Happy medium between comfort and good gas mileage to haul?

[MookieKat]

Hi everyone! I just joined tonight, because we need your experience and wisdom! What would be your recommendation for the most practical size of TT for a couple in their early 60s who wants to travel around the country visiting national parks? We want something that would be good on gas mileage.

We saw a Fun Finder 18' with slide (around 3,100 lbs) on Craiglslist and it looked good, but then we saw a 21' with slide (around 4,200 lbs.) today and loved the layout and the roominess. However, we do not want something that is hard to maneuver around twisting mountain roads, nor do we want to have to buy a vehicle that is a gas guzzler, so we are torn... What is the happy medium between comfort and maneuverability? What is the sweet spot in comfort and decent gas mileage?

We need a newer vehicle anyway, so we will be buying a used SUV that can tow a trailer and will be great to use as an everyday vehicle, since we do not plan (at this juncture), to go full-time....most likely, we will only be traveling 1-2 months out of the year.

We had considered the Toyota Highlander, which tows 5,000 lbs., but we are not married to that idea. Any advice on a vehicle purchase would be appreciated as well! Thanks in advance for your help!

[MookieKat]

We will look into the Ford F-150 powered by the 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine. It sounds really good!

[Proteus]

ML350 diesel was great,and towed a 5700lb UVW through Yellowstone and Glacier with no problems. Conventional "truck" towing advice doesn't really apply..the euro TDI SUVs have excellent torque, used for both uphill grades, and engine braking downhill. Main thing is to ignore the old "15%" on hitch rule, and ensure you have weight in the trailer distributed above the axle, not the tongue. We had trouble until we shifted weight to the rear and center, made for a much easier tow. The old 15% tongue rule is probably needed for trucks due to their loose, bouncy suspensions, and long overhangs. Also note that you don't ever want to go above 65mph, and 60 is probably safer.

[APT]

Any given vehicle uses about the same amount of fuel towing any high walled TT, 4000 pounds to 10000 pounds.

Check out the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel and the VW Touareg TDI. They will tow many travel trailers under 5000 pounds dry and get 13-16mpg, about the best you can expect for vehicle towing. They are mid-sized SUVs with 4WD/AWD. The diesels offer over 400 lb-ft of torque in the 1500-2500rpm range, right where people want it.

[rexlion]

MookieKat wrote:
We do own a 1998 Dodge Dakota 5.2L V8 318 club cab with factory installed towing package. It has 230,000 miles on it. GVWR is 5,320 lbs. Manual says with a class 4 hitch, it will tow GTW of 7,100 lb.

Will this do the job of towing the 25' 4,200 lb TT? I wonder if it could make it all the way cross country and back, and up and down mountain roads at Yosemite?

We did not consider this vehicle because of its age and accumulated mileage, but if this would be adequate for a year or so, we could buy a newer truck down the road. That would be a huge help financially and we could buy a better TT if we do not have to shell out money for a newer vehicle as well.

Over 300 HP, 4500 lb curb weight, and a 131" wheelbase... sounds like a good tow vehicle to me. Other than the age, I wouldn't hesitate.

The Livin' Lite trailers are aluminum and Azdel composite, with no wood. I would expect no fumes from it other than maybe from seat cushions/fabric.

Something in my '05 Rockwood would make my nasal passages sting mildly after some exposure, for about the first year we owned it. When I bought the current KZ unit, I got it with vent hoods so I could leave the top vents open 24/7 with the fan running on low; that helped air it out more quickly.

[MookieKat]

hbillsmith wrote:
The Dutchmen Kodiak Express line are ultra-lights. Check out

Kodiak 163QBSL

Will this not emit fumes?

