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Old 05-26-2016, 06:12 AM   #21
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Hi Julie,
I just got back from my 1st trip in my new 21' towed by '16 Ford F150 with 2.7L Ecoboost engine. I can say I'm well pleased with both. I've owned the truck since Dec. 15. Great engine; mpg combined 21.5, towing 14.5 and that's in hilly TN country. It is very comfortable, stable-no WDH needed, and has great pick-up. I traded my SuperDuty in on the F150 when I decided to "down size" campers and vehicles and have been more than pleased with its performance. I highly recommend it.
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Old 05-26-2016, 06:38 AM   #22
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So with the Tacoma or the Durango are you towing the 21' with a weight distributing hitch? And do most folks feel that the WDH is not needed when towing with a F-150 Supercrew? I will be towing a 21' with a Silverado Crewcab 4WD and am back and forth on a WDH.
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Old 05-26-2016, 09:26 AM   #23
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Wdh

I have not towed with the Durango, but the Jeep is nearly the same and I used a WDH for both the 19 and the 21. The hitch stabilizes the complete package at all times and I wouldn't tow without it unless the trailer was very light. I did go with our son to LA and back to PHX towing 3000# single axle trailer behind his 150 with 2.7 engine, no WDH and it drove well but we kept the speed down to 65 or so.
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Old 05-26-2016, 10:37 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by casejh View Post
So with the Tacoma or the Durango are you towing the 21' with a weight distributing hitch? And do most folks feel that the WDH is not needed when towing with a F-150 Supercrew? I will be towing a 21' with a Silverado Crewcab 4WD and am back and forth on a WDH.
I had similar experiences as many, in that there are some situations where the wdh is by no means required, but adds confidence to the towing situation.

I think a Silverado is more than adequate to tow a 21 without the wdh, but you would probably notice the effect of using one. Whether or not it is worth the extra cost and labor is probably a personal preference.

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Old 05-26-2016, 10:39 AM   #25
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MyronL on this forum answered a similar question in a private message to me.
He pulls a 19 without WDH or sway control and has had no problems. His advice was "first see how the trailer handles and feels towing without the WDH and if you think it should be better, then go for it"
I have a 2008 4WD Silverado, 5.3 V8 and 3.73 axle ratio. I am going to pick up a 21 foot Escape in January and follow MyronL's advice.
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Old 05-26-2016, 10:47 AM   #26
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Originally Posted by pstyer View Post
MyronL on this forum answered a similar question in a private message to me.
He pulls a 19 without WDH or sway control and has had no problems. His advice was "first see how the trailer handles and feels towing without the WDH and if you think it should be better, then go for it"
I have a 2008 4WD Silverado, 5.3 V8 and 3.73 axle ratio. I am going to pick up a 21 foot Escape in January and follow MyronL's advice.
This is exactly my plan. We will be pulling our 19 with a 2013 Pathfinder. Will start out with nothing and go from there.
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Old 05-26-2016, 12:25 PM   #27
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A WDH is not something you may always need for tow capacity. With any vehicle that allows you to use one it will give you a smoother ride. On a vehicle with a 5000/7000 capacity pulling a 3500/4500 lb trailer it will give you a much smoother ride.

I pull a 19' with a 2016 Tundra (10,000 capacity) and use a WDH. Truck is over kill for the trailer but the WDH just smooths out the ride and stops any porpoising between the trailer and truck at interstate speeds and gives a much smoother more relaxing ride.
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Old 05-26-2016, 02:26 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by Kountrykamper View Post
A WDH is not something you may always need for tow capacity. With any vehicle that allows you to use one it will give you a smoother ride. On a vehicle with a 5000/7000 capacity pulling a 3500/4500 lb trailer it will give you a much smoother ride.

I pull a 19' with a 2016 Tundra (10,000 capacity) and use a WDH. Truck is over kill for the trailer but the WDH just smooths out the ride and stops any porpoising between the trailer and truck at interstate speeds and gives a much smoother more relaxing ride.
I agree. The thing that I wonder about is advising newbies that it's "OK" to tow without one. If they do that and then say, "Yes, it tows OK so I guess I don't need a WDH" they never have an opportunity to see the difference. "OK" is one thing, a smoother ride is another.

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Old 05-26-2016, 03:22 PM   #29
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And then, there's me: I tow my 19 with a Silverado 1500 rated at 9600 pounds I think, but I cannot imagine the ride I get being any smoother, no WDH.
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Old 05-26-2016, 03:23 PM   #30
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Well an interesting thread. We will be towing our 19 (which we pick up next April) with a Nissan Xterra rated at 5000lbs towing capacity. Whether we get a WDH is a question we'll have to answer.

