# Tow vehicles



## Sheremeta (Nov 29, 2010)

I would get the DC Tacoma. I love my 2011. Or a tundra.


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

To be honest, unless your just worried about the overall size of a full size truck then the difference between the mpg of a Tacoma and a tundra is not much if any at all while towing. I've had tundras since 2000 and have had nothing but great things to say about all 3 of them. The v8 with the 6 speed does not have to work as hard on the highway as a smaller v6. Not to mention, the $ for a Tacoma is already around 30k anyways......


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## backwaterbandits (Dec 15, 2006)

I'm a Chevy guy but I'm hearing good things about
the F 150 with the Eco Boost V6...


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## Taterides (Nov 10, 2008)

I love my 07 Tundra Crewmax 155,00 and still looks and rides like new. Not that much difference in cost and fuel from Tacoma. Tows the skiff like it is not behind you.
My buddy has an ecoboost F150 and he likes it so far.


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## Monoman (May 31, 2009)

> I would get the DC Tacoma. I love my 2011. Or a tundra.


I drove a new Tundra with the big 8cyl for two days.  That thing is a beast and was very nice to drive. Imagine adding the TRD supercharger! If I wind up going full size pickup I will compare the Ford, Toyota, and Chevy. 

However, I really don't need a full size truck so that is why I'm seeing what my options are.


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## Monoman (May 31, 2009)

> I love my 07 Tundra Crewmax 155,00 and still looks and rides like new. Not that much difference in cost and fuel from Tacoma. Tows the skiff like it is not behind you.
> My buddy has an ecoboost F150 and he likes it so far.


A loaded out Tacoma vs a comparable loaded Tundra (or any full size truck) is gonna be about $10K difference.


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## Monoman (May 31, 2009)

I overlooked the new Durangos and they seem to have good tow ratings. The V6 hauls up to 6,200 pounds, the V8 can pull up to a 7,400-pounds. 

I will have to see one up close to see if I like the styling.


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## nate. (Nov 12, 2009)

i have a 2003 taco double cab v-6. i wil be replacing it before the end of the year with a newer tundra.


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## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

my dad gets 18.6 mpg on his ford v-6 ecoboost which is better than his previous jeep and tows i think 8300 lbs. it tows their camper no problem so you wouldn't even be able to feel your boat I'm sure. as far as quality of the ecoboost it is hard to say considering he has only had it for less than a year


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## jsnipes (May 1, 2011)

in my experience, especially in florida, people vastly overestimate the amount of car they need to tow their boat. the egret 16 loaded w everything isn't going to come close to maxing out the tow capacity of a jeep. also remember, that these manufacturer estimates of tow rating are extremely conservative as they are national (and slippery ramps, snowy terrible roads in new england are also quite different than a lot of florida territory) and the companies have to be well within their margins for liability purposes.

if you are not set on a truck, i would really look at other options like a grand cherokee that will offer a lot better fuel mileage when not trailering as well. i am a huge subaru fanboy and have a new outback that has been awesome for everything. it has a 2700 pound tow rating, and i tow a 98' 17' maverick mirage around on the highway, locally, wherever. i get 30mpg highway w no trailer, and 15-18 with a trailer. it's all wheel drive, and pretty reasonably priced to purchase new as well.

i know a lot of ppl are really attached to their trucks, but when you are towing a flats boat, you just don't need one and there are a lot of cars out there that will satisfy your needs.


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## fsae99 (Apr 8, 2010)

I tow my 15' full liner, way more trailer than needed with v6 Ford Escape. It is front wheel drive and I have never had a problem at even very steep ramps. I get 22 MPG towing and 30 not. It has 3500 lb tow rating.


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

> i get 30mpg highway w no trailer, and 15-18 with a trailer.
> 
> i know a lot of ppl are really attached to their trucks, but when you are towing a flats boat, you just don't need one and there are a lot of cars out there that will satisfy your needs.