[hbillsmith]

The Dutchmen Kodiak Express line are ultra-lights. Check out

Kodiak 163QBSL

[MookieKat]

Well....now the game has changed!! I am on the hunt for a "green" trailer, after having it brought to my attention by one of you precious people, that there are TTs out there that will NOT emit toxic fumes!! : )

[anaro]

Have you looked at these?
Palomino solaire ultralight. It lists as 23'4" and is really light. The Dakota might be able to handle it. I don't think you'll be putting 3000 lbs gear in it. It will probably be closer to 5000-5500 lbs loaded. Which means a tongue weight of around 650-825 lbs. So if that is within specs for your Dakota you could try. I suspect you will ant a larger vehicle sooner than later though.

Here is a lighter and smaller tt by forest river. Forest river micro lite

[anaro]

I would not tow a 25' tt with a Dakota. Also of the Dakota isn't built with tow package installed then you will need to add a heavy duty transmission cooler and get it wired for brake controller and 7 pin plug at a minimum and that is without considering any other issues. Also that 7100 lb tow weight is before you two, any pets, gear and options on the truck.

Your best bet is to find a tt you can live with and get a tv to match. When tv shopping, consider the gvwr of the tt and not he dry weight. I would say 4200 lb dry and 25' puts you in half ton truck, full size SUV or full size fan territory. An armada, suburban, expedition or excursion are good choices for that size. As are F150 (especially ecoboost), Silverado, ram, titan and tundra for truck choices. I would double check the tire loading sticker in the door for "cargo and occupants not to exceed X lbs". Subtract the weight of items, people and pets. The number left has to be able to accommodate loaded (not dry) tongue weight. 4200 lb dry tt will probably be between 5200-5700 lbs loaded based upon what the average people load (could be more, could be less). That means est tongue weight of around 675-850 lbs. Again this could potentially be higher, these are guesses based upon averages. Working that backward and accounting for safety margins I would want something that can easily tie over 7000 lbs adjusted tow capacity and handle at least 1000 lbs payload after accounting for people and gear. That is my personal preferences for safety margins after having been marginal.

[MookieKat]

We do own a 1998 Dodge Dakota 5.2L V8 318 club cab with factory installed towing package. It has 230,000 miles on it. GVWR is 5,320 lbs. Manual says with a class 4 hitch, it will tow GTW of 7,100 lb.

Will this do the job of towing the 25' 4,200 lb TT? I wonder if it could make it all the way cross country and back, and up and down mountain roads at Yosemite?

We did not consider this vehicle because of its age and accumulated mileage, but if this would be adequate for a year or so, we could buy a newer truck down the road. That would be a huge help financially and we could buy a better TT if we do not have to shell out money for a newer vehicle as well.

[PAThwacker]

You would need 7500lb capacity at minimum to tow a 4200lb fictional dry weight.
Here is 11mpg unloaded/11mpg towing SUV in comfort. Handles everything you can throw at it on road, or off road.

No SUVs are the same. No CUV can handle towing, offer offroad capabilities, and match the payloads of full size body on frame SUV.

[rexlion]

Oh, I guess I focused on the "FF 189WSB 18' 9" and 3,135 lb dry wt." and missed noticing that 25 footer. Yep, that's too long and too heavy. For a 25' TT I'd suggest a full size SUV or full size pickup, or even a full size van. Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoyah, Chevy Suburban are good possibilities... get the largest engine available in any of them.

[MookieKat]

How about a TT that is 3,685 lbs and 21 feet (FF 210WBS)? I guess that would come closer to being easier to handle. It just does not have the kind of bathroom that we feel is safe. It has a step-up tub-shower.

Has anyone modified this type of shower to a low shower stall? If we could change this aspect, we could live with this size.

[MookieKat]

This is really hard!! For better handling, we need to stay 20' or under! But, we have not seen anything comfortable that is 20' or under. The only one so far, that we have seen, is a 25' 4,200 lb FF.

The 18' is a not a walk-around bed, and we just do not and cannot be climbing over each other to get in and out of bed. There is one more dealer around here, but it seems that lightweight, small TTs are very hard to find...especially with walk-around beds! Used is even harder!