2024 Tow Vehicle Overview

[FSH 210 Sport]

Got this from boat test today, it’s a good overview of the popular tow vehicles. You’d still need to go over the towing tables for each model to double check capacity, and whether or not they are using the SAE J2807 protocol.

https://boattest.com/article/choosing-best-tow-vehicle-your-boat-part-2?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=289831144&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_5wn72ahbVoYcelDn2Cg_HpprpQxLehxXDozWIXTnjxOPhb-6ipP4efZuzal1GHVDcLq6q8mRaw48M62ZQA6A0eFsTNA&utm_content=289831144&utm_source=hs_email

SAE J2807 Tow Tests - The Standard

Maximum trailer tow ratings have been a bit of a mystery over the years. Manufacturers each had their own somewhat secret ways of determining how much weight th

www.motortrend.com

 

[ahenderson432]

Good Article. My 2023 Z71 6.2L Tahoe tows like a dream except for the 10mpg.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Good Article. My 2023 Z71 6.2L Tahoe tows like a dream except for the 10mpg.

Awesome glad to hear that it tows like a dream! To me, that makes the 10 mpg thing tolerable! What would not be tolerable is it the mpg was 10 and it did not tow like a dream… I wasn’t ever much of a GM guy, but the last few years GM has made some changes that I really like, I rode in a Tahoe a few weeks back and man! What a nice ride!

 

[chippens]

I would like to tow with an SUV but it seems the limiting factor is wheelbase rather than weight capacity when towing an AR250.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I would like to tow with an SUV but it seems the limiting factor is wheelbase rather than weight capacity when towing an AR250.

I think wheelbase is a factor, as well as weight and how strong the chassis is, braking surface area, and power.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I would like to tow with an SUV but it seems the limiting factor is wheelbase rather than weight capacity when towing an AR250.

Tow with an Expedition, does fantastic.

 

[2kwik4u]

I would like to tow with an SUV but it seems the limiting factor is wheelbase rather than weight capacity when towing an AR250.

Check out the Durango. R/T or Citadel trim will have levelling shocks to help with tongue weight and sag. They're rated at 7,700lbs and do a good job with that load. Several people on here with Durango's and 25ft boats.

I'm also very partial to my Q7. Similar 7,700lb tow rating and it does it with style and comfort. 4 wheel steering makes it drive MUCH smaller than it is in day to day life. Several Q7's and 25ft boats here.

Of course any full size SUV will do great as well. Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Expedition/Sequoia/Land Cruiser/Armada/QX90 etc. Those are just a bit more to handle in daily driving than the midsize units.

 

[BlkGS]

Check out the Durango. R/T or Citadel trim will have levelling shocks to help with tongue weight and sag. They're rated at 7,700lbs and do a good job with that load. Several people on here with Durango's and 25ft boats.

I'm also very partial to my Q7. Similar 7,700lb tow rating and it does it with style and comfort. 4 wheel steering makes it drive MUCH smaller than it is in day to day life. Several Q7's and 25ft boats here.

Of course any full size SUV will do great as well. Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Expedition/Sequoia/Land Cruiser/Armada/QX90 etc. Those are just a bit more to handle in daily driving than the midsize units.

Durango R/T tow and go does more I think, as does SRT and Hellcat.

If we're gonna be partial to our German SUVs, BMW X5 tows 7200 pounds, and X7 tows 7700 pounds. And they're faster than the Audis

Honestly, there's so many great SUVs that can tow immense loads now it's wild. Heck, even Pathfinder can tow 6000lbs, and Explorer ST tows 5600lbs. And with the advent of modern ratings, they can tow that rating to the number, no "gotta hold back 20%" stuff anymore. If it's rated 7200 pounds, it can safely tow 7200lbs, if not a little more.

