Towing 17B

[EDarby]

Hi, I've been searching the files and apologies if this has been answered many times but --
I will be getting my 17B mid-October, 2015. Can you recommend the best towing vehicle? (used, as small as possible, decent gas mileage).
Thanks a lot!!!

[OneOleMan]

Ellen, you’ll get as many opinions as answers to your question. In my case I traded my Subaru Outback for a low mileage Toyota 4Runner AWD 4X4, it’s not small and the gas mileage won’t be the best but it’ll do the job.

[dfandrews]

Originally Posted by EDarby

Hi, I've been searching the files and apologies if this has been answered many times but --
I will be getting my 17B mid-October, 2015. Can you recommend the best towing vehicle? (used, as small as possible, decent gas mileage).
Thanks a lot!!!

Ellen,
I've been researching the same question for our 17A. You'll be towing about 200 lbs. more.
17B: 2100 lb. dry+800-1000 lb. of gear, water, propane, etc.,
so figure 3000 lbs.+; you need a 3500 lb. tow rating.

I started with a list of about 2 dozen SUV's and small pick-ups.
My requirements included the ability to have 4 adults in the tow vehicle ( TV ), + their gear. So, that left out two-door pick-ups, and the 4-doors took them out of my price range.
I looked at vehicle tow and weight capacity, power, reliability, mileage. Also, what I had to add, i.e. hitch receiver, trans. cooler, wiring for lights and/or brakes, alternator capacity.

Top choice by far: 2009-2011 Honda Pilot. super reliable, those years come standard with the complete tow pkg., good mileage, V6 w/lots of HP and torque, 2WD has 3500 lb. rating.

2nd choice: 2009-2012 Toyota Highlander, V6. Tow package was an option, so not all have it. Look for holes in lower front, can see the trans cooler in there.

3rd choice: if it was just me and maybe one passenger, I would consider a 2009-2012 Toyota RAV4 Sport V6. Trans. cooling is an issue; must have adequate cooling pkg.

Hope this helps. If you find a super deal on an extra Honda Pilot, let me know!

[thoer]

I agree with Pat, we all have opinions, none of which may be the right vehicle for you. We have a Tacoma, and only get 16 mpg towing. I keep wishing for a better solution, that got a lot better mpg. My only advice would be to be sure that whatever you get is rated at both towing weight and gross vehicle weight safe for itself and the trailer.

[cpaharley2008]

I wished I got 16 mpg towing.......maybe one day........

[EDarby]

Pat, Don & Theresa, Eric & Mary and Jim --

Thank you so much for responding. I'm really liking the Honda Pilot. I know a guy who has a Honda/Toyota dealership about an hour from here--I will contact him and see what he has in stock. And Don & Teresa, if I find two deals, will absolutely let you know!!!

[thoer]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I wished I got 16 mpg towing.......maybe one day........

Yah but soon you'll be ordering the 23' Escape

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by EDarby

Hi, I've been searching the files and apologies if this has been answered many times but --
I will be getting my 17B mid-October, 2015. Can you recommend the best towing vehicle? (used, as small as possible, decent gas mileage).
Thanks a lot!!!

There really is no one answer to that question. You could break it down into several questions because "best" could mean best towing capacity, best performance, best handling, best mileage or whatever "best" is important to you. I would say that generally, a full body on frame vehicle will always do a "better" job towing than a unibody, but it may not give the best overall balance between capacity, performance and mileage.

Get what you LIKE, as long as the capacities exceed what you intend to tow. NEVER exceed the manufacturer published capacities. You'll be fine.

[EDarby]

ummmmm, best of ALL of those.
If only, huh?
Well, if I had to pick two, they would be best handling and best mileage.
Hey, this is all new to me--I've never even been IN a trailer, let alone towed one , so trying to figure this all out.
Could you please tell me what a "full body on frame vehicle" is compared to a "unibody."
And thanks for the info--really appreciate it!

