Whats a good tow veh. for 4 persons and 18ft.boat?

[1899]

Im currently towing my jetski with a crown victoria, but whats a good vehicle to tow 4 persons and a 18ft. boat comfortably for about 600mi.? Ive never owned an suv but i figured that may be my only choice since there are so many used ones availble. Im looking at the explorer and the suburban..any other ideas??

[LAFD]

any four door pickup with a v8 would work.

[riverbound]

I wouldnt go any smaller than this, If I were you.
http://www2.***boat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11484&stc=1
j/k..
You said you were looking at a Suburban. I would go with that. We used to tow with a Sub and that was by far the most comfortable/roomy tow vehicle we had. I just wish they made it in a Diesel.

[andy01]

I wouldnt go any smaller than this, If I were you.
http://www2.***boat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11484&stc=1
j/k..
You said you were looking at a Suburban. I would go with that. We used to tow with a Sub and that was by far the most comfortable/roomy tow vehicle we had. I just wish they made it in a Diesel.
That's funny, I wouldn't go with anything any smaller either. But if you had to a Suburban would probably work just as good.
Andy

[LAFD]

That's funny, I wouldn't go with anything any smaller either. But if you had to a Suburban would probably work just as good.
Andy
not all of us are ballers like you andy.

[Run_em_Hard]

If you are wanting a small SUV...I would look at a Jeep. My old man has one with a 318 V8 and that thing has some power. All wheel drive also. I think that you can get somewhere just under twenty MPG also. You can get the newer ones(around 2002) with the 360 V8 and even the hemi!! The ones with the Hemi have a quarter mile time of like 15 sec. Lots of power in a small package.

[spectras only]

1998 is the last year of the pushrod engine [318 cu ] in the GC jeep that's more suitable with the torque lower than the 1999+ 4.7 OHC for .Tow capacity is 6500 lbs with weight distributing hitch , 5000 with weight carrying. I like them for being garage friendly ,and dime a dozen out there .
Make sure you'll pick one with factory package not aftermarket add ons.
Trucks are great if you have space to park them .A little overkill for an 18' boat IMHO :) .
http://www3.telus.net/spectrasonly/PB180022.jpg
I tow this boat on steep hills no problem . Trailer has 12X2 brakes on all four .
http://www3.telus.net/spectrasonly/IMG_1607%20copy.jpg

[Run_em_Hard]

1998 is the last year of the pushrod engine [318 cu ] in the GC jeep that's more suitable with the torque lower than the 1999+ 4.7 OHC for .Tow capacity is 6500 lbs with weight distributing hitch , 5000 with weight carrying. I like them for being garage friendly ,and dime a dozen out there .
Make sure you'll pick one with factory package not aftermarket add ons.
Trucks are great if you have space to park them .A little overkill for an 18' boat IMHO :) .
http://www3.telus.net/spectrasonly/PB180022.jpg
I tow this boat on steep hills no problem . Trailer has 12X2 brakes on all four .
http://www3.telus.net/spectrasonly/IMG_1607%20copy.jpg
There ya go....that is what I was talking about. That looks 100% like my old mans. And towing that big boat says something...

[1899]

I wouldnt go any smaller than this, If I were you.
http://www2.***boat.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=11484&stc=1
j/k..
You said you were looking at a Suburban. I would go with that. We used to tow with a Sub and that was by far the most comfortable/roomy tow vehicle we had. I just wish they made it in a Diesel.
Yea, I dont mind, if you dont mind helping me pay for it LOL.
I wonder which one has more room? Explorer or Jeep? That jeep is impressive but rode in a friends GC once and it was kinda cramped in there. Hell, ive never even rode in an explorer before, I did drive an expedition at work, and its huge inside, but those things are kinda expensive. My limit is about $5K

[79 HUSTLER]

If you keep this one in the right gear you should not have a problem, plus it is for sale. http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/555CID_12-24-05_0942.jpg
:rollside: :rollside:

[Cole Sanger]

This too is for sale....http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103850
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/643Suburban.JPG

[Havasu Hangin']

http://www.highperformancecars.com/hhangin/cig_and_sub.jpg

[Magic34]

Buy my truck that is pictured below please.

[YeLLowBoaT]

We use to tow a 20ft Bow rider with a older olds station wagon...Only thing that was bad about it was the gas milage.

[victorfb]

mike who goes by "rexone" here on the boards was selling a real nice suburban for cheap a few months ago. i would definatly hit him up. jeep? that size of boat that was pictured? hell no. not me. never. but thats been debated to death. weight and wheel base and braking power. i give a rat ars about how well it pulls the hills. stop it in an emergancy situation. live to tell about it.

[victorfb]

This too is for sale....http://www2.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103850
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/643Suburban.JPG
that package deal you had going was a great deal. i cant believe someone that didnt have both a tow vehicle and a boat didnt snag that up.

[Havasu Hangin']

...that size of boat that was pictured? hell no. not me. never. but thats been debated to death. weight and wheel base and braking power. i give a rat ars about how well it pulls the hills. stop it in an emergancy situation. live to tell about it.
The boat is 12,000lbs. The 3/4 ton Suburban (8.1) is rated to 12,000lbs. It's essentially the 2500 HD suspension, brakes, and engine.
The boat has electric over hydraulic brakes on all three axles. Hell, the truck actually stops better when I'm pulling the boat...lol.
Gas mileage? That's another story...

