New Tow Vehicle- Any Experience/Input?

[ek314]

Good evening,

We recently purchased a 2022 Salem FSX 179DBK. Length of approx 24'.

We are purchasing a new vehicle and trying to figure out our best option with regard to towing our Salem.

Considering model years 2018-2022 of the following:

Dodge Durango (factory installed hitch or aftermarket?)
Nissan Pathfinder (w/factory installed hitch)
Nissan Armada (factory installed or aftermarket?)

Nissan Frontier (factory installed hitch)
Nissan Titan (factory installed hitch)

We would prefer to purchase a SUV, but if a pick-up is truly the better option for towing the Travel Trailer, than we will go with that.

Any experiences with the above vehicles and information regarding the hitch equipment you are using would be great!

[MillMitch]

The Pathfinder and Titan are larger, and would be better tow vehicles. Having said that, we tow a Patriot (Gray Wolf) 23MK w/ a 2011 5.7L Durango w/ tow package and have been very happy with the Durango's tow capabilities. Whatever you decide, find a good WDH and get it dialed in; that made all the difference in the world for us.
Good luck and have fun.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by ek314

Good evening,



We recently purchased a 2022 Salem FSX 179DBK. Length of approx 24'.



We are purchasing a new vehicle and trying to figure out our best option with regard to towing our Salem.



Considering model years 2018-2022 of the following:



Dodge Durango (factory installed hitch or aftermarket?)

Nissan Pathfinder (w/factory installed hitch)

Nissan Armada (factory installed or aftermarket?)



Nissan Frontier (factory installed hitch)

Nissan Titan (factory installed hitch)



We would prefer to purchase a SUV, but if a pick-up is truly the better option for towing the Travel Trailer, than we will go with that.



Any experiences with the above vehicles and information regarding the hitch equipment you are using would be great!

A truck will always a better tow vehicle, in comparison to a SUV.
SUVs have softer suspensions and lower payload capacities, compared to a similar truck.
The Pathfinder would be the worse choice since it is a unibody chassis. The Titan hasn't been updated in years and is the worst selling full size 1/2 ton and gets the worst gas mileage.
You apparently seem to be a Nissan fan but there many better choices for a tow vehicles.
Also realize that your trailer will easily have a loaded tongue weight over 500lbs.



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[ek314]

Thanks- appreciate the clarification re truck vs. SUV and loaded tongue weight. I take it you mean it is over 500lbs due to propane tank, battery, etc.?

Regarding make of tow vehicle, yes, like Nissan for comfortable seats (my traveling companion has back issues).
However, we would consider other makes- any suggestions? I like Ford vans/SUVs. Wasn't too impressed with a F150 we rented from UHaul about 3 years ago, but should maybe give it another shot.

[bradw661]

That u-haul F-150 was a fleet truck. Check out a Lariat or higher package. Seats are quite comfortable. Rearends with 3:51 or lower ratios make for better towing.

[flyflotrtim]

Originally Posted by ek314

Thanks- appreciate the clarification re truck vs. SUV and loaded tongue weight. I take it you mean it is over 500lbs due to propane tank, battery, etc.?

Regarding make of tow vehicle, yes, like Nissan for comfortable seats (my traveling companion has back issues).
However, we would consider other makes- any suggestions? I like Ford vans/SUVs. Wasn't too impressed with a F150 we rented from UHaul about 3 years ago, but should maybe give it another shot.

Those of us that drive pickups tend to like our tow vehicles. You need to compare payload and other specifications, appearance and comfort to choose what best suits you and your family. We think our F150 more comfortable than our luxury SUV.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by bradw661

That u-haul F-150 was a fleet truck. Check out a Lariat or higher package. Seats are quite comfortable. Rearends with 3:51 or lower ratios make for better towing.

x2! My 2014 F150 XLT 3.5 Ecoboost crew cab rides great and is so roomy and is a fantastic tow machine.

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[elchilero53]

Originally Posted by bikendan

A truck will always a better tow vehicle, in comparison to a SUV.
SUVs have softer suspensions and lower payload capacities, compared to a similar truck.
The Pathfinder would be the worse choice since it is a unibody chassis. The Titan hasn't been updated in years and is the worst selling full size 1/2 ton and gets the worst gas mileage.
You apparently seem to be a Nissan fan but there many better choices for a tow vehicles.
Also realize that your trailer will easily have a loaded tongue weight over 500lbs.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Forest River Forums mobile app

Yeah, tongue weight should be close to 630 lbs. The OP needs to find a truck that will pull that and carry passengers. Any 1/2-ton pickup with Max-Tow for improved payload numbers should work well. Just need to check for payload numbers with the truck(s) of choice.

[rsdata]

my 2014 RAM Bighorn 4 door has a great ride and great seating for long trips, but also has a low payload capacity ( a little over 1300#), but adequate for my minimal 4900# trailer.

Compare the door sticker payload capacity of your desired new TV with the sticker weight of the Salem ( which is always an unloaded weight, so add at least a couple of hundred pounds to that number to take into account battery and propane plus any added accessories, then take 10-15% of that number to find a realistic tongue weight... subtract that tongue weight from the payload number found on the yellow sticker on the driver door frame and THAT number will be how much ADDIDTIONAL payload you can put into the TV... That might be the deciding factor in your choice

[NavyLCDR]

I'm the SUV guy. I tow a very similar trailer, 26', GVW 5,300 lbs (I'm at 4,900 on the scale) and 800 lbs tongue weight. I had a Dodge Durango, can't remember the year, maybe 2013. It had the 5.7 liter flex fuel engine, not the Hemi. I had the Harbor Freight weight distribution hitch with it, no extra sway control. It did OK, but it struggled on the hills. No problems with sway. I was right at weight limits with that truck.

