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Old 01-29-2017, 05:47 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Mike,
Are you towing with an Andersen or other w/d set up when this happens?
I tow with a Curt WD hitch. My Tacoma, although a "light truck", weighs about 4000 pounds, and of course as a pickup it is light in the rear. It has traction control of some sort.

I tow at around 60 mph, so big trucks tend to pass me on the interstate. This is what triggers the sloshing on the rare occurrances that it has happened. The effect is to make me fight the steering wheel a bit, sort of like you would if you had a flat tire on a rear wheel of your car.

I want to emphasize that this phenomenon has occurred only a few times since I've owned the trailer, and I've towed it about 20,000 miles. I first noticed the effect more than a year after I bought it. Nowadays if it happens I just slow down and wait it out.
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Old 01-29-2017, 05:52 PM   #22
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I guess size matters.

I tow with a Tundra and even with the WDH bars off, it doesn't seem to care what passes us. If I get a strong gusting crosswind, I can feel it pushing but there is never any sway. We tow with the tanks full, partially full, empty - it doesn't seem to matter.
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Old 01-29-2017, 06:06 PM   #23
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For me, the whole point of buying an Escape was to have a travel trailer that I could pull with a smaller pickup, as otherwise I don't need a fullsize vehicle for day-to-day use. The Tacoma / Escape 21 combination has worked out fine, and I have no regrets.

To require a full-size vehicle to pull a lightweight trailer seems to defeat the purpose of having a lightweight trailer.
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Old 01-29-2017, 06:23 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Lewis View Post
For me, the whole point of buying an Escape was to have a travel trailer that I could pull with a smaller pickup, as otherwise I don't need a fullsize vehicle for day-to-day use. The Tacoma / Escape 21 combination has worked out fine, and I have no regrets.

To require a full-size vehicle to pull a lightweight trailer seems to defeat the purpose of having a lightweight trailer.
I'm on my second Tacoma and the only time I have experienced what you discribe is when my trailer did not have 60% of the weight forward of the trailer axle. I suspect that how you have your gear and add-ones loaded in the trailer is closer to 50 / 50 distribution foreword and aft. When you fill the fresh water tank part way, the hitch may be too light. A simple way to check this is to have both the fresh and grey water tanks filled about a 1/3 full since the grey tank is forward of the axle. If you don't have the same issue with water in the grey tank, then it shows that your extra gear is not loaded according to the 60/40 rule.
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Old 01-29-2017, 06:27 PM   #25
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When towing, there is not much difference in gas mileage between the Tacoma and the Tundra. However, the level of comfort is quite a difference - the Tacoma seems to ride a lot rougher. It seems to be more set up for off road - not retired travelers. When we travel, we want to get to our destination relaxed and comfortable.
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Old 01-29-2017, 06:27 PM   #26
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I'm on my second Tacoma and the only time I have experienced what you discribe is when my trailer did not have 60% of the weight forward of the trailer axle.
This could be. I've never weighed the trailer under any condition of loading, and I don't have a hitch scale. Sounds like I should get one.
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Old 01-29-2017, 06:38 PM   #27
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Yes to both questions, tongue scale and get your trailer weighed also, your w/d may not be properly set up either, all of these factors can induce occasional sway/
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Old 01-29-2017, 06:41 PM   #28
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And, to reiterate, if you get the Sherline, order it with the 1,000 lb gauge. The gauge is most accurate in the middle ( 500 lbs. ). I got one with a 2,000 lb gauge and my tongue weight is only 320 lbs, so it was difficult to read and less accurate. Replaced the gauge with a 1,000 lb.
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Old 01-29-2017, 06:43 PM   #29
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or get one of these
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Old 01-29-2017, 06:45 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by tdf-texas View Post
When towing, there is not much difference in gas mileage between the Tacoma and the Tundra. However, the level of comfort is quite a difference - the Tacoma seems to ride a lot rougher. It seems to be more set up for off road - not retired travelers. When we travel, we want to get to our destination relaxed and comfortable.
I inherited my father's 2005 Tacoma. It rode very smoothly, but with its little four-cylinder engine it would pull only 3500 pounds ("wouldn't pull the hat off your head", as Dad would say). I loved that truck and hoped to use it to pull an Escape 17, but I decided that the power margin was too small and the the trailer itself too small for months-long use. My current Tacoma rides less well, but it has a six-cylinder engine and will put the 21 fine. I still miss my dad's truck, though.
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Old 01-29-2017, 06:57 PM   #31
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Yes to both questions, tongue scale and get your trailer weighed also, your w/d may not be properly set up either, all of these factors can induce occasional sway/
Although I concede that I should do this, the reason I haven't bothered to is because of how I load the trailer. Only lighter stuff goes in the back; heavy stuff goes under the bed, which is in the front. I guess I can't trust my senses on this, though, so I'll get the hitch scale and weigh the trailer, loaded.
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Old 01-29-2017, 07:06 PM   #32
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If you search around the internet there is a site where the author tells how to determine minimum wheelbase for a toe vehicle based on the trailer. Also out there is how to weigh the tongue with a bathroom scale and a board.
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Old 01-29-2017, 07:29 PM   #33
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When towing, there is not much difference in gas mileage between the Tacoma and the Tundra. However, the level of comfort is quite a difference - the Tacoma seems to ride a lot rougher. It seems to be more set up for off road - not retired travelers. When we travel, we want to get to our destination relaxed and comfortable.
Agreed. That is one of the reasons I choose the TRD Sport when I bought my 2016. The suspension is tuned for the road rather than off-road. It also comes with 17" wheels so handles better on curvy highways. The ride is noticeably better than my 2014 SR5. However, it is still a Tacoma underneath so does not match the Tundra's ride with its longer and wider wheelbase. The Tacoma has a smaller turning radius and is easier to park too. That was a key consideration when comparing the two.
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Old 01-29-2017, 07:41 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Lewis View Post
For me, the whole point of buying an Escape was to have a travel trailer that I could pull with a smaller pickup, as otherwise I don't need a fullsize vehicle for day-to-day use. The Tacoma / Escape 21 combination has worked out fine, and I have no regrets.

