Towing Capacity Table

[telemark3232]

I ran across this when researching tow capacity for various vehicles. Lots of good info and easy to navigate...
Truck and SUV Towing Capacity Charts

[FMLNM]

Remember that for 5th wheel towing the payload capacity is also relevant.

[The Minimalist]

Be cautious in using a general guide such as this. This one is notable for the information it doesn't contain. A flat out statement of a towing capacity can be misleading. Read your owners manual. Even many of the dealer folks can't answer your questions adequately, with the possible exception of the trucks, where they get asked the question more often, and then I would take that with a grain of salt. The owners manual is, 'right from the horses mouth', so to speak, and contains all the provisos and warnings about towing with that specific vehicle.

Beware of generalizations from other folk's experience as well.

Regards.

[telemark3232]

Good enough. Right now, I am a pedestrian and walk or backpack to get what I need. Here in this small city in Florida, I can do that. If it's within 3-4 miles, I walk or take the bus. I haven't owned a vehicle in 5+ years. I rent when I need to go out of town. So, I am starting from scratch and trying to get a general idea of what I need to tow a 15 or 17 footer. These campers are the models that interest me.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by telemark3232

So, I am starting from scratch and trying to get a general idea of what I need to tow a 15 or 17 footer.

An SUV with a minimum 3500 lb towing capacity, or a mid-size truck seem to be the most common choices. Either seem to work well for the 15 and 17, judging by the testimonials all over this forum.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by The Minimalist

Be cautious in using a general guide such as this. This one is notable for the information it doesn't contain. A flat out statement of a towing capacity can be misleading. Read your owners manual.

I agree with this, and the rest of this excellent post.

General guides can be helpful in finding potential tugs, but they can be misleading regarding the capacity of specific models, and they miss potentially good vehicle choices. This one does give capacities for the many variations of drivetrains in trucks, which is better than most of these lists.

In this case, the guide is explicitly limited to trucks and SUVs, so it misses vans. My Sienna is a better tug than many SUVs, but is not listed because it is not categorized as an SUV. Bizarrely, the VW Routan is listed, even though it is a re-badged Dodge Caravan van... and the Caravan itself is not listed.

This one also appears to be three model years out of date.

[Brian B-P]

I had a look at the page of that site about choosing a tow vehicle, and didn't bother finishing... the generalizations are ridiculous. There's actually some sound technical content, but I don't know how anybody who doesn't already know these things would pick them out of the rest of the bull.

The hitch class listing is also incorrect.

[escape artist]

Hi: All... "People who live in glass houses shouldn't stow thrones". Maybe it's time we wrote our own concise, factual, and real world tow guide for "Glass trailers"!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[telemark3232]

Perhaps a section that shows vehicles used to tow various Escape campers. Just a one page fast reference to give neophytes like myself an idea of what other Escape owners have found works for each class of camper. I've read many positive things about the Sienna and the Tacoma for smaller campers.

[craigolsen]

Hi people, I will be taking possession of a 17' with dual propane tanks and a storage box. I will be towing it with a dodge Dakota 5.9Lt. Engine. I'm hoping I won't need a extra hitch? (Anderson etc.) Any thoughts on that subject?

[floorpanel]

I don't think you will need anything, maybe a sway bar. That is all I use pulling a 21 with a Honda Ridgline

[cpaharley2008]

What does your manual say about towing specs? Is there a tongue and maximum weight shown?

[dbailey]

I am happy with the regular hitch pulling a 19 with a Frontier. You've got a smaller trailer and a similarly sized truck, so you'll probably be fine.