|
06-24-2005, 03:45 PM
|
#1
|
1 Rivet Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 5
|
Toyota Highlander as a tow vehicle?
Does anyone know if I can tow a vintage Bambi with a Toyota Highlander?
|
|
|
06-24-2005, 03:54 PM
|
#2
|
Rivet Master
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 561
|
From what I know, the Highlander is based on the Camry chassis...
I see it tow rated at #3,500. Generally, a vintage 16' is going to run somewhere around #2,500 dry, more or less. You can easily add #500 to #1,000 in "stuff"; water, food, provisions, and fuels (propane, etc.). Most here recommend a 20% buffer/margin, minimum.
Don't think I'd tow anything with it except, maybe, a utility trailer. There's nothing more miserable than towing too close to spec or underpowered.
|
|
|
06-24-2005, 08:34 PM
|
#3
|
3 Rivet Member
2007 25' Safari FB SE
Plano
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 173
|
We tow a 1965 Caravel (17') with a 2000 Honda Odyssey. It pulls great, but we added air springs and a transmission cooler to maintain the OEM level of comfort and durability.
|
|
|
06-25-2005, 07:54 AM
|
#4
|
Just an old timer...
2004 22' Interstate
Tipton
, Iowa
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,759
|
I towed my '61 Bambi with an '85 Toyota long bed 4cyl auto 2WD pickup. The dry weight as advertised on the '61 Bambi is 1860lbs. Assuming that the Highlander is rated to tow 3500lbs, my reservation towing with a Highlander would be the short wheelbase and light weight of the tow vehicle relative to the Bambi. That said, I currently tow a 16' Scamp custom deluxe that weighs 2600lbs dry with a '94 Toyota extended cab 4WD pickup with the 3.0l v6 and an automatic. It tows the Scamp very nicely, but again has a significantly longer wheelbase than the Highlander.
Roger
__________________
havin' to fix my broken Airstreams since 1987...
AIR 2053 Current: 2004 Airstream Interstate "B-Van" T1N DODGE Sprinter
Former Airstreams: 1953 Flying Cloud, 1957 Overlander, 1961 Bambi, 1970 Safari Special, 1978 Argosy Minuet, 1985 325 Moho, 1994 Limited 34' Two-door, 1994 B190 "B-Van"
|
|
|
08-18-2005, 01:39 PM
|
#5
|
1 Rivet Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 17
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by 85MH325
I towed my '61 Bambi with an '85 Toyota long bed 4cyl auto 2WD pickup. The dry weight as advertised on the '61 Bambi is 1860lbs. Assuming that the Highlander is rated to tow 3500lbs, my reservation towing with a Highlander would be the short wheelbase and light weight of the tow vehicle relative to the Bambi. That said, I currently tow a 16' Scamp custom deluxe that weighs 2600lbs dry with a '94 Toyota extended cab 4WD pickup with the 3.0l v6 and an automatic. It tows the Scamp very nicely, but again has a significantly longer wheelbase than the Highlander.
|
I just towed a '62 Globetrotter 19' from LA to New Mexico with my 1982 Toyota Landcruiser FJ60. Aside from the fact that It would have been better with some sway control, It was as happy as a clam. (I didn't use sway control or WD hitch.) The FJ60's wheelbase is 107.5 ( http://www.tlc4x4.com/2000/SpecPages/fj60_specs.htm) only .6 inches longer than the Highlander. of course the LC is not unibody, but steel frame.
Geof
|
|
|
08-18-2005, 03:29 PM
|
#6
|
Rivet Master
Commercial Member
1968 17' Caravel
2005 30' Safari
Somewhere
, roaming America
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,095
|
Of course you can. We tow a 68 Caravel and a 77 Argosy with a Honda Pilot, which is very similar. Over 20,000 miles of towing in the past two years and no problems. But you'll want the V6, not the 4 cylinder Highlander.
The shorter wheelbase means better maneuverability at the expense of straight-line stability. A weight distributing hitch with sway control is mandatory in my opinion.
|
|
|
07-13-2007, 07:59 PM
|
#7
|
Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
St. Catharines
, South Western Ontario
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,367
|
Consumer Report highly rates the Highlander Hybrids. Rluhr, your Pilot is up there too!
__________________
Airstreams..... The best towing trailers on the planet!
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|