tow vehicle for 21' trailer

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by Ret.LEO

Not bashing F150's at all because they are the most advanced P/U on the road (I'm still a Tundra person though)
Ford's notoriously over rated on EPA mileage. The best in Ford right now is the ten speed trans. It will deliver close to the EPA rating.
Youngest son bought a new F150 XLT Super Crew Cab..........it is quite the truck! Been great for him. If $'s are not a huge issue they also offer a small diesel in one of the higher trim levels. That would be sweet but very expensive.
You are looking at the two best trucks on the market. Love my Tundra's but could possibly convert to a F150

Well I don't know about that. I've got a truck with an engine also available in Alfa Romeo and Maserati and a transmission that's also used in Bentleys, Aston Martins, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce and other automobiles produced to higher standards.

[marktracie]

F.o.r.d. .. Fix or repair daily...

[marktracie]

Originally Posted by Farther

I'm reminded of the bumper sticker that says a large pickup is an overcompensation for small genitals.

But I can haul huge genitals ..Toy trucks can't..

[jnfrombigt]

"Humble Texas" Now that's today's example of an oxymoron.

[marktracie]

Originally Posted by jnfrombigt

"Humble Texas" Now that's today's example of an oxymoron.

In the great state of Texas we do not need to be HUMBLE.. we know we live in the greatest state in the country..

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by marktracie

In the great state of Texas we do not need to be HUMBLE.. we know we live in the greatest state in the country..

Like I said ...

[marktracie]

Originally Posted by jnfrombigt

Like I said ...

But it's so true !!! TEXAS.. always making America great !!

[mkevenson]

Originally Posted by marktracie

F.o.r.d. .. Fix or repair daily...

No matter the truth, my wife will NOT let me buy a FORD ( Found On the Road Dead).

Of course both quotes above originated in the 70s.

I am in the same position as the OP, except my Highlander is 2018 AWD V6 and I pull a 17' Casita SD. Pulls great! I too am eyeing a 21' Escape but may wait until I I can get from underwater on my Highlander.

Mark

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by mkevenson

No matter the truth, my wife will NOT let me buy a FORD ( Found On the Road Dead).

Ford = First On Race Day

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Ford = First On Race Day

But I'm not going to Talladega

Over the many, many decades I have owned:

A 1967 Chevy C10 My dad would drive nothing but Chevrolets
A 1972 Ford F150 and a 1992 F150 My brother will drive nothing but Fords (He gets a big discount)
A 1985 Toyota SR5 Pickup I was desperate
A 1993 Cummins 2500 A 2004 Cummins 2500 and a 2015 EcoDiesel I think they're
cute

In the end they all served their purpose and I was happy with each.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I've owned 3 fords...

1965 F100 pickup. dead simple and reliable. its a 300CID straight 6 with a 3 speed manual,. and no power anything

2001 E150 passenger van. was dead nuts reliable EXCEPT it blew up 3 transmissions in 36000 miles. a friend had the same transmission blow up in his nearly new F150.

2002 F250 7.3 diesel. only had a year or two, so far so good. the 7.3 diesel has a /very/ good reputation for being a 500K mile motor. (the later 6.0 and 6.4 diesells have a terrible reputation).

[Farther]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

2001 E150 passenger van. was dead nuts reliable EXCEPT it blew up 3 transmissions in 36000 miles.

Hmm, I'm thinking the second part of that sentence contradicts the first part of the sentence. Would that not be the definition of an oxymoron?

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Farther

Hmm, I'm thinking the second part of that sentence contradicts the first part of the sentence. Would that not be the definition of an oxymoron?

well, everything *else* worked fine for the life of the van. the engine was zero maintenance other than oil changes. come to think of it, we did have to do several brake jobs but we were consistently running that van with a full load on our vacation trips. the trannies were replaced by the dealer under warranty. really, only the first one 'blew up' (as in internal parts grenaded leaving the axle locked). The 2nd one had shifting problems which apparently was because the dealer forgot to properly program the ECM for the new tranny. and I guess really, thats 2 bad transmissions, the 3rd one was still in it when we got rid of the van.

for sure, the brakes on my F250 seem *way* superior to those on the E150. not a hint of fade or pulsing on mountain roads after repeated hard braking.

