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Old 01-07-2016, 09:45 AM   #1
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Tow vehicle recommendation

My wife and I are the proud owners of a 2015 Viking 17FQ travel trailer and we are looking at getting a new tow vehicle. We are planning a couple of trips through Northern Ontario, which has some long steep grades, and we will be going across Canada out to B.C., so crossing the Rockies. We want to make sure we have something that would have enough power to get over the mountains and something that will stop us on the other side. Decent mileage would be nice too (ha ha)
Here are the numbers from our trailer:
298 lbs hitch weight
3518 lbs GVWR
770 lbs CCC
21' 4" exterior length
9' 8" exterior height
88" exterior width

I am confused as to what to look for in a tow vehicle, this is the first time I have towed anything other than taking my boat 10 minutes down the road to the ramp. Should I be looking at something that can tow twice the trailer weight? More/less? I know there are a lot of opinions on what one should consider, so I would like some thoughts. What would you get if this was your trailer and you were planning on taking it through the mountains.
It will only ever be my wife and I in the vehicle, and our combined weight is about 400lbs. (Holiday baking was good!). Our plan is to keep this trailer as long as possible, then in 15 years or so when I retire to get a class C, so we won't need the vehicle to be able to pull anything bigger that this trailer. As for gear, I don't pack as light as I should.

Thanks in advance. There is a lot of info in the forum.
Cheers
Kevin
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Old 01-07-2016, 09:50 AM   #2
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If that were mine and I knew strongly in my heart that I would never get the urge to keep getting a larger camper, I'd go buy a nice new F150 which I could use as a daily driver.

Nice trucks and more than enough to tow that camper well.
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Old 01-07-2016, 09:52 AM   #3
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Do you want a truck or suv?

If I had that trailer. I would look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel.

What's your budget?


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Old 01-07-2016, 10:01 AM   #4
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Thanks for the quick responses.

We have been looking at the F150's and the Ram 1500's, but there seem to be so many different versions of each it gets confusing. It amazes me how many different flavours of the same vehicle there can be.

We did look at the Grand Cherokee, they are nice looking vehicles. Right now we have a Jeep Wrangler Sahara unlimited, so we are Jeep people. As for Truck/SUV, we don't really have a preference, as long as we can both drive it comfortably and it has the power needed. I am 6'5 so not all vehicles work for me.

Price may be a bit more of an issue. This is going to be a second vehicle, more for towing than anything, but we will be using is occasionally to extend the life of our Jeep. Love that vehicle.
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Old 01-07-2016, 10:31 AM   #5
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Since you already have a Jeep, I'd recommend a truck. It has a lot of utility and you might find you need the bed for hauling something in the future. Just about any half ton truck will have absolutely no problem pulling that trailer. With only 770lbs of CCC, be prepared to load several hundred pounds of your camping "stuff" into the truck, though. The F150 with the 5.0V8, the Dodge with the 5.7 Hemi, the Chevy with the 5.3L or the Tundra with the 5.7 V8 would all work fine, IMHO. I would avoid the smaller V8's at all cost- they are WAY down on power and typically offer little to no improvement in fuel mileage. The new F150 with the 2.7 Ecoboost would be a great choice and offer several MPG better than most of the V8's, or you could opt for the 3.5 Ecoboost which would easily tow that trailer without breaking a sweat. The Dodge Ecodiesel gets excellent loaded and unloaded towing mileage and would do a great job- just be aware that you'll have slightly higher maintenance costs, have to use DEF and find places to get diesel(of course diesel is extremely common, but not everywhere sells diesel, so just be aware).

Since you asked for opinions, here's what I would choose: I'd go for a new F150 with the 2.7 Ecoboost. Lots of low end torque and better fuel mileage unloaded. I have political and reasons for choosing the Ford as well, but opinions vary there so I won't get into them. Even though I haven't personally used one, I'd be giving the Andersen hitch system a try with that type of setup as well.
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Old 01-07-2016, 10:44 AM   #6
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Thanks, that is great info. In our area, it is actually not as easy to find diesel as others, my in-laws were out last year with their Jetta and we had to go to 3 stations to find diesel for them, so I think I would be more inclined to go with gas. Plus, gas is cheaper than diesel here right now and has been for about a year. But we probably won't be buying for a couple of months so things may change.

Cheers.
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Old 01-07-2016, 11:37 AM   #7
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Thanks, that is great info. In our area, it is actually not as easy to find diesel as others, my in-laws were out last year with their Jetta and we had to go to 3 stations to find diesel for them, so I think I would be more inclined to go with gas. Plus, gas is cheaper than diesel here right now and has been for about a year. But we probably won't be buying for a couple of months so things may change.

Cheers.
You probably know this, but just in case you aren't familiar with them, the 2.7L Ecoboost I ultimately recommended is a gas engine.
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Old 01-07-2016, 11:42 AM   #8
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Yes, thanks for that. It was more a comment on diesel in general.
I have started looking at the one you recommended, the F150's are definitely nice looking trucks.
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Old 01-07-2016, 12:23 PM   #9
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The F150 with the 2.7 will give fantastic mileage when not towing. Plenty of power for your application. Towing 7000# with a 2015 EB 2.7 was easy but MPG went to 9.3 through the NC mountains. Rarely does anyone hold their plan of not going bigger in 5 years or so. For that reason I'd suggest the EB 3.5. If it were me I'd get a F250 anyway.
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Old 01-07-2016, 01:28 PM   #10
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The F150 with the 2.7 will give fantastic mileage when not towing. Plenty of power for your application. Towing 7000# with a 2015 EB 2.7 was easy but MPG went to 9.3 through the NC mountains. Rarely does anyone hold their plan of not going bigger in 5 years or so. For that reason I'd suggest the EB 3.5. If it were me I'd get a F250 anyway.
9.3mpg towing 7K through the mountains is AWESOME mileage from any gas truck. In 5 years or so, most people would be ready for a new truck anyway, so I see no reason to buy an F250. They'll either be spending big money for a diesel(already said they don't want a diesel) or getting a gas that will get maybe 60% of the unloaded fuel mileage of the 2.7EB. And I had a 3.5 EB that was a great truck. But, towing what they are I'd opt for the 2.7 and reap the benefits of the fuel mileage and initial savings.
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Old 01-07-2016, 02:00 PM   #11
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While your camper listed is short and light and can be safely towed by just about any 1/2 ton truck, a turbo engine would make crossing the Rockies a more pleasant experience.

