Tow vehicle for a 21

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by Centex

Their aren't any Escape trailers that would require a dually......But run what ya brung..

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

I was just curious why my new signature line doesn't show in previous posts.

Well, if you used a larger type, we all might be able to see it.

[WillyB]

Drinking a cup of Joe this morning and reading threads about travel trailer tow vehicles it made me think of what's too much.

Speaking of too much. Get yourself one of those 2022 Ford F-250, 4x4, 4-Door, 8 foot bed with the 1050 lb-ft of torque 6.7 diesel trucks. You'll need a ladder to get in & out plus a kidney belt to handle the rough ride but you'll never want for bed space or power to climb those mountains. More Power!

I have a feeling my little old 2016 F150 4x4, 4-Door, 5.5 foot bed with the 3.5 EB at a mere 420 lb-ft of torque is way more than enough to handle our upcoming 21C.

Good luck to all on their tow vehicle choices. There are many vehicle/engine combinations to chose from that will work.

[brroberts]

I didn’t buy it light, and I don’t care about weight. I want it solid, and I want to take whatever I want, and then I size the vehicle accordingly. Some people are interested in lightweight; I’m not. We get around 11mpg in the 2500 and 15mpg in the Ranger. You can certainly pack lighter and buy a lighter E19 if you want.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by WellTraveled

It is also important to look at the payload rating of any given vehicle. It is actually quite easy to exceed the rated payload of a vehicle like a 1/2 ton pickup. Passengers, tongue weight, cap on the truck, tools, camping gear, sports equipment, etc. all adds up and can put you overweight for payload even though you have plenty of tow rating to accommodate the trailer. A little margin for safety is nice to have especially if you are going off the beaten path. With that in mind
I am currently waiting on a F250 as well as a 21NE. Overkill to some, peace of mind to others.

+100 to this!! on my 2008 Tacoma 4.0L TRD 4x4, the trucks payload was only 1200 lbs, I had a 100 lb fiberglass shell on it, oops, 1100 lbs. wife, myself, dog, personal gear, oops, 600 lbs. E21 Classic tongue weight? ooops, 100 lbs and thats with the truck bed empty.

newer full sized "1/2 ton" class pickups have significantly higher payloads than older ones did. Another good tow vehicle is the Ford Expedition SUV, the newer ones can tow 9300 lbs, and have a 1700 lb +/- payload, higher than the otherwise similar Chevy Tahoe/Suburban or Toyota Sequoia.

[Selkirk]

Based on everything I've researched, I don't think I would personally feel comfortable towing anything larger than a 19 with a mid-size truck/SUV.

One of the primary reasons I decided to order a 19 instead of a 21 is that I plan to use my 2nd Gen Tacoma as a tow vehicle for at least the first few seasons of ownership. Even with a moderately loaded E19, the overall trailer weight and tongue weight is going to be encroaching on my truck's towing and (especially) payload capacities more than I would really prefer. The added width/length and tongue weight of a E21 simply exceeds my comfort threshold.

I plan on travelling much more extensively in a few years time. Once I reach that point, I'm nearly certain that I'll move to a 1/2 ton truck to tow the E19. By then, my hope is that the 3rd gen Tundra will have proven itself as a reliable choice.

[daniel108]

I've been waiting to see what the new Sequoia would look like and the ratings, and what was announced last week looked pretty promising. 9000 lb tow rating and hybrid engine. I've been "getting by" with my Land Rover LR4, which is rated at like 7700 lbs. It has plenty of power (like 375 hp, 375 ft-lbs, but the payload capacity could be better. I wouldn't want anything smaller.

[rjetre@charter.net]

We have happily towed our 21NE with a new style Ford Ranger. The truck is rated at 700# tongue and 7000# tow capacity. We have driven over the continental divide x2 and logged about 10000 miles. The turbo 4 in the Ranger is amazing and never lacking for power. We use an Andersen WDH hitch, have approx 500# tongue weight and trailer weight of about 4200-4500#.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by rjetre@charter.net

We have happily towed our 21NE with a new style Ford Ranger. The truck is rated at 700# tongue and 7000# tow capacity. We have driven over the continental divide x2 and logged about 10000 miles. The turbo 4 in the Ranger is amazing and never lacking for power. We use an Andersen WDH hitch, have approx 500# tongue weight and trailer weight of about 4200-4500#.

what is that truck's payload ? if its not printed on the weight plate in the door frame, weigh the truck with a full tank of gas but basically empty, then subtract that from the GVWR

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by daniel108

I've been waiting to see what the new Sequoia would look like and the ratings, and what was announced last week looked pretty promising.

The new Sequoia is going to the new Toyota truck platform, so it will essentially be an SUV-body Tundra or large Land Cruiser LC300. That means it loses the independent rear suspension, but at least it has coil spring and control arms - it doesn't revert all the way back to leaf springs.
R&T: The 2023 Toyota Sequoia Is Big, Brash, and Hybrid Only

[daniel108]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

The new Sequoia is going to the new Toyota truck platform, so it will essentially be an SUV-body Tundra or large Land Cruiser LC300. That means it loses the independent rear suspension, but at least it has coil spring and control arms - it doesn't revert all the way back to leaf springs.
R&T: The 2023 Toyota Sequoia Is Big, Brash, and Hybrid Only

Yeah I noticed that as compared to their competition (e.g. Expedition/Navigator, Land Rover Defender). I'm not sure how I could determine whether that is a meaningful difference or not, even a test drive wouldn't really tell me much I predict. I guess I put my faith in the engineers...they figured it was reasonably competitive and I presume they are working off of more data and tests than I could ever assemble. There will probably be more important differences, such as $$$ and service availability.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by daniel108

Yeah I noticed that as compared to their competition (e.g. Expedition/Navigator, Land Rover Defender). I'm not sure how I could determine whether that is a meaningful difference or not, even a test drive wouldn't really tell me much I predict. I guess I put my faith in the engineers...they figured it was reasonably competitive and I presume they are working off of more data and tests than I could ever assemble. There will probably be more important differences, such as $$$ and service availability.

