Elkmont mpg

Originally Posted by bfezel

IMHO it seems that the Tacoma is not going to be enough truck to SAFELY handle the Elkmont. There is a big difference between just getting by with a tow vehicle and having something that gives you the comfort level that all is under control. Given the big investment that you are making on the Elkmont it would seem prudent to go with a full-size TV. Now this advice and $5.00 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Bill

Thanks Bill, but this is all about compromises.

I would love a full size F150. But, a 4x4 (wife demands this) is just too big for our Condo parking, much heavier and will burn more gas.

Of the compact 4x4 pickups, the Tacoma has the most power and torque with a 5 speed tranny. (I was originally looking at a GMC Inline 5, but the 4 speed tranny, although tough, didn't seem right for the Rockies.)

And the Tacomas seem to have a good reputation on this board. There are several posters running them.

Originally Posted by brulaz

The bad news is that all those used 4x4 Tacoma's with the Factory tow package are Double cabs and just too long to be easily parked in our Condo parking spot. And used Tacoma 4x4 short cabs with the Factory tow package are rare.

In addition to all of the good advice already given, I will throw this suggestion in the pot. A long wheelbase is a good thing when towing a trailer, especially a conventional 24 footer. A Taco with a 5000, or better yet a 6500 lb. tow rating, should handle that trailer fine, as long as it is 1 of the longer wheel base models. That might be why you can't find a regular cab with the towing package......Toyota probably does that to encourage safer towing. A regular cab Taco wheelbase is 109", an access cab and the double cab short bed are both 127" (apparently the bed is shortened on the double cab), and a double cab with long bed is 140". The last will would be the best, but the 127" wheelbases should work OK.

Plus, I only see the 4 cyl. offered with the regular cab. I think you will need that V6 to pull all of that frontal area going down the road.

Here is a widely used tow vehicle wheel base/trailer length chart for conventional trailer towing:

110" 20' **** 150" 30'
114" 21' **** 154" 31'
118" 22' **** 158" 32'
122" 23' **** 162" 33'
126" 24' **** 166" 34'
130" 25' **** 170" 35'
134" 26' **** 174" 36'
138" 27' **** 178" 37'
142" 28' **** 182" 38'
146" 29' **** 186" 39'

Of course, the folding Trailmanors are a different story, since you don't have all of that upright area to contend with.

And something else I don't think was mentioned, is that a Taco with a towing package probably includes a lower (higher numeric) final gear ratio.....a good thing while towing, but might hurt you non-towing mileage.

Just food for thought.

Ooops. My bad. I should have said "access" cab, not short cab. I don't think they even sell a regular, short cab in Canada. And the V6 with a 5 speed automatic for sure.

Just wrote the cheque for our Elkmont.

For the Canadians out there, Ruston R.V. in Hamilton ON, the only TrailManor Canadian dealer AFAIK, told me that they are not importing the Elkmont so you will have to do it yourself. There's a couple of threads on how to do it, and it looks simple.

But you don't want to be paying U.S. state taxes as well as the GST+PST (or HST). There's a few states that don't charge sales tax at all or not on vehicles purchased for export. I bought mine at Texas R.V. Center, but there's also a couple of TrailManor dealers in Oregon, and perhaps elsewhere.

Now all I need is the truck ...

fwiw, mostly on the subject of longer wheelbase is better...

I have two trucks that are very similar:

2002 Silverado 1500HD crew cab with 6.5 foot bed 4 speed automatic
2009 Sierra 2500HD crew cab with 8 foot bed 6 speed automatic

both are 6.0 gas 4x4

When towing a 4,100 pound TM 2720 I can tell the difference, because the rig "porpoises" less with the Sierra. I attribute that to two things, stiffer suspension and longer wheelbase.

For the Silverado I use a Prodigy knock off add on brake controller. The Sierra has the factory integrated brake controller. Much smoother operation. Less bumping and grinding. Much more responsive.

I also like my Sierra over the Silverado because it has the factory towing mirrors instead of the McKesh strap on mirrors.

Both get the same fuel economy (or lack thereof).

Both trucks are bigger than they need to be. I like it that way. But my budget is not your budget.

The Silverado became my daily driver when my beater Sentra died last summer. I have logged 7,600 miles on the Sierra since August 2008, when we bought it.

For sake of completeness, I would never have tried towing my Trailmanor with the 97 Dodge Dakota I had until recently.

I bet the Sierra's 6 speed automatic is nice in the mountains as well.

Originally Posted by brulaz

I bet the Sierra's 6 speed automatic is nice in the mountains as well.

I know it is there, but I do not feel any difference.

I suspect that if I was towing heavier then it would be more noticeable.

What I do notice about the 6 speed transmission is when it automatically downshifts while going downhill to engage engine braking. I no longer have to do that. Just set it in drive and forget it.

Well, we just purchased a used 2009 Tacoma 4x4 TRD-Sport with the tow package.

And, after all our fussing about keeping things small, one look at the smaller Access cab changed everything. Too cramped the wife said. So we ended up with a Double Cab four door.

It's just as long as a full-size pickup (141"), but not as wide or as heavy, and so a little easier to maneuver as a second (non-towing) vehicle. But it won't fit in the underground garage; we'll have to park it outside. The other thing I'm not sure about is the electric blue paint job.

Anyway, I've started collecting mileage data and will post back here with the info with and without the Elkmont after we make the trip to Texas to pick up the trailer.

Many thanks to all for the advice here.

Hey, being from SoCal the color is not electric blue. It is DODGER BLUE! And it is a great color!!! Congrats on your new purchase(s). I'm sure yu will be very happy with them.

Hi All,
For what it's worth, I'll say my wife and I use our 2008 Buick Enclave (AWD, Factory tow package, 119" wheelbase, 5,000lb curb weight, 4500lb tow capacity) to tow our Elkmont. We have installed a ProPride hitch and BrakeSmart brake controller. Semi's passing with the trailer are no differernt than when not towing. We get aroung 12+MPG towing here in Colorado and around 20-22 when not towing. We really like our Enclave. It is just a very comfortable car to travel in. I call it a "Land Yacht". We bought the Elkmont because it could be towed by the Enclave. We didn't want to give up our comfortable car for a truck and we didn't want to have to buy and maintain a truck only for towing. So far so good.
Just my two cents.

Yes, that's how we've operated until now. A single vehicle (Passat Wagen, diesel) for both towing (tent trailer) and around town. The Passat gets 38 mpg on the highway, and is a very comfortable Highway Cruiser, but the max towing is only about 2000-2500#. So a heftier vehicle was necessary for the Elkmont.

One car is definitely cheaper than two, but on occasion it would be nice to have a second vehicle available. And, trading in the Passat would definitely be a money loser. It's still got a lot of life left in it, and I love it dearly. Finally, the prospect of driving a bigger, lower-mpg tow vehicle for our daily business didn't really appeal, although the Enclave is a nice piece of work.

So we bought a separate TV. But, as you say, an empty 4x4 pickup can be be a rough ride, especially on the rural frost-heaved roads we have around here. Taking the Tacoma out the other day, I was really rattling around, wishing I had taken the Passat. But with 600# on the hitch, more #'s in the bed and on half-way decent (summer) roads, that will certainly improve. We'll see in about four weeks. Meanwhile, it just makes sense to use the Passat for everything but towing the Elkmont.