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Old 01-11-2017, 06:20 PM   #1
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Name: Biker
Trailer: 2018 Bigfoot 21' 25B21FB (PREV: Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe)
North Carolina
Posts: 92
Parkliner & tow vehicle

Hi,

Seeking comments & advice on a few things ...

(1) curious to hear from anyone who has purchased a Parkliner since the relatively recent owner/management change .. how was the experience? any post-sale issues that needed to be addressed by Parkliner and how did that go? any issues in general with the trailer?

(2) leaning towards buying a Toyota Tacoma for a tow vehicle .. does anyone else tow their egg with one? any problems/limitations? do you have any year/model/engine size/feature/other recommendations?

(3) in general, what are the best features to get in a tow vehicle for frequent long-term road trips?

Thank you for your help!
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Old 01-12-2017, 11:58 AM   #2
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Trail Cruiser
Alberta
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Power and stability are the two main features of your tow vehicle. I can tow my 26 foot TT with my Ranger but I do a lot of this and I mainly boondock in the back country so my 3/4 diesel works much better. Calculate your maximum tow weight and select a tow vehicle with twice the towing capacity and you will always be good.
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Old 01-12-2017, 01:29 PM   #3
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Trailer: Scamp 16 ft Side Dinette
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We picked up our new ParkLiner in late October. We tow it with a Toyota Highlander. The Tacoma w/ V6 should do very well. We like the Highlander as an all purpose car. It used to pull a 16 ft deluxe Scamp.
The hitch ball needs to be 18 to 20 inches high. Extension mirrors are advised, even though PL says you don't need them. The trailer body is 6 ft 8 in wide.
You need a 7 pin wiring connector, with one pin for backup lights.

We did have a number of quality issues that showed up during our 5 nights of camping on the way home, but PL agreed to let me fix them and reimburse me for time and materials. They have now established a pre-delivery checklist to be sure their guys don't miss something.
Tell Tom Bass that I sent you.
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Old 01-12-2017, 03:28 PM   #4
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Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
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From a towing standpoint, a Tacoma is more than adequate. If your long-term travel plans include lots of gear- bikes, kayaks, etc.- and/or serious off-road exploration, it would be justified. From a value perspective a Frontier might be worth a look as well. If you wanted an open cargo bed but not the heavy-duty off-road capability, a Honda Ridgeline has better road manners and great reliability. It's fine for forest roads, just not rock crawling. I'd go for the first generation myself. And if you don't really need the open bed, any number of mid-sized crossovers or even minivans make great tugs.

For long-term travel, I'd definitely look for good reliability, extra space and load capacity for gear, and a chassis that allows me to go where I want. Don't overlook cockpit comfort. Supportive seats and ergonomics matter on a long driving day.
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Old 01-12-2017, 03:53 PM   #5
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Name: Anne
Trailer: 2014 Parkliner 2016 Honda Pilot
North Carolina
Posts: 197
I agree with Jon about cockpit comfort. We tow our 2014 Parkliner with a 2016 Honda Pilot. We had a 2012 Odyssey, but it was a little lighter vehicle, and definitely not as cockpit comfortable. Makes a huge difference on longer trips. I really love the Pilot. I also find that with the wide angle camera (with distance markings!) on the right side mirror, I do not need extension mirrors.

-- Anne
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Old 01-12-2017, 07:15 PM   #6
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Name: Bill
Trailer: Parkliner 2013
North Carolina
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Our 2013 ParkLiner is pulled by a 2012 Frontier. After we ordered the ParkLiner in late 2012 I knew we needed something fairly substantial and did a lot of research on possible tow vehicles. A trip from the east coast to Alaska was in our plans which I knew would involve some steep hills. The Pickup form factor won out for me as we bring along a lot of "stuff" like hoses, a grill, some tools, etc. that are simply more at home in the cargo bed of a pickup than in the back end of an SUV. I narrowed my search to the Frontier and the Tacoma and, for me, the Frontier won out. Ours has a V6 engine with automatic transmission and, while you do go a bit more slowly up the very long (say 5-6 mile) mountain hills, that is just to be expected. Four door crew cab was a requirement for my wife and for most "small" pickup trucks that means losing two feet in cargo bed length. One thing I was "right" on was getting a truck with the requisite four doors and an extended (six foot) cargo bed. This lengthens the wheelbase a bit and sacrifices some maneuverability (extends the turning radius) but the result in terms of cargo capacity is well worth it. I also got four-wheel drive. Mostly I don't use the 4WD but when I need it, I need it and it has gotten me out of more than one difficult situation. The Alaska trip was a great success with no problems from the Frontier and none from the ParkLiner. I'm sure the Tacoma would do just as well--both are high quality very capable tows and, in my opinion, either is a perfect tow for a ParkLiner-sized camper.
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Old 01-13-2017, 01:26 AM   #7
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Name: star
Trailer: Parkliner
South Carolina
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I'm using 2003 Chevy S10 ZR2 to tow mine. Pulls it like nothing is there. And in my world 4x4 is a must. You do have to watch how you load. Too much weight on the bike rack and full water tanks can cause fishtailing at higher speeds. It'll cruse easily at 70 mph but I try to stick to 60 - 65.
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Old 01-13-2017, 12:25 PM   #8
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Trail Cruiser
Alberta
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My S-15 will take my 26 ft TT places my 3/4 diesel can't touch when I'm in the back country because I have the traction. On the highway it's the diesel all the way for stability. It just depends on where you are and what you need.
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Old 01-13-2017, 04:05 PM   #9
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Trailer: '04 Scamp 19D, TV:Tacoma 3.5L 4door, SB
Colorado
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I am very happy with my 2013 Tacoma. Even on long trips the seats are comfortable. You want the "tow package", bigger engine, 4 wheel drive and 4 doors. As Bill Berry said, if you need the 4 wheel drive, you need it, be it for 20 seconds, or 2 minutes. In three years I have used the 4wheel drive many times, but no more than 15 minutes in total, I bet. Having a medium size pickup allows you to consider one of those few FG 5th wheel options.
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Old 06-04-2017, 05:25 PM   #10
LJE
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Name: lj
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Honda Pilot tow vehicle for Parkliner