Going from 30 mpg to 15 while towing is a huge difference. Seems like your actually underpowered if the motor is working twice as hard to tow your rig. Thats one of the reasons while I'll stick with the truck. I've never seen a loss that drastic and have towed boats ranging from 16 flats to 24 center consoles from Orlando to Islamorada several times. Its hard to beat a Toyota as far as reliability and resale value.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

All of the above are great options... for guys like me towing day after day (and clocking roughly 20,000 year in and year out....) you're going to get a bit different opinion. My current truck, a no frills Chevy 1500 (2006)... it's the smallest v-8 with a tow package (that's the 4.8 motor). At over 140,000 miles now towing a 17' older Maverick I can't say enough good things about it. If you spend 3 to 4 hours a day towing you'll really appreciate something that will actually stop when you're towing.... in all kinds of weather and all kinds of traffic. I had the bed done with a Rhino Liner and I'll do the same with my next one.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

I would be worried about towing that heavy 16 footer across our crazy slippery mountainous roads here in florida with anything other than an F-350 dually 7.3 diesel with a jake brake and $8000 worth of Banks performance parts


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## jsnipes (May 1, 2011)

> All of the above are great options... for guys like me towing day after day (and clocking roughly 20,000 year in and year out....) you're going to get a bit different opinion.  My current truck, a no frills Chevy 1500 (2006)... it's the smallest v-8 with a tow package (that's the 4.8 motor).  At over 140,000 miles now towing a 17' older Maverick I can't say enough good things about it.  If you spend 3 to 4 hours a day towing you'll really appreciate something that will actually stop when you're towing....  in all kinds of weather and all kinds of traffic.  I had the bed done with a Rhino Liner and I'll do the same with my next one.


yea i agree it's a totally different situation if you are doing it every day. but for most people who drive their cars for work and other things every day, adn the boat once on the weekend, it makes sense to take more stock than strictly the towing capacity.

i will just say though that if you already have the boat you are going to tow, you can def get something smaller than a truck and be in very good shape. when i got my outback i narrowed it down to the escape (3500 lb tow rating), the outback (2700 but all wheel drive) and the toyota 4 runner (which was nice but ended up being a little $$$ for me).

as to whoever said that the engine was being taxed too much if my fuel economy drops that much i guess i just have to disagree. there's no way the mfc would give a tow rating to a car where pulling it on a flat highway, under the tow rating, would be detrimental to the engine since they would be on the hook for repairs.

i don't disagree with you capt, if you are spending 3 hours a day towing, then absolutely get whatever you feel you need to tow everyday. i just think the reality of most people's situation is that they do not tow everyday and could look at options other than trucks which may provide more non-towing benefits.


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## Seebs (Dec 21, 2011)

I can tow 5500 with my chevy colorado. its the i5 engine. the v8 can tow 6500 but the i4 only tows 3500


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

> as to whoever said that the engine was being taxed too much if my fuel economy drops that much i guess i just have to disagree. there's no way the mfc would give a tow rating to a car where pulling it on a flat highway, under the tow rating, would be detrimental to the engine since they would be on the hook for repairs.


I will absolutely disagree with this statement! Most people who buy vehicles, be it a smart car or F-150, will never tow anything in it's life. Manufacturers use towing numbers as a sales pitch, and most people don't realize it's not based on the engine size, it's based on the vehicles ability to bring the load to a safe stop! That being said you should never tow anywhere near the max capacity because brake tests are done on a flat road in dry conditions, if you tow and it's wet out.....well you get the point.
If you will be towing often or for long distances the best rule of thumb is to take the max towing capacity and cut it in half. Can you tow at max, yes, will your rig last a long time, no.
Case in point are my last 2 vehicles. My last car was a Hyundai Accent which no one would even think has a tow rating, well Hyundai rated it at 1500lbs!!! I towed my gheenoe with it for about a year or so, maybe 500lbs max, and the car was starting to fall apart.
My new truck is a 98 jeep cherokee, rated at 5000lbs towing cap. Well I can tell you first hand there is no way in hell this truck can tow 5000lbs safely! My boat is probably 900-1k lbs loaded down and even on dry roads it takes me twice as long to stop. 
As far as the fuel economy and your truck working to hard, I agree, I only lose about 2mpg when I tow my rig. And it's not your engine that will suffer first, it's the transmission.

