Honda Ridgeline and an Oliver Legacy 23

[GatorCasita]

Thanks, Trainman:

However, could you still please reply giving your typical towing speed for the mileage figures you gave??

[trainman]

Originally Posted by GatorCasita

Thanks, Trainman:

However, could you still please reply giving your typical towing speed for the mileage figures you gave??

We try to maintain 65 mph when towing the Casita, at times we may creep up to 70 and then down to 60, but that's probably because I don't use my cruse control and my foot tends to wander on the pedal. I run the transmission in "D" and when on flat level roads the transmission will kick into overdrive, but most of the time it would not stay in overdrive mode. One reason was we were at higher altitude, but when back in Texas it tends to stay in overdrive more.


trainman

[Glenn Baglo]

When I dragged my Ford Explorer into a country mechanic with a loud clicking noise, I had been towing a tent trailer. He advised me that I very nearly blew up my torque converter. Then he torqued the nuts on my aluminum wheels and said, "no charge, I'll get you next time".

And then, my 16-year-old daughter reminded me that the Ford manual says not to tow in Overdrive.
My Toyota manual says to tow in 4, not D.

[trainman]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

When I dragged my Ford Explorer into a country mechanic with a loud clicking noise, I had been towing a tent trailer. He advised me that I very nearly blew up my torque converter. Then he torqued the nuts on my aluminum wheels and said, "no charge, I'll get you next time".

And then, my 16-year-old daughter reminded me that the Ford manual says not to tow in Overdrive.
My Toyota manual says to tow in 4, not D.

You are correct in what most manufactures recommend. One reason for towing in overdrive was the transmission would hardly ever go into overdrive and it did not hunt and pick between the two all the time, plus in most cases I had to let off the gas to get it to shift into overdrive when pulling the trailer. Many on the Ridgeling Forum do it this way with no transmission failures at this time, but commonsense tells me it might not be the best practice.


trainman

[Jon in AZ]

Best practices are changing as transmissions and transmission control software become more sophisticated. Best to consult the owner's manual for your vehicle.

[trainman]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Best practices are changing as transmissions and transmission control software become more sophisticated. Best to consult the owner's manual for your vehicle.

True, the computer can do what you can't, it can analyze what you can't do as fast as it needs to be done.

trainman

[steve dunham]

I put my truck’s transmission in tow / haul mode and go
Trying to out guess my vehicles computer or thinking that I am smarter then the engineers that designed my truck is a waste of time and foolish IMHO
I don’t like driving to begin with and making it more complicated by playing with the transmission doesn’t help!

[EggRoll]

Originally Posted by GatorCasita

Trainman, that is very good news. I was thinking that it was time to get a new truck. I love my 2008 Honda Ridgeline, except for the gas mileage while towing. I love the comfort and drive (like a luxury car), love the built in trunk (so much of my camping gear stays there (do not have a big garage or other good storage at my home), because the Casita has almost no storage outside the trailer, love having 4WD (lots of sand in FL) and I love having the topper to protect all the other stuff we pack in there when camping.

I did not know what I was going to do about buying a new truck, but if you are right, I would buy another Ridgeline.

Can someone else please confirm that they have similarly had the positive mileage experience with a newer G2?????

We have a 2017 RTL-T AWD and to our 17' SD using carrying two kayaks on the roof, my mountain bike, Honda EU2000 generator in the trunk plus our other camping gear in the bed (probably 500 pounds, plus two people and our dog). We are located in California and on our last trip to the Shasta area with several good grades and rolling terrain we averaged 17.1mpg over the 700 mile trip. We tend to keep the speed down when towing between 55-65mph (55mph legal towing speed limit), most of the time keeping up with the big rigs on the flats. The MPG drop is really noticeable when you try to drive faster (ie. trying to average 70mph will ding the MPG by a substantial amount). I recall doing a trip last year where we had some wicked headwinds (probably 20-25mph) all along a 200 mile stretch and the Ridgeline averaged 15.2mpg, that's about the worst we've experienced while towing our Casita. Also, we have noticed our trip computer MPG is consistently 1.5mpg too optimistic, so my calculations for MPG are always done manually dividing the miles driven by the gallons of fuel used.

