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Old 10-11-2015, 11:53 AM   #41
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Chicks dig guys with pick up trucks.


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On topic, love the truck for towing... Have a half cover that helps the dry bits stay dry and I can still haul bulky items if needed.
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Old 10-11-2015, 12:11 PM   #42
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I look forward to driving my Ram, leather interior, big entertainment screen, internet, satellite,8 speaker Bose, and the neck snapping Hemi…...
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Old 10-11-2015, 01:38 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobbito View Post
For us a pickup plus canopy works best.
More space than a tonneau so our belly boats, outboard motor, generator, fishing gear, etc fit. Keeps fuel out of passenger area. Can remove canopy for hauling higher loads. Bed liner makes it a breeze to clean up.
Bob K
Same here. Living in snow country our permanent shell is a good place to stow groceries from Costco, wet dogs, and other stinky things that don't creep into the cab. Good looking shells are not easily removable so we leave it on and have multiple trailers for other things. We have an open 14' trailer for firewood cutting/appliance/building materials hauling, a small Alumallite trailer for 2 ATVs or 2 dirtbikes or hauling debris via ATV around the property, an enclosed M/C trailer for primitive camping and storage off lawn furniture in the winter. With a 21 on order looks like our solution is to have lots of trailers.

Multiple trailers can be cheaper than multiple TVs. Now where am I going to find space to build that pole barn for the 21' Escape?
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Old 10-11-2015, 02:47 PM   #44
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I'm a pickup fan! Solo traveler, daily driver. Love my Ford F-150!

I traded a Porsche 944 for my first new pickup. What a strange sensation sitting up high, looking into cars next to me instead of door handles . Gave up speed however. Now on my third new pickup and haven't looked back.

Well yeah, I do look back... Porsche days I was young, sexy and thin. Now, I'm a Geezer Gal and dang proud of it!
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Old 10-11-2015, 02:59 PM   #45
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Am less mystified now why the F-150 is the best selling vehicle is the USA: more geezers (average age increasing; boomers gen AND we have the highest obesity rate don't we?
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Old 10-11-2015, 03:47 PM   #46
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Boomer here who loves his F150 as well, although had never planned to buy a full size pick up, BUT having bought a used 5.0 had no choice (since Alf wouldn't sell me his Frontier) and couldn't find one used so ended up with the 2010 2wd F150 supercab.

Other than getting much worse mileage than our daily driver Mazda 6 manual 4cyl, we really enjoy the comfort, height, and easy towing with the truck.

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Old 10-11-2015, 03:54 PM   #47
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Now, I'm a Geezer Gal and dang proud of it!
As well you should be!
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Old 10-11-2015, 04:14 PM   #48
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You could always tow with a Saab convertible

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Old 10-11-2015, 05:32 PM   #49
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We have both. We have a Tundra with a tri fold tonneau cover and also a Highlander AWD both set up for towing. Living on a mountain requires 4 wheel drive some days for both of us to be able to get to work.

Both will pull the Escape fine but I just prefer my Truck for camping. Can throw all the wet, muddy stuff in the back and not have to worry about the interior. I like haveing double the tow capicaty and the feeling of a much more stable vehicle using the truck. I also love haveing those big brakes when I need them and being able to drive with cruise control on at times to give my leg a break.
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Old 10-11-2015, 05:34 PM   #50
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You could always tow with a Saab convertible

The Road Chief Is the Ultimate Camper - WSJ
Yeah, looks like with that rig you'd be on the car forum vs.trailer forum sorting out yet another "Saab story". Dont ask me how I know....would rather forget- especially the time I helped the old tranny guy rebuild that awful Borg-Warner three-speed automatic. My other three "stories" were manuals, but remember working on them a lot too.
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Old 10-11-2015, 09:56 PM   #51
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I remember having to replace a few half-shafts & CV joints on a Saab.
I did replace one halfshaft to get a rebuilt CV joint for one side of my 1984 Tercel, because the boot was torn. I also replaced one or two CV joint boots (not the joints) on other cars over thirty years of front-wheel-drive cars. Saab built interesting cars, but an old Saab isn't a shining example of durability.

