Hello from Powell River BC

[Mutt58]

Starting to plan our retired lifestyle
An escape 19 in our future
We spent a year travelling in a 23 class C but
Have decided a 19 Escape to be right for us.
Any help with tow vehicles would be great.
Trying to stay away from the 1/2 ton pickup but will probably
End up with that lol.

[Brian B-P]

Welcome!

Originally Posted by Mutt58

Have decided a 19 Escape to be right for us.
Any help with tow vehicles would be great.
Trying to stay away from the 1/2 ton pickup but will probably
End up with that lol.

There are lots of SUVs with sufficient towing capacity, so if you don't want to drive a pickup there is no need to. There are also a couple of vans which would work, although none of the common "minivans" have a high enough towing rating to work for the way most people would load the trailer.

You might want to start a separate thread in the Towing and Hitching sub-forum for the tow vehicle selection question... and have a look for existing discussions, because this is a very common question.

[Eggscape]

Welcome...I was always a Dodge man but switched in 2012 to the Ford F-150 with the Ecoboost engine. We loved it so much that we got my wife an Explore sport with the same Ecoboost engine. Just up dated this year to another F150 Ecoboost which has the 470 foot pounds of pulling power...from a 6. Just did a cross country trip with a trailer having the same dry weight as a 19 and it was pure overkill. On flat ground I was in 9th gear doing 100 k at 1600 rpm. A little hill would take it down to 8th gear and a little under 2000 rpm. A big hill was just over 2000 rpm in 7th gear.
If you don’t want the F150 the Explorer sport with big Ecoboost would pull great as well. However depending on your options the Explorer will probably cost you a bit more and they have to dial down the torque because of the sideways mounted engine etc.
Don’t be scared off by the internet price if you build your own on line. Dealers can do much better. You can send off a price request to any dealer in BC like Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon etc. We have a 19 on order as it will fit our needs well. There is a wait time for these trailers which you can see on their page...when I last looked the next person could get a Escape 19 July 23rd.
One big thing for us when picking a tow vehicle is the ability for the passengers feet to sit flat on the floor directly in front of them. Many trucks in 2012 had a huge transmission tunnel that has an extra hump on the passengers side. This forced the passenger to sit side ways as the left foot has no where to go. Not sure if that is problem now.

[sleepy]

If you want to see a 5.0 ta, I'm in Comox.
And I think most of PRiver is over here on a frequent basis

[Mutt58]

Thanks so much for the offer
We are over all the time
Terry
250 631 2234

[Mutt58]

Thank you Eggscape
Yes the Ecoboost is on my short list.
I'm a big fan of overkill lol!
Terry

[captmath]

Funny story about ending up in Power River after we picked up our 2011 5.0. Short version is that I GPS searched for campgrounds a short day's drive from Chilliwack. Didn't bother to check the route before starting.

[Catchlight]

If you come to Comox to view my pal Sleepy's 5TA, you're welcome to drop by and have a look at our Escape 21.

Regarding your question about tow vehicles, we towed our 21' with a 2011 4Runner V-6 on our first trip and the SUV did quite well on most roads. Steep grades and headwinds, sometimes combined, were another matter.

When we realized that our next few trips would include several high passes in the American and Canadian Rockies we upgraded to a Tundra with a V-8, and that turned out to be the right choice.

Our experience with the two tugs proved to me that an SUV with a V-6 putting out comparable power and torque to a 4Runner could tow the lighter Escape 19 comfortably and safely, even in high mountain areas.

[Mutt58]

Thank you Brent and Cheryl.
Like I mentioned We would like to stay away from the 1/2 ton if we can
Thanks for your offer to see your 21
Terry

[james p]

Just ordered a 19 for July pickup. Have pretty much decided on a 2017 Honda Ridgeline and glad you think the v6 will do the job. Absolutely love Honda's reliability.

[Rossue]

What is missing here is that out of all Gen2 models, the 19 gained the most weight. It is now very close to the Gen1 Escape 21.

[Mutt58]

I've been doing some reading and the Ridline looks like a good choice.
I would only be concerned with some of the passes here in BC.
Like when I toured for a year in my class c I just kept my speed down and everything was fine
Terry

[Ron in BC]

I have a V-6 Ford Ranger and it does the 10,000' passes in California, Montana and Wyoming without too much difficulty. BC passes aren't a difficulty.

Ron

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Rossue

What is missing here is that out of all Gen2 models, the 19 gained the most weight. It is now very close to the Gen1 Escape 21.

This is true, but it is still smaller with less wind resistance.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Mutt58

I've been doing some reading and the Ridline looks like a good choice.
I would only be concerned with some of the passes here in BC.
Like when I toured for a year in my class c I just kept my speed down and everything was fine
Terry

I was considering downsizing to a Ridgeline from my Ram but (1) no tow package and brake controller. In addition, the motor is smaller than what was in my FJ and though the spec's are the same but it is due to the gearing and other mechanical changes, at the end of the day it is still a smaller motor. Same issue with the Tacoma.

[Geisby's]

We are really happy with our 19'er..pull with a '09 Toyota Tacoma. We were considering replacing with a Highlander but have decided when time to replace will stay with a truck. Gives us more comfort and power going up those hills. Living in the Kootenay, seems like you have mountain to go over whatever direction you head out on.

[Brookfielder]

We are pulling our 2017 19 with a 2010 F150 with the 4.6L 32 valve and 6 speed trans. Pulled from Nanaimo over the hump to Port Alberni and Stamp Falls a little while back. No issues at all. Temperatures were cool and the transmission temp didn’t really look much different from normal, and I haven’t put in the auxiliary trans cooler yet.
Might give some perspective.


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