jason