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Old 08-13-2019, 05:20 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Northcoaster View Post
Thanks, neighbor! I like the sound of this: "... hauls the trailer like its not there." And that mileage is attractive. Might make my husband revisit his views about diesel, I think!
mine is the older 7.3 Ford Powerstroke, which have a reputation of going a half million or more miles. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT GET A FORD 6.0 OR 6.4!! The new 6.7 is supposed to have twice the power and get much better mileage than mine, but is a much more expensive and complex engine.

Dodge/Ram trucks use Cummins diesels, which are highly thought of, but I dislike the rest of the Ram truck. Heard mixed things about Chevy/GMC's Duramax diesels.
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Old 08-13-2019, 09:06 PM   #42
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Tacoma towing a new 21

Mileage on any truck will depend mostly on the driving habits of the person whose foot is on the accelerator and that persons efforts to conserve fuel. I did a 9000 mile sojourn last winter over mountain passes and freeways towing my new 21 Escape with my 2009 Tacoma 4wd. Seldom drove over 60 and eased up on mountain passes. Yes, I had a few 10.5 to 11.5 mpg trips but still averaged 14.2 mpg overall. If you drive 65 mph and have a reluctance to get passed by any rig over mountain passes your mileage will truly suffer. My new Tacoma gets similar mileage and yes, I am heavily loaded. When I unhitch my Tacoma it is easy driving around town and is unsurpassed for off road exploration. If you are a big person and like lots of room with a truck that will be first at the top of a mountain pass get a big one...like my one ton Dodge Ram that I had before my Tacomas.
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Old 08-14-2019, 03:15 AM   #43
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I should mention, my Tacoma was a 6-speed manual, and I generally followed the owners manual instructions to not use 6th gear when towing. My worst mileage was traversing Texas and New Mexico on I40 where the trucks were all going 75+ with an 80 MPH speed limit, so if you try to go 60ish, you get run down.
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Old 08-14-2019, 10:25 AM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sprinkledavid@gmail.com View Post
Mileage on any truck will depend mostly on the driving habits of the person whose foot is on the accelerator and that persons efforts to conserve fuel. I did a 9000 mile sojourn last winter over mountain passes and freeways towing my new 21 Escape with my 2009 Tacoma 4wd. Seldom drove over 60 and eased up on mountain passes. Yes, I had a few 10.5 to 11.5 mpg trips but still averaged 14.2 mpg overall. If you drive 65 mph and have a reluctance to get passed by any rig over mountain passes your mileage will truly suffer. My new Tacoma gets similar mileage and yes, I am heavily loaded. When I unhitch my Tacoma it is easy driving around town and is unsurpassed for off road exploration. If you are a big person and like lots of room with a truck that will be first at the top of a mountain pass get a big one...like my one ton Dodge Ram that I had before my Tacomas.
Makes sense, and yes, I'd much rather drive a Tacoma when I'm not towing than a bigger truck. Oh man, how are we going to make this decision?!
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Old 08-14-2019, 11:05 AM   #45
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Originally Posted by Northcoaster View Post
Makes sense, and yes, I'd much rather drive a Tacoma when I'm not towing than a bigger truck. Oh man, how are we going to make this decision?!
I drive this when I'm not towing

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Old 08-21-2019, 11:18 AM   #46
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Tacoma

We’ve been towing our 21 with a 2012 Tacoma v6 access cab with tow package (towing capacity 6400lbs) from the start and have had no problems towing whatsoever. We’re on the central coast of California and have traveled up to the Escape rally in Canada several time and have taken some serious mountain passes. My ONLY complaint about the Tacoma is that the seats aren’t very comfortable for me and after 300 miles I’m done. After talking to many people, including an ETI person, we’re seriously considering a Highlander (towing capacity 5000) as our replacement. FYI: ETI’s website has recommended towing capacity for each trailer.
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Old 08-21-2019, 11:19 AM   #47
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I am towing the 19 w a F150 (the small 6cylinder eco boost engines.) I get better mileage with it than I did with my 4 cyclinder Tacoma both hauling and just driving, towing a 4-5 mile per gallon improvement and 1-2 mpg not towing. Both vehicles were 4 wheel drives.

