I'm heading in the direction for need of a tow vehicle so I was wanting to see what ya'll are runn'n around in........i've seen some people have Astro's, Jeeps, Tahoe.............but what's your vehicle and the pro's/cons?

 

2002 Ford Explorer 4.6 V8. New body with the IRS and I really, really like it a lot more than many SUVs I've dealt with. Good family and tow vehicle whereas I have had tow only vehicles before. Gas milage is 15-20 not towing and 12 towing.

My only concern is that like any modern electronic tranny (not towing in overdrive), you never really just how strong the tranny is until it is overtaxed. The 7000 lb. rating is plenty fine for a rather heavy steel open trailer with big storage box and my racecar.

 

2005 Chevy 3500 Dualy

There is no substitute

I think I over-compensated a bit from my Tahoe but Chevy is running great deals this month, so it was about 25% discounted (cheaper than the Tahoe was). I've towed my Acura (2500 lbs + 1700 lbs trailer) with no trailer brakes -- no sways and stops on the dime.

 

An interesting read...

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1274862

 

1990 Suburban 2500. You can by them all day long for $2500-4000 and buy parts for them at a good drug store. Had to replace the heater core in mine last year -- it was $19.00 at Pep Boys with a lifetime guarantee! I'm no tree hugger, but I bet the environment is better off keeping one more of these things on the road for occasional use than it would be to send mine to the crusher and build a new 'Burb that only gets another 7 mpg in daily driving....

 

I :heart: my truck



There's a lot of threads on tow vehicles in the archives of this furum.
Here's a few:

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1212960
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1216192
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1177516
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1120512
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1050738
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1033157

 

2001 Ford Supercrew with Towing package, 20 inch Enkei Wheels, BellTech lowering kit, AirLift Load Assist Airbags, Hardley Davidson front valance, and 2 kids seats in the rear



Oh yeah, it rides and tows so much better lowered

 

2000 Chevy Expressvan 3500 Heavy Duty. 8lugs
Its basically a dualley but its missing the rear double wheels.

 

2001 1500 Silverado 5.3 Vortech with extended cab and tow package. it does the job of towing my 2500+ trailer, 2000lb car, and another 500lbs+ in spares, fuel jugs, wheels, canopy, etc.

this weekend i towed in 98 degree heat with a full load of 4 passengers, AC on 4 of 5, a flat tire on the trailer i didn't know about until it blew up, and i got 12.5mpg, and i haven't changed the spark plugs yet. i was pretty happy with that.

convienently, it's for sale.

 

If you're willing to sacrifice a little towing capacity for better around town manners, I'd suggest the 4Runner. I tow with my '99 V6 4Runner. It's not a total beast to drive around and park and it gets 20+mpg in city. I get about 23mph typical highway milage when I'm not towing and about 15mpg when I am. It bogs slightly on hills, but other than that, I can lock the cruise at 75mph and it hauls down the road great.

Three things to know about the 4Runner though are these:
1) The wheel base of the truck is shorter than the trailer, which makes it more prone to sway. This isn't a big deal if you use a simple sway control which runs about $100.
2) Trailer brakes are an absolute must.
3) Always tow with overdrive off and get a tranny cooler.

 

i just towed for the first time today, with a 01 GMC 2500hd with the 8.1l motor and alison tranny.

car is about 2100, i dunno about the trailer, but its 18 foot with a wood deck. I didn't even know the car was back there.

bad thing is, it only gets 12-14mpg when not towing.

 

1997 Ford F250 HD extended cab 7.3L turbo diesel.

I loves it.

I often have to check the mirror to make sure the car and trailer are still there, it's got so much torque that you don't even feel the car back there.

 

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1273125

Great truck for sale!

 

'99 Ford F350 7.3L Powerstroke Dually with a 30' enclosed trailer. No complaints.

 

2002 GMC Yukon XL ( ie Suburban...) 2500 with the 8.1 and Allision.. A monster and petrol thief!

 

Anyone out there towing with a new (04-05) Durango w/ the 345HP 5.7l V8? Experiences? Reliability?

I'm considering replacing my 97 K2500 Suburban with a Durango -- the specs look good, the wheelbase is only about 10" shorter than the Sub, and it's rated (fwiw) at 8950 towing. Plus they are cheap used -- much cheaper than an Expeditions, even with low miles. Yes it is basically a 1/2 ton truck, but it seems that 1/2 ton trucks have gotten better over the last 5 years or so. Plus I'm towing a lot less often, and using the SUV for more family duties.

Just wondering if there is anyone with direct (or indirect) experience with them, towing or otherwise.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by whitney &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Yes it is basically a 1/2 ton truck</TD></TR></TABLE>

actually its not even a half ton truck, its a dakota (mini truck)

no personal experience, but brett anderson had one for a few months that he towed kathy lyles m coupe on an aluminum trailer with before he unloaded it and bought a tahoe. If a tahoe is an improvement over a durango, its gotta be weak. at least the tahoe is built on a full sized truck frame, even if it is chopped off.

have you considered a toyota? the new tundra with 4 real doors looks mighty good to me.

joel
burb 2500, rat motor

 

Here's my favourite recent thread about towing..... choose your trailer and associated equipment wisely, and you don't need some sort of diesel behemoth to drag it around.

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1276583

Here's mine: I recently got 18mpg on a 16 hour round trip tow on two lane Canadian highways at 65-70 mph. Sorry, no pictures of the trailer, yet, but it's similar to Scott's in the thread above, with suspension. It tows wonderfully, and plenty of power for passing trucks on the uphill passing lanes.

Before I got the pimpy wagon, I was looking for a cheap Astro/Safari work van that I could use as a rolling storage shed. Turns out I daily drive the wagon, and it's awesome. Really.

 

I've got a 1995 F250 7.3L PSD Ext cab, auto(So the wife can drive it), tag and 5th wheel hitch, and every kind of electrical hook up you can think of. I love my truck it is great. Couldn't ask for anything more and I have about 370K on the clock so they last a while too. It will pull anything you put beind it. There is nothing better than passing other vehicles with truck and trailer going up the side of a mountain and not even stressing the truck out.

I know Kevin Helms (Hondaworks) pulls a 20 or 22ft enclosed trailer with a 1997 F150. He is talking about getting a bigger truck though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JoelG &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

actually its not even a half ton truck, its a dakota (mini truck)

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Are you sure that's the case with the new ones? The new Durango is bigger than a Tahoe, and quite a bit larger than the old one. Like I said, it looks good on paper, comparable to (and in some cases better than) a Tahoe, Expedition, and Armada.

What year was Brett Anderson's? Got his email address?

 

See my signature. It kicks a whole bunch of ***.

 

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by whitney &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Are you sure that's the case with the new ones? </TD></TR></TABLE>

no, not sure at all.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What year was Brett Anderson's? </TD></TR></TABLE>

'03 I'd guess

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Got his email address?</TD></TR></TABLE>

brett at koalamotorsport dot com I think

 

Cummins 24v ISB Clatter....

 

My brother-in-law tows a 22' Sea Hunt with a Tahoe (wet boat + trailer + stuff = about 5500 lbs) and I was nervous just riding in it. Seems like the truck was getting pushed around a bit, even in town

Just a perspective, nothing more.