SUV/Truck Recommendation?

[KRFK5]

Hi all,

Very new to this - we are thinking about getting a travel trailer in the next year or so. Looking into getting a used SUV or truck to tow, and wanted to get thoughts on where to start. Currently, we are looking into a trailer along the lines of this:

https://www.gulfstreamcoach.com/prod...er/model/19ERD

I've heard good things about Toyota 4Runner/Highlander, as well as Jeep GC, but curious as to what your thoughts may be for something good to pull something like this.

Thanks!

[raineman]

Welcome. You came to the right place. I would look at 1/2 ton trucks. This issue wont be weight with that trailer, it will be the fact that you are towing a huge sail behind you. Also, you may want a bigger trailer some day, so having a nice pick up now, can pay off later.


Good luck !

[russr]

A midsized v6 SUV would be best. We pulled ours with a Jeep liberty. With a weight distribution Hitch.

[Houdoxi71]

1/2 ton or larger truck, easy. If you need the doors and seats, quad/crew cab. Plus the bed is much better for storage than behind the 2nd row.

Suv wheelbase is generally shorter, and they're usually softer sprung than trucks, which is fine around town, but drags the rear end down when loaded much faster. Pulling the rear down too far negatively impacts steering control.

You can correct this with rear bags/springs, but at that point just buy a truck. I recommend at least C load rated tires for continuous pulling duty. E is better, neither will increase capacity on a 1/2 ton truck but the handling and stopping will be improved.

Plus, you can use the truck for other jobs around the house. (Actually I might have just talked you out of a truck with that last line)

Good Luck!

[tuffr2]

My vote would be a 1/2 ton truck. Here is why:

The newer trucks ride nice and can tow more as a rule than a V6 SUV.

They can easily carry 5 people in quiet comfort.

It can maybe tow your next trailer too.

Look at a 2015 or newer F-150 crew cab with the 3.5 eco-boost engine or a Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi or a Toyota Tundra or a Chevy 1500, or Nissan Titan.

Lots of people use a half ton truck as a daily driver.

The best fuel economy in a gasoline truck might be a 2015 Ford F-150 with 2.7 litre ecoo-boost.

Look at the cargo capacity stickers on the drivers side door jam of SUV's and 1/2 ton trucks. Pick the one with the most cargo capacity. Also a truck with a tonneau cover can carry a lot of camping gear. A truck with a camper cap can carry more stuff.

[KRFK5]

Thanks - this is good info.

Definitely understand that the pickups are better at towing. Cost-wise though, decent pickups seem to be higher, even used, which was pushing me more towards SUVs. Any thoughts on good used SUVs for towing? Is it necessary to go V8 over V6?

I’ll definitely look into the pickups too if I can find them at a decent price.

[SmokeyWren]

Hi, KRFK5, and and to our campfire.

Originally Posted by KRFK5

Hi all,

Very new to this - we are thinking about getting a travel trailer in the next year or so. Looking into getting a used SUV or truck to tow, and wanted to get thoughts on where to start.

First task is to understand how to match trailer to tow vehicle so you and your precious family are not trying to tow with an overloaded tow vehicle. Ignore the advertised "tow rating" and hitch weight and concentrate on payload capacity of the tow vehicle and max weight of the trailer.

Payload includes people, pets, tools, options on the tow vehicle, toys, firewood, and any other weight haul in or on the tow vehicle, as well as the hitch weight of any trailer you tie onto.

Currently, we are looking into a trailer along the lines of this:

https://www.gulfstreamcoach.com/prod...er/model/19ERD

Nice little TT for a small family that doesn't mind being cramped. Good is the walk-around bed so Darling Wife (DW) doesn't have to crawl around on the bed to make it up. Indoor restroom with hot and cold running water. It includes a shower, but similar to an RV I owned years ago, apparently you must sit on the pottie to take a shower. And my DW would veto it because it doesn't have any closet space. Also good is that the max wet and loaded weight is only 4,384 with less than 600 pounds of hitch weight, so most half-ton pickups can tow it without exceeding the payload capacity of the tow vehicle.