Quote:
Originally Posted by neparker View Post
I agree with Jon about cockpit comfort. We tow our 2014 Parkliner with a 2016 Honda Pilot. We had a 2012 Odyssey, but it was a little lighter vehicle, and definitely not as cockpit comfortable. Makes a huge difference on longer trips. I really love the Pilot. I also find that with the wide angle camera (with distance markings!) on the right side mirror, I do not need extension mirrors.

-- Anne
Thank you Anne for assuring me that I can pull a Parkliner with a Pilot. Did you install a transmission cooler on your engine and also did you install the hitch and wiring yourself? We are looking for something that we can tow with a Pilot, so far, only the Parkliner is doable.
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Old 06-04-2017, 05:56 PM   #11
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Name: Bob
Trailer: Parkliner 2014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LJE View Post
Thank you Anne for assuring me that I can pull a Parkliner with a Pilot. Did you install a transmission cooler on your engine and also did you install the hitch and wiring yourself? We are looking for something that we can tow with a Pilot, so far, only the Parkliner is doable.
I didn't go with a Pilot, but my recollection from my search was that if it's set up to tow anything, it's at least 3500 lbs. That opens up a lot of FG trailers, and I'd think the 16' Scamp at least, should stay below a Parkliner's weight. Not much real world weight info on the new Parkliner 16 yet, but there was this recent info.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post643168

And see post #297, and the link in it, in this thread, for lots of info on loaded weights, for a bunch of trailers.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html
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Old 06-04-2017, 06:41 PM   #12
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Trailer: Scamp 16 ft Side Dinette
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Quote:
Originally Posted by neparker View Post
I agree with Jon about cockpit comfort. We tow our 2014 Parkliner with a 2016 Honda Pilot. We had a 2012 Odyssey, but it was a little lighter vehicle, and definitely not as cockpit comfortable. Makes a huge difference on longer trips. I really love the Pilot. I also find that with the wide angle camera (with distance markings!) on the right side mirror, I do not need extension mirrors.

-- Anne
Is that a rear view camera mounted on the trailer?
If not, you DO need extension mirrors to be able to see what's behind the trailer. Just think about the geometry.
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Old 06-15-2017, 11:37 PM   #13
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Name: star
Trailer: Parkliner
South Carolina
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What kind of gas millage are you all getting towing your Parkliner. I'm looking for a vehicle with more room in it?
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Old 06-16-2017, 06:21 AM   #14
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Name: Bill
Trailer: Parkliner 2013
North Carolina
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My TV is a 2012 Nissan Frontier V-6 with automatic transmission, four door with long wheel base and 4WD. We get 16-17 mpg towing in flat terrain. Less in hilly country.
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Old 06-16-2017, 08:25 AM   #15
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That's pretty impressive.
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Old 06-16-2017, 08:59 AM   #16
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Name: Bill
Trailer: Parkliner 2013
North Carolina
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Maybe not as impressive as it sounds, we typically travel between 55-65, certainly no faster. In the mountains we'll get 13-14 mpg. When not towing, going 65-70 we get about 22mpg.
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Old 06-16-2017, 09:49 AM   #17
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Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
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A lot depends on if you want / need a combination commuter / tow vehicle or a designated tow vehicle. . We have two vehicles , one for running errands and one for towing. If you go the truck route for a tow vehicle as we did then also look at a full size truck.
In my opinion the Ford F 150 Eco Boost is probably the best tow vehicle on the market. The F150 has good towing capacity , fuel mileage , comfort , cargo capacity and interior leg room.
We looked at small trucks but for the little bit you save in cost you lose a lot in ability and features. Having extra towing , cargo space and payload capacity is seldom a bad thing. Having to constantly count lbs can be a real PITA .
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Old 06-16-2017, 12:03 PM   #18
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Trailer: Scamp 16 ft Side Dinette
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Quote:
Originally Posted by starsea View Post
What kind of gas millage are you all getting towing your Parkliner. I'm looking for a vehicle with more room in it?
2013 Toyota Highlander, gets about 15 mpg towing our 2016 ParkLiner
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Old 06-16-2017, 03:21 PM   #19
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Name: Sid
Trailer: Parkliner 2014
Wisconsin
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I'm quite happy with our 2014 Jeep Cherokee with the nine speed automatic. Rated for 4500 pound towing it handles our ParkLiner easily. Now over with 32,000 towing miles all across the US and some of Canada our low was 16 mpg and best was 20 mpg. I typically expect to see between 17 and 18 mpg on an average trip with a light headwind.
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Old 06-17-2017, 05:24 AM   #20
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Name: Anne
Trailer: 2014 Parkliner 2016 Honda Pilot
North Carolina
Posts: 197
Re towing with the Pilot: I do have the transmission cooler and dealer-installed wiring harness. Mileage is 15-20 when towing.
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