Towing

Originally posted by techntrek Chevy!

Toyota Tacoma lol.

In all seriousness our Tacoma is great.  It is comparative to a full size truck.  Our Mercury Mountaineer is now the family tow vehicle.  We got this used not intended to be the tow vehicle for camping trips but it came setup and had a 6880 lbs capacity so I knew it would be able to if we needed it and it does a great job too as our family grew and now it is the duty vehicle.  Just research and get out there and see what works best for your needs.

no not the ram...................it'll burn up in no time..............F150!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   hogone

Originally posted by Jamie&Nicole Can anyone help me with a towing question?   We purchased an rpod 178 2015 this year and towed it with a 2007 Ford Escape v6 that we were told would be able to handle towing duties for the rpod of this size. After 4 trips, the transmission gave out so we are now trying to decide if we need to go for an f150 or if a Nissan Xterra would be able to handle the job. We don't want to have to go through vehicles like this again. I know the f150 is a safe bet but we are interested in the Xterra as well.   Thank you. 😀

You weren't towing in over drive were you Thats kind of a no no

I have the V6 4X4 Escape with the factory tow package and yes it says its rated for 3500 lbs. The fact that it has the small size receiver tells you more about its towing capacity. One RV dealer I talked to didn't even bat an eye when I told him what RV I was looking at and what I would be towing with. I don't think anybody should go by an RV dealers advice on towing. When I inquired at a hitch company about towing an R-Pod the first thing they told me was I would need a larger capacity hitch receiver and advised me not to use the Escape because of the very reason what happened to you. I found a used full size pickup to use for less than what a rebuilt transmission in the Escape would cost. The cost to put a receiver, wiring and brake controller on the pick-up was the same amount as what it would have required on my Escape. Fortunately for me I have enough room at my home to park both the pickup and R-Pod out of the way when not in use.

Ok, I did more checking and the V6 can do 3500 "when properly equipped".  Usually that means adding a transmission cooler for smaller tow vehicles.  Larger TVs also add oil coolers, larger alternators and sometimes other stuff.  We towed our pod with a Sienna (3500 pound capacity)  for 2 years w/o a problem.  Towed an even-heavier popup with another minivan also rated for 3500 pounds for several years and with the Sienna for 5 years.  There are many others here that tow with 3500 pound rated TVs.  That said, once I knew we would be pulling long-distance and over the Rockies we moved to a Suburban.