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Old 02-22-2018, 04:23 PM   #1
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4Runner to tow 17'?

Does anyone have experience using a Toyota 4Runner (towing capacity 5,000 lbs) to tow a 17' Escape trailer.
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Old 02-22-2018, 04:27 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Claudia D View Post
Does anyone have experience using a Toyota 4Runner (towing capacity 5,000 lbs) to tow a 17' Escape trailer.
How about a 17B towed with a 2008 RAV4 V6?
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Old 02-22-2018, 04:47 PM   #3
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I tow a 19' Escape with a 4Runner. Your combination towing a 17' would work great, I love the 4Runner as a tow vehicle.
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Old 02-22-2018, 05:25 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Claudia D View Post
Does anyone have experience using a Toyota 4Runner (towing capacity 5,000 lbs) to tow a 17' Escape trailer.
Madeline and I tow with Tacoma. It and 4Runner share drive train. It works great for our 17. Do look at payload capacity, I have after talking to Jon at Quartzite.

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Old 02-22-2018, 05:29 PM   #5
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We actually have a V6 RAV 4 (250,000 km) and hadn't considered it as a towing option for 17'escape!! Having said this, we are looking at a vehicle with less km's (thus new'ish 4Runner) but so interesting wrt to your own set-up.
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Old 02-22-2018, 05:36 PM   #6
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Very reassuring that your 4Runner works well with even a 19'.
We will also look at payload capacity as suggested. Any other tips are very welcome as the decision (with the tie-in with towing 17') on the stock 4Runner off-road has to be made soon. Much appreciated!
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Old 02-22-2018, 06:26 PM   #7
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I ordered my RAV4 with tow package and a class 3 hitch for weight distribution hitch.
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Old 02-22-2018, 06:30 PM   #8
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We also tow a 19 with a 2005 and 2007 4Runner V6 and it does quite well. If I was doing a lot of mountain driving I would probably want a little more vehicle...maybe the V8 that was available between 2003-2009. Any 4Runner should be perfect to tow a 17.
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Old 02-22-2018, 06:57 PM   #9
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I've been towing a 17A with 2004 V6 4Runner for the past few months. Its works fine because that is what we have, but I am in the mountains a lot, and the fuel economy is straight up brutal because it is working hard. The next tow will definitely be a V8 that will tow better and not work as hard going uphill.
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Old 02-22-2018, 10:59 PM   #10
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I've been towing a 17A with 2004 V6 4Runner for the past few months. Its works fine because that is what we have, but I am in the mountains a lot, and the fuel economy is straight up brutal because it is working hard. The next tow will definitely be a V8 that will tow better and not work as hard going uphill.
Hi Dave,
I have pretty much come to the same conclusion. I'm towing with a '09 Tacoma V6 Auto. Its been handling mountains just fine but gas mileage has been brutal ... down to about 13mpg. That and smallish fuel tanks.

Before I act too rashly and take on car payments, I'm planning on putting my tow and trailer on a diet. Before I left Bellingham, I shed almost 300 lbs and thought my truck was acting quite spunky. I even traveled with water and gray tanks empty ... that helped a bunch but I still have too many tools and projects that I think I will do on the road. Did do one though.

Its always a learning experience... and then I forget the first lessons ...

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Old 02-23-2018, 05:57 AM   #11
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Claudia,
If your current vehicle would be within limits towing the new 17, and since you are so near the ETI factory, I'd start with what you have and see what you think its deficiencies might be, before making your next tow vehicle selection.

You could even come to the annual gathering at Osoyoos in May, (even for just a day) and make that your primary goal, to talk to as many people as you can about their vehicles and towing capabilities.

We used our existing 2003 V6 4Runner to tow our 21' for 20,000 miles before getting another tow vehicle. No vehicle is perfect, and no one knows your vehicle preferences, camping habits, or of course your finances.

Bill
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Old 02-23-2018, 09:11 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Claudia D View Post
Does anyone have experience using a Toyota 4Runner (towing capacity 5,000 lbs) to tow a 17' Escape trailer.