Back to the subject at hand, Figure out how much your rig weighs. Most likely it's under 1500lbs for everything, so even a truck with a 3500lbs towing capacity should do it no problem, and all trucks come with some sort of ABS which will keep you much safer then an older rig. I do have a friend with a jeep wrangler unlimited 4x4, he tows a lawn trailer probably around 1500-2000lbs and has no issues, he loves the truck but says it is noisy and sucks down the fuel.


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## jsnipes (May 1, 2011)

if you look at the same car produced both in the US and in Europe you will also see that the US tow ratings are significantly less.  which just means that they are more conservative here in the US, so i don't know if "cutting the tow rating in half' is as useful a metric as you might think. i guess we both reached the same conclusion, that towing a 16ft flats boat with any moderate sized car or suv will not be a problem, but i guess we will just have to agree to disagree on the rest


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## Paul_Barnard (Oct 28, 2011)

> if you look at the same car produced both in the US and in Europe you will also see that the US tow ratings are significantly less.  which just means that they are more conservative here in the US, so i don't know if "cutting the tow rating in half' is as useful a metric as you might think. i guess we both reached the same conclusion, that towing a 16ft flats boat with any moderate sized car or suv will not be a problem, but i guess we will just have to agree to disagree on the rest



I agree with you completely. The Europeans have it right. Americans are still entrenched in the bigger is better mentality.


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## Recidivists (May 9, 2011)

It's a touchy subject. But I also tend to agree that plenty of vehicles are able to tow safely when driven safely. European tow ratings are indeed way higher for exact same vehicles. They tow everything with their vehicles. If you want to add a transmission cooler and electric brakes to the trailer, it's always an option. Keep the tongue weight down and your eyes down the road. I believe the sales pitch is geared with the "American" pick up in mind.


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## Monoman (May 31, 2009)

Thanks for all the input. I agree that it is definitely more about stopping than pulling. 

I would love to hear from some folks towing with the new 4 door Wranglers.


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## jsnipes (May 1, 2011)

just wanted to bump this post with some numbers since i was curious myself not having gone on any long drives yet. i drove from vero to islamorada and back last week and recorded my fuel numbers using my '11 outback to trailer a '98 mirage ii (guess of total weight~1500). i got 19.3 mpg avg on way down and 18.9 on way back. mix of 95/turnpike/us1 for last part into islamorada.


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## PLANKTON7 (Jun 14, 2011)

subaru outbacks are bada**!


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## Reel_Karma (Feb 7, 2010)

> All of the above are great options... for guys like me towing day after day (and clocking roughly 20,000 year in and year out....) you're going to get a bit different opinion.  My current truck, a no frills Chevy 1500 (2006)... it's the smallest v-8 with a tow package (that's the 4.8 motor).  At over 140,000 miles now towing a 17' older Maverick I can't say enough good things about it.  If you spend 3 to 4 hours a day towing you'll really appreciate something that will actually stop when you're towing....  in all kinds of weather and all kinds of traffic.  I had the bed done with a Rhino Liner and I'll do the same with my next one.


X2. I have the same truck and love it. No frills is the way to go and a lot cheaper.


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## DavidIvey (Nov 26, 2011)

My tow vehicle is a 1999 Dodge RAM 2500 with an 2001 engine...o-ringed head, drag comp box, 150hp injectors, 64-71/14 turbo, 5" exhaust, AirDog fuel system with 1/2" lines...etc, etc.

Now I'm saving for twin turbos....


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## Frank_Sebastian (Oct 15, 2007)

I have the same kind of rig as lemaymiami and am very pleased with it. I tow every thing from a Gheenoe hisider to a 30' Morgan with 3208 Caterpiller (300 HP) and no problems. It is a 2008 Chevy with the midsize V8. Oddly enough, it was the least expensive truck with 8300# towing I could find. It came with the tow package and posi-trac axle.

