What is your tow vehicle?

[RRRCubed]

Thinking about getting an A Frame camper. I currently have a 2013 Ford Escape V6 rated at 3500 tow capacity but I feel like that will be really close to max capacity. I want to get the TV figured out before purchasing a camper... It doesn't help that I cant decide between a small a122 and a larger a213 but curious about what everyone is using. I prefer an SUV ....

Thanks!


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[Mike G]

I tow my A122 SXR with a 2016 Tacoma, it pulls and tows great.

[JPBar]

IMO, what ever you decide on make sure that it is equipped with factory tow package. Will save you a lot of time and some money not having an after market installed.

Since you already own a Ford , might check out an Expedition, F-150 crew cab.

Good luck in your adventure

[BJR]

I tow a Rockwood A122s with a 2015 Honda Pilot rated at 4500lb tow capacity. It does great.

[Luv70sFords]

It wont take much gear to start pushing the 213 passed what you're rated to tow. Stuff adds up quick! If you can travel real light, the 122 might do ok for you, but to be honest, I think you'll find you dont have quite enough vehicle for the task.

I tow my 212 with a 2010 Ranger V6. Manual transmission drops the weight down to 3300 available for towing, and I'm right up against that with all the stuff loaded. I increase my margin of error by staying in 4th (the strongest gear) and staying the heck off my clutch. I'm under no illusions this will last forever, but I'm a mechanic and I love my little truck, so when it becomes an issue, I'll fix it and move forward. Suspension and brake wise, the automatics are rated for 5500, so it never feels like the camper is bigger than the truck.

Here we are at the highest point of Hwy 12 in Utah. What a beautiful drive.


I had to rescue my buddy when his truck overheated towing his mini-lite. I hooked it up and went along my way with 5000lbs of trailer. Knowing my transmission wasnt happy I kept it nice and slow, but that trailer being close to the weight limit of what the chassis was designed for had me white knuckling the drive home. It was Porpoising, and everything that passed me was trying deperately to make me sway. We stayed under control, but it was twitchy and scary, and my poor wife got car sick.

As you can see in the picture, the truck appears to carry the weight well. Let me tell you, after a small 20 mile drive, I was done thinking I could tow something bigger!

[Jodilc]

We tow our HW192 with a 2016 Honda Pilot. With the tow package it's rated for 5,000 lbs so we're well within the limits. We had both the Pilot and the camper weighed on a truck scale. The camper itself only weighs 2800 lbs - with a full tank of water.

Our Honda does a great job towing. Hardly know the camper is behind it.

[azmotogirl]

We have a A122 and just took our first trip with it pulled by a BMW X3. While it might be nice to have more power, it did just fine.

[mzak]

A124, 2006 Colorado 2.8L. auto. No problems yet. 19-20 mpg towing at 60-65 mph.

[Just the 2 of us]

When you buy your tv get as much truck with max tow package that you can afford. Moving up in trailer size is addictive and buying a new tv every time you move up is very expensive

[pgandw]

As I mentioned in your other thread, we use a 2008 Hyundai Entourage (minivan, re-badged Kia Sedona), rated to tow 3,500 lbs. European version is rated for significantly more trailer weight, which gives me confidence in the strength of the unibody.

With a somewhat soft suspension for comfortable road trips, I needed a WDH to keep the minivan tail from sagging and throwing off the handling. We installed (at dealer recommendation) an Equalizer E2 600/6000 combined WDH/anti-sway. Absolutely love having the WDH - it's well worth the extra 5 minutes in hook-up time. Ride is good enough that wife is comfortable driving the tow in Eastern Colorado/Nebraska 35MPH cross-winds on the interstate.

I did not have a WDH with my 1993 Ford Explorer/2000 Coleman Westlake PUP. That was a white-knuckle experience that would start to sway every time at 62 MPH.

Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame

[zimme47]

I have a 2015 f150 with the 3.5l ecoboost and max two package. Truck tows like a chamomile. Only problem is that six months and the paint is flaking and the clear coat is bubbling. Ford turned me down on the buy back the dealer grapevine ford in grapevine texas is really making this warranty difficult. My advice on ford watch for quality. Me personally nice truck mechanically sound shifty paint job on aluminum. Last ford I will own.

[Dsfast]

I tow with a 2013 Ford F-150 eco boost love it don't even know my 128s is even there

[zimme47]

Love the truck mechanically tows like a champ. 27 coachman. Just the paint job sucks. Flaking looks like their was dirt on the aluminum before they painted it. Other them that nice truck mechanically. If ford and the dealership would stand behind their product...

[wrvond]

This'll do it for you!


Just kidding! No need to go to extremes, but you do have a couple things to consider.
If you buy a vehicle, such as a newer F150 (or equivalent) with a hitch rated for 600 lb. tongue weight, you won't have to mess with a WDH. A much less capable vehicle may still be able to tow the camper, but will require a WDH to do it.

[JArry]

Plenty of power, but I really could use a WDH - eventually.

[RRRCubed]

Thanks for the responses everyone!!! Kind of verifying what I already suspected. I like the looks of the Ford F-150 and I am a Ford fan, I was just hoping I could find something smaller with the tow capacity I need as whatever vehicle I get will also be my everyday vehicle.... I have lots of thinking to do! Thanks!


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[Alvega007]

My tow vehicle is a 2013 Dodge Durango R/T to tow our Surveyor.

[tjwoody]

Originally Posted by RRRCubed

Thanks for the responses everyone!!! Kind of verifying what I already suspected. I like the looks of the Ford F-150 and I am a Ford fan, I was just hoping I could find something smaller with the tow capacity I need as whatever vehicle I get will also be my everyday vehicle.... I have lots of thinking to do! Thanks!


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I am getting a Rockwood A212HW and plan to tow it with my 2016 Ford Explorer. It has a 3.5 l V6 (not eco boost) with the factory tow package - 5000 lbs tow capacity, 400 lbs tongue weight. It should be no problem, as the trailer has a loaded weight of 3500 and we hardly ever load our trailers all the way up.

By the way - we are downsizing from a 5th wheel. The A frame fits our style and places we like to camp so much better.

[Face Palm]

We use to tow our Rockwood 1980 with a 2010 Escape V6. I don't think I would want to tow much more with it. Hence we upgraded to this

[mudman2]

Originally Posted by Alvega007

My tow vehicle is a 2013 Dodge Durango R/T to tow our Surveyor.

U gotta be kidding.


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