Tow Vehicle Review

[ag4ever]

I also have a '99 Disco II. I have towed the boat across town with it, but would never do any long towing with it. The thing is WAY underpowered without a boat, and when the trailer is back there you might as well have the parking brake set. The thing bounces all over the road, and sways front to back. It will tow it, but just don't be in any hurry. Also I agree that the mileage does not change when towing, but it sucks gas all the time.

I did tell somebody today (after telling him how much we hate that thing) that it runs through knee deep mud like it is on pavement, but the problem is that it runs on pavement like it is in knee deep mud.

[FUN-9C1]

OK I'll be the 1st to brag about my CAR that I tow with. My "sleeper" tow vehicle- '96 Buick Roadmaster wagon with the tow package. LT1 350, 310 lbs torque at 2400, HD full perimiter frame, posi, RWD of course, HD suspension, HD brakes, HD cooling, 1 oil cooler, 2 tranny coolers (one air, one in rad), true dual exhaust, auto load leveler, 5000 lb towing cap. All factory stuff. I've never met a hill I couldn't do 70 up towing my Nautique. Granted I don't live in the rockys, but we do have some steep grades here in the northeast. I can say that I've had some SUVs towing little bass boats following me on the turnpike, right on my *** (fishermen! ) until we get to a steep grade then I leave them in the dust because I can keep going 70 and they can't. Personally I don't really understand the SUV craze, but to each their own... If a car is more your thing than a truck or SUV, I highly recommend a '94 - '96 Roadmaster or Caprice. Those 3 years were all LT1s (except some Caprice sedans) and if you get one with a tow package you will never want for more power or better handling towing your beautiful Nautique!

[M3Fan]

I have a 99 4 Runner Limited V6, 4WD. I ALMOST bought a Disco II but I'm glad I didn't- they are great looking cars though. Anyway, I have an extra trans cooler that I installed to help save the trans when towing my rig. The car is pretty snappy for an SUV when not towing but it is a DOG towing the almost 4000 lb rig of the SN with the tandem trailer. Once you are crusing though, the ride is smooth with no bouncing or anything. It tracks solid and at 65 mph you won't notice the trailer there. If you leave OD off you will cruise at just over 3 grand, which seems like a solid rev range for towing and leaves you pretty unaffected by modest hills and grades. The problem is the 0-60 time with the rig attached is probably 30 seconds- very slow. What is nice about this car is I have a locking center and rear differential, so I doubt I could get stuck at any ramp, even if it was in snow. Locking the rear axle solid is something only a handful of SUV's can do out there. You can turn on the open and locked center diff 4wd modes at any speed under 62mph so I will usually throw it on open diff 4wd on the fly if it starts raining. I always pull the boat out of the ramp in 4wd low, which gives it 2X the torque and takes the stress off the trans/torque converter. I can almost idle the boat out of the water with this low 4wd mode. Overall, it is a great compromise between an everyday driver and a tow vehicle.

[gatorgates]

I tow my 206 with a 2004 Trailblazer EXT with the standard "farmer engine" (270 horse straight six). It comes with a factory receiver hitch and wiring harness. It pulls like a dream both on the highway and up the ramp. Tons of low end torque and a nicely set up overdrive. I get crappy mileage without the boat and only marginally more crappy mileage with the boat. Averages 13 to 16 mpg.

[efox]

I don't have any of the problems with stability that you are experiencing Ag. Not sure if it's the ACE or the air suspension, but mine tows nice and steady..just not fast. I like the comment about knee deep mud. I might have to use that sometime!

[Bobby]

I use a 1988 GMC K5 Jimmy to pull my 1982 Ski Nautique. It might be an older truck, but that thing is very reliable with plenty of power. I went offroading with it in January, and long story short- I pretty much have a new drivetrain from the transfer case back and a few other goodies, so I'm not too worried about it breaking down.
It's always nice in the summer to pull the top off and head to the lake, although make sure you have a detachable face on your CD player.