Frank_S


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## cwalden (Jun 24, 2011)

I have a 03 tacoma Prerunner x-cab that I tow with. Got no complaints. Would still drive it even I won the lottery. There is nothing that I would trade it for... Just got a shell for it wit the flip up side windows. Now I dont worry so much about having rods, etc in the bed.


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## cwalden (Jun 24, 2011)

How about one of these? says towing capacity is 20 tons...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_XT


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## wesley76 (Jan 23, 2008)

My wife just got a 4 door wrangler and it tows my beavertail el diablo just fine. I have not made any long distance tows with it yet but it tows around town great.


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## Andrewp (Jul 23, 2010)

I have something different -- a Honda Ridgeline truck. One of the reasons I got it was how the truck came ready for towing.

Specs:
Towing capacity 5000
Tongue weight 600

To quote from Honda's own site:

"Tow Ready
The Ridgeline takes towing seriously. To start with, it has a 5-speed automatic transmission that's specially geared for this purpose. There's also a standard high capacity radiator with dual 160-watt fans, a heavy-duty power steering cooler, a high-capacity ATF cooler, and it's pre-wired for a trailer connection (4-/7-Pin). Large brake rotors at all four wheels and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) ensure quick and deliberate stops when it matters most."

The downside is that gas milage is not that great for a V6; it's really more in line with typical V8s.


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

Got this a couple months back...









Looks good towing this(even if unnecessary)









I really bought it to tow this








Last Friday I had 7 people in it and pulled the boat and stopped it with no issues. Two weeks ago, I pulled myself, 6 Boyscouts and a 6*12 gear trailer loaded to the doors to Sebastian and back and it was great.

6 liter,towing package, abs, AWD, leather and dual air!!!


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## bermuda (Aug 22, 2010)

Where did you take the last photo at? I'm sure it wasn't around sebastian lol....


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## GTSRGTSR (Nov 10, 2009)

Key Largo/Pennekamp!!!! ;D


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## chew (Feb 26, 2010)

I agree with a lot of comments on this topic about towing, being able to stop your load is very key, having the right horsepower to touque is another key, but one very small yet IMPORTANT key that has been left out is "balance". you can have the biggest best tow rig out there, but if you dont balance out your load correctly.... you are still abusing the vehicle. to many times have I seen the smallest of boats improperly balanced on trailers and the vehicles suspension improperly displaced.... creating exsesive strain on componets and forcing and uncomfortable ride, and increased fuel consumption.... there is so much that can be done to make a daily driver / tow rig work and last. 1st thing is your boat and trailer.... 75% of the boats weight should be balanced over the center most axel. and with that being said, we are talking about microskiffs here. boats that should be able to be moved on a trailer by hand (IMO) 2nd cheap electric trailer brakes are always an option.. if you have excessive sag in your tow rig, load right maxes a very simple airbag assist that can be installed in your driveway in the time it takes to wash and wax your boat, and lastly they do make multi height hitches so that your boat sits at the proper towing height......


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## hookemdano (Feb 9, 2007)

There is no replacement for displacement. It is very comfortable, hauls a%% and my family feels safe in it. But will admit that gets horrible mpg and not my daily driver.


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## JimCameron (Jan 3, 2010)

Whoa!! Is this a discussion about towing or about trucks?? 

You are going to tow a 16' boat right?? You can tow it with just about anything. A Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, 4cyl. will tow, launch and retrieve it just fine. I use to tow a heavy 16' with a 1982 VW Golf diesel. Slow, but sure.

I pull a 14' loaded with everything I need to live for 6 months, up and down the E. Coast from Mass. to Miami with a Subaru Forester. I get about 23 mpg towing and 28mph on the highway, without the boat. The Subaru Forester and Outback are rated for 3,000lbs. 

I admit it doesn't have the rugged, macho appeal of a dually, but I'm paying the gas bills and I could care less.


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## Wrh6489 (Mar 6, 2012)

LOL...... I tow my 15archer with my rusty 79 chevy Impala 2 door coupe.


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