Are you Happy with your Tow Vehicle ?

[purman]

There are lot of Threads on TV. which is the Best and so on.

I was just wonder if everyone is happy with what they have and why?

We seemed so passionate about the some of them and put down others.

Is there anyone out there who is not happy with your TV and why?
Have you had one you would not suggest? ( that you have towed with )

Some of us have to use our TV for other things so we don't have 3/4 ton pickups.

But I'm plenty happy towing with my Sequoia, I feel under control the whole time, forget the trailer is back there. Like when I pulled into a gas station at 1 am and dented my moon hubcaps on the concrete post Opps..

[SteveH]

I currently have a 1/2 ton '07 GMC extended cab with the 5.3 L gas engine, towing package, and a topper on the rear. I like it because it does a good job of towing while making what I consider reasonable mileage (12mpg towing) and is my daily driver (18 mpg empty). I feel the drive train in this truck is the minimum for towing our trailer, '01 25', but I'm happy with it because it is a relatively economical daily driver as well. Others might feel differently.

It replaced an '04 Dodge 1/2 ton with the 4.7 gas engine. I didn't like the Dodge for towing, and believe it or not, it did not get as good of mileage as the GMC now does. The main thing that I disliked about the Dodge when towing was the fact the transmission could not be locked out of OD. Yes, it had a tow/haul mode, but it would still go into OD which caused what I felt was an excessive amount of up and down shifting. It was also the single cab, short wheelbase, and the trailer, a 23' at that time, could actually man-handle the truck. Not a pleasant experience.

[Mikethefixit]

Purman
Surely this will prob start some sort of debate. BUT We are very happy wiff our 1 ton CrewCab Long bed . This is one of our daily drivers. We have two Fords an F150 that soon to be 15yrs old and runs and looks great. We like the F350 cause of its Wheelbase and interior room. Contrary to popular belief it does NOT ride hard. I have ridden in small cars that actually ride worse.
I most of the time dont know the Overlander is behind us, because the ride is so smooth.
So YES we are HAPPY With our TV.
Thanks for Askin
Roger

[ROBERT CROSS]

I am happy....

More importantly..so is the co-pilot, and if she's not happy, I'm not

[Silvertwinkie]

3/4 ton Suburban w/ 6.0L and 4.10s, 4x4.

Phenomenal tow vehicle!

[moosetags]

We have a 2005 Safari 25FB, named Lucy, that we purchased new in June, 2006. Since, we have pulled Lucy over 40,000 miles, and have spent 340 nights in her. Lucy tips the scales at about 7200#.

We have two tow vehicles, a 2005 GMC Yukon XL 2500 4WD, and a 2004 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 2WD. Both are Quadrasteer with the 3.73 differential and have the 6.0 liter V-8. We have pulled Lucy extensively with both. We use a Hensley Arrow hitch set-up. We have been very pleased with both of our TVs in all situations in all types of terrain. The pulling power is excellent, and the braling and handling is confidence inspiring. These TV are also our daily drivers, and we like them in that role also.

We formerly had a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe 2WD, 5.3 liter that we used for an occasional TV for Lucy. It worked OK, but I wouldn't want to take a long trip with that set-up.

Brian

[tphan]

Except for long, steep mountain passes (350 gas engine not terribly strong) the Burb 2500 performs great. Have never felt any sway from passing trucks, love all the inside storage with back seats removed, and the factory tow set-up is beefy. A diesel might be ideal.

[SafariSS]

I had a 3/4 ton with 6.0/3.73 (for sale still), and now use a 8.1/4.10 for towing my Safari 30 bunkhouse. The 8.1 is a tow monster, the mileage towing is a wash (10-11) and the room of the suburban is so nice having 4 girls.

I put 120k on the 6.0 and absolutely no issues, it would be a great tow vehicle for a 25-27 footer as it got 11 towing (even the 30') and got a awesome 15-16 without the trailer.

Here is a pic of the old and the new....!



And the new, last week on the Natchez trace..

[purman]

There is no debate here.. I just want to see the FACTS please... I have seen enough debates on the other Threads.

[markdoane]

I tow a vintage 24' tradewind with a '03 Tahoe/5.3L. I love the full size seating for 5 without the rear seats and it's a great daily driver, easy to park at the supermarket.

It's got a short wheelbase, but I have the hitch hard up against the rear bumper and with the dual cam it's a pleasure to tow with.