 

[chippens]

The 25’ Yamaha boats on trailer are 26’3”, and my understanding is you need a wheelbase ~134” for that length of trailer. Most full size SUV are short of that until you get up to Suburban/Yukon territory. The boat will, hopefully ?, be in its lift at the end of the dock most of the season anyway. A short trip here or there would be nice on occasion though. Hard to find a vehicle that is practical for 95% of its intended use but can also serve well that other 5%!

 

[BlkGS]

The 25’ Yamaha boats on trailer are 26’3”, and my understanding is you need a wheelbase ~134” for that length of trailer. Most full size SUV are short of that until you get up to Suburban/Yukon territory. The boat will, hopefully ?, be in its lift at the end of the dock most of the season anyway. A short trip here or there would be nice on occasion though. Hard to find a vehicle that is practical for 95% of its intended use but can also serve well that other 5%!

That rule of thumb is from back in the days before trailer sway control and all that. Not to say you should totally ignore it, but if you're doing occasional pulls with it in town, I wouldn't worry about it that much. Now if you're gonna be towing it across country or something regularly, I'd be a bit more likely to look at something hella long.

If you really want that 134" wheelbase, your only options are an Excursion, which is of course not at all new... Or a suburban/Yukon XL/Escalade ESV. Even wagoneer L and Expedition max are under that number, and Tahoe sized versions are WAY under it.

 

[2kwik4u]

The 25’ Yamaha boats on trailer are 26’3”, and my understanding is you need a wheelbase ~134” for that length of trailer. Most full size SUV are short of that until you get up to Suburban/Yukon territory. The boat will, hopefully ?, be in its lift at the end of the dock most of the season anyway. A short trip here or there would be nice on occasion though. Hard to find a vehicle that is practical for 95% of its intended use but can also serve well that other 5%!

Cheese and Rice......40% of towed length for the tow vehicle wheelbase feels excessive to me. Q7 is 118in or 37.4%.......I doubt you have any issues there. Durango is 119in. X7 is 122in. X5 is 115in. Any of those will be just fine.

If you hold to that 40% number (or 134in) you're going to be stuck in a GIANT SUV for your 95% use case. Buy what you like, but I think it's an odd requirement.

OR, you're into fullsize pickup territory. Those guys (for a 4dr short bed) are in the 145+in range.

 

[chippens]

Yeah that rule of thumb is probably over cautious for most scenarios. Starting to think the best compromise might be an electric truck like Ford Lightning or Rivian R1T. Not worried about range issues for short tow trips and no issue with 12mpg in town and commuting. Used ones are showing up at dealerships now and at cheaper prices than the loaded Tahoes, etc.

 

[ahenderson432]

I will take my loaded Tahoe over an EV all day. Especially since mine is a similar color to a Highway Patrol Tahoe in AZ. Other drivers tend to move over when I creep up behind them. lol

With this Rule of Thumb the first 110 inches of wheelbase allow for a 20-foot trailer. For each additional four inches of wheelbase length, you get one foot more in trailer length

A Tahoe is 121" Wheelbase (yes i rounded up from 120.9" to try and squeeze an inch in on you).
121"-110"=11"
11"/4=2.75' more feet of Trailer (round up again below)
20'+3'=23' Trailer is suggested max for a Tahoe based on this "rule"

Yamaha 255xd Trailer= 26'3" (with tongue folded = 24'6")

So if I tow with the tongue folded I am only 4" short on wheelbase.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I will take my loaded Tahoe over an EV all day. Especially since mine is a similar color to a Highway Patrol Tahoe in AZ. Other drivers tend to move over when I creep up behind them. lol

With this Rule of Thumb the first 110 inches of wheelbase allow for a 20-foot trailer. For each additional four inches of wheelbase length, you get one foot more in trailer length

A Tahoe is 121" Wheelbase (yes i rounded up from 120.9" to try and squeeze an inch in on you).
121"-110"=11"
11"/4=2.75' more feet of Trailer (round up again below)
20'+3'=23' Trailer is suggested max for a Tahoe based on this "rule"

Yamaha 255xd Trailer= 26'3" (with tongue folded = 24'6")

So if I tow with the tongue folded I am only 4" short on wheelbase.