[Run_em_Hard]

DUDE, you DO NOT need a burban to pull a 20' boat. The a jeep would give you plenty of go power with that size of boat and plenty of stopping power as well. Stay away from the explorer, they only come in the V6. And trust me, they are weak. I do believe that 93' is when they came out with the V8 all-wheel drive jeep that I have been talkin about. I know that you could find one, newer, for the price you are lookin at.

[spectras only]

jeep? braking power. i give a rat ars about how well it pulls the hills. stop it in an emergancy situation. live to tell about it.
Done that for nearly 40 yrs .Still alive to tell about it :argue: . The Jeep has ABS and disc brakes all around , and like HH with his big Cig , it stops better with the huge brakes on the trailer .The older trucks with their lousy drum brakes didn't do too well ,even 3/4 ton ones :) Don't fret I'm getting a Navigator soon that has 8.800 lbs rating with distributing hitch. Like most on this board don't use weight distributing hitches on their [ are you ;)] trucks ,they're over the limit anyway .Experience and caution is paramount while trailering. I recall many members here boasting about their speed when towing ,while the towing speed limit IS 55 . :wink:

[Havasu Hangin']

...and like HH with his big Cig , it stops better with the huge brakes on the trailer.
Yep. Hey spectras...those are 5K axles (each) so I've got plenty of stopping power. In fact, if I set the controller too sensitive...it will jerk the (7K lb) truck backward..VERY HARD.
Experience and caution is paramount while trailering.
I couldn't agree more. If your equipment is correct and in good shape, a loose nut on the steering wheel is probably the number one cause of problems when towing.

[Jordy]

while the towing speed limit IS 55 . :wink:
Where??? Not in Arizona for sure. ;)

[spectras only]

Jordy , I'm ready to move to Arizona ,so I can test the efficiency of my brakes :p :D

[Riverat84]

any four door pickup with a v8 would work.
yeha like my hemi ram...ABSOLUTELY perfect towing.

[NOTALENT]

I have a ram with a 5.9 and it pulls my 23fter nicely.. even with the motor starting to lose compression... :rollside:

[jkh04200]

I've been in driven both the explorer and the jeep. IMO Thes vehice have to small a wheel base and set to high off the ground for that small of a wheel base. At highway speeds with some wind you better stay alert. Both of those vehicles were all over the road. As a matter of fact I had an 18 wheeler come beside me one time while I was driveing an explorer and the wind like to have pulled me into the his trailer. Kinda spooky to say the least. I can only imagine how bad this condition would multiply with aboat behind it. My father in law pulled my two horse trailer about 100 miles to there new house with plants in it. He swore he'd never do that again. Granted a horse trailer has more area for the wind to catch. But it doesnt way much at all.
I'm not trying to talk you out of either of these vehicles. They will handle the job, but remember they have limits. Just sklow downn and take your time.

[1899]

Ive decided that If I go anywhere far, im just going to rent an expedition for the weekend. If anyone who goes with me can help split the costs down the middle. And one day Ill own one.

[BOBALOO]

I had to tow my 19' Hallett when my POS Chevy was in the shop with a 99 Toyota 2wd 4-runner. It had a v6 and worked fine. Just had to keep the od switch off but 300 mile each way trips were no problem. Just remember, YOU make the payments, your friends may have to put up with being a little uncomfortable in the back if they want to go to the river or lake with you and ride in YOUR boat.
Why did the first cars only come with DRIVER side airbags? Cuz the driver made the payments.
[img]

[boater012]

Im sure someone will correct me in what year, but: the exploers have been available with the 5.0 v-8 for years i think it was 95 or 96 that they first appeared. ( I was a technician for a ford dealer in utah at the time) and the service department was a lll a buzz about the new 5.0 explorer! they still make the explorer in a v-8 version. I have seen those things with 60 or 70 thousand miles on em advertised around here for between $3500.00 and $7000.00, well within your price range! when they put the v-8 in the explorer they upgraded the brakes to the much larger f-150 brakes and they also had an integrated towing brake controller. I have never owned one my self(my ex wife was to busy totalling our new expeditions 4 in one year to be exact) but drove several when I worked at ford. my vote would be for the explorer v-8 its in your price range and any one who knows anything about fords 5.0 will tell you: you cant kill em. my .02 cents worth p.s. sorry for any typos I just got a new keyboard and i hate it!

[spectras only]

1899 is looking for an affordable vehicle and both ,jeep and explorer with v-8's will do fine for an 18 ' boat and 4-5 passengers . The new Explorer V-8 is rated to tow up to 7300 lbs . :coffeycup

[1899]

Well I just found out that you cant tow with a rental vehicle(im assuming they take the reciever off). So im back to buying a vehicle...

[GunninGopher]

We've got a 2002 Trailblazer with the i6 engine. The thing as towed and 18' and 19' boat out to the river from San Diego no problem. Naturally, something bigger would be nicer, but this is my wife's ride and it is more reliable than my 1990 Suburban with 200k miles and I can't take my company truck on personal business.
It is easy to recommend a Suburban or a 2500HD Silverado so I won't bother. Those will obviously do the trick, but you'd spend 3 times as much. You could pick up a ride like ours for something like 12k. There's plenty of room when you store stuff in the boat.

[MOBrien]

here's the truck you need.......and it's for sale! 2002 F150 Supercrew.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1762Cheetah_015-med.jpg

[Focker]

How Much For The F150

[MOBrien]

How Much For The F150
$16K
looks like you already got one though????