Point and laugh all you want, but I don't know too many college kids that have their own ski/boarding boat to pull to the lake :twisted:

[pj]

I'm towing a '91 SN on a Ram-Lin single axle (brakes inop) with a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 4.7L V8. It feels like it has plenty of power. However, I don't think I'd like to tow for a sizeable distance with it. Just doesn't have the mass that a full size truck would have. Kinda feels like I'm getting pulled around a little. Since I only have to put the boat in once and take it out once a year, it works for me. Our ramp is a little steep, but I just lock it down into 4-low and it crawls right out without even touching the gas.

[cb]

We've towed our 216 with both an Excursion V10 and a Denali w/ a 6.0l. I like the Denali better since it has more creature comforts, better gas milage, and better ride. I liked the big dumbo mirrors on the Excursion though.

[XH2Oskier]

Rather than just give a description of my favorite or current tow vehicle, I'd rather go through all of them for comparison's sake. I could rave about one, but if you didn't know I've towed with other vehicles, how could you trust my opinion?

'92 C1500 Extended cab 5-speed manual, 350 TBI- I bought this truck new and it has served me well ever since. The extended cab offers room for passengers and there's plenty of extra room in the bed. The 350 TBI does a decent job towing, but nothing to write home about and I'm sure it would labor in mountains.

On the flipside, TBI engines are very durable and at this point, they can be had for a song compared to newer Vortec or LSX-based engines. I've only replaced one clutch in 125,000 miles of driving and the manual transmission offers significant mileage gains over automatics. I generally see low-teens when towing and high teens empty. If I'm on the highway and driving conservatively with the AC off, I'll get over 20 mpg.


'97 Suburban 3/4 ton, 454- This truck towed like a dream and drank gas like a nightmare. Where I notice the boat is behind me when I'm towing with the pickup, I'm oblivous to it's presence with this truck. Tons of space for the family and pretty decent range with a 40-gallon tank. Mileage was in the low-double digits towing and 14-15 when driving empty. The front brakes were a noticeable weak point on this truck and the rotors had to be replaced twice in 100,000 miles of driving (three sets total).

'02 Suburban 3/4 ton, 496- Once again, this truck towed my boat effortlessly and like the other Suburban, had no trouble with the Rockies, Olympics or any other major mountain range. Towing up mountains with the cruise on at 70 mph was a snap. The Tow/Haul mode really didn't seem to do much other than change my shift points a little and make my terrible gas mileage even worse.

I'm still questioning the logic behind GM's decision to increase engine displacement while reducing the size of the gas tank from 40 gallons to 37.5 and after 70,000 miles. The newer big block was supposed to be more effecient, but it wasn't and my tank had a terrible problem filling up which forced me to "burp" the tank in order to get it full. Chevy even replaced the tank under warranty, but it wasn't until I tried filling up the tank with the pump handle upside down that the problem was totally rectified. I decided to dump the truck after a miserable 70,000 miles. The seats were the most comfortable and supportive seats I've ever had, but the side bolster leather did wear out and needed to be replaced. The brakes were still a sore point and the rotors were replaced once under warranty, turned and then replaced again all within 70,000 miles. Mileage was worse than the older Suburban, which in turn made range horrible. I was lucky to see 300 miles when towing my car trailer and around 400 with the boat. While I could see double digit mileage when towing with this truck, single digit economy was the norm.

'03 Ford Excursion 6.0 Powerstroke Diesel- I wanted a diesel in both of my Suburbans, but didn't order one in the '97, because diesel wasn't readily available where I lived at the time. They don't currently offer the Duramax in new Suburbans, so it wasn't even an option on my '02. The diesel engine is every bit as good at towing as either of the GM big blocks, with the added bonus of being about 25% more effecient.
I have never gotten less than 13 mpg, even when towing my car trailer, which is significantly heavier than my Nautique. I typically see about 14-16 mpg when towing and 17-20 empty (ran 816 miles from Wisconsin to Texas without stopping for fuel with the AC on and the cruise set at 72 and averaged a hand-calculated 19.90).