If halfshafts are the concern, the front of 4WD trucks and truck-based SUVs will also be a concern (all 1/2 tons are IFS). If halfshafts are the concern, the Expedition and Sequia are also out of consideration, since they have independent rear suspension and so have jointed halfshafts.
But then, if jointed halfshafts are bad, HummVees and Hummer H1s are out, too, along with most recent large U.S. military trucks. It's just a matter of sizing for the purpose.

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Don't agree any FWD trans unit is as durable as a truck-sized trans/differential, but you might come up with some facts to refute.
I think this is just a matter of size. Front wheel drive transaxles are not commonly used with vehicles as large as "full sized" pickup trucks, so they're typically not built as heavily. They can be:
  • The previous generation of Ford Transit came in both rear-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive... and the front drive version is used commercially at combined loads higher than an SUV with a loaded Escape 21'; true, you can't buy that Transit (or any SUV with its transaxle) here.
  • Remember the GMC Motohome? Built in the 1970's, it used GM truck components assembled in a front-wheel-drive configuration with a transaxle, and a 12,000 pound GVWR. That transaxle (THM425) had the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission of the day (THM400) inside it. GM may doesn't see any need to build a transaxle at this capacity now, as their light trucks don't use transaxles.

I don't know what Toyota puts inside a Highlander's transaxle; for all I know it could be the same internals as used for a 4Runner (which I assume qualifies as a real SUV even though no pickup is built on the same Landcruiser chassis).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rossue View Post
I also believe that a traditional definition of SUV is body on frame vs. unibody design. Much has been discussed here regarding that, however as far as strength of a drive train I think it is a stretch to say a unibody's is as durable or capable as a truck or its SUV equivelant.
I agree that's the traditional definition. Of course, by that definition a Jeep Grand Cherokee (which has been unibody since its first generation in 1993) isn't an SUV.
I think some of that is a traditional North American bias. Light commercial vehicles - and any Escape is very comfortably in the "light" category for commercial vehicles - are routinely unibody now, including all the recent commercial vans (Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, Ram ProMaster).

I understand the concern with the relatively thin panels of a unibody structure. On the other hand, I've never heard of anyone having any structural issue with any unibody tow vehicle using a hitch attached as specifically approved by the vehicle manufacturer and used within the manufacturer's rated limits.


It seems to be just a matter of size overall and thus size for drivetrain components, too - pickup trucks come only in large and very large, while station wagons (called "crossovers" and "SUVs") come in all sizes.
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Old 10-11-2015, 10:01 PM   #52
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Although my Tacoma pulls the trailer very well, I think that an SUV that was a bit heavier over the rear wheels than a pickup is would be more stable, towing and not towing. Again, I haven't noticed a stability problem but in theory an SUV should be more stable, I would think.
The problem is wheelbase. Longer wheelbase means greater stability, and any pickup truck has a longer wheelbase than the great majority of SUVs; the crew-cab F-150s now popular with SUVs are longer than available SUV.
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Old 10-11-2015, 11:25 PM   #53
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We just bought a Ford F-150, 2009, rwd, 5.4 triton, supercab to tow our 2014 21 with. We just got back to Spokane from Moab, about 2000mi. round trip, and really enjoyed pulling with the F-150. We had bought the 21 early this year and pulled with our Highlander, designed to pull up to 5K. We went to the rally in Osoyoos and pulled with the Highlander which did fine, but I just didn't feel as safe as I would have liked, so reason I bought the F-150. After pulling with the F-150 I thought the following analogy seemed to fit. Was like when my kids were growing up and I would put them on my shoulders and carry them around. The Highlander felt like I was carrying an 8 year old and the F-150 felt like I was carrying a 2 year old. I got close to the same gas mi. with both vehicles (13 to 14 mi per gal.). And I love the Highlander for non towing uses, which is one of the best cars I have owned. But now I also like the ride of the F-150, so easy to see out of and love the roomy feel. Also was able to haul more stuff and our bicycles under the tonneau cover.
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Old 10-11-2015, 11:33 PM   #54
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Hi Brian- Not as concerned with panels of unibody as the overall durability difference of a transaxel vs differential drivetrain. With a 4000 pound trailer what do you really think will be be more durable?
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Old 01-03-2019, 12:08 PM   #55
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Suv