BTW, we recently test drove the diesel Chevy Colorado, which had a very nice ride and excellent towing specs. For anyone considering a new tow vehicle, make sure you put that on your list of candidates...
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Old 05-26-2016, 04:37 PM   #31
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And then, there's me: I tow my 19 with a Silverado 1500 rated at 9600 pounds I think, but I cannot imagine the ride I get being any smoother, no WDH.
I'm guessing that with the higher tow rating and heavier p/u the effect may be less noticeable.

Despite many years and many different types of trailers I'd never had one until the 19. Actually I'd seen so many folks cursing and clanging over the years that I swore that I'd never want one. Now I know that simply jacking up the tongue to take the weight off makes installation finger tip easy.

I've been driving around the block a few times lately while I've been putting in a new driveway. I really notice the difference just doing that without the WDH. The truck goes down at the back and up at the front a noticeable amount.

Despite that maybe "smoother" isn't exactly the right word to describe the difference in having or not having one. The other term that's been used, and one I agree with even though it's hard to define, is that it makes the tug and tow feel "as one".

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Old 05-26-2016, 05:14 PM   #32
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Originally Posted by chinaski View Post
Well an interesting thread. We will be towing our 19 (which we pick up next April) with a Nissan Xterra rated at 5000lbs towing capacity. Whether we get a WDH is a question we'll have to answer.
We tow our 2011 19' with a 2013 XTerra. We bought the trailer used and it came with a WDH. I've pulled without the WDH for a few miles here and there. The WDH makes a noticeable difference. The combination tracks better with less sway. I think the WDH bars add some friction? I highly recommend the WDH for this combination of trailer and tow.
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Old 05-26-2016, 05:48 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
The thing that I wonder about is advising newbies that it's "OK" to tow without one. If they do that and then say, "Yes, it tows OK so I guess I don't need a WDH" they never have an opportunity to see the difference.
What's the alternative? Saying "you should have one" so they use one from the beginning - perhaps even eliminating some tow vehicle choices on that basis - and never know how well the trailer tows without a massive pile of inconvenient hardware? There's no single "right" answer.

You could just get both setups (the non-WD hardware will cost nearly nothing in comparison to the WDH) and actually try it both ways before putting the unwanted setup on the shelf.

Regardless of ride impression, you do need to ensure that the rig is within all rated capacities (axle loads, GVWR, GCWR, hitch weight limit...) with the hitch used.
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Old 05-26-2016, 06:14 PM   #34
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[QUOTE=Brian B-P;144638]What's the alternative? Saying "you should have one" so they use one from the beginning - perhaps even eliminating some tow vehicle choices on that basis - and never know how well the trailer tows without a massive pile of inconvenient hardware? There's no single "right" answer.

/QUOTE]

Not at all. But I think that there's a middle ground in at least getting a demo from someone that has one. I think that having a rig that feels "as one", on a long haul reduces driver fatigue. So for those folks towing with rigs with a capacity on the lower end of the scale I'd recommend at least making a effort to see for themselves if they notice the difference.

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Old 05-26-2016, 07:46 PM   #35
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Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
But I think that there's a middle ground in at least getting a demo from someone that has one. I think that having a rig that feels "as one", on a long haul reduces driver fatigue. So for those folks towing with rigs with a capacity on the lower end of the scale I'd recommend at least making a effort to see for themselves if they notice the difference.
I agree that trying out the alternatives is great.
Of course, to be relevant both trailer and tow vehicle need to be similar to the proposed rig. I have zero fatigue problem with towing our 17-foot trailer behind our Sienna without WD (or sway control device), but it's a single-axle trailer (so no tandem porpoising jolts) and the van has substantially longer wheelbase than most of the SUVs that people use to tow this size of trailer.
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Old 05-26-2016, 08:45 PM   #36
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(How high from the ground is the hitch on the Escape 19?) Right now I am looking hard at the 2015 or 2016 Tacoma with the tow package. The specifications say it will tow 6400 lbs. Any caveats?? I will check out the other vehicles you all mentioned too. I would rather not have to have a WDH because of the extra money and complexity. Would a sway bar be good to have? I know I will be a cautious driver; I have no need to hurry anywhere anymore. Once I make a TV decision, I will feel better about all of this. Mostly I am excited.
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Old 05-26-2016, 10:58 PM   #37
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Right now I am looking hard at the 2015 or 2016 Tacoma with the tow package. The specifications say it will tow 6400 lbs. Any caveats??
Just the same ones that apply to every vehicle's towing rating:
  • the maximum trailer weight is just one limit - you need to stay within all of them (typically not a problem when towing an Escape 19' with a truck like this)
  • the trailer weight limit for pickup trucks is established with no passengers and no cargo, so there will not be nearly so much excess capacity with passengers and cargo (again, typically not a problem for most people with a truck this size and trailer which will weigh no more than 4000 pounds - the trailer's GVWR - when loaded)
  • ratings are for a specific configuration (engine, transmission, 2WD vs 4WD, optional equipment, and in a pickup truck the cab size) and with specific towing equipment
  • ratings are based on certain conditions, and so performance may not be acceptable under different conditions, such as high elevation