Originally Posted by rbryan4

There really is no one answer to that question. You could break it down into several questions because "best" could mean best towing capacity, best performance, best handling, best mileage or whatever "best" is important to you. I would say that generally, a full body on frame vehicle will always do a "better" job towing than a unibody, but it may not give the best overall balance between capacity, performance and mileage.

Get what you LIKE, as long as the capacities exceed what you intend to tow. NEVER exceed the manufacturer published capacities. You'll be fine.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by EDarby

ummmmm, best of ALL of those.
If only, huh?
Well, if I had to pick two, they would be best handling and best mileage.
Hey, this is all new to me--I've never even been IN a trailer, let alone towed one , so trying to figure this all out.
Could you please tell me what a "full body on frame vehicle" is compared to a "unibody."
And thanks for the info--really appreciate it!

Its not a big deal, unless you're towing something heavy -- which a 17 is not. The basic difference is that a body-on-frame vehicle has a frame and a body attached to the frame. A unibody vehicle (most vehicles today are unibody) gains its structural strength by the body components rather than a frame underneath. Usually a body-on-frame vehicle has a higher towing capacity, because its harder to overload it -- the frame takes the stress instead of the body. While it may be "best" strictly in terms of how much it can tow, it may not be best when it comes to gas mileage or some other factor.

A mid-size SUV (all pretty much unibody except the 4-Runner) will do a fine job towing a 17, and there are TONS of folks who do so. Others prefer a pickup, or a larger vehicle because it gives them excess capacity - a safety margin, if you will.

I'll repeat what I said earlier -- get what appeals to you in terms of styling, interior room, payload capacity, towing capacity and gas mileage. Every vehicle is a trade off or compromise in at least one of these areas. The Honda Pilot recommended earlier is a fine tow vehicle for a 17. A 4-runner is also outstanding. There are just too many variables for me to conclude one is best.

Your tongue weight will be around 300 lbs, and more if you add the storage box. Your loaded weight for the 17 will probably be in the 3000 to 3200 lb range. So what does that mean? It means get a tow vehicle with at LEAST 3500 lbs of towing capacity and 350 lbs max tongue weight. The rest is personal preference.

Also remember that you'll be driving with it, not just towing -- so get something that makes a good driver as well as a tow.

[gbaglo]

I have 2008 RAV4 V6 Sport, which has 3500 lbs. towing and 350 lbs. tongue. My loaded tongue weight is about 320 lbs ( no front storage box, but one on the rear ).
Plenty of power ( 269 hp ) to get to the speed of traffic entering the freeway.
But, I'd be a little bit happier with 5,000 lbs towing and 500 lb. tongue. And, but, the Pilot and Highlander are as stylish as a high school locker.

[rbryan4]

Yep, everything's a trade off. A little more towing capacity would also mean a bigger vehicle, and maybe less mileage. I don't get into style because thats so subjective, and I realized long ago that there are plenty of folks who will drive a hideously ugly vehicle -- such as the Pontiac Aztek.

Ellen, also don't forget to consider the Nissan SUVs like the X-terra and Pathfinder. Both have more towing capacity than is needed for a 17.

[techfan]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I have 2008 RAV4 V6 Sport, which has 3500 lbs. towing and 350 lbs. tongue. My loaded tongue weight is about 320 lbs ( no front storage box, but one on the rear ).
Plenty of power ( 269 hp ) to get to the speed of traffic entering the freeway.
But, I'd be a little bit happier with 5,000 lbs towing and 500 lb. tongue. And, but, the Pilot and Highlander are as stylish as a high school locker.

The nice thing about the newer Pilot, Highlander, and SantaFe is the higher tow capacity; 4,500, 5,000 and 5,000. The best price is on the Santa Fe.

[OneOleMan]

Just for the heck of it I’m gonna throw more into the mix how’s about a 4X4? When I had my old Dodge PU 4X4 there were a couple times I was thankful for it ‘cause it did get me out of predicaments on gravel roads.

Don mentioned a transmission cooler, something that should be added to any TV if it doesn’t already have one. “Tow Packages” nowadays don’t necessarily include one. The cost? For my 2012 4Runner it’ll be about $400.

