Tips for maintaining a third vechile as a tow only

[pk1023]

Hey all,

After a year or so of fighting with my 2012 Nomad 173 and a 2012 Nissan Quest, I am ready to give up the goat and buy a truck that can rightly tow even this little trailer.

I have found that the Quest just makes me too nervous. The hitch is SO low and the engine really works when under the weight of the trailer.

So I am ready to buy a truck. This will be a third vehicle for our family and not meant to be a daily driver. We're going used, quite used in fact to keep it a reasonable out lay of cash.

I guess I don't really need advice on type. The trailer is roughly 3000 pounds fully loaded. We're planning on a F150 1/2 ton or Chevy 1500, but we've also REALLY liked the Honda Ridgeline and even tried on with our trailer, it drove GREAT.

Here's my question. I plan to buy the truck and mainly keep it with my trailer at the storage lot about 3 miles from my house.

Now I do plan to every 2 weeks at least go up and switch off the truck for my Chevy Cruze. Then I will drive the truck for 3 or 4 days and then switch back. In the winter, I might even keep the truck with me at the house and drive it more daily while keeping the cruze in the garage.

So since this truck isn't going to see daily use, what special precautions do I need to take?

Thinking:
Fluids?
Tires?
Paint, do I cover?

Also, I am looking at something with the 100k mark on it or more. I plan do the 100k service to whatever I get right away. But, what else might I need to consider along the way?

[Terryallan]

My self. I'd get a truck for towing, and forget the Ridgeline. (not a truck). I would want at minimum a 5.4, EcoBoost or 5.3. And that is not offered with the Honda. You will also see that the Ridgeline is not rated to tow much.

As for maintenance. Just do regular maintenance, and try to keep it out of the weather, and it will be fine.

[loulou57]

You are doing the right thing in my opinion for your children. When my kids were young (I have always been a stay at home mom, one income) we had a small tt. we had to pull down the sofa and dinette for the four of us, there was no bed. We camped with our tiny boat and they loved it. We only stayed at the same place every year. We also travelled to Disney using hotels. They preferred the tt.

They are grown up now. They both prefer camping with their families in Rv's and sometime tents.

Hubby and I now, after travelling to Europe a few times wonder why we went. We also have toured Canada in 200-300 dollar a night hotel rooms and also again camping for in a tent in very cold or very hot weather. We have now decided our country has so much to offer and our vacation time will be touring the country again and again.

Now that we are old grandparents of five children LOL, (we have 20 years to go to retirement) arthiritis has set in and being warm and off the ground a necessity so we bought our 27ft tt 2011 new last year for 18,000 (deals can be found).

My point is. travel with your kids, see your country. Do it however you feel comfortable. You will find it will not matter about it being a new TT/TV or used. Enjoy the journey, create memories, create a great family life.

Life...it is not a dress rehearsal...Live!

[GeoBoy]

I would get rid of the Quest and get a Silverado Crew cab for the wife and kids. This way if you chose to upgrade your TT you will have a truck capable of handling that. The new Silverado's are getting 23 mpg., which is probably better than the Quest.
Good luck.

[westend]

You got the part about making the memories right! Take the kids everywhere you can, was my motto.

Really, most late model trucks are really good about fluids with little use. As long as it's parking space doesn't have big swings of temperature and humidity, you should do fine. I would just keep to a regular maintenance schedule with maybe a few tweaks. Your battery is one consideration, they always need maintenance and charging. If you're parking for more than a few weeks, the battery could be pulled and put on a charger at home. If the truck is going to sit over winter, a cover might be a good acquisition. Check tire pressures so they are maintained.

If you can exercise the truck every so often, there should be nothing more to do.

[ezmobee]

Best thing you can do for it is garage it. It's depressing how much deterioration my old Chevy has suffered just from sitting outside. It would still be mint if it was garaged with how little I drive it.

[pk1023]

texasclarks wrote:
Well, with everything you said it looks like a dedicated TV is in order...you like your Cruze, DW likes her Quest, and you are nervous pilling TT with the Quest. Nobody said this hobby was cheap!

Just get into a routine with exercising it and don't fret!

Yeah that's kinda the plan. I was looking for more tips on how to maintain it, not a discussion of whether it's a good idea.

I am concerned about all the fluids mostly, if they need more changing because they won't circulate as much.

It is a pricey hobby. But, you know I am also on the DISboards and all weekend there was a thread about the cost of a Disney World vacation.

Now these people are all "on property" types. Most seemed to be Deluxe or Moderate only stayers. Their vacations were clocking in at 5000 to 6000 thousand for families of 4 or 5.

Many of them made the point that's it is a place were your cares melt away and that they save over the span of years.

But, still. 5k for a mouse? I mean we hit Kings Island up twice a year and drop 300 bucks for the lot of it. And they have bigger coasters.

Very few of us on these types of boards are filthy rich. Otherwise it'd be how to care for your Yacht, not a tiny travel trailer.

I am gonna do what makes me happy. We have a plan, my wife and I, to have a picture of our boys in front of EVERY state park in the state of Indiana before they are grown.