We had a Toyota Sequoia 07 It did Great towing our 21 and a boat trailer ,but mpg was dis-mill 10-12 mpg with the 4.7 v-8 We wanted to upgrade so we bought a 2018 Ford Expedition with the 3.5 eco-boost engine . What a ride i love it . We haven't towed yet but are looking for at least 14-15 mpg We got over 25 mpg coming home from central Florida to Naples . I'm getting 19 mpg around town which is 4-5 mpg better then the Sequoia . I bought the SUV because my wife does not want to drive a truck ? Even though the Expedition is basically a F-150 with IRS on the back wheels . We borrow or rent a trailer if we need to haul yard waste or whatever . I'm hoping that i don't have to add the Timbren or Sumaru extra spring helpers or any other rear modifications . Happy Camper Jim
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Old 01-03-2019, 05:36 PM   #56
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Done both SUV's and pickups. The pickup is my preference ( SCREW F-150 ) since it's super nice to break camp in the rain and throw the muddy and stinky junk in the bed of the pickup. Plus the cab of the SCREW is HUGE, so we don't miss the SUV at all. YMMV
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Old 01-03-2019, 06:03 PM   #57
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Over 50 % of the vehicle’s sold in the USA are trucks .
So either some people are making up excuses to fit their point of view or over half the population is starving to death because there truck can’t be parked within a mile of a grocery store or mall parking lot !
Our truck may not fit in the parking spots right next to store’s entrance but if you go toward the back of the lot there are plenty of spaces to park plus the longer walk is good for your health .
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Old 01-03-2019, 07:08 PM   #58
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We are a one vehicle family so our needs might be somewhat different than most.
When we were shopping for a combination tow vehicle/ daily driver we looked at full sized pickups with the factory tow package as well as capable SUV’s.
Probably 90% of the vehicle use will be as the daily driver and not as a tow vehicle so that is where out priorities were.

The trucks were tempting but much bigger and higher then either of us really cared for. A 17’ to 19’ long truck is a tight fit in a 20’ deep garage.

We decided on a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. A very comfortable SUV with all the modern safety/driver assist features plus a towing capacity of 6,200#. Should be plenty adequate to drag an Escape 21 up and down the CO mountains. It towed the Casita 17 just fine. The Escape 21 is some 1,500# heavier but I think it will perform OK. Time will tell.

Plus we can still do some of the wimpier off-road trails in CO and UT.

Come March we head to Moab with our new 21.

Enjoy your travels

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Old 01-04-2019, 08:44 AM   #59
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We built our solar house over 10 years, and at one point had 3 pickup trucks (2 dodges and one ford). Finished the house, sold all the trucks and bought a F250 powerstroke 4x4, and a car. We live 14 miles from a maintained road and realize we will always have a need for 4x4. Three years ago we happily sold the F250 and bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee with the diesel engine. The JGC is rated for 7200# towing and has no problems towing the Escape 19. The F250 was huge, it did have a supercab configuration plus an 8 ft bed. Using the bed was somewhat difficult as it was fairly high (the 4x4) lifted the bed a couple inches. If something was in the bed, one had to climb in to retrieve it. The supercab allowed groceries and smaller objects to be out of the weather. Turning radius was enormous. The JGC has a lift gate at the rear, we can store the 3kw genset in the back, tied to anchor points. The lift gate never interferes with the trailer hitch. We do not have a clam, outdoor kitchen, nor any large items the Escape cannot self carry. We are happy with an SUV as a tow vehicle. We also now have a small 4'x8' utility trailer when we need to haul plywood, wood studs, bags of concrete, etc.
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