Current top picks for tow vehicle for 21'

[BCnomad]

Good thing I feel safe in my 1 ton dualie.

[Micheal K]

I was looking at the BC motor vehicle act and as far as I can tell, the only legislated numbers for recreational towing are GVWR and GAWR.

Just wondering if anyone has information to the contrary for BC and whether Max Tow rating is a legislated number in other jurisdictions?

[phalaney]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

True enough, but the tow vehicle in the photo is an XC90, max towing of 5000 lbs if properly equipped. The trailer is an "International", with a base (dry) weight of around 4800 lbs. Not much margin for error.

Less than no margin, unless some skinny minnie is driving with no luggage, and the trailer is bare. We had a 2004 T5 like it, and towed our 17' Casita fine. The self leveling suspension worked well, and we didn't need WDH, just a friction sway bar and ugly mirror extensions. But that's ~2/3 or less of what's in that pic, even with our packed TV and trailer, not to mention the Trumpian HUGE increase in frontage and side exposure from the "International". Book 'em Danno....!

[craiginpetaluma]

All this tow vehicle talk and no metion of the mini and It's capabilities?

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by craiginpetaluma

All this tow vehicle talk and no metion of the mini and It's capabilities?

Hard to believe that's been over looked[emoji848]

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[steve dunham]

It seems strange to me that many will purchase an upgraded trailer nicely optioned like an Escape 21 or 5.0 TA and then go to the opposite end of the spectrum when selecting a tow vehicle and try to get by with the bare minimum.
I look at the trailer and tow vehicle as a marriage where both parts need to be compatible and work well together.

[LeonW]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Now that we are all in agreement that the Ford F150 EB is the best all around tow vehicle on the market does this mean no more threads titled " Anyone towing a 21 with a 1973 VW Beatle"
One can only hope and pray !!

I don't think we are all in agreement on that -- I am happy with my Highlander, pulling my 21 through all 48 states in the past few years. and I know that several others have been happy pulling with Honda Ridgelines, 4Runners, and other vehicles with a 5000 lb tow capacity.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by LeonW

I don't think we are all in agreement on that -- I am happy with my Highlander, pulling my 21 through all 48 states in the past few years. and I know that several others have been happy pulling with Honda Ridgelines, 4Runners, and other vehicles with a 5000 lb tow capacity.

My remark was made tongue in cheek !.
There are many excellent vehicles capable of towing a 21 ft escape.
Your Highlander for example is rated to tow the GVWR of an Escape 21 and your experiences bear that out.


When I see members asking " Is anyone towing an Escape 21 with vehicle X" which has a published tow rating of 3500 lbs , it gives me reason to pause.
Many things related to towing are subjected but a vehicle's tow and tongue weight rating are not.

Best Wishes

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Now that we are all in agreement that the Ford F150 EB is the best all around tow vehicle on the market does this mean no more threads titled " Anyone towing a 21 with a 1973 VW Beatle"
One can only hope and pray !!

I totally disagree with this too.

As long as the rated capacities of the vehicle are not exceeded, I have no issue with anyone's own personal choice. This will provide a safe towing setup, and any of the few minor performance issues are not that bad, and up to the individual to decide if they are acceptable, or not. This attitude of bigger is better is fortunately finally dying out.

Although I do tow with an F-150, I bought to have enough cargo capacity for the larger hitch weight of the 5.0TA. I would love to have a smaller truck if possible.

If I had a 19 or a 21 there is no way I would have an F-150, or any other 1/2 ton. Almost certainly I would have a mid-sized SUV for the towing, interior cargo area and a bit better all-round drivability.

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by LeonW

I don't think we are all in agreement on that -- I am happy with my Highlander, pulling my 21 through all 48 states in the past few years. and I know that several others have been happy pulling with Honda Ridgelines, 4Runners, and other vehicles with a 5000 lb tow capacity.

Hi Leon
When I'm "Somewhere West Of Laramie" pulling the 21 down the highway and racking up the miles that will end in a 4 or 5 hundred mile day, I always think of my Dad who said about his Buick with the valve in head straight 8 "don't stop for a cup of coffe, I'll be along directly".
Love the Highlander, she will do the job and look good doing it. Hope they start building them in my home town, I might have to come out of retirement as a test track endurance driver if I can find a motorman's friend.
Dave

[phalaney]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

It seems strange to me that many will purchase an upgraded trailer nicely optioned like an Escape 21 or 5.0 TA and then go to the opposite end of the spectrum when selecting a tow vehicle and try to get by with the bare minimum.
I look at the trailer and tow vehicle as a marriage where both parts need to be compatible and work well together.

