Tow Vehicle Characteristics

Warning, very long.
I am creating this thread as a spin off from:

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=12349

That thread discuses "The "Recommended Tow Vehicle" list

I created this thread to discuss the characteristics of a good tow vehicle without focusing on a particular vehicle.

I hope this thread evolves to:

1. identify and define various characteristics related to a tow vehicle this includes comfort features.

2. personal experience stories that relate specifically to these characteristics.

I'll start with, in no particular order:


Wheelbase

Distance from the front axle to the rear axle.

Longer is better, except when making tight turns.

Results in less porpoising and less tail wagging the dog.

I have towed my TM 2720 with both my Chevy 1500HD and my GMC 2500HD. The wheelbase on the GMC is longer. I can say from experience that the longer wheelbase contributes to less porpoising between the truck and TM. I would not take the GMC to the mall at Christmas.



Track

The distance between the left side tire and the right side tire.

Wider is better, because it is more stable at high speeds in turns. High speeds might be 35 mph on a mountain road.

Though I do not tow with our Lexus RX350, I can say that it rocks side to side on back country roads, because of the uneven surface. Tall narrow vehicles are more susceptible to rolling over than a short wide car. A jacked up compact truck will not corner as well as a sports car. Many years ago the Jeep got a lot of bad press because it rolled over so easily. This is not unique to the Jeep. Nearly any off road vehicle will have this characteristic because they are tall in order to have extra ground clearance for going over rocks and logs.



Distance from tow ball to rear axle

Shorter is better.

Shorter results in less of the tail wagging the dog.

I have no experience with this.


Ride height

How much distance is there between the round and the bottom of the vehicle.

Higher allows you to clear more obstacles. Lower increases stability in turns.

I routinely tow offroad. Ride height is important to me.


Tire type

P (passenger) versus LT (light truck)

P tires will ride softer, but the flex in the sidewall will be more than it is for an LT. This increased flexing, I believe, increase temperature which would contribute to premature tire failure.



Tire width

Wide versus narrow. I do not think this is an important characteristic, except for those like me that tow in the mud offroad. Wider is better. Mud and snow rated tires are also better.


Suspension

How much sag will occur when loading cargo and connecting the TM.

Stiff suspension will carry more weight, but will also result in a more bumpy ride

My Chevy was more than adequate until I started carrying motorcycles in the truck. This increased cargo weight resulted in so much sag that I could not remove the wheel from the TM front jack. My GMC has stiffer suspension and ride height so I do not have this problem.



Tow/haul mode

Changes some characteristics when engaged for towing. This is helpful.

For both my Chevy 1500HD and GMC 2500HD the output voltage of the alternator is increased and the transmission shift points are changed.



Alternator output

More is better, within reason.

My TM has a pair of batteries and there is a lot of wire in between. When I engage Tow/haul mode the output voltage of the alternator is increased to compensate for this distance. If you have no means of increasing the alternator output voltage, my owner's manual suggests turning on the headlights, which will also increase alternator output voltage.



Brake controller

There are several different styels

- time based
- cable connected to the brake pedal
- part of the brake lines wher it measures hydraulic fluid pressure
- decelerameter based

My Chevy has a decelerameter based Prodigy. It works well.

My GMC has an Integrated Brake Controller (aka IBC). I think it is the type that measures the brake hydraulic fluid pressure. I know that I like it a lot better. It is much smoother.



Transmission automatic versus manual

This is more of a personal choice. But I believe that it should be considered.



Transmission cooler

More is better.

Almost all vehicles with a factory tow package installed will have additional cooling capacity for the automatic transmission fluid. The extra stress from towing causes the fluid temperature to increase, which is not a good thing.



Cargo volume capacity.

Volume is height times width times height

I have a reasonably large volume capacity in the back seat of my crew cab. This is a good place to carry things that need to be kept cry and cool.

I have a very large volume capacity in the bed of the truck. Not only is it long and wide, I can stack things pretty high without becoming unstable.



Cargo area capacity.

Area is width time length. I can carry more in my GMC than I can in my Chevy. The bed is the same width but the lengths are 6.5 feet versus 8 feet. This is important to me because I carry either one dual rider ATV or 3 motorcycles. I can not leave the tailgate down when towing the TM.



