Tow a 17B with 3500 lb tow capacity ?? - Page 2 - Escape Trailer Owners Community
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Old 08-15-2015, 06:09 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by disneydoc View Post
Hi folks,

I am a new comer here & need help deciding my tow vehicle.

I have reserved a 17B with a completion date in February 2016, I presently have a RX 350 AWD with a tow package for 3500 lbs.

I want to hear from other forum members who tow a 17B with their vehicles of 3500 lb towing capacity. How has their experience been towing their 17B trailers ??

Please chime in & give me your feed back.

Thanks
I towed my 17b for over 8 years a,nd almost 28,000 miles with my Honda pilot, rated at 3500 towing. Camped for .months at a time in the southwest so trailer and suv were loaded (and getting home to the one meant lots of mountains). Never had a problem. Mostly, could barely even tell the trailer was back there!
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Can you share one of those hairy experiences?
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Originally Posted by Devil Dog View Post
Well, it's like this . A 4L -V-6 barely qualifies as a tow for a FULLY loaded 17-B . I know , I got both . Go for the V-8 that way if you "up" the trailer the tow stays ... And that's the tooth .
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Old 08-24-2015, 11:55 AM   #22
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Jon, which wd hitch did you get for your Rav4? Anderson or the other one?
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Old 08-24-2015, 12:24 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by Devil Dog View Post
Well, it's like this . A 4L -V-6 barely qualifies as a tow for a FULLY loaded 17-B . I know , I got both . Go for the V-8 that way if you "up" the trailer the tow stays ... And that's the tooth .
I'm not sure where you get your info. This forum is loaded with 4L 6 cylinder vehicles pulling Escape 17b s.
A 4L 6 cylinder Ford Ranger has a tow rating of 5500 lbs.
A 4L 6 cylinder Toyota Tacoma has a tow rating of 6500 lbs
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Old 08-24-2015, 01:16 PM   #24
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I'm not sure where you get your info. This forum is loaded with 4L 6 cylinder vehicles pulling Escape 17b s.
A 4L 6 cylinder Ford Ranger has a tow rating of 5500 lbs.
A 4L 6 cylinder Toyota Tacoma has a tow rating of 6500 lbs
Ditto, my 4L Ranger, with canopy and kayak has towed my 19 everywhere from the high passes of the Sierra Nevada to Alaska.

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Old 08-24-2015, 01:27 PM   #25
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The 6 cyl 2.7L Ford Ecoboost is more than capable of towing the biggest Escape loaded.
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Old 08-24-2015, 01:28 PM   #26
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No complaints here, towing 17B with RAV4 V6 Sport ( tow package ) and WDH.
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Old 08-24-2015, 01:37 PM   #27
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Don't get me wrong, if it wasn't for high gas prices I'd love to have a tow vehicle with a 454 or 440 or 396 cubic inch engine.
Even a 350 or 289 would be a powerful smooth running machine.
But I've had plenty of days where gasoline was my greatest expense, well over $100.
So I've become happy with a more economical tow vehicle.
Not the 'Minimum' but, for me, the 'Right Size'.
Yes I do have to avoid or plan really far ahead for passing.
I do use all of the mountain truck/slow lanes.
I don't feel disadvantaged at all when I find myself passing a much larger 5th wheel with a huge truck with a diesel engine pulling it.
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Old 08-24-2015, 02:32 PM   #28
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I have the Rav4 limited edition with tow package, rating 3500/350 and am planning on the WDH from Escape.
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Old 08-24-2015, 05:21 PM   #29
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my Toyota Highlander has more the ennough power to haul my 17b
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Old 08-24-2015, 07:32 PM   #30
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2011 RAV4 Sport v6 with tow package and Anderson WD hitch. Totally satisfied although I wish the 15 mph at 65 was better.
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Old 08-24-2015, 08:48 PM   #31
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Yeah, but as my wife used to say "can we not afford it"? MPG/SHMPB
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Old 08-24-2015, 09:48 PM   #32
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My 1989 1 ton big Ford 460 ci 4x4 got 9 mpg hauling a 2400 lb camper. Without it, downhill (and downwind) while flapping all four doors wildly it would go all the way up to 10!

My Taco does 13/20, happy camper here.
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Old 08-24-2015, 10:52 PM   #33
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I can tow 8100 lbs with a 2.7L V-6 - and do it well.
Quote:
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The 6 cyl 2.7L Ford Ecoboost is more than capable of towing the biggest Escape loaded.
To be fair, the V6 EcoBoost engines kind of "cheat" the displacement... with a couple of turbochargers.
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Old 08-24-2015, 10:59 PM   #34
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Don't need a V-8. I can tow 8100 lbs with a 2.7L V-6 - and do it well.
I would worry more about stopping an 8100 lb trailer behind me in an emergency.
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Old 08-24-2015, 11:37 PM   #35
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I would worry more about stopping an 8100 lb trailer behind me in an emergency.
Not entirely relevant here, but our neighbors tow a 25' airstream with a Ford Ecoboost engine. From what they say, it goes up the hills just fine, but at the bottom of one long grade they exited the vehicle to the odor of burning brake material. Now they are very careful about long descents, and complain about the lack of braking horsepower.

On the other hand, we had no issues pulling the 17b over many passes with our Sienna van. Of course the Airstream weighs about 5000 lbs more than a 17b.
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Old 08-24-2015, 11:55 PM   #36
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Braking is more important to me than pulling power. I can always decide how fast to go, but I don't always have a choice on how fast to stop.
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Old 08-25-2015, 01:03 AM   #37
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Ford Ecoboost engine. From what they say, it goes up the hills just fine, but at the bottom of one long grade they exited the vehicle to the odor of burning brake material. Now they are very careful about long descents, and complain about the lack of braking horsepower.
.
I am genuinely curious if they (or other owners) have tips and tricks to share for those long/steep descents found out West. All I have read is "hot brakes" posts, no tips for small turbo TVs.
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Old 08-25-2015, 09:26 AM   #38
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Originally Posted by nrthwds View Post
Jon, which wd hitch did you get for your Rav4? Anderson or the other one?
I have "the other one" supplied by Escape. I believe it is a Chinese knock off of the Equalizer...
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Old 08-25-2015, 09:32 AM   #39
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It's so nice to hear all the civil discussion in here, as opposed to another forum where people can go a bit bonkers over towing discussions.

I'll thrown in my vote for the Nissan Frontier. My wife and I wanted to get a Nissan Armada, but we sat in one, and it was ENORMOUSLY HUGE. So we decided a smaller vehicle would work, and after sitting in the Frontier, we realized a crew cab would be perfect for us, our dog, and our minimal stuff. With a powerful 4.0L V6 (coming from a 99hp VW TDI) and 6500lbs of towing capacity, we're sure this will tow very nicely when we pick up our trailer next month.

I also went for the stick shift, because I've read of issues with the automatic Frontiers (coolant mixing with ATF fluid for a strawberry milkshake of death (SMOD)), and we now don't have to worry about a transmission cooler either. And going down hills, we can manually engine brake, rather than riding the truck/trailer brakes. I did, however, just order a set of Power Stop drilled/slotted brakes for the Frontier, so it will have all of the braking power it needs, plus the Tekonsha P3.
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Old 08-25-2015, 09:38 AM   #40
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I know this has been discussed before, but regarding adequate braking power, one needs to set the brake controller as per manufacturers instructions. Many people back it off from there, as they are not comfortable with the feeling of it tugging back on the tow when brakes are applied. Just so long as the brakes on the trailer are not locking up prematurely, having that extra stopping power applied to the trailer is a good thing, ESPECIALLY in an emergency situation.
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