[silverback]

The Silverado 2500 HD (6.6L LB7 Duramax/Allison) just clicked over 78K miles on our Thanksgiving trip and just gets better. The Scan Gauge 2 says we averaged 12 MPG towing (up and over 7K feet at the CD) and well over 20 MPG non towing. I am starting to think about seat replacements or inserts.
-KL

[Stefrobrts]

We tow with a 95 E150 van with a 351. It has good points and bad points. The good would be it's way more TV than we need, and the trailer tows beautifully behind it. Also it has tons of room inside for cargo and the dogs. Also it's our work van when it's not towing.

The bad would be that it is a rough ride and noisy inside. It's very tiring to drive it for all day trips, like our annual 6hr drive to Ashland, OR. And that it get about 13mpg towing or not.

But since we can't afford another vehicle to use just for towing, and this one does double duty for work and play, we'll stick with it.

[dmac]

I have a 2005 Ford F150 to tow our 2003 Safari 25SS... I like the tow vehicle becasue it has enough power, heavy/long enough to tow without problems, yet has a very comfortable ride that I know is not pounding the trailer to pieces.

The only problem is the transmission gets too hot when towing up mountains - over 220 degrees. I installed a fan onto the factory transmission cooler, but the thermostat sensor is not tripping it on when it should... I may have the sensor installed on the wrong end of the cooler. I may also install a fan switch so I can turn on the tranny cooler fan from inside the cab. Once I figure it out, all should be okay.

[redeagle313]

Our 3/4 ton Chevy HD crew cab pickup is a great tow vehicle. I have towed our Airstream with a half ton pickup, a 1/2 ton Suburban and the HD and there is no comparison. The HD is far more comfortable and capable tow vehicle. It nevers feels like it is being pushed around and it is never under strain. 14 to 15 mpg towing when kept at 60 MPH or less, and 20+ mpg at 65mph when not towing.

[easyride]

Silverado 2500 4x4 extended cab,tows great just don`t like that 11mpg.Dave

[hampstead38]

Our current vehicle is a 2004 Nissan Titan XE ("little tow") crew cab, 2WD. Do we like our truck, yes. Of the 1/2 ton trucks we tried four years ago, it was our favorite. The Titan has been reasonably reliable and comfortable. Like many shade tree mechanics, there are things I would change... but not because I'm unhappy with the Titan. Like many shadetree mechanics, I think there are improvements one can make to any truck. I think we'll keep the Titan for the immediate future. The only question I have is whether or not to buy a 4WD before we move west. Unless our Airstream gets real heavy, our inclination would be to stay with Nissan or go with a Tundra.

[slowmover]

Big trailer, big load, big truck. We live in city so the truck is a quite different experience to drive, BUT as it has business purpose (it partly pays its own way) that is a small drawback. The ability to load a life times possessions ahead of a hurricane makes it easy, and the trailer makes for home in the event there no longer IS a home back here.

Toured a gorgeous little 25' A/S this afternoon, more my speed than my wifes. The Anodized Giant is great for full-timing, but the combination 63' rig is a handful in many ways. Were we to downsize -- with no desire for others to accompany us in the trailer -- then another, small TV would be chosen.

[mojo]

Have been towing our 19' Bambi for a 1 1/2 years now with a VW Touareg V8 and have been very happy with it's capabilities. The air suspension is great when hitching/unhitching on a slope. Just raise or lower the car as needed which has allowed me to hook up when I would not be able to remove the jack foot without it. The car is capable of towing 7200 lbs.

With 6 gear triptronic transmission, I can go from automatic to manual and select my gear for downgrades or maintaing a constatnt gear. All wheel drive keeps it steady on the road with option of locking center and rear diff for the slow slippery spots. It tows like a truck, climbs like a Jeep off-road, and performs like a Porsche when unleashed. There's also a V10 Diesel available that is just awesome.

It's a great SUV for the 25' and under 'streams.

[AZ-JH]

We're happy with the performance of our Dodge 2500 Cummins 5.9L (not the 6.7L). It rides comfortably even though it's a 3/4 ton and it has lots of room. It's still not broken in yet, but we're amazed with average mileage of over 15 mpg towing, fully loaded up and downhill combined. It gets 20-22 highway empty. Mileage both hand calculated plus on-board computer. It's too big to park just anywhere, though.

[Smokin Camel]

My 25' trailer is only about 6000 Lb loaded (yes I travel with a full tank of water). I pull it with a 2002 GMC 1/2 ton pick up truck, 5.3 L and a tow package. No complaints, even in the hills of SW Wisconsin. A heavier trailer or a lot of added cargo would require a heavier truck. for what I have the 1/2 ton does just fine.