A mechanic friend also noted the braking power of the F150 was far superior to the Tacoma for those times when things go drastically wrong. My 2 cents.
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Old 08-21-2019, 11:47 AM   #48
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I picked up my 21in May. I had NEVER towed anything in my life, so I was a little (maybe more than a little) apprehensive. I have a 2018 Tacoma SR5 4wd. I live in Very Eastern part of NC. A very long way to get home. I purchased and installed a break controller and a ScanGauge on the truck to monitor transmission temperature. I also purchased the Escape optional e2 sway control and weight distribution hitch. We put over 4500 miles on the truck on the way home. Stopped and camped all over he US. While towing I averaged 13.5 mpg on the Tacoma. I had absolutely no problems! Kept the Taco in ECT mode and set auto transmission in 4th gear. Transmission temp. Never exceeded 205f. It did downshift going up steep grades and ran at higher RPMs. Fun trip no problems issues and I would do it again.
BTW. On a side note, while attending the 2019 Escape rally I had my tongue weight measured on my 21 trailer. I was surprised to find I had 550 pounds of tongue weight and with the e2 hitch it was 650 pounds! Way higher than I expected. I moved some items out of the storage box to the back of the trailer to lessen the tongue weight.
With the Tacoma you are at the max gross vehicle weight and need to be careful how you load your truck. That is just my 2 cents worth.
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Old 08-21-2019, 11:48 AM   #49
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I forgot to mention my Tacoma is a V6.
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Old 08-21-2019, 11:54 AM   #50
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We just rented a Tacoma like that in Central California. While a nice truck, I wouldn’t want to be hauling a 21 foot trailer over mountains and up steep grades. Or down either. The Ecoboost will give you as good or better mileage with more power, more braking, and more driver and passenger comfort.
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Old 08-21-2019, 12:02 PM   #51
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My buddy pulls his 21 with a Tacoma quite nicely but if you are asking for the best truck for the job, I would say get the the F150 ecoboost. More power and stability. I get an average of about 15 mpg pulling my 5.0 TA.
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Old 08-21-2019, 12:18 PM   #52
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Jennifer,

I live just up the road from you in Moss Beach. I picked up my new 21 ft Escape in Mid May of this year. I tow with a new (also May ‘19) Ram 1500 Ecodiesel 4x4. Fuel economy is incredible. 28-30 mpg (not towing) highway, 17-20 mpg towing. No weight distribution hitch needed. The price was way less than Bay Area dealers, mainly due to purchasing from an internet dealer in Northern Idaho, not too far from Chilliwack.
If you want to see my trailer, let me know. BTW, I’ll be traveling down Hwy 1 in a couple of weeks on another road trip. Bill
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Old 08-21-2019, 01:21 PM   #53
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Hello Just as the New guy why not throw the Colorado Duramax into the mix? I have a ZR2 Diesel and towing 2600 lbs I usually avg 17 -20 MPG in a 4x4 with 33" tires! I love the truck and the performance way more comfortable than a Taco! the ZR2 is rated at 5k lbs capacity but the standard Colorado is rated @ 7700lb
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Old 08-21-2019, 02:55 PM   #54
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I tow my E19 with a 2017 Ford F150 3.5L ecoboost and 10 speed automatic transmission. Truck is rated to tow 10,700 lbs with the axle ratio and tow package. Is it overkill? Definitely. Does it raise my comfort level? Absolutely. I went up Jellico mountain in Tenessee in May and had to keep checking to make sure the trailer was still there. We just returned to Cincinnati from driving the Lake Superior Circle Tour. 3000 miles. Truck and trailer did great. I wouldn't tow with anything else.
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Old 08-21-2019, 03:03 PM   #55
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I'm another happy Duramax owner. Ours is a 2016 Canyon. Nice size truck. Not too big. Not too small. We've been towing a 21 for 2 years now. We get 20 mpg while towing on level ground. Over 56,000 miles on it now with zero problems.
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Old 08-21-2019, 04:08 PM   #56
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We traded in our Tacoma for a Tundra, as the Tacoma (in 2014) didn't have the towing capacity we needed for the Escape.

The Tundra is an excellent vehicle. Always reliable, lots of power when you need it, which can be life-saving in certain conditions.
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Old 08-21-2019, 05:54 PM   #57
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Oh, yeah, comfy seats are a must!
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Old 08-21-2019, 05:54 PM   #58
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Clifford’s tail View Post
I am towing the 19 w a F150 (the small 6cylinder eco boost engines.) I get better mileage with it than I did with my 4 cyclinder Tacoma both hauling and just driving, towing a 4-5 mile per gallon improvement and 1-2 mpg not towing. Both vehicles were 4 wheel drives.

A mechanic friend also noted the braking power of the F150 was far superior to the Tacoma for those times when things go drastically wrong. My 2 cents.
Braking power--another important consideration. Thank you!
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Old 08-21-2019, 05:56 PM   #59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BilltheGil View Post
Jennifer,

I live just up the road from you in Moss Beach. I picked up my new 21 ft Escape in Mid May of this year. I tow with a new (also May ‘19) Ram 1500 Ecodiesel 4x4. Fuel economy is incredible. 28-30 mpg (not towing) highway, 17-20 mpg towing. No weight distribution hitch needed. The price was way less than Bay Area dealers, mainly due to purchasing from an internet dealer in Northern Idaho, not too far from Chilliwack.
If you want to see my trailer, let me know. BTW, I’ll be traveling down Hwy 1 in a couple of weeks on another road trip. Bill
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the offer, I'd love to take you up on it. And the mileage we're hearing about on those Rams has our full attention. Let's see... I should be able to figure out how to contact you privately, right? I'm so bad at this posting stuff...! Hope I'll be better at towing!
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Old 08-22-2019, 12:04 AM   #60
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I pulled my 18' trailer with a Honda Ridgeline. It worked OK. I later sold the Ridgeline and bought a Ram 1500 Ecodiesel. I get almost as good of mileage towing my trailer now as I got with the Honda NOT towing anything. I would never go back to a gasoline engine. Chevy, Ford, and Dodge all make pickups with small diesel engines now. Ram is probably the best overall since they've been doing it the longest, but all 3 will be excellent towing vehicles.
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