Tow vehicle? |
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Iain m
Newbie Joined: 02 Apr 2012 Location: Ontario Online Status: Offline Posts: 2 |
Topic: Tow vehicle? Posted: 03 Apr 2012 at 4:20pm |
I'm looking for advice on the suitability of a Toyota RAV4 V6 front wheel drive for towing a171 or 177 rpod. It just seems too small despite it's rated towing capacity of 3500 lbs. Do I really need a larger vehicle? Thanks. Iain
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Iain m
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Guests
Guest Group |
Posted: 03 Apr 2012 at 4:31pm |
Welcome!
IMHO......I would be thinking of something with a longer wheelbase and more horsepower - if that is within your means. I towed my Pod with a 2008 GMC Canyon with a 3200lbs tow rating. It was miserable towing and I'm sure the truck would not have lasted long.
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Goose
Senior Member Joined: 24 Sep 2010 Location: Arizona Online Status: Offline Posts: 672 |
Posted: 03 Apr 2012 at 4:32pm |
Welcome. It depends on the type of terrain that you we be driving in, fairly flat you maybe happy with the Rav4. If you are going to be in the mountains you may find that with the V6 the going is a little slower. We started out with a 3.3L V6 Caravan an found it to be to light on power for the hills in the southwest and for winds over 20 MPH. Hope that this helps. Goose
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Mother Goose's Caboose..2011 RP171..07 Grand Cherokee
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Swift-Pod
Newbie Joined: 29 Dec 2011 Location: Presque Isle WI Online Status: Offline Posts: 18 |
Posted: 03 Apr 2012 at 6:03pm |
In the process of towing mine about 1500 miles from WI to the Gulf Coast with my Tacoma. Glad to have the extra towing capacity yesterday when we hit 70 mph headwinds and driving rain in MS. I would opt for something heavier then the RAV if it were possible. Duanne
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Duanne & Ann
2011 177 R-Pod 2007 Toyota Tacoma |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062 |
Posted: 03 Apr 2012 at 8:37pm |
Welcome. Our Toyota Sienna is rated for 3500 pounds, and it was fine with our much heavier popup. However, the pod has a very large wind load at highway speeds and I'll be looking to move to a Suburban in about a year. When we hit a headwind its a real battle.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Rabbit
Groupie Joined: 13 Sep 2011 Location: Wisconsin Online Status: Offline Posts: 70 |
Posted: 03 Apr 2012 at 9:04pm |
I would say you are on the light side. What is the RAV weight compared to the Pod. This is the explanation I was given. The closer the two are in weight the more dangerous it is to tow. I tow with a 2004 Avalanche and had a semi pull in real close to me today. The effect on me was rather pronounced.
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Outbound
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 19 Nov 2009 Location: Oshawa, Ontario Online Status: Offline Posts: 767 |
Posted: 03 Apr 2012 at 9:41pm |
Does your owner's manual say anything about frontal area of the trailer in addition to the tow capacity?
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Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150
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Rabbit
Groupie Joined: 13 Sep 2011 Location: Wisconsin Online Status: Offline Posts: 70 |
Posted: 03 Apr 2012 at 10:57pm |
For the avalanche it does not. The most interesting point driving today was weather to use tow/haul or not. Hills yes, flat road no. We averaged 11.3 mpg on a 250 mile trip.
We had the master mechanic do our run through. His job during the season is spent on the road repairing units. I read these post everyday looking for advice. Works well. Hope to see some of you on the road. Ray & Lois |
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pmjensen
Senior Member Joined: 17 Aug 2010 Location: South Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 179 |
Posted: 10 Apr 2012 at 12:22pm |
I had a Equinox that we used to pull our Pod. It had a 3500 lb rating. Here in So. Tx it's pretty flat but we tend to have a lot of wind. We never had any problems pull it, but I was always a little concerned. We now put with a 2011 Nissan Frontier SV. It really is a lot better pulling with it. If it were me I it was affordable I would get something with more power and a higher tow rating.
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2011 R-176 Nuestro Pod
2014 Silverado |
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CinRan
Newbie Joined: 10 Apr 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 13 |
Posted: 10 Apr 2012 at 7:47pm |
We just bought our 171 and are going to pull with a Hyundai Santa Fe with factory tow package. That was the factor we used to say ok.. The factory tow package on cars is much more detailed than just putting a hitch on your car.
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Cindy
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