I think the change is entirely cost driven. Despite the downgrade, I'm sure it will be very capable and will even have good ride and decent handling. While using a consistent design downgrades the Sequoia suspension, it upgrades the Tundra and presumably even the Tacoma.

[Illinois Joe]

I agree with Doug2000. When I started trailering I bought a Yukon XL with a 5.3L engine for a 5500 lb trailer. It was ok on level, but awful in the mountains. I am now on my second F150 with 3.5L Ecoboost engine pulling my 4500 lb Escape 21NE. Much less stressful, no problem with power going up hills.

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

what is that truck's payload ? if its not printed on the weight plate in the door frame, weigh the truck with a full tank of gas but basically empty, then subtract that from the GVWR

I can't speak for their Ranger, but our 2WD 2019 Ranger has a payload capacity of 1,732 lbs/785 KG, and 7,500 lb towing and 750 lb tongue weight capacity.
Pulls our 2020 19' Escape nicely.
So far, all the newer Rangers have the exact same drive train; 2.3 Ecoboost, 10 speed transmission, and 3.73 rear axle.
That Ecoboost and transmission combo work well together, RPMs are normally below 2,000 towing.

[MKcamping]

Totally agree with the Civil guy, your choice needs to be narrowed down to SUV or pickup truck.

We have an 80 lb Yellow Lab that gets the cargo area of our Jeep Grand Cherokee leaving the back seat available for people, groceries or things we don't want near the dog. If we were to have a pickup the dog would take up the back seat and there would be no room for additional passengers. While towing we don't ever have passengers in the backseat so not so much of an issue then. Our previous trailer was a 22' stick built (GVWR 5000 lb), towed it for a year with a 2002 Durango (5.2 L V8 and a 4 speed AT). It worked okay for the most part in the mountain passes we frequent, but HWY 3 out of Hope, BC had that engine screaming! Upgraded to a 2009 Chrysler 5.7 Hemi with a 5speed AT and no issues whatsoever.

Our current trailer (2015 Aliner Expedition) only has a GVWR of 3000 lbs so towed super easy behind our previous TV (2008 Jeep GC 3.0 L diesel) and now our 2017 Jeep GC 5.7 Hemi 8 speed AT (7200 lb tow capacity). We plan to keep the Jeep GC as our tow vehicle for the 21C. There are times that I think a pickup would be more convenient for storage in the truck bed. Maybe some day if we downsize our dog or choose to go dog free, I would consider an Eco boost Ranger or a diesel Canyon/Colorado.

[IMJ in FLA]

Originally Posted by dunnet

We are trying to decide on a tow vehicle for a 21C we have on order, if there is an existing thread on this subject can someone direct me to it? If not what are people using to tow their trailer? The trailer's GVWR is 5000 lbs. what vehicle capacity should I be looking for? Thanks.

We use a GMC Canyon V6 to tow our 2019 21c. When I acquired the truck, I replaced the factory hitch with one that is rated for 850# tongue weight. The truck/trailer has been between Florida and the Pacific NW three times. I have a WD hitch (with tension chains), but haven't felt the need to use the chains yet. I do drive slower (55-60 mph). Well, most times. 8^)

What would I change? The diesel version of the Canyon would provide better fuel economy and allow for a second fuel tank. Before purchasing my truck, I test drove a diesel Canyon. It was very nice; however I purchased my truck used (12,000 miles), and it was $20k less than the new diesel.

The truck and trailer make a nice setup together. There are a number of other users on the forum with Canyons. I'm in central Florida if you want to see my setup.

Thanks.

[Roger C H]

This is sort of dated, but it does give good general information:


https://webcontent.goodsam.com/trail...wGuide2020.pdf

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by Roger C H

This is sort of dated, but it does give good general information:


https://webcontent.goodsam.com/trail...wGuide2020.pdf

2020, so not dated for me, with my 2013 Expedition. But I'm confident it can tow an E21 with no trouble. My problem is finding an E21

[Christian, Tommie and Dad]

Thanks for crunching the numbers. This is really helpful.

[dlakeman]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

Everyone has a different idea of what is acceptable beyond meeting the "legal" towing requirements. In my case I towed a 2017 21C for 9000 miles with a 2016 Tacoma (with the 3.5L engine). While it worked, and I loved the truck, I got tired of listening to the engine at 3500 - 4000RPM, stopping at every gas station because of the small tank & poor towing mileage (under 10 MPG). I switched to a F 150 3.5 EcoBoost with real tow mirrors & a 36 gallon tank. Fewer stops, better mileage (13MPG towing) and well under 2000 RPM at 65MPH.

I did exactly what Jon did. I was towing with a 4Runner, and I had it supercharged. Didn't take long for me to realize an F-150 was a better tow vehicle.