Have you changed the type of tow vehicle you tow with? If so why?
We just upgraded our TV from a Grand Voyager to a K2500 Suburban with a 6.0L engine and 4.10 rear end. A little over kill to be sure! The only way I know the trailer is back there is when I look in the rear view mirror! I still use the sway bar though, cheap insurance. Now I know how far over the safety limit I was for the last 2 years!
Changed from Honday Odyssey to 02 Ford F150 4x4 Supercrew with 5.4 motor towing 03 Cheyenne
Loved the Honda, lease ended, changed to truck for more towing capacity and have now "seen the light"
Farmer
Yep!!! Changed out for a Dogde Ram 2500 5.9l . We started having troubles with the van (Aerostar) and it was not going to be finacially wise to keep dumping money into it. We are looking for a hard sided or hybrid trailer in the next year or 2 so we decided to buy the tv we would need then now. We really do notice the difference when towing.
We needed to get another vehicle and DH wanted a truck so we got a deal on the Dakota, besides, we would have had to upgrade when we got the new PU -- our '87 New Yorker only had a tow rating of 2,000lbs (new PU 3,500)
We just upgraded from a Ford Explorer V6 to a Ford Expedition v8 (5.4) Needed the extra power to pull through the mountains.
Haven't changed, just got bigger;) !
Have I? No
Will I? Yes (eventually. The tow vehicle search and hopes are similar to Birol's search for a PU; the difference is that we won't buy one right now-->$$)
Larry
Yep, for a couple of reasons.
1. The Caravan was getting older and kept breaking down
2. The Palomino was pushing the tow rating big time.
3. I can carry more firewood in the truck.;)
Used to tow with a jeep. Like the truck much better as it doesn't slow up going up hills. It also smells good. :p
Yes, we started with a dodge caravan.. needless to say the back end was so saggy the chains would drag in some spots, and sometimes the bottom would scrape on the way out of the driveway... now we tow with a Ford 150 quad cab..... much much easier... and no sag...
Yes, in a way we changed. We went from a Conversion Van to a Club Wagon.
The reason for doing so was the lack of cargo space in the conversion. Packing up the CLub Wagon is SO much easier.
Do I miss the conversion ? NO
We used our minivan when we were towing our popup but now that we have a hybrid we upgraded to an SUV.
I haven't changed yet, but looking to upgrade to another truck or perhaps a SUV so I can go to the "darkside."
Yes, we changed from a Dodge Caravan up to a Gmc extended cab and now just last week a Ford quad cab... much more room for the kids in the back seat......
Quote from: jpreiserYes, we changed from a Dodge Caravan up to a Gmc extended cab and now just last week a Ford quad cab... much more room for the kids in the back seat......
Hay I just noticed I answered this question a few weeks ago... Man I better read them before I post next time
Quote from: slowpezUsed to tow with a jeep. Like the truck much better as it also smells good. :p
Does this mean that Jeeps STINK? :eek: ;) :D
Yes, we recently changed from an '02 V6 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab to an '03 V8 Chevy Silverado 1500HD Double Cab.
yup we just bought another ken fell in love "again"
yes we changed too. Our 4 cyl toyota Pickup was okay for short flat trips with our tiny Meteor PU but we hope to trade up to a Hybrid (gasp!) so we went with a beauty of a truck. A 6cly. Toyota Tacoma. Being married to a toyota master tech. limits my choices and my pocketbook limits it even more! But this TV should work fine with our needs. I'm happy with it.
Anyone out there have a fiberglass cap for it?
Went from a 1996 4-cyl, manual transmission Isuzu Trooper to a 2003 Ford Expedition 5.4 V8 auto transmission (and DVD for our 3 y/o monkey boy!--I'm totally the mom in that car commercial where the dad says "son, can you say Hemi?" LOL :D )
The two hamsters on the exercise wheel in the Trooper just got too tuckered out and I was tired of having to help push the TV and PU up hills! ;)
Of course, DH still tows with the Trooper on short trips. Doesn't want to put miles on the Expy. :rolleyes:
We have upgraded twice. When we bought the camper in 99 we pulled it with a 93 S-10, 2.8 5 spd.:mad: After 6 mounths we bought a 99 S-10 blazer with a 4.3, much better.:) Then this past Dec we bought a 2500HD Silverado truck. We went to the 2500HD so that when the time comes we can go to the "Darkside". I don't know what we will buy, but I can now look a trailers up to 7,950lb and not go over 75% of rating. :D
Changed from a Dodge Caravan to a chevy extended cab .. Dodge had a bag Sag in the back and was straining on hills,, Chevy had more room and pulled the PU great....
Changed from a chevy extended cab to a Ford Quad cab.. Back seat of Chevy was to small and the kids knees were up to their chins.....Back Seat is now hugh and I even can sit back there...
We actually bought our Astro van prior to owning a popup. We chose this van because it could tow. I am sure that we will eventually move up to a Suburban or Expedition but for now our van works great. Hauls a lot of people and can haul a lot of STUFF.
Jacqio
I started towing our '84 Rockwood with a '90 Isuzu Amigo 4x4 4 cyl. Had no kids at the time. Actually towed very well, and made a cross country trip with it. Very comfortable on the hwy. As soon as the warranty was up, the truck knew it. Right after 36K, the tires were shot, the soft top had a tear in the rear window, the A/C quit, and an intake valve went South. I traded it in with issues. I drove it for 5 years, paid 14.4K, got almost 11K trade in even with its issues. I'm a good negotiator!
I then bought a 95 Nissan basic p/up truck. 4 banger. Our camper had been stolen just before this, so we bought our current camper. Had plenty of power for towing, but this was a very basic truck. No power steering, bench seat. Uncomfortable to go any distance. The rear suspension was too soft, and the back end of the truck tended to bounce. Not a keeper. Got an another excellent trade in after 11 months.
I then bought a full sized Ford conversion van. Fully loaded, power everything, folding 3 way rear seat that made a nice bed, cabinets, sink, Norcold refrigerator, dual A/C, V8, tow package, 4spd A/T, etc. The ultimate in long distance comfort. No problems towing cross country. Big issue, rust. Within 5 years, the rain gutter had holes in it. The tranny had problems (warranty fixed), rotors warped twice (warranty), ABS computer died twice (warranty once), and the steering box blew a seal (I replaced it). I traded it at 69K. Too many problems. Got a fair trade for it.
Now I have a Nissan Crew Cab. 4 door, 6 cylinder (170 hp, 200 ft-lbs) that tows every bit as well as my previous van, all the goodies, but not a 4x4. The truck is rated at 5000 lbs towing. Very comfortable for long trips, excellent daily driver, extremely reliable. We now have a couple of kids, and we all fit easily with all our stuff. I have 40K+ on it now. I plan on keeping this until the kids get much bigger. At that point, I'll probably move up to the new Nissan Titan V8 Crew Cab.
Maybe it's just me (and my wife), but I hate minivans. :eek: ;)
My TV: http://www.2manytoyz.com/vehicles.html
The Topper: http://2manytoyz.com/topper.html
We didn't change our tow vehicle, but added another one. Does that count?