Is our tow vehicle adequate?

[sunnyone]

We are on our way from Milwaukee to the Grand Canyon and Zion NP next week, and my husband is worried about towing through the mountains. We are relatively new at towing and are flatlanders - all of our trips so far have been in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Our 2020 Scamp13 is a pretty basic standard, no bathroom, no furnace, no air conditioner, and we will be traveling without water in the tank.
Our tow vehicle is a 2015 Tacoma Prerunner with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, with a tow rating of 3500 lbs.
What do you think, car guys? Is this enough power to easily get us up (and down) the Rockies with our little Scamp?

[Jon in AZ]

I'd give it a tentative yes. Your rating is substantially higher than the actual loaded weight of your trailer, likely around 1700#. Current tow testing standards require the vehicle to pull a box trailer loaded to 3500# up a fairly steep 11-mile grade at a minimum 45 mph with all fluid temperatures within safe ranges. Your Scamp has a bit more frontal area than the test trailer, and higher elevations reduce engine power somewhat, but you have ample margin.

The most important piece of equipment is your trailer brakes. Make sure they're set up and adjusted properly. I would also recommend installing a friction sway bar. Many parts of the West can be extremely windy in the spring, and the sway bar will help keep things in line when a sudden side gust hits you as you exit a road cut.

Set realistic expectations for mountain towing. Stay in the right lane with the trucks, gear down, and take your time. Pull over and let faster traffic pass on two-lanes. Remember to gear down when you descend, too. When braking is needed, apply short, firm bursts, then get off the pedal and allow the brakes to cool between applications. If they seem to be fading (more effort, less effect), pull over and stop for a while.

[floyd]

Your vehicle has about TWICE the tow rating for the trailer size which you describe.
Please tell me you are kidding.


The TV pictured is a 2.3L Ford Escape 4CYL.
Our Scamp is a 13D with every option.
No problems towing.


We do have trailer brakes to reduce wear on the TV for the down grade runs, and a friction sway device for improved handling.
We tow at about 60 MPH and I recommend you do the same, especially for substantial fuel savings.
Hope.this helps you decide for yourselves.



Here is our 2.3L Escape at Mt St Helens on our trip to Oregon...

[Darwin Maring]

If your vehicle has an automatic overdrive it is suggested you do not tow with over drive on.

[ShelbyM]

Are you planning on I70 across CO? IIRC the worst is about 7 miles of 7% grade. If your truck is rated for 3500# you should be safe enough but you'll be working hard, the altitude will sap your power. And yes, gear down, stay with the slow trucks and take your time. I'll also second the suggestion for a simple friction anti sway gadget. Without it you'll get a wiggle every time a semi passes, makes for a long day. Don't forget Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef while you are out there!

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

If your vehicle has an automatic overdrive it is suggested you do not tow with over drive on.

Good point and true of most antiques and some older cars.
The truck in question is a 2015. It is worth checking the manual though.
My 2016 6spd tows in overdrive.
Heck my Ranger has 3 overdrives!

[sunnyone]

We do have trailer brakes, installed by Eveland.
On the way there, we were thinking of heading down to I 70, then take I 25 to 160.
We don't have a plan yet for the way back to Wisconsin, were wondering if I 70 thru the Rockies might be too much. .

[AlanKilian]

Try building a path using flattestroute.com and you can see what the grade is all along the path.

Then if something looks too scary, you can zoom in and add a town to your route to see what going around the steep grade looks like.

[floyd]

I think you are over thinking this a bit.
Get your trailer set up right, drive reasonably, and enjoy your trip.
Oh! and report back and bring pictures!

[Dennis mn]

My 2003 Tacoma's owners manual said nothing about towing and overdrive. It did have a warning light to indicate If the trans fluid over heated. I pulled my Scamp 19 in overdrive without any noticeable problems. It was still working fine after 140,000 miles. Most of it towing. I agree with Floyd. Have a good trip.

[Jon in AZ]

Since the OP seems new to mountain towing and somewhat apprehensive, I would encourage reading both the towing and transmission sections of the owner's manual. In general, you want to use lower gears (higher RPMs) when climbing and descending steep grades, but every vehicle is different in terms of how much (if any) driver intervention is required.

Before heading up or down a mountain- especially with a trailer in tow- you need to know how to manually downshift if needed. All conventional automatics will downshift when you punch the accelerator while climbing, but sometimes you want to hold that lower gear to prevent frequent shifting between gears. Some will also downshift with a firm braking action during a descent. On others, you have to punch a button to lock out overdrive gear(s) or move the shifter into manual (or sport) mode.

We have four vehicles in our driveway, and they all do it differently.

[sunnyone]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I would encourage reading both the towing and transmission sections of the owner's manual.

Will do.

[Travellers]

Just my opinion but looks like it will be fine. Take it slow, stay in the right lane and take it easy on the hills.

[jerrybob]

I personally like a lot more power and bigger tow vehicle but that's me......as others have said......take your time......know how to shift....have fun....enjoy the view and your trip....you will be fine.....slow but fine.....safe travels.

[DaveMinBako]

If you've not already done so, set up your trailer as it will be on this planned trip and go weigh your rig. Don't make assumptions based solely on written specs.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by DaveMinBako

If you've not already done so, set up your trailer as it will be on this planned trip and go weigh your rig. Don't make assumptions based solely on written specs.

Did you ever see a base Scamp13 Standard which weighed 3500 pounds?

[parmm]

Originally Posted by floyd

Did you ever see a base Scamp13 Standard which weighed 3500 pounds?

Nope, but knowing how much some people haul along, I would not be surprised to hear it.

[Jon in AZ]

... as long as a first-time visitor to the Southwest doesn't get carried away at the gift shops near the Petrified Forest...

With a 2200# axle, I don't think my 13' Scamp could move at all if loaded all the way to 3500#.

But seriously, the issue is not weight- not by a wide margin- but how to drive a trailer through the mountains. Even at half the rated trailer weight, you will definitely feel it on the grades. Relying on brakes alone to control speed on downgrades is a recipe for trouble. You have to use the transmission.

I probably sound like broken record, but I have a "best friend" who steadfastly refuses to learn how to downshift in the mountains. I paid to have my brake rotors turned after an outing through the local mountains with a full load of passengers.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by parmm

Nope, but knowing how much some people haul along, I would not be surprised to hear it.

With a 2000 or 2200 pound axle, that could be a problem!

[ehoepner]

If you are traveling through Colorado chose your roads very carefully. You don't want to be going over Monarch Pass or Wolf Creek Pass. There are ways to get around both passes. I do tow my 17 ft Casita over Monarch Pass, but I will not tow it over Wolf Creek Pass. Monarch Pass has a 30 MPH switch back several miles down the West side from the top. This can be a problem if your brakes are hot, you are using your brakes on the way to the switch back especially if your engine and gears cannot hold the trailer back.