I sold the Durango and got a 2015 Yukon Denali 4WD, Ultimate package, 6.2L V-8. I also upgraded to Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch. It is a great setup. It pulls the trailer fantastic with the auto leveling rear air shocks. You do have to watch your payload numbers on just about any tow vehicle. You are likely to run out of payload capacity first. My Yukon has 1550 payload so with 800 lbs tongue weight, 400 lbs wife and I, and about 40 lbs WDH, I'm only left with 300 lbs to spare. Lots of stuff ends up in the trailer if we bring MIL along. The truck has plenty of power, no problems on hills anymore!

Many people will tell you that you absolutely need a pickup to tow with, but I disagree.

[Chuck_S]

A decent SUV will tow this trailer with ease.

Published weights for this trailer are UVW 3219 + CCC 1646 = 4865 or less than 5000 pounds fully loaded. Even with 15% of that weight on the ball a SUV will handle 750 pounds with a WDH and not come close to exceeding maximum cargo capacity. The One Ton Rule specifies a tow vehicle with a maximum towing capacity of 7000 pounds or greater will handle this without breathing hard (5000 + 2000 = 7000). Don't scrimp, no one ever wished for less capacity.

Pickup? If you want the inconvenience of an open cargo area out there in the rain and weather and full of dirt and leaves this week by all means get a pickup. If you have more use for three rows of seating or two rows plus covered cargo space especially for the other 94% of the time you're not hauling the camper around get a SUV.

-- Chuck

[BehindBars]

I agree with Chuck_S, if you prefer an SUV, try to find one that can handle this trailer. If you go with a truck, would you be happy with it all the time you’re not towing.? I bought a truck to see what all the excitement was surrounding trucks, and other than for towing a boat or small trailer, I find a pickup to be a fairly useless vehicle. (I prefer a long cargo area and covered, secure cargo. If I needed a new tow vehicle, it would probably be a Ford Transit van).

[NavyLCDR]

Wow! Look at all the SUV'ers coming out of the closet!

[Chuck_S]

Never needed a truck for my Roo. I do have a real body-on-frame SUV though, not a unibody crossover but many of these can easily handle a sub-5000 pound camper.

If all you can afford is a pickup...

-- Chuck

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

Wow! Look at all the SUV'ers coming out of the closet!

I never thought or knew that the SUVers were in the closet.

[D W]

Honestly, recommending a TV for someone is like buying shoes for your wife.

[LivingToCamp]

You don't need a truck to tow that trailer, a proper SUV will do just fine.
Do you have use for the truck bed when not pulling around the TT ?
Or would an SUV fit your lifestyle better?
For us, we have grandkids, so third row seating was needed. But the SUV can haul so much more then just people and TT....
Towed a pickup truck from Fl to Ga on a car trailer
Hauled concrete blocks for home project
Hauled fertilizer, dirt, rocks, plywood, 2x4s, fire wood...
Carried our bikes, beach gear, fire pit and 2 grandkids for a weekend trips
The things I've hauled and pulled with my SUV are endless...

I have a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer Premier 8 cyl with tow package. Husky Centerline wdh w/anti sway.
Even though she is gaining in age and mileage, she has never given me any trouble. I keep up with all the maintenance requirements and I upgraded her tires and suspension.
She is paid for and I have no intentions on trading or giving up on her....she'll have to leave me first. ( I am talking about my SUV, not my DW....)

[LivingToCamp]

We not in the closet....just a quiet bunch of people who are confident about their tow vehicles.
No need to stir things up.....unless we're poked.

[MillMitch]

Originally Posted by ek314

Good evening,

We recently purchased a 2022 Salem FSX 179DBK. Length of approx 24'.

We are purchasing a new vehicle and trying to figure out our best option with regard to towing our Salem.

Considering model years 2018-2022 of the following:

Dodge Durango (factory installed hitch or aftermarket?)
Nissan Pathfinder (w/factory installed hitch)
Nissan Armada (factory installed or aftermarket?)

Nissan Frontier (factory installed hitch)
Nissan Titan (factory installed hitch)

We would prefer to purchase a SUV, but if a pick-up is truly the better option for towing the Travel Trailer, than we will go with that.

Any experiences with the above vehicles and information regarding the hitch equipment you are using would be great!

Since you mention with and w/o factory hitch. Keep in mind (at least with the SUV's) that factory Tow Packages make a big difference in tow capacities. As an example, our Durango is rated to tow 3500 w/o OEM tow package. Bolting on an aftermarket hitch doesn't change that. With the OEM tow package, the rating is 7200. So remember, if you are looking at used vehicles - all tow packages should come with a hitch, but not all vehicles with a hitch have a tow package.
Another thing to keep in mind whether towing with a truck or SUV - Payload is king. If your looking at an SUV because you want to haul 4-6 people plus tow a trailer, that will change recommendations. We tow a good size trailer w/ our Durango; but it's just the 2 of us with very little stuff in the Durango. If I had 2 or 3 people in the back, our setup wouldn't work.
Enjoy your 179DBK! I think the 5.7L Durango would work well for that (unless you have 3 teenagers).

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by bradw661

That u-haul F-150 was a fleet truck. Check out a Lariat or higher package. Seats are quite comfortable. Rearends with 3:51 or lower ratios make for better towing.

Just to be clear, Brad is recommending 3.51 or a higher number (which corresponds to a lower gear ratio.