To require a full-size vehicle to pull a lightweight trailer seems to defeat the purpose of having a lightweight trailer.
Exactly. Our mid-sized SUV seems big to me. We meet the weight requirement and we are not in a hurry. Vehicle has been just great. You are crossing the country on Interstates which we tend to avoid much of the time, but plenty of others are doing what you are with mid-sized vehicles. I have looked at bigger vehicles, and so far, no thanks. We usually leave late, try to arrive mid-afternoon, plenty of time in case of problems along the way that we find such as construction, getting lost, whatever. Arrive in good shape most of the time.
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Old 01-29-2017, 07:43 PM   #35
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I have yet to detect any difference when towing, whether the tank is empty, full, or partial. Then again, I tow with a full sized truck, so that might make a difference.
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Old 01-29-2017, 08:33 PM   #36
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I have yet to detect any difference when towing, whether the tank is empty, full, or partial. Then again, I tow with a full sized truck, so that might make a difference.
Two friends of mine recently bought F150s like yours. They are really nice trucks. I drove a Ford Ranger for eighteen years and would have considered another one, but Ford quit selling them in the U.S. I didn't want something so physically large as the F150 due to parking, etc., and I really had no need for the capacity.

My farmer friends sort of look askance at my white Tacoma. "You're a city boy now," they say. "And you've even become a Yankee-- you drink unsweet tea!" I do, I confess.
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Old 01-29-2017, 08:42 PM   #37
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Two friends of mine recently bought F150s like yours. They are really nice trucks. I drove a Ford Ranger for eighteen years and would have considered another one, but Ford quit selling them in the U.S. I didn't want something so physically large as the F150 due to parking, etc., and I really had no need for the capacity.

My farmer friends sort of look askance at my white Tacoma. "You're a city boy now," they say. "And you've even become a Yankee-- you drink unsweet tea!" I do, I confess.
Tacoma's are tough trucks. Last longer with fewer issues that F150's. (my bias is showing). Had over 180k miles on my 2001 when I sold it. Used it to pull several hedges out by the roots! Only gas, oil, and tune-up in those 180 k miles. Assuming you have the tow package, your truck should have no issues with a '21 Escape. As I stated before, I suspect trailer loading rather than the truck.
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Old 01-29-2017, 08:51 PM   #38
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I saw a lot of old, 1990s-era Tacomas in 2015 when I was in the Mt. Vernon - Anacourtes area. They last a long time out there, that's for sure.
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