Tow Vehicles

[billys]

I have been pulling my 20i with an '02 Grand Cherokee (6 cyl) and I think it's time to think about a new truck. The Jeep has been GREAT, but my gut sense is that now is the time to get out (it has 120K on it) so I'm thinking about selling it while it's still running great and getting into a lightly used V8 pickup. It's also a great time to shop for a truck. I'd like to err on the side of something smaller given that this will be a vehicle that gets a fair amount of non-boat use. Was thinking about a Tacoma and wondered if anyone here has used one as their tow vehicle? Other ideas?

[dogbert]

Tacoma might be a little light (in a lot of ways). When I first bought my Tige, I had a '97 Dodge Dakota Club cab. It had a V8 and 4WD. It was able to handle the weight just fine. I bought a Dakota quad cab in 2000 and now tow it with an '04 F-150 Supercrew. With a lighter vehicle, you will need 4WD on steeper boat ramps. I'd go for an '04 or later F-150. It'll get better gas mileage than other vehicles. But, if size is an issue, take a look at the Dakota. It's a full sized truck in a smaller body. Might get some good deals on a new one if you can find a dealership that's been told to shut down. I've read stories on CNN of 50% markdowns on new vehicles because they have to get rid of them.

[TeamAllen]

Try this thread.

http://tigeowners.com/forum/showthre...ghlight=tacoma

[dcsnowwake]

i towed my rz2 with a grand cherokee and a blazer, both last 1 season....i now have an escalade! best tow vehicle ever

[da.bell]

I agree with dcsnowwake to the extent that you might be better off the a 1/2 ton or larger SUV (Escalade/Expedition/Tahoe/...).

I tow my RZ2 with a 2002 Ford Expedition and it tows it very well. The only issue I have now is what Timmy! pointed out that adding the lead to the bow and aft of the boat (720lbs of it) that it now has become a little sluggish but still does fine on the ramps to launch and retreive the boat.

[Joeprunc]

Tacoma

I tow with a 04 Tacoma V6 5spd 4X4. The stock rear leafs didn't last very long before I had to replace them with some heavier duty leafs. I also had to add additional plate material to the rear frame to strengthen it up. Now my truck works great....well for day trips. I've modified my 4X4 so I can get 4Lo and 2Lo. The 2Lo is sooooo nice when pulling your boat out. You just crawl out of the water and the boat centers perfectly.

I haven't yet, but I'm sure with weekend trips we will have to take an additional car to help with the food, water, people, and other gear. I'm not sure how much the 20i weighs dry, nor am I sure what my boat weighs, but I would not want to tow anything heavier than what I've got...especially if you have hills on your route to the water.

But since this truck doubles as my DD, tow vehicle, wheeling truck, and road trip truck the 18-19 mpg (without the boat) is worth it. I get about 15 mpg towing.

I know the newer body style (2005+) have a 4.0 that is suppose to have a lot more power. They also have a optional TSB rear leaf spring that adds additional load.

With a bigger vehicle you will not have to worry about how much stuff to take or what route to take to avoid steep grades. The bigger trucks have more horsepower to help pull you up, their transmissions are build for towing, their frames are stronger, they sit more people (much more comfortably), their suspension is meant to handle the weight, and most importantly their brakes are larger and actually built to stop with loads. But with that said you will have to suffer lower mpg (you and I know gas will go up again this summer), higher insurance (most likely), a harder vehicle to park when running around town.

I bought my truck before my boat, so I made due with what I had, and I am happy with it.

[billys]

Thanks for all the info. I drove a nice F150 this morning and also a very low mileage & clean '07 Silverado which has a 5.3L / V8 w/ full tow package. The Silverado seems like it would be a solid tow rig and also would be good in the snow during the vermont winters. Anyone ever owned one? The dealer wants 19K which is probably a decent deal, but still seems high considering the climate out there.

[dogbert]

Thanks for all the info. I drove a nice F150 this morning and also a very low mileage & clean '07 Silverado which has a 5.3L / V8 w/ full tow package. The Silverado seems like it would be a solid tow rig and also would be good in the snow during the vermont winters. Anyone ever owned one? The dealer wants 19K which is probably a decent deal, but still seems high considering the climate out there.

Silverados are good trucks also. I liked the F-150 because it was a lot quieter at the time. Mine's a Lariat, so pretty top of the line. It's been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. I've got almost 120K on it. I recently bought a fuel efficient DD because I plan to keep the F-150 for a while.

[Thomas Hohl]

I have a 06 Silverado 2500 Duramax and it tows my 22ve so smooth and easy you don;t even know its back there. Literally.
Gets 13mpg with the boat and 20 w/o.

You can buy these trucks cheap in todays economy and they last forever. Try and get an 06 or later because of past injector problems pre 06.

[MoneyPity]

I have two vehicles I use for towing my 07 20V. On short trips up to 200 miles with the Jeep with 4.7L Full Time 4x4 it does well. The only time I feel the boat back there is when passing on two lane Highways and on long upgrades. The 200 mile issue is that the Jeep being smaller than my other tow vehicle my two labs,2 dachshunds and my better half run out of room if it is a vacation trip. For a day trip it does fine. It has 90,000 miles or so any many have been towing 3000-3500 lb boats. I originally had the 6cyl to tow a 19 foot FourWinns Horizon and it handled that load well.

We also have a Tahoe that is setup for towing. For vacations and long trips with two or three adults and the dogs we are more than comfortable in it for long trips. It gets 14mpg towing the 20V and handles the hills around the Ozarks rather well. For the most part the 20V does not slow it down but more importantly does not cause handling issues.

The Tahoe is the family vehicle while the Jeep is my week end jaunt vehicle with the boat and my go any where winter vehicle. Depending on needs a Tahoe or Suburban make great towing vehicles that can still be used to go out on the town in. $55K Tahoe's are selling new here for $32K-$35K depending on Interior. My comment on pickups is many of them are top notch vehicles but they tend to ride stiff and on a long haul, ouch.

[AdaminMN]

So far I've been towing my 2000 SLM Comp w/ a Jeep Cherokee (4.0L) and have had no difficulties at all. I've been pulling out if the water in 2WD without a problem. The Jeep 4.0 has such good low end torque, I love the "old girl". She now has 220,000 miles on her, and I would not hesitate to take it, and the boat for a 200 mile drive to the lake. However, the truck is cramped for a family of 4 and the dog.

I have noticed the Jeep would rather drive 65-70 MPH with the boat, than 55-60 MPH; I think the difference in HP due to the RPM makes a big difference. I notice the same thing w/ our minivan and our pop-up camper.