Drivetrain - Page 2 - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Towing and Hitching
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 11-07-2014, 12:19 PM   #21
Senior Member
 
Vermilye's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Oswego, New York
Trailer: 2017 Escape 21C, 2018 Ford F150
Posts: 5,363
While it is rare that I drag my Escape 17 on roads that require 4WD, to avoid tearing things up, I have locked the RAV4 in 4WD more than once to get out of a campground site on wet grass. I do use a WDH...
__________________
Jon Vermilye My Travel Blog
Travel and Photo Web Page ... My Collection of RV Blogs 2018 F150 3.5EB, 2017 21
Vermilye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-07-2014, 12:33 PM   #22
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nomad View Post
Other ways to ask the question:
Under what circumstances do you think a person pulling an Escape 19' trailer might regret having just front-wheel drive? ...AWD?
As described, my experience with Subaru front-wheel-drive climbing a hill on a gravel road. Front wheels slipped until I wasn't moving.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2014, 12:05 PM   #23
Senior Member
 
OneOleMan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Seattle, Washington
Trailer: 2015 17B Sold 5/2016
Posts: 343
Don't know if you've made a decision but:

gbaglo talks about a Subaru FWD slipping on gravel; I had an old Ford Ranger RWD slip on gravel. Later I had a 4X4 Dodge, in 10 years used its 4X4 capabilities perhaps no more than 3 or 4 times when towing and was thankful to have it. My point is I’d suggest an AWD 4X4 or at least an AWD only ‘cause ya never know when you’ll need those other 2 wheels.
__________________
Pat
Life is Good
When "Escaping Reality" Sold 5/2016
2012 4Runner
OneOleMan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2014, 01:57 PM   #24
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
As described, my experience with Subaru front-wheel-drive climbing a hill on a gravel road. Front wheels slipped until I wasn't moving.
Both front wheels, or just one? Sometimes all that's needed is a limited-slip differential or good traction control to use more of the capability of two driven wheels, rather than resorting to driving the other two as well. I don't think there has ever been a front-wheel-drive (not all-wheel-drive) Subaru with limited slip, and a front-wheel-drive Subaru would presumably be too old for traction control.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2014, 02:35 PM   #25
Senior Member
 
gbaglo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
I only know what I know.
It was a 1987 Subaru wagon ( had it for 13 years ).
You had to engage four-wheel-drive manually. Otherwise it was front-wheel-drive. It didn't have enough power to get out of its own way, or to go around a corner on pavement with four-wheel-drive engaged. You had to back up about ten feet to get 4X4 to disengage.
The brake discs were about the size of a Campbell's Soup can lid. I glazed them twice in one month while towing a tent trailer with no brakes. Cost me at least $500.
So now I have a RAV4 4x4. It is basically front-wheel-drive, but rear wheels will engage when required. When it snows, I stay home because I don't trust any of the other drivers.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
gbaglo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-26-2014, 11:07 AM   #26
Member
 
Dave Whiting's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Kamloops, British Columbia
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19
Posts: 90
Referring back to the original post, we too have to buy a new vehicle to be both our daily driver and pull an Escape 19. From the daily driver perspective, we need only one vehicle and my wife does not want a pickup truck or a long, 3 row suv that is too big for our garage or easy for her to park. And she wants a vehicle that is good in the snow.
From a tow vehicle perspective, I want a vehicle that is more than capable of pulling the 19 up and down steep grades in the American west including having sufficient power at high elevations. I have had two nasty surprises in the past (13 ft Trillium behind a 2004 Highlander) where I was on very steep, long downhill grades and the experiences were not fun.
To meet these criteria, I am going with a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with the V8. It has a towing capacity of 7200 pounds and lots of power. Here in Canada, we can only get a 4wd GC which is ok for us. Here in Canada, the diesel option only comes on very high end models and would be about $65,000!
Tow vehicles are a bit like real estate. There are always compromises. And we all have different needs and wants. The major compromise of the GC for me is the high cost. ($56,000) But I do not want to compromise safety, tow ability, and my wife's everyday driving experience for the next 10 years.
Dave Whiting is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-26-2014, 02:56 PM   #27
Senior Member
 
azjack's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Tucson, AZ, Arizona
Trailer: gone, 19 and 21 & 17B with 5.0 now. gone
Posts: 790
drivetrain

Regardless what a magazine says we have been very happy with our Grand Cherokee. It is just 2 wheel drive as we don't do snow any more after too many years in Colo., Utah and N. Dakota. At 74000 miles, half towing a 19 or 21 Escape we are thinking we would probably buy another when the time comes. The hemi has very good mileage and lots of torque like the diesel.
Jack
azjack is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
19', daily driver, tow, tow vehicle, winter

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:44 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.