tow vehicle

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

The OP is from Texas. Texans drive pickup trucks, not wimpy Asian SUVs.

Neither do true midwesteners !! Especially those from "ILLINOYS"

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by mcbrew

Still don't know why anyone would go out of their way to by a TRUCK for towing a 13 foot fiberglass RV. Now, if you NEED a truck for other things, go for it... But these campers were made to be towed by 4 cylinder cars!

There you go again- bringing FACTS into the argument!

You know what's funny?

Despite this site's supposed emphasis on small-towing, many of its members espouse exactly the same approach that one is treated to on "big-tow" sites! According to this philosophy, nobody's tug will serve unless it has a big open box where the passenger compartment is supposed to be.

I've spent quite a bit of time over the last year "consorting with that enemy", so I know whereof I speak...

To the O.P.:

McBrew's right- you can tow a thousand pound trailer with just about any street legal car on the market that's bigger than this:


Francesca

[Thomas G.]

I suggested a Ranger because of the request for rear wheel drive, simplicity, and affordability.

[gmw photos]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

I suggested a Ranger because of the request for rear wheel drive, simplicity, and affordability.

Ditto me ( insert Toyota where Tom says Ranger ).
I would hardly call either of these trucks "large". Simple, fuel efficient, versatile, and really great all around personal vehicles if a person does not need to carry several passengers.

For me, there is absolutely no downside to a pickup truck as they are built now. My crew cab Nissan can carry passengers in safety and comfort, tow a trailer, go off road, go in any weather ( much deeper snow than any passenger car ), safely carry things in the bed that really should NOT be inside of a passenger compartment ( gas cans, generators ). Etc.

Francesca, if you have never tried one of these trucks, you should do so sometime. It might well change your mind about how well they work.

Kind of going off topic, but for me pickup trucks are a necessity of daily life anyway. When I'm not gone camping, my daily life revolves around a stable with 36 horses, so trucks rule the transportation roster. I'm just glad that trucks are now as nice as they are.
LOL....don't make me bring the one ton dually over there to camp and drag your little pacific rim SUV and camper all over the yard !!!! I won't even need to lock it in 4 low..... Just kidding !!!!! It's all good !

geo

[floyd]

Ditto me ( insert Ranger where Tom says Ranger ).

Think of my Ranger as a sportscar with a a trunk big enough for all my gear!

BTW;I also tow my 13 Scamp witha a 4CYL Escape.

[Bob Miller]

Quote: McBrew's right- you can tow a thousand pound trailer with just about any street legal car on the market that's bigger than this:

And exactly where do you find a MFRV that only weighs 1000 lbs with more than a can of beans inside?????

[mcbrew]

Hey, now... My Subaru Outback was built in Indiana. But to tell the truth, I'd still have bought it if it were made in Japan. It carries five people comfortably. It handles two child seats in the back easily. It gets decent fuel economy for an all-wheel-drive vehicle, and it has 8.7 inches of ground clearance, which is more than a lot of small and mid size SUVs. Also, it was built to tow. It has a 2,700 pound tow rating in the US, and up to a 4,400 pound tow rating in other countries. It is even prewired for trailer lights. Heck, they even show it towing in some of their commercials!

Now, this is a little off topic, as Outbacks tend to hold their value very well... So they are not easy to find within the OP's budget.

[David B.]

Originally Posted by gmw photos

Ditto me ( insert Toyota where Tom says Ranger ).
I would hardly call either of these trucks "large". Simple, fuel efficient, versatile, and really great all around personal vehicles if a person does not need to carry several passengers.

For me, there is absolutely no downside to a pickup truck as they are built now. My crew cab Nissan can carry passengers in safety and comfort, tow a trailer, go off road, go in any weather ( much deeper snow than any passenger car ), safely carry things in the bed that really should NOT be inside of a passenger compartment ( gas cans, generators ). Etc.

Francesca, if you have never tried one of these trucks, you should do so sometime. It might well change your mind about how well they work.

Kind of going off topic, but for me pickup trucks are a necessity of daily life anyway. When I'm not gone camping, my daily life revolves around a stable with 36 horses, so trucks rule the transportation roster. I'm just glad that trucks are now as nice as they are.
LOL....don't make me bring the one ton dually over there to camp and drag your little pacific rim SUV and camper all over the yard !!!! I won't even need to lock it in 4 low..... Just kidding !!!!! It's all good !

geo

We used our 1994 Dodge Ram (bought 10yrs ago for $10.000, so might be within op money limits now) with Cummins Diesel to tow our 13' Scamp 9,000 miles this past summer. We did Az, Co, Ut, Ca, Or, Wa, Id mountain passes in overdrive with cruise control on at 65-70mph with it never slowing or down shifting, and obtained 17.6 mpg every tank, except for California at 55 mph we got 23 mpg. When we tow with our Jeep Wrangler we get 10.5 mpg.... I sure wish our Toyota Prius could tow.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by David B.

We used our 1994 Dodge Ram.........with Cummins Diesel to tow our 13' Scamp ....

Yea, I'd say that you have it covered, probably no need for a load equalizing hitch.

[Bob Miller]

Sounds like you got an exceptional buy. Current NADA book for a 1994 Dodge Ram/diesel is slightly over $6000, well over the set budget of $3500.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by gmw photos

Francesca, if you have never tried one of these trucks, you should do so sometime. It might well change your mind about how well they work.

