Good tow vehicle other than pickup truck?

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steveblonde said:
Any 2500/3500 series suburban is a great work horse super comfortable and reliable - but true to GM style it lacks in size inside and the interior is somewhat boring when you compare a Ram or Ford these days - dont get me wrong i may drive a Ford but im still a huge GM fan. But GM makes old man truck for old men (they are just too conservative) lol
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There?s a bunch of old women that will stand by their old men out there (notice my correct use of their and there). Sometimes size does not matter and don?t confuse boring with cerebral.  Although the movie titled ?No Country for Old Men? was a box office hit don?t think for a minute that something that is made for old men does not include quality and comfort.  Now, get off my damn lawn! :mad:
 
Oldgator73 said:
There?s a bunch of old women that will stand by their old men out there (notice my correct use of their and there). Sometimes size does not matter and don?t confuse boring with cerebral.  Although the movie titled ?No Country for Old Men? was a box office hit don?t think for a minute that something that is made for old men does not include quality and comfort.  Now, get off my damn lawn! :mad:
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????? and you drive a Nissan whats up with that ????
 
I understand the want for a SUV. Hard to beat the floor space, especially if you remove the middle row of seats, or have 4 captain chairs. At one point in time I had a full-size conversion van. Awesome set-up and worked great for our application. Carried the four of us and several large breed dogs around no problem. Even towed the Troop trailer on Scout outings. Chevy used to put a diesel in the Suburban, but stopped in 1999.
 
I'm an old man (74) but count me among those who find the GM trucks rather boring, inside and out.  Not uncomfortable or lacking in amenities, just not very stylish. "Style" is a matter of perception, but old guys can have younger perceptions too!
 
ChipSmith

I went from a:
2000 astro van with a 1984 18ft lynx trailer
to a:
2003 Ram 1500 quad cab with a 2017 21ft Jayco Flight
I have to say ..... after just one trip so far this year.... best move EVER!
I struggled with a bounce when towing.... felt unstable on the highway.... my trailer broke down 15hours from home, unable to find replacement parts, I scrapped it.... My hubby and I worked very hard to save and got a truck... I pay more for gas as my daily drive, but I tow at least once a month and feel so much SAFER with this tow rig.

You need to have a TV and TT that fit together for safety.... you do not NEED a truck, you need a tow vehicle that can safely tow your trailer.  There are many pop-up/hi-bred styles available that can easily be towed by a suv with trailer package.

I think you will sacrifice some trailer size/style if you want to investigate SUV for your TV.... That being said, IF you are OK with that.... I would look at trailers you are willing to use, then look for vehicles safe to tow it with... take your time, view lots of options and know your numbers. 
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
I'm an old man (74) but count me among those who find the GM trucks rather boring, inside and out.  Not uncomfortable or lacking in amenities, just not very stylish. "Style" is a matter of perception, but old guys can have younger perceptions too!
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Was Drooling over a GM truck during the morning commute today!
I have no idea the year .... but, she was pretty
 
You don?t need a truck if you aren?t in the market for a behemoth of a trailer. Just go to Chevy or ford sites and build and price and I guarantee you can keep the price below $40k.

https://www.chevrolet.com/commercial/express-passenger-van/build-and-price/summary
 
I believe there is a RAM model that comes with reclining rear seats,  A top end expensive model most likely.
 
Lately I've seen several long travel trailers being pulled by 1 ton Vans,  and I saw a family of 9 in a Chevy diesel van pulling a good sized travel trailer from Canada.

1 ton Vans have several advantages over pickup trucks,  and they can tow.
 
I tow a 19 foot travel trailer that weighs, fully loaded, about 4,400 pounds. I use a Dodge Durango with the 6 cylinder engine and a a tow capacity of 6,200 pounds. Had to go pretty slow going up over the Rockies but otherwise was able to easily keep up 65 mph on the Interstate. I also did not want a truck, since we only tow the camper a couple of times a year, and the rest of the time this Dodge Durango is our primary vehicle. Seemed a reasonable compromise. I did look at a decked out pickup truck that had a sticker price of almost $75,000!
 
I saw a television ad for a Ford Expedition touting 9,000 lb towing capacity.
 
Oldgator73 said:
I?ll try to defend a scotch, sorry Jackie, whisky induced rant; never mind, I can?t. I also cannot defend driving a Nissan.  :mad:
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It's never gonna be forgotten  ::) :-\ :-[ :p
 
My 2019 Explorer Limited has 1440 pounds payload, more than the 2013 Ecoboost F-150 I used to pull a 25? KZ had. But towing is limited to 5000 pounds, I assume because of the limitations of the transversely mounted transmission. It ain?t lack of power power because it has 290 HP, more than the 283 powered Chevy AUTOMOBILES my father used to pull our travel trailer all over the country when I was a kid. But he went through the Great Depression and WW II and was neither timid or easily BSed.

Yeah, our parents used to pull trailers with cars but today we think we need monster trucks to do the same task. Then we fancy the trucks up like Buicks and turn a simple and inoffensive tool into an effete soccer dad truck. A photo is published of a wreck and a bunch of anonymous internet experts jump to the conclusion the tow vehicle wasn?t ?big enough? and spout off like Foghorn Leghorn and fret about the tail wagging the dog, whatever the Hell that means. Meanwhile basic rigging principles are ignored as the hitch industry preys on our fear of sway by selling us all manner of gadgets and we assuage our fears by buying often needlessly large vehicles and retired desk jockeys wear Can?t Bust Em work gloves for the simple task of hooking a tow bar to their spotless Jeep Wrangler.

I feel better now.
 
I tried to help a friend locate a large SUV to pull their TT. I do not believe you will find a late model 2500 Suburban or Yukon, no longer manufactured for public purchase. I tried to use my 2001 Yukon XL (1500) to just move our TT in the driveway and it could not even begin to tolerate the tongue weight. The van might be the best option.
 
IrishTom. 
The main reason everyone says get a bigger truck is that bigger trucks are heavier and thus not as easily whipped around by the big box you're towing.  I guarantee that the Lincoln Continental that my old man use to use to pull his 18' travel trailer probably weighed 1000lbs more than your shiney new Exploder.
 
viceprice said:
I tried to help a friend locate a large SUV to pull their TT. I do not believe you will find a late model 2500 Suburban or Yukon, no longer manufactured for public purchase. I tried to use my 2001 Yukon XL (1500) to just move our TT in the driveway and it could not even begin to tolerate the tongue weight. The van might be the best option.
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not true

https://www.carfax.com/Used-Chevrolet-Suburban-2500_w168


that took all of 10 seconds to find - you can also get one new
 
We've had good luck with a full-size (3500) van. 

We looked at pickups and large SUVs, and were shocked by the stickers.  Things that I remember middle-of-the-road folks having back in the 80s and 90s...now with stickers of $70K and up.  :-\

We found that full-size vans with V8 engines and 8,000 lb tow ratings start in the mid-30s, which made a world of difference for us. 

Good luck and have fun in your search.  :)
 
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