Community Forums

PrinceValium · 10-09-2021, 09:08 AM

Hello everyone,

It has been awhile since I have been on the forum. I am nearing retirement in a few years and am trying to find out what would be a good tow vehicle to buy to tow behind a diesel pusher? I know you can tow the Jeep Wrangler (which I don't know I really want to buy), I am however looking for something 4 wheel drive in case we need it in inclement weather.

I want to buy the tow vehicle now to get it paid off before retirement.

I did search the forum however I din't see anything off hand that lists which vehicles are flat tow capable. I did some google searches as well and saw some but for me I would rather ask the people that actually DO the towing than a website that mentions a few brands.

What are you guys towing behind your pusher or gasser?

Thanks in advance to everuone!

depmur · 10-09-2021, 09:26 AM

I’m currently towing a 2020 Ford Ranger FX4 behind my gasser. It tows great and makes a pretty decent everyday vehicle.

rjwilliams · 10-09-2021, 09:56 AM

We are towing a 2I021 Jeep Cherokee behind a Class C gasser with a Ford V10. Most Jeeps are flat towable and we picked the Cherokee over the Grand Cherokee because it's about 600 lbs lighter.. I find the Cherokee is pretty simple to get in and out of towing mode. In our case the Cherokee also doubles as my wife's car. Some of the recent years Cherokee's and Grand Cherokee's had a "death wobble" issue because of the electric steering system. A wiring harness is avaialbe that will correct that problem. Jeep apparently has engineered that out of the 2021's.

trapper2020 · 10-09-2021, 10:04 AM

I’m in the Jeep Wrangler crowd. Easy to hook up, tows great and can go almost anywhere off road. Another reason for the Jeep is it does not have a steering wheel lock so you do not have to leave keys in it to unlock wheel. You can not tow a car with the steering wheel locked. Safe travels

Enjoy the journey

Isaac-1 · 10-09-2021, 03:27 PM

Take a look at the dinghy towing guide archive https://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/ Note some vehicles like our Jeep Cherokee are only flat towable with certain transmissions, etc. In our case it must have Active Drive II 4x4 with transfer case that can be put in neutral tow position, not the more common, cheaper Active Drive I

TJFogelberg · 10-09-2021, 03:38 PM

Did a lot of research on this before buying a different toad...I would recommend looking into the Chevy Equinox (they have AWD or FWD).

In my case, decided to stay with what I am familiar and bought a 2013 Honda CRV FWD to replace my 2002 Honda CRV FWD.

I just couldn't make the plunge away from Honda which has served me well.
But I rented the Equinox twice and loved the way it handled on the road and it was quieter inside than my hondas.

RVStitchy · 10-09-2021, 04:07 PM

We got lucky as the wife's existing 2016 Equinox was flat towable when we jumped into our first DP. Blue Ox conversion was simple. Very economical vehicle.

Isaac-1 · 10-09-2021, 04:09 PM

One other note on this, you don't tell us how you plan to travel, will you be hooking up and unhooking frequently or not, etc. as I find our cheap Toyota Yaris is MUCH easier to tow, faster to hook up and unhook than our Jeep Cherokee. The Yaris is pull up to the motorhome, connect tow bar and cables, hook up the braking system, put the gear shift in neutral, make sure the key is left in off after running, and the hand brake is off. With the Cherokee it adds starting the engine, the whole dance of the gear shift, pressing the N> button with a ballpoint pin or similar, putting gear shift in park, turning the engine off, hassle of the electronic parking brake which automatically sets itself if you do something like open the door while the engine is still running, waiting 1 minute for the dashboard to time out, flipping the tow mode switch, .... All total jumping through these hoops to put it in or out of tow mode probably adds 3-4 minutes to the process each way (call it 30-40% longer time) maybe more. With the Cherokee it is a long enough process at the drivers seat that must be done in a certain order that it is good to have flow chart / checklist (see this link where someone put it into a 3 page PDF with 20+ steps) https://rvlove.com/wp-content/upload...WING-STEPS.pdf , vs (gear shift in neutral, parking brake off, Key in off position after being in run for the Yaris)

wolfe10 · 10-09-2021, 04:14 PM

The answer for YOU is quite dependent on YOUR vehicle requirements.

Doesn't do us any good to tell you to buy a Jeep if you never go off road.

Or to buy a sub-compact with manual transmission if you don't drive a manual and/or often carry 4 people.

Please tell us YOUR vehicle requirements.

Said another way-- the right decision for US may be 180 degrees from what fits YOUR requirements.

pasdad1 · 10-09-2021, 05:01 PM

The new Ford maverick FWD hybrid pickup truck is supposed to be flat towable. The AWD version is NOT.

This is the toad I would buy if in the market for a new vehicle in the next year or two.

Newmar2856 · 10-09-2021, 05:08 PM

We tow a Ford Ranger and like it. If we had a DP I probably would have got an F150 for the extra bit of room.

If you’re thinking truck, then the Canyon or Colorado are also options. SUV, the an Equinox or maybe the new Ford Bronco.

Wrapped · 10-09-2021, 05:09 PM

Flat towing a 21 Buick Encore GX awd quite comfortable 30+mpg

Cat320 · 10-09-2021, 06:47 PM

Honda CRV...versatile, reliable, economical, seats four comfortably, small SUV, light, dealers all over the country...must be model year 2014 or older. The changed the transmission in the 2015 model.

Barneyb · 10-09-2021, 08:33 PM

I bought my wife a new Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk a year ago for the convenience of towing behind our coach, fast forward a year later and she loves it, I love it and it is so simple to hook up and tow as a toad.
You have to purchase what you want depending on your needs, the Jeep was purchased as a convenience to tow but ended up beeping a vehicle we both like to drive.