Towing question

Now a place that I looked for help is being rude. We have owned a popup since 2007 which is our first camper and we are still camping in it. It weighs 3500lbs so pulling it with the Explorer which we first had and the Surburban now hasn't been an issue. We are looking to upgrade to a travel trailer in the spring, but our truck is falling apart slowly and since it is 12 years old with almost 200,000 miles on it, my mechanic says it is not worth the money to fix it. Thus why we are looking for an new tv. We have three kids my 12 year old is already 5'9" and still growing and the kids travel better when they are not right next to each other. Thus wanting the third row seat in our TV. My husband and I love the quad cab pickup trucks, but don't see it as a good investment. Whatever truck we get is also the vehicle my husband will be driving around in as well. So, if I understand all that you said to tow a 7000 lb trailer I need a vehicle that is capable of towing a 1/2 ton without killing the engine. These types of vehicles are only surburban, tahoes or the larger pickups. So something in the more midszie range like a Durango with a V8 still is not a good tow vehicle for us? I am not an idiot or I wouldn't have asked the question in the first place, I would have gone out and bought the Explorer and burned out the transmission. If all you can do is write and be a critic of me than don't bother responding. I am asking for your advice and experience with respect I deserve the same.

I drive a 2013 VW Touareg TDI SUV with a 3 liter turbodiesel motor. Towing capacity of the CHASSIS is rated at 7700 pounds and 770 #'s tongue weight. That is what the chassis is rated for. I can tell you that at 3800 #'s dry weight with my 21 foot Palomino Gazelle, once loaded up with another 500 or 600 pounds of goodies with just Me traveling solo, that trailer with much more than that would be crazy, out here in the mountains west of the Rockies. It drives fine 500 miles a day at 55 mph, and I know, I've done it 3x from Los Angeles to West Yellowstone, solo, in 2 days, each way, and a trip to Breckenridge, CO also.

Going much bigger, get a long wheelbase truck, preferably a 3/4 ton model, at a minimum, with 5 of you and 25 feet or more of trailer. You need that long wheelbase with that length of trailer or more.

shadows4 wrote:
OP'er, look into a full size van. It will have the room and the payload you require. Happy camping, John

I agree with this post by John. Makes a whole lot more sense than trying to make a SUV work and then being disappointed with the result.
Barney

OP'er, look into a full size van. It will have the room and the payload you require. Happy camping, John

MFOX, Hard to believe you have been a member of this forum since 2004 and you are asking a question like this. It is always all about the math. Use common sense first. a TT w/ a GVW of 7000 and a TT with a max tow of 7000 makes zero sense so don't waste time doing math when a simple 2 plus 2 equals 4 tells the story. And sorry, I am not a fan of the "if you can hook it up and make it move go for it crowd". Safety is always job #1. Folks with unsafe rig combo's should not be on the highway placing others in jeopardy.

MFOX wrote:
WOW I didn't mean to start so much arguing over this topic. We decided not to get the Explorer. To fix the surburban that is 12 years old and almost 200,000 miles on it isn't worth it. We love pickups, but we have three tall kids (my 12 year old is already 5'9) and we want to travel a little and see the country. Thank you for all your input. One last question how about the shorter Tahoe's or Durangos.

As I pointed out on first page of this thread and now finally pages 3 and 4, it's all about payload first. You need to know both the TV available payload and the TT tongue weight before doing anything else. That might mean test driving a potential TV and hitting the scale. Published weights are often significantly different than real world wrights.

With 2 adults and 3 kids I suspect you are going to have a very difficult time funding a 1/2 SUV or Pickup with enough payload capacity remaining after passengers and fuel alone to also support the tongue weight.

You best bet is stop asking about one potential TV or another, hit the scales and do the math. It's always starts and ends with the math.

3/4 ton crew cab should be fine WRT payload.

pappcam wrote:

CKNSLS wrote:

pappcam wrote:

MFOX wrote:
WOW I didn't mean to start so much arguing over this topic. We decided not to get the Explorer. To fix the surburban that is 12 years old and almost 200,000 miles on it isn't worth it. We love pickups, but we have three tall kids (my 12 year old is already 5'9) and we want to travel a little and see the country. Thank you for all your input. One last question how about the shorter Tahoe's or Durangos.

The new crew cab pickups have more rear leg room than any other sort of vehicle I've seen recently so I don't get why you're disregarding them because of your kid's height. A 1/2 ton crew cab with a tow package and a tonneau cover is a great set up for camping with a family of 5 or less.

I would check the payload numbers but offhand I would choose a Crew Cab 2500 and go test drive Ford, Chevy, Dodge and pick one. I also have read like the previous poster that the new Crew Cabs are quite spacious.

Payload might become an issue with 3 grown kids so I guess that should be considered as well.

CKNSLS wrote:

pappcam wrote:

MFOX wrote:
WOW I didn't mean to start so much arguing over this topic. We decided not to get the Explorer. To fix the surburban that is 12 years old and almost 200,000 miles on it isn't worth it. We love pickups, but we have three tall kids (my 12 year old is already 5'9) and we want to travel a little and see the country. Thank you for all your input. One last question how about the shorter Tahoe's or Durangos.

The new crew cab pickups have more rear leg room than any other sort of vehicle I've seen recently so I don't get why you're disregarding them because of your kid's height. A 1/2 ton crew cab with a tow package and a tonneau cover is a great set up for camping with a family of 5 or less.

I would check the payload numbers but offhand I would choose a Crew Cab 2500 and go test drive Ford, Chevy, Dodge and pick one. I also have read like the previous poster that the new Crew Cabs are quite spacious.

Payload might become an issue with 3 grown kids so I guess that should be considered as well.

pappcam wrote:

MFOX wrote:
WOW I didn't mean to start so much arguing over this topic. We decided not to get the Explorer. To fix the surburban that is 12 years old and almost 200,000 miles on it isn't worth it. We love pickups, but we have three tall kids (my 12 year old is already 5'9) and we want to travel a little and see the country. Thank you for all your input. One last question how about the shorter Tahoe's or Durangos.

The new crew cab pickups have more rear leg room than any other sort of vehicle I've seen recently so I don't get why you're disregarding them because of your kid's height. A 1/2 ton crew cab with a tow package and a tonneau cover is a great set up for camping with a family of 5 or less.

I would check the payload numbers but offhand I would choose a Crew Cab 2500 and go test drive Ford, Chevy, Dodge and pick one. I also have read like the previous poster that the new Crew Cabs are quite spacious.

MFOX wrote:
WOW I didn't mean to start so much arguing over this topic. We decided not to get the Explorer. To fix the surburban that is 12 years old and almost 200,000 miles on it isn't worth it. We love pickups, but we have three tall kids (my 12 year old is already 5'9) and we want to travel a little and see the country. Thank you for all your input. One last question how about the shorter Tahoe's or Durangos.

The new crew cab pickups have more rear leg room than any other sort of vehicle I've seen recently so I don't get why you're disregarding them because of your kid's height. A 1/2 ton crew cab with a tow package and a tonneau cover is a great set up for camping with a family of 5 or less.