I've heard good things about Toyota 4Runner/Highlander, as well as Jeep GC, but curious as to what your thoughts may be for something good to pull something like this.

Toyota 4Runner/Highlander have excellent reliability, Jeep has awful reliability, per Consumer Reports. I owned a FWD V6 Highlander and it was a wonderful crossover SUV for hauling family and pets on long trips, but no crossover SUV makes a good as a tow vehicle. So skip those and aim for a half-ton pickup with a big engine. Toyota makes the CrewMax with 5.7L engine that would be a decent choice.

Although I'm a big Toyota fan, with a 2017 Corolla and 2018 Avalon in the garage, my towing machine is a Ford F-150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine.
Because the 3.5L EcoBoost engine is a better towing powertrain than the Toyota 5.7L.

So be sure any tow vehicle you buy has enough payload capacity to handle all the weight of your family plus all the weight you might haul on a camping trip, plus 600 pounds of hitch weight.

[Normal_Dave]

So we often recommend what we "know". I "know" for me, my van is a great family tow rig.

How big is the family?
What is your budget?

Truck and SUV prices are high due to popularity and market demand. I always look for other ways to "skin the cat". Don't bypass the lowly passenger van as a tow rig. Boring? yes. A capable and extremely useful solution? Absolutely.

All the capabilities of a truck, more passenger capacity, great view of the road (short hood), quiet smooth ride in the wagon versions. Front and rear A/C, easy in/out of passengers and gear, "covered" luggage area as opposed to truck bed. The overhead ducting and individual air controls and in individual reading lamps are a big plus for the kids. Factory tinted glass adds privacy and keeps the heat of the sun down a little. Extra headroom over an suv, nowhere near the amount of "he's touching me, stop kicking me, MOM!!!!"

Here's a 5.4L V8 XLT passenger version near you as an example. Compare features/benefits, mileage, and pricing to an equally equipped truck from the same year range...
2006 FORD ECONOLINE WAGON XLT 12 PASSENGER | Manassas , VIRGINIA | Auto Trademark - VA - 20111

Add a quality receiver hitch from the local U-haul shop, a brake controller hooked up to the factory installed trailer wiring connection points, and you're set. (XLT/Wagons have trailer wiring built in, you just connect controller and 7-way to factory pigtails). Sliding side door is great in crowded parking lots, rainy day trips to the home improvement store, no problem. 12' lumber slides right across the top of the seat backs, plywood too.

7,000LB max trailer weight, and 13,000 LB GCWR.
page 21 here:
https://www.fleet.ford.com/resources...guideApr08.pdf

Add some aftermarket wheels if you like, a little striping, maybe some fender flares, all season tires, hey, it's not so bad... You'll be laughing all the way to the bank, and thank us later.

If the idea catches, then you can convert it to 4WD.

Well, that's my story, and I"m sticking to it. And welcome to the forum!

Edit: so here's another "oldie but goodie" in your area. A low mileage 2002 E-150 factory built Chateau package. Advertised as XLT, it is a step above, you can see the Chateau emblem on the back door in red. Factory tow package, just add the brake controller. Top of the line leather, this one is a Traveler package on top of that, two drop down DVD screens. These are 7 passenger, quad seating with one rear bench that will fold down to a bed. This has the 5.4L and 3.55 gears giving you a 6,500 LB trailer tow rating. It's a lot of vehicle for the money. At the time, these were some of the most expensive MSRP passenger vehicles Ford built. (fwiw, this is the new version of what we've had for over 10 years, so yes I'm kinda biased).
https://www.jnmautosales.com/vehicle...sburg-va.shtml

[russr]

I had the same 19 foot camper my v6 Jeep pulled it very well. I have since upgraded to a v6 Durango and a 25 foot camper and the Durango pulls it just fine even at 70 mph. The v6 is rated to pull 6200 lbs when properly equipped. Of course everyone has their own opinion on what you should do but in the end it comes down to what you can afford to do. Just don't jump into the deep end of the pool first. Start small and make sure you have the proper equipment for the job. Most people get scared because they started off bigger then they could handle and end up either giving up or getting into a situation they can't control. Ask questions.