[gbaglo]

Bought my RAV4 in Canada. Oil cooler and other towing goodies were standard.

[OneOleMan]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Bought my RAV4 in Canada. Oil cooler and other towing goodies were standard.

Some goodies standard up north aren't standard down here

[StarvingHyena]

I'd like to add 2.5 cents to this discussion. One thing missing in all these tow vehicle discussions is ..... braking capacity. Its one thing to have enough horsepower to maintain road speeds and probably speed limit going up hills ... but quite another to be able to stop in time in case of an emergency. I'm not sure how to compare braking efficiency but think it should be part of the discussion on what makes a good two vehicle.


Here is an example and yes, I deserve to have you guys wave a finger at me: A few years ago my Mother was moving out of her long time home and I stayed behind to clean / remodel her house to prepare for its sale. When it was time for me to leave, I built a Teardrop chassis with a simple plywood box .... it was 5' X 12' and proceeded to load it with everything of value. It weighed 2500 lbs all together but my tow vehicle only weighed 2800 lbs ... a '94 Toyota Pickup 4 cly. What to do ... this weight was well over capacity for my truck. I was driving from Ukiah, California to Tacoma, Washington. So I left at 2:00 am.


Here's what I found ... on the flats and slight hills, I could keep up 55 - 60 mph. Stopping however shocked me in a good way. It stopped pretty well. That load never had my heart in my throat trying to stop even though more than once someone pulled out in front of me ... of course not realizing how overloaded I was. Sure sometimes on a steep grade I had to pull over and drive the shoulder or use a pull out. Stacking up traffic behind me never was a problem (lack of horsepower).


I still have that little trailer and being a Residential Contractor, I load it to about the same as I did in this story, but now my tow vehicle is an '03 Astro, 6 cly but the vehicle weighs nearly 6000 lbs and really doesn't stop as securely as that little Toyota Pu did. Good thing that in Juneau, Alaska I can stick to 35mph roads when I'm loaded like that.


How would I test my potential tow vehicle? Well I'd ask for a test drive at the car lot and then back in a rental truck with 4000 lbs of sandbags and load them in the back seat and cargo area. With the salesman in the passenger seat, head first for a parking lot with speed bumps and see how she handles at speed. So far so good ...right? Next out in the traffic .... did she stop in time? .... how about acceleration? Is the salesman still breathing? Good! Head back to the lot and tell the sales man that you want to buy but want the other one over there as you are a little worried about the springs in this one.


Brakes .... a critical factor that rarely enters into a good tow vehicle discussion ..... always drive defensively.

[gbaglo]

The trailer has its own brakes and your tow vehicle would be equipped with a brake controller.
You still need decent brakes on the tow vehicle, but the trailer should be taking care of itself.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

The trailer has its own brakes and your tow vehicle would be equipped with a brake controller.
You still need decent brakes on the tow vehicle, but the trailer should be taking care of itself.

Ditto. Trailer brakes and a properly adjusted brake controller largely eliminate that concern.

[Brian B-P]

Robert's description of the differences between body-on-frame and unibody construction are excellent, but in practical terms I see no difference. Commercial trucks and vans routinely use unibody construction in much of the world, and with the introduction of the Mercedes Sprinter, Ram ProMaster, and Ford Transit to North America, they are proving their capability here, too.

The request was for recommendations for a small vehicle, so I wasn't going to mention the vehicle type that had been missed - the minivan - but the suggestions are getting into vehicles which are heavier than a minivan. A Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey is a capable tug for this size of trailer, with the same strength as many of the suggested SUVs (and sharing many of the same components), and excellent stability resulting from longer wheelbase.

I suppose braking capacity is relevant if the trailer brakes fail. If this is a concern, you want a heavy tow vehicle (because no brake hardware matters if the tires don't have traction resulting from weight) and you want a high Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (because the brakes must be adequate for that GVWR). These factors are completely opposite to minimum size and best economy.


Our current trailer is the weight and length of an Escape 17B (but wider), and our Toyota Sienna handles it well... but the fuel economy is not spectacular.