[Vancouvergibsons]

Greetings from Vancouver , Canada
We tow our 21 with a 2015 Highlander and towed our previous 19 with a 2012 Highlander. We have towed to Yellowknife in the NWT (4000 km trip) and also to Bella Coola on the Central Coast of B.C. which has an 18 degree hill to descend and ascend with no problem. The 2015 has a 6 speed transmission and seems to pull a little smoother than the 5 speed 2012 Highlander. Mileage pretty good at 14-15 litres per 100km. I try to keep speed in the 90-100 km per hour range. We travel with empty tanks. Hope this helps your deliberations.

[mkevenson]

Vancouvergibsons, Very encouraging to me as my 2018 AWD V6 Highlander will most likely be the vehicle I pull with when I get a 21'.

Mark

[nrthwds]

Originally Posted by Vancouvergibsons

Greetings from Vancouver , Canada
We tow our 21 with a 2015 Highlander and towed our previous 19 with a 2012 Highlander. We have towed to Yellowknife in the NWT (4000 km trip) and also to Bella Coola on the Central Coast of B.C. which has an 18 degree hill to descend and ascend with no problem. The 2015 has a 6 speed transmission and seems to pull a little smoother than the 5 speed 2012 Highlander. Mileage pretty good at 14-15 litres per 100km. I try to keep speed in the 90-100 km per hour range. We travel with empty tanks. Hope this helps your deliberations.

Wow, thanks for the info. The 21 you have is the new model? and the Highlander is like my 2016 with 6 speed trans. What is your trailer and tongue weight with full water and loaded for a trip? Do you have ac, solar and WDH? This would be very exciting if my Highlander would pull it! You may have made my day!

[Gori]

Originally Posted by mkevenson

No matter the truth, my wife will NOT let me buy a FORD ( Found On the Road Dead).

Of course both quotes above originated in the 70s.

I am in the same position as the OP, except my Highlander is 2018 AWD V6 and I pull a 17' Casita SD. Pulls great! I too am eyeing a 21' Escape but may wait until I I can get from underwater on my Highlander.

Mark

My last one was older and FORD stood for Fix Or Repair Daily.

: )

Still, I might get a newer one, for towing.

Linda

[cvanzan]

Very happy towing our 21' with a Ford Transit T150 passenger van with 3.5L Ecoboost. More than enough power and braking capability. Much higher carrying capacity than a F150, but nowhere near as luxurious. It's a commercial vehicle, but nice to have all of the secure space inside for bikes, generator - well everything including the kitchen sink if need be.

[LeonW]

you might want to search the forum for "Highlander". There are several folks here who use Toyota Highlanders (with a 5000 lb towing capacity) to tow Escape 21s. Myself, Thoer, and Iowa Dave, are all located in the Midwest. But our 21 has been to both coasts and over many mountain passes. More significantly it has been pulled through 45 mph headwinds all the way across Montana. I haven't heard any complaints, except for my grumpiness about the Highlander being too short to carry bicycles upright on the inside.

I know that many folks like to use a larger pickup, but for me, the Highlander has worked just fine.

[nrthwds]

Originally Posted by LeonW

you might want to search the forum for "Highlander". There are several folks here who use Toyota Highlanders (with a 5000 lb towing capacity) to tow Escape 21s. Myself, Thoer, and Iowa Dave, are all located in the Midwest. But our 21 has been to both coasts and over many mountain passes. More significantly it has been pulled through 45 mph headwinds all the way across Montana. I haven't heard any complaints, except for my grumpiness about the Highlander being too short to carry bicycles upright on the inside.

I know that many folks like to use a larger pickup, but for me, the Highlander has worked just fine.

Thanks Leon,
How much more does the 2017 21' model weigh? There is a weight difference but I don't know how much and it could make a big difference. Many 2017 model 21's report tongue weight of 600. The 2016 Highlander is max at 500. Maybe I could pick up with the Highlander and keep it light and see how it handles it. The current weight of my options is at 4000 lbs without food, clothes or chairs. The tongue weight I don't know.