4wd versus 2wd versus awd

4wd provides power to all tires compared to 2wd. AWD is full time 4wd. I am not sure what the difference is between 4wd and awd when towing.

If you always camp where the roads and pads are very close to flat and are paved, then there is little reason to have 4wd.

I have camped in an RV park where the roads and pads were gravel. To exit my site I had to make a hard right turn onton the uphill access road. In 2wd mode the tires were spinning. After engaging 4wd this problem went away.

I routinely camp on open forest land (not a campground) down a dirt fire road. In the Spring and Fall it is frequently muddy, as much as 8 inches deep. I need 4wd or I can not go there.



Skid plates

This only applies to 4wd.

A skid plate protects various under body components when driving offroad.

I have skid plates on the GMC. I do not have them on the Chevy. I like then because I do not have to worry about damaging my transmission or fuel tanks. If you never go offroad then this is a non issue for you.



Engine power

There is a big difference between towing on flat ground near sea level versus going over the Sierras or the Rockies. There is also a noticeable difference in fuel economy.



Diesel versus gas

A diesel will last longer, so if you will keep the TV for a long time and put a lot of miles on it the diesel may be a good choice instead of gas.

I bought my first car in 1971. I routinely drive my vehicles for around 185k miles and 16 years. Then they go to the crusher. In my opinion you want the engine to fail about the time the transmission fails and the body rots out.

Fuel cost is another aspect. I have no experience because I have never owned a diesel.


Mirrors

Strap on versus factory installed.

I use strap on McKesh mirrors on my Chevy. I have extendable factory mirrors on my GMC. I like the GMC mirrors better.



Mirror size and orientation.

I have towed with my Chevy before I bought the McKesh mirrors. The Chevy has mirrors that are wide and short. My GMC has mirrors that are narrow and tall. I like the tall mirrors better. I frequently drive in a caravan as the lead vehicle. The taller mirror allows me to keep an eye on the people behind me.



Mirror spread

What is the distance between the two mirrors.

Wider is better.

I like to be able to see the car behind me when it is driving at my speed and tailgating. I an not see a Miata if it is riding on the TM bumper, but for normal situations I can see the car behind me. I do not have a dead spot.

Some states have a law that limits the maximum width of the mirrors.



Heated mirrors

I had a problem once with my Chevy where the outside mirrors were all fogged up in the early morning. I wiped them off but they became wet again. My GMC has heated mirrors. That solved the problem. I like heated mirrors.

My initial post was too big (never had that problem before), so here is the rest.



Nerf bars

These are the side rails you wee on trucks and SUVs.

My wife, with her bad knees, requires the side steps to get in and out of the truck. We have them on the Chevy but not on the GMC, yet. For the GMC we use a folding step. This is becoming a little tiresome to used the folding step. These can easily be added at any time.



Bed liner for trucks

If you do not have a truck then this does not matter.
Spray in versus plastic insert.

I have had both and none. Plastic is the mos slippery and will trap watter underneath, contributing to rust. None is almost as slippery and it will not take long before it is scratched enough that it is at risk of rust. The spray in liner is the least slippery and does not contribute to rust.

I like X-liner better than Rhino, but I can not explain why.

Interior materials

leather, vinyl, cloth

This is a matter of personal preference.

My wife likes leather. Leather is not a good choice when you have been riding ATVs and motorcycles all day in the mud and you then get in the truck to drive back to camp. I like cloth. Neither of us likes vinyl.

Camper shell or not

Only applicable to trucks.

I had a camper shell years ago. I could get a lot of camping gear in without having to tie it down and also not worry about rain. With the motorcycles, a camper shell is not viable.



Front hitch.

Some people find it easier to park a trailer under some conditions by connecting the trailer to the front of the TV. I have never do this so I have no comment. Some people also use it to carry bicycles. I also have no experience with this. It can easily be added.



Lumber rack.

Only applicable to trucks.

If we ever add a canoe or kayaks then a lumber rack is the only way to haul them. I would need a removable rear bar so I can also carry the motorcycles.



I cannot think of anything else. Time for others to add the characteristics I did not think of, or to clarify my definitions and add their own personal experience.

When purchasing a tow vehicle, or any vehicle, it is always a trade off. Decide what characteristics are important to you for your intended use of the vehicle. Then compare that to your budget.