Originally Posted by KRFK5

Thanks - this is good info.

Definitely understand that the pickups are better at towing. Cost-wise though, decent pickups seem to be higher, even used, which was pushing me more towards SUVs. Any thoughts on good used SUVs for towing? Is it necessary to go V8 over V6?

I’ll definitely look into the pickups too if I can find them at a decent price.

[GoLeafsGo]

We started with a 2009 Jayco Baja Pop-Up and a 2011 4Runner Trail Edition. The 4Runner towed the pop-up well but we sold it and moved into a 2013 Land Cruiser to gain a 3rd row (2 girls and 1 annoying brother). The difference towing was night and day. That V8 didn't even feel the trailer, whereas the V6 had to work. The heft of the Land Cruiser also made the towing experience a breeze.

Fast forward to the latest trailer and the LC struggled. Upgraded to a 3/4 ton truck and it's the same story as before - completely different experiences.

What I'm trying to say is figure out which vehicle will do a decent job of towing your chosen trailer and then step up to the next level - your family will be safer and you will be saner when you get to your destination.

I will also second advice you've received here: buy a vehicle that will tow your next trailer because, trust me, the trailer you linked to will not satisfy.

[SmokeyWren]

I agree with Normal Dave that a full-size van, when properly optioned for towing, can make a good tow vehicle. Way back when, I ordered a new Econoline Van, then did the work myself to convert it into a luxury family van suitable for towing. The basic van was the cargo van with two Captain's Chairs in front and bare metal floor behind the front seats. Windows all around with Privacy glass. It included the fancy (Chateau) interior trim with rear AC and included finished insulated walls and ceiling in the back. I added plywood to smooth out the ribbed floor, then added 2" high-density foam plus high-quality plush carpeting. I found two more matching Captain's Chairs in the bone yard, added an overhead console with a second sterio, then hooked up the second sterio to headphones for the kids in back. We towed a small camper trailer all over the USA and put about 100,000 miles on that van.

To do that today with a Ford van, you would still need to start with a cargo window van. The passenger van is not available with enough GVWR to haul family an stuff in the van as well as tongue weight of a 28' TT. But whereas with the Transit is available in 350 chassis, long body, low roof, 3.5L Ecoboost engine. 3.73 LS axle, with HD trailer tow pkg, premium van pkg, Windows with privacy glass all around,running boards, alloy wheels, Leather front seats, ITBC, navigation radio, and mud guards. GVWR 9.500 and payload capacity 3,000 with max trailer weight of of 7,000 pounds. Granted, the floor is bare metal behind the front seats, but it's no big deal to add carpet and seats in the back.

[Desert Flyer]

Larger SUVs like the Expedition and Suburban/Yukon XL make very nice tow vehicles that would have no problem with any TT of around 6,000 lbs Gross weight or less. Plus if you buy one or two years used can get a great bargain that will be fairly reliable for the first 10 years or so. There are compromises with smaller SUVs that you will have to watch rear axle loads and GVWR limits very closely. Family size/extra load in TV can play a big role on rear axle load.

[tuffr2]

I can agree with the the full sized SUV's like Ford Expedition and Chevy Yukan XL. Also I can agree with full sized vans. Heck, it is fun to analyze the steps to turn a van into a camper.

There is a boat launch 8 miles from the house. In the parking lot 95% of the vehicles are trucks. 5% SUV's towing a small PWC trailer.

I do not have much faith in mid-sized SUV's as you can not move up in size if the family thinks camping is the coolest thing ever. The Nissan Pathfinder is advertised for 6,000 lbs. Means 4,000lbs is doable.

russr seems to have good luck with mid sized SUV's. Maybe he can share his hitch set-up to eliminate sway at 70 mph. That will be a key to towing with a mid-size SUV is if you can eliminate the sway and deal with the engine running at high rpms.

[russr]

Actually the Durango is considered a full size SUV with 3rd row seating. It has the same towing and payload as a ram 1500 with the pentastar motor. Trailer is a Coleman 202rd 4200 lbs dry scaled at 4700 loaded. Equalizer Hitch 1k/10k.