The range on this thing is phenomenal, but the same can't be said for the suspension. Both Suburbans handled towing weight much better than this truck, which sometimes felt like the tail was wagging the dog, especially when towing a car. Increasing air pressure in the tires has helped and I will be installing an anti-sway bar in the near future (something Ford should have done at the factory on all their trucks). However, the Tow/Haul mode on the Excursion actually helps out when towing. The engine brakes for the truck and when towing up and down grades with the cruise on, the engine will do the braking to keep the speed in check when going downhill (the Suburban's Tow/Haul mode never did either). As mentioned previously, the tow package mirrors on the Excursion are the best I've ever had. I had to buy extensions for both Suburbans to see around my car trailer, but that's not the case now.

Diesels may tow like a dream, the fuel may be cheaper than gas in most places and the mileage may be tremendous, but if you tow any distance with a diesel, you're going to get soot on your boat....at least through stock exhaust placement. Other things I don't like about the Excursion include the factory roof rack that was resting on (and rubbing) the paint on the roof. The rear hatch is much nicer on the Suburban, as the Excursion hatch seems to stop abruptly so people don't knock it on low ceilings. I do like the fact that my Excursion's center console doesn't run all the way to the dash, which gives me more knee/leg room than the tight confines of the Suburban (I'm a really big guy).

Early 6.0 Powerstrokes had some drivability issues from the factory, which have all allegedly been fixed through reflashes. I bought my truck new in March of '03 and it ran like a top until the dealer told me they had to do the warranty reflash or future warranty work couldn't be performed. After that reflash, the truck was not the same. It always started and ran, but mileage seemed to drop off and the idle was rough at times (known as a romp). A subsequent reflash has corrected that problem and it runs great now.

I would like my next truck to be a Suburban with a Duramax, but until GM decides to make that truck, Ford will be getting my money.

[pj]

but the same can't be said for the suspension

Now is '03 the first year they went with the independent rear suspension? I can't remember, but that may be why it handles so differently when towing.

[pj]

OK. I'm an idiot. I was thinking of the Expedition, not the Excursion. Sorry. :oops:

[99ProAir]

I believe the Expedition also has a solid rear axle. I think the only Ford SUV that has an independent rear suspension is the Explorer/Mountaineer. Not sure though!

[Mikeski]

I currently have two options in the vehicle fleet.

Optoin 1 2003 Chevy Tahoe, 5.3L V8 3.73 rear. Great all around vehicle no problem towing up hills, surprisingly smooth ride (better than my Silverado longbed), boat doesn't push it around.

Option 2 2001 Chevy Silverado Longbed, 4.3 V6. I didn't buy it as a tow vehicle it is my work truck so the 18mpg is appreciated. I have used it a few times for towing when the wife was using the Tahoe. Much to my surprise it goes pretty well with the boat, just slows way down on steep grades. I usually put about 200#s of lead in the bed to keep bouncing at bay.

In the past I had 3 Jeeps, 2 Grand Cherokees and a little Cherokee. The Grands really bounce around with their short wheelbase. The little Cherokee does almost as well as the Grands. The 1998 5.9 had great power but still let the boat knock it around.

[lcap]

FUN-9C1

Sweet!! Do you have any problems launching with the Roadmaster.

Wife wants a new Retro-Bird and I'm trying to talk her into a beach car that could tow and launch the boat.

[Mikeski]

Old Caddy Converts with full frames and 500 cubic inches make awesome tow vehicles. We had a 74 Coupe De Ville that we towed our 1976 Ski Nautique from the factory in Florda back to California. It towed a little better than our 1968 Coupe De Ville. Don't even bother with a reciever hitch just get a bumper mount, they are probably good for 5000#s...