Topic: Dkaz's yet another prolonged tow vehicle buying adventure

[HeliDriver]

^^ You used to be able to get AWD, but only on the 1500s. Not much of a tow vehicle, IMO.

And now they’ve discontinued the 1500s entirely.

[bridgecity]

I wonder why you don’t see more of these towing?

My guess is the lack of AWD/4WD and most won't spend the moula on a dedicated tow vehicle, and they won't use it as a daily/family hauler because, well, full size vans ain't hip. 

[ArticSteve]

I've never seen any good implementation of cylinder deactivation and don't know why they keep trying.


Agreed.


Ram's V6 with eTorque might be ok.

Be interesting to have one for a week.  Essentially the truck is going to be a urban ppl mover with the odd tow trip so not out of the question. Love sitting a lights for minutes without any ICE and starting off without the typical bendix type stop/start system which are pure crap. 

[Great_Big_Abyss]

∆∆∆ Pentastar is a really good motor, too.  Likely Chrysler's best.

[dirtyjeffer]

My guess is the lack of AWD/4WD and most won't spend the moula on a dedicated tow vehicle, and they won't use it as a daily/family hauler because, well, full size vans ain't hip.

i used to rock a full size van back in the day...it was an early 80s Chevy...it was my dad's old van he used for towing his race car to the track every week...primer brown with a 350 V8...the thing was a tank...put a couch in the back and my big stereo system in it...the van wasn't worth anything, but i had it for about 2 years and only put gas in it (and a few oil changes).

[2JDM]

Could probably find a gently used one that was owned by a church. 

[dkaz]

I sold my Sequoia because it was too big and used too much gas. So naturally you guys think I should go bigger with a full size van. This forum doesn’t disappoint, lol.

[Gurgie]

You need a proper tow vehicle.... why you would own a travel trailer that large without a way to transport it whenever you want is incomprehensible to me 

Wouldn't the tow vehicle just sit 90% of the time & not get daily driven? If so, then who gives a flying how much fuel it uses? Use the scooter for most of your daily commuting and you're fine 

[2JDM]

You need a proper tow vehicle.... why you would own a travel trailer that large without a way to transport it whenever you want is incomprehensible to me 

Wouldn't the tow vehicle just sit 90% of the time & not get daily driven? If so, then who gives a flying how much fuel it uses? Use the scooter for most of your daily commuting and you're fine 

In that case I'd get one of the ecoboost F-150s. Keep the miles low (less chance of problems) and get decent gas mileage while towing.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I sold my Sequoia because it was too big and used too much gas. So naturally you guys think I should go bigger with a full size van. This forum doesn’t disappoint, lol.

You also said it wasn't big enough to properly tow your trailer.  So, yes, we're recommending something bigger.  And, as Gurgie said, as long as you have another mode of transportation, who cares about daily fuel consumption? 

I've stopped caring about the fuel consumption of the Tundra, because now we have the Civic to drive around on a daily basis, and the truck only gets used when we need a truck.

[dirtyjeffer]

when you need to tow, you have to pay to play...it's part of the game.

[ktm525]

I said earlier. Selll the trailer, invest in hammocks and the world is your oyster.

Here is an almost brand new van. Sell the trailer and camp in this.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calgary/2020-chevrolet-express-2500-extended-cargo-van-500k-virtualy-new/1503167991

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I said earlier. Selll the trailer, invest in hammocks and the world is your oyster.

Here is an almost brand new van. Sell the trailer and camp in this.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calgary/2020-chevrolet-express-2500-extended-cargo-van-500k-virtualy-new/1503167991

You could camp in it down by the river!

[dkaz]

You also said it wasn't big enough to properly tow your trailer.  So, yes, we're recommending something bigger.  And, as Gurgie said, as long as you have another mode of transportation, who cares about daily fuel consumption? 

I've stopped caring about the fuel consumption of the Tundra, because now we have the Civic to drive around on a daily basis, and the truck only gets used when we need a truck.

It didn't have the payload, not that it wasn't big enough. Size does not equal payload. Going over GVWR has legal ramifications especially in the event of an accident.

You need a proper tow vehicle.... why you would own a travel trailer that large without a way to transport it whenever you want is incomprehensible to me 

Wouldn't the tow vehicle just sit 90% of the time & not get daily driven? If so, then who gives a flying how much fuel it uses? Use the scooter for most of your daily commuting and you're fine 

I sold my way of transporting it and now I just rent a way of transporting it. And I'll probably just rent until I figure out what I want, especially since all the used stuff seems to be inflated these days with competition from the USA. But as mentioned,

What's prompting this is part of me is coming to the realization that no matter how good of a motorcycle rider I become, sometimes we are unexpectedly at the mercy of the drivers around us. The video I saw of a guy on his bike waiting at a stop light when a truck came in diagonally at a good speed and pinned him against the truck in front of him. How do you even look for that? So maybe I should be a normal adult, mitigate risks to my life so I can stick around long enough to see my kids to adulthood, and think about going back to two wheels after that. It's not like I do a lot of riding just because these days anyway.

In that case I'd get one of the ecoboost F-150s. Keep the miles low (less chance of problems) and get decent gas mileage while towing.

The Ecoboost engines help with day to day fuel economy. But when towing, all the gassers seem to be about that 25 L/100km mark no matter the engine size or turbo. Even the Ranger does about that, but it would be super cheap on gas for day to day driving.

[Arthur Dent]

It is not as fun but maybe rent a camping spot for each season and only move it once a year? (the trailer)

[ktm525]

I said earlier. Selll the trailer, invest in hammocks and the world is your oyster.

Here is an almost brand new van. Sell the trailer and camp in this.

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calgary/2020-chevrolet-express-2500-extended-cargo-van-500k-virtualy-new/1503167991

You could camp in it down by the river!

or pay a little more and get this high roof Ford. Much better than the Danger Ranger!

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1494659264

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Seasonal is definitely the way to go if you want to camp, but don't want to own a truck.  My brother just got a seasonal site this spring for his trailer.  He's in the process of selling his F-150.

[dkaz]

It is not as fun but maybe rent a camping spot for each season and only move it once a year? (the trailer)

We are considering that, but we'll look in October when things clear up a bit as everything is booked solid until then. My wife has mentioned wanting to have a stationary unit to AirBNB. I might grab a tent trailer again if that's the case.

[Arthur Dent]

Yeah this year is odd as far as camping goes.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

It is not as fun but maybe rent a camping spot for each season and only move it once a year? (the trailer)

We are considering that, but we'll look in October when things clear up a bit as everything is booked solid until then. My wife has mentioned wanting to have a stationary unit to AirBNB. I might grab a tent trailer again if that's the case.

Best part about Seasonal is you can make you site nice.  Build a deck, gazebo, nice big firepit, have a large supply of firewood, etc.  You can really make it comfortable, and a home away from home.  Kinda like a cabin, but cheaper.