Tow Vehicle (mid-size PU) for 19' Scamp 5th wheel

[V'sGlassSleeper]

It does very well, although my Bigfoot is probably much heavier than a Scamp, so I haven't seen 15 miles per gallon, but more like 12 to 13 miles per gallon towing. Not towing, 17 to 21 mph, depending on conditions. Unlike Doug, I don't load anything in the truck bed and never tow with water in the tanks. It never feels overpowered or unsafe. The 19 Bigfoot and Frontier seem nicely paired, and I imagine that might be true for any truck with a similar wheelbase, suspension and tow capacity.
I will say that if I could find a Honda Pilot with a beefy enough frame and suspension and high enough tow capacity (the AWD goes to a max of 4,500 or 5,000 lbs., I think...which is not enough of a safety margin for me), that would be my dream vehicle. The interior is much more roomy, the ride is superb and the steering is very responsive, and it gets decent gas mileage. Alas, my Bigfoot is too heavy for all the Honda Pilot trim models.
There are some other lovely high-tow capacity SUVs (Ford Expedition and Nissan Armada to name two) but they don't get very good gas mileage and even used, their price tag is beyond my humble budget. Thus, my Frontier is a happy medium...nothing fancy but it's strong and reliable.

[Hipposcampus]

We tow a 1988 Scamp 5th wheel with a 2014 Frontier king cab SV V6 4x4 and have had no issues with it so far. Tows the camper easily (though you certainly know it's there over bumps and under high winds) and the long bed offers plenty of room, though we did install a slider hitch for extra clearance on any sharp turns we might encounter. The crew cab with the 5' bed might be a bit short for the application, but they do make some crew cab Frontiers with 6' beds. Averaging 14mpg under mostly 2wd driving so far.

[John in Santa Cruz]

re: Tacoma and fiberglass bed.... a 5th wheel load bearing hitch should be bolted to the frame under the bed, so it really doesn't matter if the bed is plastic.

re; tacomas and towing, the rear end on a stock tacoma /is/ pretty softly sprung, adding the Firestone Ride-Rite airbag kit will firm it up nicely when you're towing, and still let you run it soft when you're driving around unladen. a gen 2 Tacoma (2005-2015) with the 4.0L V6 and 6-speed manual makes a particularly good tow ... and the TRD Off Road versions are great fun once your trailer is parked, and you're out exploring dirt roads.

[Al and Cindy K]

Looks like you've got positive feedback on a bunch of options.

I'm the guy with the bolt in hitch Jack referred to in post #5. Its worked well in two different Tacomas, an 05 and a 12. Both double cab 4WD TRDs. The composite bed is not an issue and you don't need a shop, special tools or even much mechanical ability to fab this up. Let me know if you need any details.

John (post #23) is right about the air bags. The shop manager at my Toyota dealership agrees with Jack and John about the 4.0 being a better tow solution. John is also right about the TRD being fun in the outback; Maybe not jeep level fun but it ain't bad.

Good luck and post back with your decision.

[Jack L]

Originally Posted by Al & Cindy K

Looks like you've got positive feedback on a bunch of options.

I'm the guy with the bolt in hitch Jack referred to in post #5. Its worked well in two different Tacomas, an 05 and a 12. Both double cab 4WD TRDs. The composite bed is not an issue and you don't need a shop, special tools or even much mechanical ability to fab this up. Let me know if you need any details.

John (post #23) is right about the air bags. The shop manager at my Toyota dealership agrees with Jack and John about the 4.0 being a better tow solution. John is also right about the TRD being fun in the outback; Maybe not jeep level fun but it ain't bad.

Good luck and post back with your decision.

I also added the Firestone Air Bags, and really like them. Toyota issued several service documents about rear springs on the Tacoma being soft and after several conversations with the dealer and factory, Toyota replaced them with heavier ones at no charge.

[Ottoscamp]

This is all very helpful! Thanks for sharing -- I'm still doing my research, so feel free to keep chiming in!

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by floyd

Thank you for not choosing American brand trucks, that will help keep the price down when I go to buy my new Ranger... providing there are still more like you out there.

Some truth here, although its more about the used market pricing and less about new truck pricing. On the used market, I found my money went a lot farther with a US brand truck. I bought my five year old, 12,000 mile, F150 for half of what the seller paid for it new. Talk about depreciation. I have since put another 90,000 miles on it. Now if you buy new, the Japanese brands tend to hold value better so you don't take a bath on resale.

I tend to keep trucks a long time, kept my last one (bought used) for 13 years, so getting in at a lower price (high depreciation) gives me a better starting point.

[Al and Cindy K]

Thanks for the info on the Firestone bags Jack. I've been thinking of adding those but just haven't done so yet. I've had Toyota replace the springs on both Tacomas under their TSB program at no charge but they still seem to bottom out to easily even without the Scamp.

I'm looking forward to seeing Jeep's entry into the mid-size truck market next Spring with their Gladiator. That might well be the replacement for the Tacoma.

[Jack L]

I really like my Tacoma TRD Off Road model. It's an 07 with only 75,000 miles, so I will continue to use it for a few more years. As much as I love this truck, I would not buy a new Tacoma because of the smaller engine.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Some truth here, although its more about the used market pricing and less about new truck pricing. On the used market, I found my money went a lot farther with a US brand truck. I bought my five year old, 12,000 mile, F150 for half of what the seller paid for it new. Talk about depreciation. I have since put another 90,000 miles on it. Now if you buy new, the Japanese brands tend to hold value better so you don't take a bath on resale.