Kind of going off topic, but for me pickup trucks are a necessity of daily life anyway. When I'm not gone camping, my daily life revolves around a stable with 36 horses, so trucks rule the transportation roster.


geo

I'm sure you don't mean to sound patronizing with that first bit...for the record: I'm very familiar with pickups, have owned several and driven many others of all shapes and sizes. We presently own a Ford 3/4 ton that's only used to tow the trailer if my husband wants to take a motorcycle on a solo trip.

But for most of the thousands of miles the trailer has traveled with us/me, my 4 cyl. '97 Sportage daily driver has done the work admirably, and for considerably less expense than any pickup, large or small, would have run up over these seven years.

A pickup "truck" isn't a necessity for towing a thousand (or even a two thousand) pound trailer, but these inquiries inevitably bring out a lot of people that think otherwise.

For someone like you that needs a pickup for day-to-day use, it's a natural fit. For others, buying a vehicle for the primary purpose of towing a little trailer a few times a year is an impractical and expensive proposition.

There are many other vehicles that will serve, and at the same time meet the requirements of a daily driver more cheaply, efficiently, and comfortably.

One caveat goes with my recommendation, though: brakes on the trailer are a necessity as far as I'm concerned. For me, that's true regardless of the tug's type/size, but if a relatively "small" vehicle is to do the towing, trailer brakes are even more critical. Moving the trailer is much less a chore for any tug than stopping it.

Francesca

[rgrugg]

We tow our Egg Camper with our Chevy pickup but that's not why we have a truck. We also tow our 31 ft Kodiak with it. I doubt that our Honda CRV would be satisfactory with our Kodiak. Having had pickups for probably 30 years, I think I'd not want to be without one. Basically, get whatever "floats your boat." If somebody else thinks it's nuts, so what? You have to suit yourself, not somebody else. And I'm not being disrespectful in any way .

[Donna D.]

I normally don't mix in when it comes to towing and vehicle threads, but I'm with Bob on this one. Not everyone wants to drive a car. I've owned two different trucks and not with towing in mind, it's because that's what I wanted to drive. The last daily driving car I owned was a Porsche... and I traded that in for a truck!

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I normally don't mix in when it comes to towing and vehicle threads, but I'm with Bob on this one. Not everyone wants to drive a car. I've owned two different trucks and not with towing in mind, it's because that's what I wanted to drive. The last daily driving car I owned was a Porsche... and I traded that in for a truck!

The reverse is true, too- not everyone wants to drive a pickup, either.

The O.P. inquired about a "vehicle" without indicating a preference either way, and in my opinion it's important not to create an impression that a pickup is the only-or even the best- answer to that inquiry.

Of course, we haven't heard a further (and perhaps clarifying) word from the O.P. since the opening post, so maybe it's a moot point anyway!

Francesca

[gmw photos]

But the original poster did specify a vehicle that is easy to work on by someone who is familiar with older technology and layouts.
If you had to replace a clutch in your vehicle, your self, in your own garage, would you rather work on a Kia Sportage ( front wheel drive ) or on a Ranger or old style Toyota truck.
Suppose the half-shafts need to be replaced ? Again, would you rather work on "any" front wheel drive or on a Ranger or Toyota ( they, if they are 2WD don't have half shafts, but they do have a driveshaft with u-joints ).
I can tell you which design is user more user friendly for the "at-home" wrench.

Let's face it, any car that is in the $3500 category, stands a fairly good chance of needing some mechanical work done to it. These are important considerations for folks who have a strict budget for operating their vehicles.

[Francesca Knowles]

My Kia Sportage is four wheel drive, and two wheel drive units of that (first) generation are rear-wheel drive.

The point is really irrelevant, since no vehicle built after the late eighties/early nineties is easier to work on than any other.

Since the O.P. has experience with older vehicles, he/she would probably do well to confine the search to mid-eighties and earlier models. Since the unibody-frame standard was only getting started then, nearly ALL vehicles, especially domestics, were still built on ladder-frames.

For example, I have a 1965 Ford Falcon station wagon in my carport that can out-tow most small newer so-called "trucks" (pickups). And when you pop the hood, you can just about stand in the engine compartment right alongside the engine!

Talk about simplicity...

Francesca

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

.........
The point is really irrelevant, since no vehicle built after the late eighties/early nineties is easier to work on than any other..............
Francesca

Not true.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Not true.

Yes. True.

Your turn!

Francesca

[gmw photos]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles
.........
The point is really irrelevant, since no vehicle built after the late eighties/early nineties is easier to work on than any other..............
Francesca
======


Well, there you go....you supported my original premise....my suggestion for a 92 Toyota truck.
Those trucks are stone simple to work on. You can literally change all four shocks in about 20 minutes, with just a couple of wrenches. Try that with you macpherson strut vehicle. I could go on and on about the simple to work on nature of that type of vehicle.
Now, if we could just get the OP to weigh back in on all this !

[gmw photos]

Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles

My Kia Sportage is four wheel drive, and two wheel drive units of that (first) generation are rear-wheel drive.



Francesca

....let's be real though. There are NONE of those first gen cars left. Thankfully.
Probably one of the worst example of modern four wheeled transportation built. ranks right down there with Yugo.

Kia threw that baby out with the bath water, and started all over with the second gen, and pretty much got it right that time.

I still challenge you fix any driveline issues with your Kia with ordinary tools that most people have.