Someday, they'll pull these pictures out and remember over 25 different times that our family spent together. Now, not all were great, there has already been a bike concussion and 4 cases of strep throat, but all in all it's been a great ride.

Disney is something else too, but you know at 5k a drop, 1 picture in front of a fake castle is pretty much the same as the next 20.

But, being able to say that you've seen EVERY state park in the great state of Indiana, a place with 10 thousand years of human history, well that's something in my book.

[gmw_photos]

pk1023 wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
Dump the quest, buy a 1500 suburban or an Expedition. Problem solved and your pocket book will be MUCH MUCH happier.

Having a third Dedicated TV is not all its cracked out to be. I have a perfectly good dually sitting in the yard... I have put 5k miles on it in 1.5 years.

I am personally looking to downsize my camping experience. Smaller trailer, smaller truck that I can DD... and much happier overall.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Well yeah, but you know dumping the Quest isn't just that easy. We have a loan on it and plus my wife does love the van.

With 2 school age boys, she wanted room to haul them and their friends. So the van stays because what makes Mama happy makes me happy.

As for the Cruze, I just love it too much. It drives great, gets an easy 34 mpg combined and looks sharp.

I drive 12 miles in the northen burbs of Indianapolis for work. Taking a big truck to work each day is just a nightmare. So I think this solves a big issue.

I should mention, I come from a house that had 6 cars for 3 people during most of my childhood. My dad liked his cars and made investments. We'll ride to his funeral someday in his 1987 Grand National and it'll be just like the night we picked it up when I was 10.

Well, yes, for sure, it's only money.
So to your question, I believe the car companies would consider the use you are proposing of this third vehicle to be "severe duty", so a good place to start, would be to look at their schedule for maintenance for that level.
I hope your storage area really is "secure", because the possibility of vandalism while the truck or Cruze is sitting there is certainly a possibility. We hear, far too often about folks having their trailers broken into in these so called secure storage lots.

[texasclarks]

Well, with everything you said it looks like a dedicated TV is in order...you like your Cruze, DW likes her Quest, and you are nervous pulling TT with the Quest. Nobody said this hobby was cheap!

Just get into a routine with exercising it and don't fret! I would NOT by new but I am sure you can find good used TV!

[pk1023]

jerem0621 wrote:
Dump the quest, buy a 1500 suburban or an Expedition. Problem solved and your pocket book will be MUCH MUCH happier.

Having a third Dedicated TV is not all its cracked out to be. I have a perfectly good dually sitting in the yard... I have put 5k miles on it in 1.5 years.

I am personally looking to downsize my camping experience. Smaller trailer, smaller truck that I can DD... and much happier overall.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Well yeah, but you know dumping the Quest isn't just that easy. We have a loan on it and plus my wife does love the van.

With 2 school age boys, she wanted room to haul them and their friends. So the van stays because what makes Mama happy makes me happy.

As for the Cruze, I just love it too much. It drives great, gets an easy 34 mpg combined and looks sharp.

I drive 12 miles in the northen burbs of Indianapolis for work. Taking a big truck to work each day is just a nightmare. So I think this solves a big issue.

I should mention, I come from a house that had 6 cars for 3 people during most of my childhood. My dad liked his cars and made investments. We'll ride to his funeral someday in his 1987 Grand National and it'll be just like the night we picked it up when I was 10.

[gmw_photos]

GoDogs has the right idea.
If you run all the numbers on it, from cost to purchase, insurance, taxes, maint, etc, etc....I think you will find it might make more sense to get rid of the Cruze and the Quest both, and replace with something like the Ridgeline, a Frontier or Tacoma.

[jerem0621]

Dump the quest, buy a 1500 suburban or an Expedition. Problem solved and your pocket book will be MUCH MUCH happier.

Having a third Dedicated TV is not all its cracked out to be. I have a perfectly good dually sitting in the yard... I have put 5k miles on it in 1.5 years.

I am personally looking to downsize my camping experience. Smaller trailer, smaller truck that I can DD... and much happier overall.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Go_Dogs]

My experience. We had 2 everyday cars and a TV just to pull the TT. Having a vehicle just for pulling the trailer turned into a big expense and inconvenience. We finally traded in the TV, and one of the everydays on a vehicle that could do double duty, Actually a Chevy Express van. Inexpensive, practical, versatile, easy to drive. Take the seats out, if you need cargo room. It was a very smart move for us.

[loulou57]

Our son has a fairly new 3/4 ton diesal GMC. In the winter it left the driveway maybe 6 times, LOL. In the summer it pulls his small fifth wheel maybe 5 times for weekend, 2 hour trips and then about a six hour trip to his holiday camp. (what a waste of a great truck, LOL). It gets serviced as it is recommended and other than that sits in the driveway.
My vote is the chevy 1500

[memgrove]

Our truck only gets used for towing the trailer in the summer and plowing snow in the winter. Occasionally we will drive it when we have one of the daily drivers in for service or loan a car to family. We just change the oils when it needs it and keep the gas tank full while stored. It has gone six weeks and 3 weekend trips without even being unhooked from the trailer. We unhook the umbilical cord and put the tongue jack down to take a little pressure off the equalizer hitch and truck springs, but don't know if that is really required. This has worked for us with no issues.