We have a 2012 4Runner and a 17B. We have taken it from the Vancouver area and gone as far east as Bozeman, as far south as Crater Lake and lots of trips into the BC interior. All of those trips had four people (2 adults and 2 kids), lots of stuff and routes that required lots of mountainous driving.

It has sufficient power to climb the steepest hills we throw at it. It can go up the snowshed hill on the Coquihalla (up to 8.5% for 15 km) at 80 km/h in 3rd and still accelerate (don’t watch the gas gauge though!).

The transmission isn’t that well suited for towing in the mountains though. It only has 4 usable towing gears and I spend a lot of time manually shifting to maintain speed on hills. I also spend a lot of time watching the transmission fluid temperature on big climbs. It can get pretty warm on the really big hills.

In terms of payload capacity our 4Runner holds up to 1300 lbs. Compare that to a Tacoma 4dr 4x4 at 950 lbs or a Tundra 4dr 4x4 at about 1200 lbs and it does quite well; especially if you need to add a 200 lbs canopy to the truck to keep your stuff dry.

We also like the size. It is narrower than a full size pickup which is great for around town in day to day life or exploring backroads after you drop the trailer. We have no problem parking in grocery store lots or making quick turnarounds with the trailer.

The biggest drawback for me is the gas mileage and fuel tank capacity. The 87 L tank is just too small for the fuel economy that we achieve. We typically get around 450 km per tank which can be frustratingly short when you are trying to cover ground. I find myself having to look for gas stations more frequently after some close calls! We have learned that the range indicator is terribly inaccurate while towing. The tank also has a significant reserve capacity (12L) remaining when the low fuel light is on which I assume is intended for off-road driving.

Overall we think our 4Runner is an excellent single vehicle for our family! It would be even better if it had a tow/haul mode, a few more gears or some more power and a much longer range.


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Old 02-23-2018, 10:39 AM   #13
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Good that some folks have mentioned tranny temps because that is also something that I have to watch carefully after I triggered the transmission oil temp light. All of it seems pretty manageable, but if I were starting from scratch, V8's have come such a long way in fuel economy and power that it would be a no brainer for me. With that being said, the 4Runner is a great vehicle and I'm in no rush to replace it.
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Old 02-23-2018, 11:44 AM   #14
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I have heard V8s mentioned a few times and that people may consider them in the future. Keep an open mind and don’t rule out the technology of some newer V6 engines as well. At 470 foot pounds of torque across a wide rpm range, the Ford Ecoboost V6 has the ability to out pull many V8s...should the occasion arise.
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Old 02-23-2018, 12:22 PM   #15
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Indeed... I consider these new generation V6's like Ford's to be very much worth consideration... same with the new generation of 4 and 6 cylinder diesels.
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Old 02-23-2018, 12:23 PM   #16
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We've towed our 17B with two 4Runners - a 98 originally, and a 2011 for the last 4 years. With additional horsepower and torque, the 2011 has been great - power, stability, and comfort. I would tow a 19 without hesitation.
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Old 02-23-2018, 01:41 PM   #17
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Are the earlier versions (pre-second generation) of the 17b lighter? The new ones are 2400 total dry weight and 4000 gvwr. I have a Sanra fe sport 2.0 t and it's good for 3500 towing and am interested in the 17b. Just wondering if I'm better off to get a used one.
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Old 02-23-2018, 01:54 PM   #18
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Here's info on classic 17.
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Old 02-23-2018, 02:20 PM   #19
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Thanks. The weight specs on that page look like it may be for the 17a.
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Old 02-23-2018, 02:22 PM   #20
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There are a handful of threads out there pertaining to towing with a 4Runner, among them:

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...nner-4576.html

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...1-a-12292.html

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...ner-10265.html

http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...nner-5477.html

I'm sure that with some digging you could find lots more information.

On the face of it, it appears that while towing Escape 21's with a 4Runner might be a bit of a stretch, most people are quite happy towing 19's. Based on that, you should be plenty fine towing a 17'. One thing to keep in mind is that with the 17's being single axle vs. the dual axle 19's and 21's, you will be missing the dual axle's inherent tendency to mitigate sway issues. And keep a watchful eye on the transmission temperatures.
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