Please define, "bare minimum". If the TV is rated above ALL of it's service requirements, with a good margin of safety, is that just "minimum"? FYI, we have owned several RV trailers, and have never had a TV that was so over sized that - as so many folks here brag about - "I didn't even notice the trailer". We know it's there, and don't drive with the trailer as fast as we would otherwise. This has enabled us to use those TV's as daily drivers (for both me and the missus), to park them on city frontage or in our small drive way, and to live in the active, walkable, urban area we prefer. A one ton pick up third vehicle, used maybe 10% of the time, insured and taxed all of the time, stored elsewhere, wouldn't work for us...

[nathanj04011]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

What kind of transmission in the Ford Triton? I had a 2009 Ram with a hemi, got 12 mpg towing or not. It had a 5 speed auto. Traded in and got a 2014 Hemi, 8 speed auto, range from 20 unhooked to 15 avg towing, so the transmission gearing can help. You may also be able to change the rear end for better gas economy.

May be slightly off topic, but we just got home from a trip to Washington DC (waved to you as we drive past all the York, PA exits), and the weirdest thing happened.

With my 2011 V8 Nissan Titan, with a mere 149,000 miles on it, I usually get between 11-12 MPG driving it back and for to work. On our trip however, we pretty much consistently got over 13 MPG (a couple of 12+ in there), towing our trailer loaded with stuff and 2/3 a tank of water-both ways. I have no logical explanation as I have never IMPROVED my mileage by towing an additional 5,000lbs. Gotta say though, I liked it!

[thoer]

Nathan, I've gotten some surprisingly good mpg figures when I have had a strong tailwind.

[nathanj04011]

Originally Posted by thoer

Nathan, I've gotten some surprisingly good mpg figures when I have had a strong tailwind.

I thought that too, but both directions? Tailwind from Maine to DC and then switched to push us back? I do know the wind was pushing us pretty good from behind on the way back. Once we go past Scranton. It was to our side before then...who knows? That's my life. A paradox.

[dfandrews]

Less stop and go, and more constant speed driving? (Much of the gas use is in accelerating to speed).

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by nathanj04011

I thought that too, but both directions? Tailwind from Maine to DC and then switched to push us back? I do know the wind was pushing us pretty good from behind on the way back. Once we go past Scranton. It was to our side before then...who knows? That's my life. A paradox.

Hi: nathanj04011... Maybe it was due to using higher priced "Harvey" hurricane gas!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[nathanj04011]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: nathanj04011... Maybe it was due to using higher priced "Harvey" hurricane gas!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Well now that you mention it...the extra 40 cents per gallon it rose from Tuesday to Monday might have been due to the super refinement of the "regular" gas they produced in the 5 days. Yes, must be it.

[thoer]

Or it could be the opposite of my usual luck, which is headwinds both directions of a trip.

[thoer]

Originally Posted by LeonW

I don't think we are all in agreement on that -- I am happy with my Highlander, pulling my 21 through all 48 states in the past few years. and I know that several others have been happy pulling with Honda Ridgelines, 4Runners, and other vehicles with a 5000 lb tow capacity.

As you well know, I too am one of those happy campers, thanks in part to learning from your and Dave's actual towing experiences and earned knowledge.

(I often wonder if it is also necessary to buy a larger than needed trailer so that the trailer's GVWR is never approached. )

[AllanEdie]

Hello all, and thanks to everyone who took the time to convey their experiences and ideas.

My wife and I currently drive a 2014 Tacoma with a small fiberglass camper, and are considering changing to the Escape 21 sometime in the next year or so. The truck has the full tow package, which I chose to more effectively deal with the camper weight. I also installed air bags for the same reason. Towing capacity is as I recall is around 6500 lbs. With the camper, we average around 15 mpg on long trips that include some but not extensive mountains.

Anyway, our choice in this issue is whether we keep the Toyota and try it as a TV, or try to sell it as a package with the camper, and replace it with a V8 truck, most likely a Tundra or F150 (the EB only if the valve fouling issue gets sorted effectively before we are in the market). At this point, we lean toward just using a good WD anti sway hitch, and seeing how the Tacoma behaves, but I am interested in other's thoughts on this specific decision.