In this case, you would need that optional towing package to get that rating:
Quote:
Class-IV towing receiver hitch,28 ATF cooler (not available on M/T), engine oil cooler, power steering cooler, 130-amp alternator, 4- and 7-pin connector with converter, and Trailer-Sway Control (TSC)29 (V6 only)
... and what would a spec be without some footnotes:
  • 28. Before towing, confirm your vehicle and trailer are compatible, hooked up and loaded properly and that you have any necessary additional equipment. Do not exceed any Weight Ratings and follow all instructions in your Owner’s Manual. The maximum you can tow depends on base curb weight plus the total weight of any cargo, occupants, and added vehicle equipment. “Added vehicle equipment” includes additional standard/optional equipment and accessories added by the manufacturer, dealers, and/or vehicle owners. The only way to be certain of your vehicle’s exact curb weight is to weigh your vehicle without passengers or cargo.
  • 29. Trailer-Sway Control (TSC) is an electronic system designed to help the driver maintain vehicle control under adverse conditions. It is not a substitute for safe driving practices. Factors including speed, road conditions and driver steering input can all affect whether TSC will be effective in preventing a loss of control. Please see your Owner’s Manual for further details

It looks like a lot of conditions and qualifications, but this really is normal for any responsible vehicle manufacturer.

6400 pounds suggests that you are looking at a Double Cab 4X4 V6... right?
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Old 05-27-2016, 07:07 AM   #38
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Brian, this really helps! Yes, a 4X4 double cab V6. Were you a teacher in a past life? A friend told me that I might want to add a sway bar to the hitch and that I would need to know how high the trailer hitch is from the ground in order to know what to get for the truck. I only weigh 115, so I don't expect to add too much weight except for add-ons that I plan to get on the Escape itself. I need to test drive some trucks to be sure the seats are high enough too.
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Old 05-27-2016, 07:20 AM   #39
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Originally Posted by Julie View Post
(How high from the ground is the hitch on the Escape 19?) Right now I am looking hard at the 2015 or 2016 Tacoma with the tow package. The specifications say it will tow 6400 lbs. Any caveats?? I will check out the other vehicles you all mentioned too. I would rather not have to have a WDH because of the extra money and complexity. Would a sway bar be good to have? I know I will be a cautious driver; I have no need to hurry anywhere anymore. Once I make a TV decision, I will feel better about all of this. Mostly I am excited.
Hi Julie,

I towed my 19 with a full size F150 crew cab. I had more than enough power and storage and the truck towed the trailer beautifully without a WDH. But, the truck was my daily driver and I got sick and tired of trying to find parking for it in northern Virginia. When I sold my trailer, I sold the truck also (to the guy that bought my trailer ...) and said no more trucks.
But, I really missed my truck! I was about to buy a Sienna when I found my dream truck ... A 2016 Chevy Colorado Z71, 3.6L, 4x4 crew cab ( gas, not diesel). It is perfect for city driving and I can squeeze it in just about anywhere. It is a bit long, almost as long as my full size Ford but I did buy the 6' bed. It has a towing capacity of about 7000 lbs.

I test drove the Taco as well and thought the Colorado was heads and tails superior to the Taco. You may want to give the Colorado a test drive. Chevy used to make these trucks but stopped production. They began production again in 2015 so you won't find many used Colorado's with the newer build.

BTW, I am vertically challenged at 5'3" tall and if I can drive a truck and hitch/tow a trailer solo, anyone can.

Regards,
Lisa
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Old 05-27-2016, 11:48 AM   #40
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julie
one other thing you may need to be aware of when shopping for newer vehicles...is this trend for graphical displays in the dash behind the steering wheel for all the functions of the vehicle... not referring to the infotainment center in the middle of the vehicle if it has it. Referring to the newer electronic gauges, warning indicators etc..as some vehicles have smaller displays and thus smaller alphanumeric characters and icons for the information...the distance of this display on some vehicles to the driver and the smaller size of some displays may be difficult to read while driving...for this camper it was not far enough away on some vehicles for the laser vision to kick in thus requiring reading glasses to read it...so had to narrow the vehicle selection to one with the proper size display, text characters, icons and ergonomics for this camper's vision while driving without requiring reading glasses...
while none of this may be an issue for you, make sure you can read all the info in the display when test driving which is usually only time for a glance at the info...
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