I tend to keep trucks a long time, kept my last one (bought used) for 13 years, so getting in at a lower price (high depreciation) gives me a better starting point.

What I don't like is taking a bath on the new sale, so I have never paid retail new.
Its ironic ain't it? The trucks least liked by the owners get the most on resale? If that is still true of course, the resale on my Ranger is still more than a third of what I paid new 18 years ago.

[Rzrbrn]

Those with the highest resale are least liked? My Tundra has high resale value and has a high customer satisfaction.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Those with the highest resale are least liked? My Tundra has high resale value and has a high customer satisfaction.

So if they like them so much, why not keep them, obviating resale?
I was of course kidding, nobody actually buys new Tundras anymore anyway.

[Jay H]

The Tacoma has had a well earned reputation for quality but there are a lot of serious complaints in the recent past that many people overlook. I have always liked the Tacoma but I chose not to purchase a new one because of complaints of the underpowered new engine (and the awkwardly low seating position and the scare of the rusting frames turned me off). I thought the Nissan was a nice truck but I did not purchase one of those either. In the midsize truck segment it is the oldest model with mostly unremarkable features and gas mileage. The Ford Ranger is not out yet (almost) and has good specs, but unlike Floyd, I am not confident in the longterm viability of a turbo 4 cylinder. I owned an 87 Ranger and loved it, but if I were you I'd be anxious about running a turbo all the time.
I bought a Colorado this past spring (I owned a first generation Canyon for 14 years). The current chevy/GMC trucks are nice, capable and well built. The new generation is certainly bigger than the older ones but it's comparable to the tacoma and Ridgeline. I love my Colorado and it tows beautifully. Don't discount them just because they are domestic.
But everyone has their own opinions and priorities...

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Jay H

...I thought the Nissan was a nice truck but I did not purchase one of those either. In the midsize truck segment it is the oldest model with mostly unremarkable features and gas mileage...

Anyone buying a Scamp clearly prefers evolutionary over revolutionary change.

By that measure, Scamp + Frontier is a perfect match...

Guess that describes me because "unremarkable features" are exactly what I shop for. Give me a simple 3-dial climate control, manual seat adjustment, and skip the touch screen display and complex safety sensing suite. When you keep a vehicle 10-15 years, the fewer things to go wrong, the better.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by floyd

I was of course kidding, nobody actually buys new Tundras anymore anyway.

I’ve noticed that also . When traveling around in our area I see a ton of trucks running around but very few toyotas . If I see two in a month’s time that’s a lot .
Ford F-150 is the dominant truck up here mainly cause the two main occupations in our area are logging and farming
(Work Trucks)

[Jon in AZ]

Sad reality... Vehicles that sell poorly are dumped in rental fleets... and subprime markets, including Native reservations where I live. A few years ago Jeep Patriots were flying out of local dealers, and before that Dodge Avengers.

Lately Toyota is ruling the local subprime market, selling iA sedans (not a bad vehicle, but way too small for how it's used), and... wait for it... Tundra trucks, lots of them. Problem is having to choose between making that huge subprime loan payment or buying gas. At least reliability is better than the pre-FCA Chrysler products.

Work trucks continue to be dominated by diesels from the Big 3, though local Game & Fish has been buying Tundra 4x4's recently. Haven't asked how they're holding up in hard fleet service.

We're getting way off-topic here, but I sense the original question has played out...

[Ed Harris]

You can't swing a Dead Cat around here without hitting a Tundra so it must be a regional thing too?

I also know that construction and union workers in general still resist anything foreign regardless of where it is made and so on construction sites there have never been nor will there ever be a lot of non domestic trucks.

Again I have owned plenty of both and only the Toyota have been super reliable for me.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Ed Harris

You can't swing a Dead Cat around here without hitting a Tundra so it must be a regional thing too?

I also know that construction and union workers in general still resist anything foreign regardless of where it is made and so on construction sites there have never been nor will there ever be a lot of non domestic trucks.

Again I have owned plenty of both and only the Toyota have been super reliable for me.

Still, only the Titan sells fewer trucks and together they are a small fraction of the leader, but then the Tundra is hardly mid sized and the Tacoma is pretty much fullsized!
its all a blur

[Keith2000]

We looked at all the small trucks to replace our 2000 F150, but the back seats were just too small for our adult children to ride along with us. So, we looked at used full size trucks, but dang they hold their resale value. Ended up with a new F150 (2.7EB 4x4 STX) for not much more than used ones. Mileage is similar to the small trucks mentioned in this thread (15ish pulling the scamp, 17-23 without the scamp) and there is tons of room.

Biggest problem: forgetting the trailer is there.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Keith2000

We looked at all the small trucks to replace our 2000 F150, but the back seats were just too small for our adult children to ride along with us. So, we looked at used full size trucks, but dang they hold their resale value. Ended up with a new F150 (2.7EB 4x4 STX) for not much more than used ones. Mileage is similar to the small trucks mentioned in this thread (15ish pulling the scamp, 17-23 without the scamp) and there is tons of room.

Biggest problem: forgetting the trailer is there.

Great choice Congratulations !!!!