How many miles on your tow vehicle?

It would be interesting to see how many miles members have on their tow vehicles and if they are higher mileage what concerns you the most about pulling long distances with these vehicles?

Woody

[hillbillyhotel]

WELL THE CURRENT ONES ,THE CHEVY ONLY HAS 65K(MAIN TV) AND THE DODGE STUCK IN THE GRASS HAS 50 K. THE LAST TV WAS MY 93 SILVERADO BOUGHT NEW, HAD 240 K WHEN SOLD, ABOUT 4 YRS AGO, KEEP IT MAINTAINED WELL, POWERTRAIN WAS STILL SOLID, BUT THE BRAIN BOX AND ELECTRICAL GOT THE BEST OF ME,(AND IT) JUST ME, BUT IN MY TV I HAVE THE TRANNY SERVICED EVERY 25K, AND REG MAINTAINCE ,

[wbmiller3]

~135 K on the Expedition. Overhauled transmission and hoping to make it to 200 K "the good Lord willin' and the creeks don't rise".

[girlbugspoppa]

112,000 on 'ole blue', we hope she's good for another 3-4 years. Then we'll get our 'pre-retirement' truck We try to keep the fluids and filters changed and keep a close eye on tire pressures and wear. I gotta tell you, they don't make them like they used to, they make them better! When I was young we'd have had the swingset out of the back yard pulling the engine for an overhaul with that many miles!

My Chevy has 127k, but not all of it is towing.

I expect to get at least 200k out of both trucks.

The interior and exterior are immaculate.

[T and C]

My '96 F-150 has about 140,000 on it. Most of that was built up towing a tent trailer or carrying an overhead camper. It was my TV when I first bought the TM. It still runs great and does not use any more oil than it ever did. Being old-fashioned, I change the oil every 3K in spite of what the owner's manual says.

High mileage engines frequently do not perform as well as they did when they were newer. This is usually because of wear on the timing chain. The cylinders fire very slightly before or after the optimum timing point, hence, less effeciency.

Since it is a very good idea to change out your water pump every 100K I just added a new timing chain to the job. I once had a timing chain break on a pushrod engine, and the results were not pretty.

Tom

[Bill]

My '02 Explorer (tow package, small V-8) had 160K when the transmission began to do awkward things. I will admit that I had badly mistreated the transmission in ways that were not related to towing - but I won't tell you what they were. Sadly, the problem showed during a long trip, and the deadlines did not allow a 3-day stopover for repair, so I sold it and bought a new '07 Explorer on the spot.

My '07 Explorer (tow package, small V-8) now has 94K on the odometer, and the only significant problem has been that a bolt on the exhaust manifold worked loose, allowing puffs of exhaust gas to escape for a few seconds each time the engine was cold-started. It was repaired under warranty. My plan is to drive this vehicle until it dies, and like Pop Beavers, I see no reason not to expect about 150-200K miles at that point.

Bill

Interesting posts, I have always hated to throw something away just to have the newest and greatest. Same with my vehicles. The Dodge van has 118,000 miles and had to have the transmission completely rebuilt at 80,000 coming out of Maine when the OD section self destructed. Other than a repaint for peeling paint on the roof, nothing major. No rust, interior like new and no oil consumption. When their paid for, you can buy a lot of gasoline for the cost of a car payment over so many years.

Woody

Just thinking back over all of my cars:

1. 1965 Impala. Bought used. Blew rod at 120k
2. 1974 Pinto wagon. Totaled at 100k
3. 1981 Datsun 4wd truck. Engine failed at 180k
4. 1986 Crown Victoria wagon. Transmission failed for the second time at 186k
5. 1996 Sentra. Head gasket at 220k
6. 1998 2wd Dakota. Sold at 160k
7. 2002 Chevy 1500HD still in use 130k
8. 2008 GMC 2500HD still in use 17k
9. 2006 Lexus SUV still in use 80k

Plus my wife's Buick, Mustang and Duster, and my 1971 4wd truck, that I do not have data for.

Not all of these are tow vehicles.

My target is at least 200k from any vehicle, unless significant damage is caused in an accident.

[Mr. Adventure]

114k on the Adventuremobile. Less than 15k of that was towing. The shifts and sounds of engine and tranny are still like the day they rolled off the showroom floor.