Why a pickup?

Considering the Durango's dismal track record for transmission failures, I'd be looking at something else.

alot is length of wheelbase a durango is a,short wheelbase so coukd loose control easier than a f150 with a longer base

It's the old tail wagging the dog story. Pickups have more load carrying capacity. SUVs are passenger vehicles with soft suspensions designed for comfort. Trucks are designed to carry a rated load safely.

Overloading either is not okay. The GVWR is there for a reason.

I've always said, there are no "rights" or "wrongs" when it comes to camping. Your choice of tow vehicle is ... well??? ... your choice.

I think it's pretty much a given, that pick-up trucks are designed and manufactured with the intent of carrying a load of some sort and towing something. Even the smallest of pick-up trucks have beds in them and they are capable of carrying something.

However, a "car" or an "SUV" is a different matter. They are typically not built with the purpose of towing, but rather the purpose of carrying passengers, and usually a family of 2 adults and 2 small kids. More is not the expected usage.

So, when it come to towing with a "SUV" you've got to be careful. Like mentioned above, the body, the frame, the shear strength of the vehicle may not be able to to much more than a very small U-Haul 4x6 foot utility trailer. Just because they come with a receiver for a hitch does not mean they can actually tow anything with substantial weight.

You also have to take into consideration, not only the body and frame strength, but the engine power and the transmission. It might tow for awhile, but what is the long term damage it's causing? Also, the suspension is usually much lighter on some, whereas a pick-up truck almost always comes with a suspension anticipating to carry a load (although some pick-ups are able to carry a heavier load than others, but none will be able to carry 40,000 pounds like a semi truck can!

My Chevy Equinox is actually titled as a "Truck". But I'd never want to tow my 10,000 pound travel trailer with it.

I think, in the end, you have to follow the manufacturers recommendations for trailer weight, hitch type and hitch weight for YOUR specific automobile (whatever that may be).

Here again, just because it called a "truck" or an "SUV" does not necessarily mean it can actually do more than it was designed to do. Check the manufacturer specifications. That's your best answer.

Yes, there are a lot of folks towing way beyond their vehicle's capacity. They may never have an accident because of it, but over time, it's creating excessive wear on the vehicle ... which in time ... will break down. That's the difference between a vehicle designed for towing and one that is no.

FYI, my first tow vehicle was a Chevy Lumina Mini Van and towed a pop-up with it for 6 years. After we switched to our first trailer, we still drove the mini van for another few years, and finally traded it under the program "cash for clunkers" if you remember that.

Our next tow vehicle was a 1500 Chevy Suburban (gas) our our first TT with it was our Dutchmen Sport (Under 6000 pounds).... well within specs of the Suburban.

Guess what? It tore up the transmission after only 3 months. We replaced the transmission and it never worked the same again. We finally traded it for a gas duly 3500 crew cab Silverado pick-up and never looked back.

So, talking from experience here, and not just "hear-say".... ALL the parts of the tow vehicle have to be towable ready and supportive. It's more than just weight capacity, it's the entire vehicle ... from tires to the type of oil used in the transmission!

Check the manufacturer, that's your best guideline.

Guys, I agree that overloading is a no no for any vehicle. I get that the suspension is generally softer in a SUV. I understand the longer wheelbase is definitely a factor. My question was if the payloads are similar as is tow capacity, why the warnings on towing with a SUV but not with the pickup?

Question on wheelbase. How much of a difference does a few inches make? I mean, if the wheelbase on a pu is 3inches longer than that of a SUV, is 3 inches that much of a difference?

Sidecar flip, I'm definitely not considering a Durango or other dodge product. Although I loved my 71 Challenger, I'll steer clear of dodge, ram, fiat, whatever they're called these days!

Thanks!

Truth is. for a 20' TT, any full size SUV will work fine. Just get enough motor and rear gear. Be sure to properly adjust the hitch, and you will be good to go.

Yes I have experience towing with a SUV. We towed our 27' TT with our 2002 Expedition for years. It did a great job. No sway, and plenty of power.

Advantages of a truck, are that you can just throw the wet stuff in the back if it is raining when you break camp. Also you can carry firewood and bikes in the back.

It is your choice. Either will do what you want

SidecarFlip wrote:
Considering the Durango's dismal track record for transmission failures, I'd be looking at something else.

I get the impression that you're out of touch with modern vehicles. The Durango has the same transmission that's used in many other vehicles and I've yet to hear the horror stories.

Coil sprung Rams tow very stable too by the way. They ride as well if not better than anything else out there.

Maybe you're just so far over my head in knowledge that I don't realize how terrible my totally relaxing driving/towing experience really is.

Regardless of rating, PU's are simply more heavy duty with heavier frames, suspension, brakes and power trains (including cooling) than SUV's - again, regardless of ratings.
Those that have tried both can tell the difference.

We have show dogs.. So a truck wasn't going to work. We bought a ninth gen 1500 Suburban 4x4 for the ability to have a lot of air conditioned space. Our TT is a 27 foot Dutchman - Coleman with a slideout. The wet weight is around 6500. The Suburban does really great as it relates to the chassis and stability. The iron 5.3 does OK. Haven't had any transmission issues..yet. I do a drain and fill of the transmission fluid at every oil change and I changed the transmission filter in the spring. I custom made a drain plug so pulling it is easy and quick. The stock Chevy transmission drain plug is garbage. Personally, I would recomend a 1500 Suburban with Sumo Supersprings to help out the rear suspension. Our friends tow heavier than us with an Expedition XL and have pulled that thing over most of the US. The 5.4 makes good power for them. They haven't had any transmission repairs. Where I store my camper there's a couple that pull a bigger camper than ours with a ninth gen 1500 burb.

The Suburban gets a bad rap as if it's drivetrain is different than the Silverado/Sierras. It's the same. All the engine, transmission, differentials parts are interchangeable. Mine is a daily driver. I bought it to just use to pull the camper when I sold the motorhome. But, I liked it so much that I sold my CRV and commute with the burb. The 5.3 is a ballance between fuel economy and power. It doesn't have much in the way of low end grunt. It likes RPMs. I learned that sort of the less than easy way. I was pulling a long hill and the speed was bleeding off, I was staying off the gas and it started coughing and the check engine light came on. I figured out that it cant pull it's self and 6500 pounds of camper up a mountain at 1100 RPMs. Pull it down into 2nd and it will pull up any mountain at about 45MPH. I leave it in drive (tow/haul) out on the interstate. If the interstate turns into a lot of hills I pull it down to 3rd gear and stay around 60-65MPH just to save the downshifting. From my house to Myrtle Beach it's a flat run and it has no issues. From my house to Tennessee it's a lot of mountain pulls. It's slow in places but, I'm not in a hurry. I never floor the gas pedal. Only one time have I ever floored the burb and that was just to see what it would do. The 5.3 pulls that big sucker along in a double time hurry.