What does your owners manual say the tow rating is? Does it mention towed length or not? Seems like that tow rating would be inclusive of the wheel base as well as other factors. For me, I’d be going off of the tow rating. In the case of my F-350 CC SWB 4x4, the two rating is 21,000#, there is no mention of wheel base. Some of the RV trailers these days are upwards of 42’ long, but are well within the tow rating of the truck. That 21,000# is either class V ball hitch, fifth wheel, or gooseneck.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Agree with @FSH 210 Sport

My 2017 Expedition has a tow rating 9,500. and I have towed up to 8,500 ish easily moving someone's boat. for my 21' boat it is a breeze.

I was going to sell it, but decided to keep it, pay it off and most likely get another vehicle as an everyday driver. Whats nice is it seats 8 people. The 3.5l Ecoboost and 6 spd Trans are more than enough and are a beast when towing.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Agree with @FSH 210 Sport

My 2017 Expedition has a tow rating 9,500. and I have towed up to 8,500 ish easily moving someone's boat. for my 21' boat it is a breeze.

I was going to sell it, but decided to keep it, pay it off and most likely get another vehicle as an everyday driver. Whats nice is it seats 8 people. The 3.5l Ecoboost and 6 spd Trans are more than enough and are a beast when towing.

I applaud your decision to keep the Expedition and pay it off! Its a great rig!

 

[BlkGS]

I can't speak highly enough about our Expedition. We have the 3.5 with the 10 speed, it's great. The only.way you could improve it is a supercharged V8, or a series hybrid/PHEV.

I wouldn't buy a lightning right now. They're slashing production and prices in an effort to move any of them as new vehicle sales. That means resale on used ones is gonna take a.pummelling, worse than a regular EV which is already terrible. And once Ramcharger comes.out, it's going to make the entire BEV truck idea look stupid.

Powerboost F150 is a great product too, tons of power, good on gas, and a small electric range. I think Ford intentionally sandbagged on it to not hurt Lightning sales... Turns out they didn't need to worry about that because Lightning didn't sell anyways. A PHEV Powerboost would make for a sweet truck, but it would have to have a serious price advantage over Ramcharger.

 

[BlkGS]

Yeah that rule of thumb is probably over cautious for most scenarios. Starting to think the best compromise might be an electric truck like Ford Lightning or Rivian R1T. Not worried about range issues for short tow trips and no issue with 12mpg in town and commuting. Used ones are showing up at dealerships now and at cheaper prices than the loaded Tahoes, etc.

For reference, our Expedition with the Ecoboost and 3.73 rear gets 17.x city consistently. That's with me turning off the auto start stop, and running 87. We would probably hit 18 if I could stand the start/stop. An f150 would obviously weigh less than our SUV and likely do modestly better on fuel. A less aggressive rear end and not running 22" wheels would likely yield 20 city in an f150, especially one that wasn't fully loaded.

 

[Thermobrett]

We towed our SX-195 with a Yukon Xl. Pulled the boat down the freeway at 80-85 mph with my problem. Then again, Florida is flat land, so not sure how it would do with topography or a larger boat.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Yup. May get an F-150 sometime this year but will keep the Expy.

From what I have read, the 2017 is the last year with 6 spd trans. (all 3rd Gen Expeditions have them). From 2018 to current they have the 10 spd and there have been issues with them and towing beats the hell out of them. Many lawsuits and things going on with them. I get my info from the Ford Expedition Forum a lot of great information. But I cannot confirm this first hand. Getting ready to put in new shocks and coils that I have sitting in my garage, KYB's. Was going to do it a few weeks ago but the weather changed. Will put a couple of Sumo Spring

Almost bought the F-150 two weeks ago, but the dealer jacked me around at the last minute. It was a 2023 F-150 Powerboost. Will see how the 2024 are priced and what deals they will offer, otherwise I may just wait on a 2nd vehicle.