I think it is better to consider the characteristics individually then to try to define a single vehicle as best.

I have the ability to tow off road, and the low profile TM does not scrape on the overhead tree limbs.

My brother has a 38 foot fifth wheel trailer with triple slides.

My brother can not go where I like to go.

I do not like to go where my brother can go.

In six years, we have camped together once.

GREAT STUFF Wayne! Thanks for the effort and sharing the knowledge.

I too have no personal experience with a diesel, but have a friend who tows a 28ft TT and a motorcycle trailer behind the TT with a F350. He reports 20+mpg routinely in our part of the country (flat).

[Bill]

Wayne -

This is going to be a great thread. I'm looking forward to it.

I will offer one bit of contrary experience, regarding bed liners. I have a 1998 Ford Ranger (mini-pickup truck), which I bought new. As soon as I took possession, I went to one of the local bedliner seller-installer places, and had a pre-formed liner popped into the bed. It was advertised as being specifically sized for my vehicle, and I guess it was - it fit perfectly.

In my case, the important thing is that the liner is preformed as one piece, and waterproof. This truck spends 3 seasons parked outdoors in the driveway of my house. I live 50 feet from the ocean, so salt is a big problem for anything metal. At any rate, during summer thunderstorms, it is common to have as much as 2 inches of water collect in the truck bed when it is parked facing down the slope. Since the bedliner is waterproof, the water just sits there until I drive away, when it sloshes out of the tailgate.

Each year, I pop the bedliner out, to check the condition of the bed. While it is out, I hose out the bed to get rid of any accumulated grit. Let it dry in the sun, and pop the liner back in. After 15 years, the bed looks good, and the liner is still flexible. No paint abrasion in the bed, though I carry nasty loads on occasion. And no rust at all.

I am no expert, but I'm of the opinion that a sprayed-on liner relies on being stuck/glued to the metal of the bed. Eventually, the asphalt "glue" bond fails and allows water to penetrate between the liner and the metal of the bed. Since the sprayed-on liner is not removable, the water just sits there in the dark, until the paint is penetrated and the metal rusts. I think Consumer Reports reached the same conclusion a few years ago.

I'm just a voice in the wilderness, but that is my experience. A bed liner prevents the loads from scratching the paint in the bed. And a one-piece pop-in bed liner keeps water out of contact with the bed.

Bill

Park the truck facing uphill on a modes slope. Say 15 percent.

Now push a 300 pound motorcycle up a ramp across the tailgate and all the way until the front wheel touches the front of the bed.

A non skid surface is extremely important for my application.

I had a plastic snap in liner that fit my Dakota very well. I also pulled it out once a year to wash out the dust that got under it. I was very surprised at how much paint had been rubbed off. In some places there was no paint left. But this was after 14 years.

My requirements are not the same as your requirements. And that is the entire point of this thread. We can discuss individual characteristics and individual requirements for those characteristics without trying to compare an entire vehicle with another.

Two posts from this afternoon seem to have disappeared. This first was a comment about my omission of ST tires. The second was my response.

I went to look at the thread because I thought mine had double posted. I was surprised to see the disappearance of the post I was replying to.

[T and C]

In my trucks I just use a rubber or plastic bed mat. This protects the main part of the bed, the part between the wheel wells, from scratches and chips. I have never had any problem with water getting under them.

Tom

I have a special circumstance regarding why I prefer spray in bed liners.

Because of the volume of stuff we carry there are significant scratches in the sides of my GMC. Nearly as bad as the floor.

Also, when shuttling mountain bikes we frequently have the handle bars hanging over the sides. This has resulted in scratches on the top sides of the bed.

I also have caused scratches on the top by lifting heavy objects in and out of the front part of the bed. I frequently will rest something on the rail as I step up or down on the nerf bars. I try to keep the heavy stuff forward and I sometimes want to unload it first.

You and I have different situations. But you do bring up a valid point.

I intend to update my list as other comments accumulate.

One of the way-cool features of the Tacoma is the composite bed. The whole thing, sides and all, are some sort of composite material. Very tough with no rusting. After 7 years I have had no problems at all. I'm surprised other manufacturers have not picked up on this technology.