[EggRoll]

We have a Gen 2 AWD Ridgeline that replaced our Gen 3 4Runner as our tow vehicle for our 17' SD. When we were replacing the 4Runner we looked at the Dodge Ram 1500 (both 5.7 Hemi and EcoDiesel) and Ford F-150 (both the 2.7EB and 3.5E. My girlfriend is the main driver of the truck and she shot down both the full size trucks as she felt much more comfortable driving the Ridgeline due to it's size. Also, the ride of the Ridgeline was hard to beat with just the right amount of firmness and road feedback while being really plush. If it were up to me I would have chosen the F-150 3.5EB which had everything I wanted and plenty of capacity to carry us into the future if we wanted to get a larger rig.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

I wouldn’t try it with my F150 with a 5.4 V8.

So just what do you think it would take?

[trainman]

Originally Posted by EggRoll

We have a Gen 2 AWD Ridgeline that replaced our Gen 3 4Runner as our tow vehicle for our 17' SD. When we were replacing the 4Runner we looked at the Dodge Ram 1500 (both 5.7 Hemi and EcoDiesel) and Ford F-150 (both the 2.7EB and 3.5E. My girlfriend is the main driver of the truck and she shot down both the full size trucks as she felt much more comfortable driving the Ridgeline due to it's size. Also, the ride of the Ridgeline was hard to beat with just the right amount of firmness and road feedback while being really plush. If it were up to me I would have chosen the F-150 3.5EB which had everything I wanted and plenty of capacity to carry us into the future if we wanted to get a larger rig.

Your in the same boat as I am, G2 Ridgeline and Casita, very happy with this combination and it works better then I though it would. Now thinking within a year or two we might want to move up to an Oliver which looks like we would have to purchase another truck to handle the Oliver. I probably would have not purchased the Ridgeline if there was any thoughts of purchasing a travel trailer at the time we bought the Ridgeline. One thing is we don't drive the Ridgeline that much and it only has 12,000 miles on it and it is two years old. One thought that you and I both have is what truck to upgrade to and what engine size, I now think it should be a 3/4 ton diesel, just think about if we wake up one day and decide we want a 30' 5th wheel trailer and we under bought the wrong truck again. Probably the best thing is stick with what you have until that day comes, it may never come.

trainman

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Bill have you priced a F150 with the optional max payload ,max towing package and 3.5 liter eco boost ?
Our local Ford dealership said if I wanted those options they had to order the vehicle and they could sell me a 3/4 ton truck off their lot for almost the same
price .

Just Curious

I haven't priced it yet. I'm probably at least a year out before I buy a new truck. It won't be cheap for sure! Its pretty easy to get over $50K on a truck, heck they have some that are $75K or more.

Myself, the best payload ratings tend to be with the lower models. I have a friend with a 2017 EB XLT, its very nice. Not as plush as my Lariat model, but nice! Sadly, in general, the higher the model, like a Platinum or a King Ranch, the lower the available payload. I doubt the car dealers ever bring that up to potential buyers!

The highest payload package right now takes the long bed truck, I prefer the shorter bed, so I will probably give up some payload. Decisions, decisions!

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by floyd

So just what do you think it would take?

A max payload F150, with max towing package, and 3.5 EB motor. Its a towing beast! Those have over twice the payload of my 2010 F150 and 40% more tow rating. I tend to buy used, the next TV will likely be new so I can dial in the specs rather than accept what someone else bought.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

A max payload F150, with max towing package, and 3.5 EB motor. Its a towing beast! Those have over twice the payload of my 2010 F150 and 40% more tow rating. I tend to buy used, the next TV will likely be new so I can dial in the specs rather than accept what someone else bought.

I agree with your idea of researching and buying the right tool for the job you choose to do.

That's one of the main reasons we own the perfect compromise (our Scamp13)...
Besides the fun and convenience of a travel trailer, we get to drive something every day which is driveable, parkable, and affordable.