Your trailer could even be pulled by a v6 1/2 ton, but I woudln't advise it. the V6 will work way too hard in the mountains, unless it's an F150 ecoboost.
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Old 01-07-2016, 02:26 PM   #12
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While your camper listed is short and light and can be safely towed by just about any 1/2 ton truck, a turbo engine would make crossing the Rockies a more pleasant experience.

Your trailer could even be pulled by a v6 1/2 ton, but I woudln't advise it. the V6 will work way too hard in the mountains, unless it's an F150 ecoboost.
Very true. I didn't even consider elevation. Either of the EB engines will maintain power at extremely high elevations whereas any of the V8's will lose power as you climb due to being naturally aspirated.
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Old 01-07-2016, 02:35 PM   #13
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Thanks guys, this is great info!
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Old 01-07-2016, 02:52 PM   #14
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Half ton full size trucks work great with that trailer! I like the trim and options lists on them too.(make sure it has a towing package) I notice the ford and chevy half tons just look better. V-8 medium size 5 to 5.7 L would work great! I have done what you are talking about. even after adding a better trans cooler and slotted front rotors the truck is much cheaper than the big diesel haulers. My chevy has the information system on it and I highly value the transmission temperature display! It is amazing the difference in temperatures, what gear and rpm, speed, load (hills) you use and how the engine and transmission will heat up in different circumstances. The benefits for me with the gas motor is that I can change motors and tranny for what some of my buddies pay to service their diesel. Because I can do the labor myself, I'm not used to working on diesels. I have 130 thousand on my chevy and it's still going strong (no motor or tranny changes). My last truck I didn't have to mess with the motor or tranny until 295 thousand miles.
A 7 foot wide trailer tows great on the roadway. When you get to 8 foot wide you need bigger mirrors and you need to watch your lane positioning much closer (more stressful driving on small roads)
An Anderson hitch is worth the money. I was just waiting for one of those spring bar hitches to knock out one of my teeth. Every one seems to want to talk to me right when I need to concentrate on what I'm doing. Undoing the spring hitches or pumping out the pooper, just leave me alone!
The down size to a half ton is that you are limited. If you get the 2 foot ittis that most of us get you may not be able to haul the mega coach of your future.
It sounds like you have a lot of fun and adventure ahead of you. good luck and happy travels!!...Walt
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Old 01-07-2016, 03:43 PM   #15
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Thanks Walt.

I like to think we won't be looking for a bigger trailer any time soon, coming from tent camping this trailer is already a palace to us.
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Old 01-07-2016, 07:05 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by dustman_stx View Post
9.3mpg towing 7K through the mountains is AWESOME mileage from any gas truck. In 5 years or so, most people would be ready for a new truck anyway, so I see no reason to buy an F250. They'll either be spending big money for a diesel(already said they don't want a diesel) or getting a gas that will get maybe 60% of the unloaded fuel mileage of the 2.7EB. And I had a 3.5 EB that was a great truck. But, towing what they are I'd opt for the 2.7 and reap the benefits of the fuel mileage and initial savings.
Disappointing when 22 - 23 mpg around locally
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Old 01-07-2016, 07:26 PM   #17
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(We are planning a couple of trips through Northern Ontario, which has some long steep grades, and we will be going across Canada out to B.C., so crossing the Rockies. We want to make sure we have something that would have enough power to get over the mountains and something that will stop us on the other side. )

You said steep grades and mountains.
There is only one truck that can handle this and it's a RAM !Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByForest River Forums1452212735.227485.jpg
Views:	188
Size:	108.2 KB
ID:	97436
This is the only true mountain towing steep grade stoping truck you will ever need.



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Old 01-07-2016, 07:37 PM   #18
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X3 2.7 Eco. Solid Truck and great torque compared to other offerings.
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Old 01-08-2016, 09:05 AM   #19
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Disappointing when 22 - 23 mpg around locally
When that 2.7 is dragging a 7k trailer up a mountain it is putting out a significant amount of power. That's not free. It takes fuel to produce that power. You got significantly better mileage than a big V8 when unloaded(there are a few variations that would come close, such as the GM 5.3, but only with really high gears that are VERY poor for towing), yet can hook up a 7K trailer and tow it better than those same V8's and get similar fuel mileage when towing. Sounds like a win-win to me.
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Old 01-08-2016, 09:10 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by Homebrew View Post
(We are planning a couple of trips through Northern Ontario, which has some long steep grades, and we will be going across Canada out to B.C., so crossing the Rockies. We want to make sure we have something that would have enough power to get over the mountains and something that will stop us on the other side. )

You said steep grades and mountains.
There is only one truck that can handle this and it's a RAM !Attachment 97436
This is the only true mountain towing steep grade stoping truck you will ever need.



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He's made it clear he doesn't want a diesel (And doesn't even come remotely close to needing one for the trailer in question). And when you make blind brand loyal statements like this it causes you to lose all credibility and people tend to disregard your advice.
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