Choosing a tow vehicle

[bobbypee]

I'm new to the RV world and wanted to ask the question before I give up the ghost...
Any recommendations on a tow vehicle capable of at least 3500lbs with manual transmission? It seems that options are few and far between. I should also mention that this would be my daily driver.

 

[SpencerPJ]

Fairly open ended question. Are you wanting newer or older? There are Jeeps that can do this, as well as many older trucks and suvs for that matter. One caution.. often times payload gets to be the limiting factor, you'll find that on a yellow sticker in the drivers door. It is called carry capacity. It includes what all the weight you can put in and on the vehicle.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Just to be clear, you are looking for vehicle that can tow a 3500 lb (loaded) trailer? Don't care if it's a truck or SUV or sedan as long as it has a manual tranny? New or used?

Manual tranny vehicles are getting more rare all the time. The older you go, the more likely you are to find a manual tranny, though. To get 3500 lbs, you need to be looking at midsize or full size vehicles. Jeep and Dodge probably had the most manual tranny models & production volume, but manual tranny pick-up trucks (Ford, Chevy/GMC, Ram, Toyota Tacoma/Tundra, and Nissan Frontier/Titan are around as well.

 

[Seon]

If you buy a Jeep, be sure you don't buy a Jeep Wrangler to tow a 3500# TT.

 

[Jkoht]

Why do you want a manual? I know from personal experience that getting stuck in stop and go traffic on a two lane scenic highway was bad enough in a manual truck. Just imagining that same scenario while trailering sounds like a very bad day to me.

 

[TheBar]

A manual is ok for daily driving but picture a stop sign at the top of a hill. Then trying to slip the clutch with a 3500 lb trailer attached with another car stopped 3 feet behind you.

 

[bobbypee]

I see your point there, and I hadn't really considered that position. I've always driven manual and so I'm being stubborn about changing, that's the real issue. Appreciate the insight from everyone here. I've only done one trip so far, and that was using a (generously) loaned vehicle. So there's room to learn here...

 

[super_g]

A manual is ok for daily driving but picture a stop sign at the top of a hill. Then trying to slip the clutch with a 3500 lb trailer attached with another car stopped 3 feet behind you.

Just had a small panic attack picturing that.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Once you get used to a particular vehicle, its not to difficult to get it moving forward without rolling back. My RAM has a straight shift but low is a "granny gear" which you have to use with a load such as a trailer, unloaded and not pulling anything, I start off in second. Been driving straight shifts for 50 years now, so that helps a little too.

The issue here is, what kind of trailer (make and exact model) are you pulling. Knowing the details will help others help you.

Charles