For the price of an Oliver and a new overkill truck, I could stay in fine motels and drive something like an RS Focus for the rest of my traveling days, but I do love my travel trailer.


BTW...I saw a beautifully prepared Ridgeline towing a Scamp 5er. Nice rig and I believe that the trunk in the bed was still accessible.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by floyd

...BTW...I saw a beautifully prepared Ridgeline towing a Scamp 5er. Nice rig and I believe that the trunk in the bed was still accessible.

Now that's something I would like to hear more about! Seems like an ideal match from a size and weight perspective, but the conventional wisdom is that the bed design makes it impossible.

[trainman]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Now that's something I would like to hear more about! Seems like an ideal match from a size and weight perspective, but the conventional wisdom is that the bed design makes it impossible.

Remember the Ridgeline has a two way tailgate, you can open it like a door and get it half way open when hooked to the Casita, thus giving me access to the trunk in the bed with no problems. For me it works, but I'm sure for some it wouldn't for one reason or another. I hardly ever open my tailgate the conventional way, I don't have to lean over the tailgate to get things in and out of the bed with the door option.

trainman

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Now that's something I would like to hear more about! Seems like an ideal match from a size and weight perspective, but the conventional wisdom is that the bed design makes it impossible.

I am sorry, but I have no information. We saw it at Panama City after ScampCamp a year or two ago. I left them with info and I think they have heard of FiberglassRV.
Brilliant hitch design with attachment in front of the trunk lid and reaching back.

Maybe the owner will respond??

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I put my truck’s transmission in tow / haul mode and go
Trying to out guess my vehicles computer or thinking that I am smarter then the engineers that designed my truck is a waste of time and foolish IMHO
I don’t like driving to begin with and making it more complicated by playing with the transmission doesn’t help!

Well, OK, until you start up a long grade and the transmission begins to hunt between 4th and 5th. Back and forth, back and forth. Lots of wear and annoying. Limit it to 4th until you get to the top of the hill.

Then you start down a long grade and it goes into the highest gear. Now it won't hold back as well and the brakes get more use. Limit it to a lower gear and take some load off the brakes.

Then you have to merge at the top of an up-hill ramp. Just when you back off the throttle a bit to squeeze in, it up-shifts twice. Then you try to adjust your speed and bit and have to wait for it to downshift twice to get you some power. If you limited it to 4th, you would have instant throttle response as needed. Then let it decide when you are going with the flow and settled in.

The computer cannot look ahead at the general conditions like you can. No harm in helping it decide in order to save wear, reduce heat, save brakes or increase throttle response.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Well, OK, until you start up a long grade and the transmission begins to hunt between 4th and 5th. Back and forth, back and forth. Lots of wear and annoying. Limit it to 4th until you get to the top of the hill.

Then you start down a long grade and it goes into the highest gear. Now it won't hold back as well and the brakes get more use. Limit it to a lower gear and take some load off the brakes.

Then you have to merge at the top of an up-hill ramp. Just when you back off the throttle a bit to squeeze in, it up-shifts twice. Then you try to adjust your speed and bit and have to wait for it to downshift twice to get you some power. If you limited it to 4th, you would have instant throttle response as needed. Then let it decide when you are going with the flow and settled in.

The computer cannot look ahead at the general conditions like you can. No harm in helping it decide in order to save wear, reduce heat, save brakes or increase throttle response.

Sounds good on paper

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Sounds good on paper

And in practice.

Most common situation I've run across is long grades with occasional short flats or declines. When you lift your right foot, the transmission thinks the hill is done and upshifts, then has to downshift again a few seconds later when the grade resumes. As the driver, I can easily see it isn't over yet and hold the lower gear.

In any case, my tow vehicle, like many mid-sized SUVs and pickup trucks, does not have a tow/haul mode. It does not have the capability to recognize a downgrade and automatically downshift to control speed. My owner's manual supports locking out OD and manually selecting lower gears under certain conditions.

A blanket statement that the transmission always "knows" the right gear better than the driver overlooks the wide range of tow vehicles in service.