Feeling a bit overwhelmed - TV for a 400 ?

AirBoss

@Denny16
Yessir. Had a 3month, 9 state trip planned for this last spring. We all know why that didn't happen.

Three themes: No Fast Food; No Freeways (unless absolutely necessary), and find and photography the US flag in the most unique places and and displays. Can't do that on I-10. 

I can imagine the old 395 was a blast in a sport car. Good times, indeed!

Denny16

Yes it was, and no traffic then.  Now the area has housing developments and the old 395 is their entrance main drive, so I parts has traffic again.
cheers

ChrisFix

Michael49 said:

I feel your pain. Traded my '18 CRV for a '19 Ridgeline.

Many will tell you that you need a full sized truck for a 400, but so far we have been happy with the Ridgeline.....and I'm getting 24 mpg when not towing - show me a full sized truck that can do that!! (besides the yet to be released 2020 F150 Hybrid). And I love the locking storage under the bed of the Ridgeline.

We will be full time traveling with our 400 soon - that will be a much better test for the Ridgeline, but for now I'm happy with it. Ask me again in 6 months  

Another satisfied Honda Ridgeline owner here. 
I've towed 1,700 miles with my 2021 T@B 400 Boondock - more than half of those throughout the NC Blue Ridge Mountains - and it is an entirely capable tow vehicle for this size of trailer.
Like you, great MPGs when not towing, and more importantly to me, drives like a luxury car when not towing (and the in-bed locking trunk is just awesome!).
It's a normally aspirated gas V6, and like every other NA gas V6 in current production, torque and HP are up in the higher RPMs...so you will see 3,500 RPMs when pulling grades - but it does it effortlessly, and I believe will do it all day and night if you want it to.
I haven't crossed the Rockies with it yet, but so far have never been unable to find more power if needed, even when climbing grades.
My Ridgeline is a 2020, which introduced the 9 speed transmission - which I've found to also be well suited to towing. It includes the ability to select and hold any gear - which isn't a feature of the prior years 6 speed.

Michael49

ChrisFix said:

My Ridgeline is a 2020, which introduced the 9 speed transmission - which I've found to also be well suited to towing. It includes the ability to select and hold any gear - which isn't a feature of the prior years 6 speed.

Wish my '19 had that option!  Also, just curious - do you use any weight distribution hitch? I'm not at the moment, but I wonder if it would help to do so. 

Michael49

Denny16 said:

 In Calif, a vehicle towing a trailer is restricted to 55mph, which is fast enough of me.  

Agree completely. Drives me nuts when people pass me going 70+ with a monster TT!

ChrisFix

Michael49 said:

ChrisFix said:

My Ridgeline is a 2020, which introduced the 9 speed transmission - which I've found to also be well suited to towing. It includes the ability to select and hold any gear - which isn't a feature of the prior years 6 speed.

Wish my '19 had that option!  Also, just curious - do you use any weight distribution hitch? I'm not at the moment, but I wonder if it would help to do so. 

@mic@Michael49
I'm not using any weight distribution or any sway control (beyond the vehicles electronics).
I get just over 2" of squat, which seems to perfectly level the truck...and have so far seen no need for sway control, as I've had no sway regardless of speed, semis passing me at 75+ MPH, or thunderstorms...and I'm not inclined to add it until I've a reason to.
I need to get my setup on a CAT scale, but I'm guessing I'm right at NuCamps published 400lbs-ish tongue weight, as I have nothing additional carried up front, but as setup, it tows very easily.
I just drove home today 200 miles (in a thunderstorm) from Linville Falls, NC and when doing the last 5 mile stretch on I40 during a pretty severe thunderstorm my wife spontaneously asked how it was driving with the trailer in the storm, as she realized it was easy to forget it was back there...which pretty much sums up my towing experience with the 400 to date.

I do get a bit of push-pull when on bumpy pavement...and I don't know if a WDH would help with that, or if a larger truck would be different. My towing experiences prior to the T@B are limited to a few small U-Haul runs up and down the east coast.
On the highway or any smooth tarmac, the 400 really is very easy to pull - I know it's there because the MPG is almost exactly half of normal and the acceleration is slower - but this is a seriously quick truck to start with.

And it is nice to be able to hold a gear when climbing, and particularly descending a grade, like the climb in and out of Boone, NC on US 421.

James

Kampa2020 said:

The last couple of weeks we have felt excited about the prospect of buying a T@B 400 Boondock (our first camper after being primarily canoe trippers) but realising our 2014 Honda CRV can’t pull a 400 and reading through all these very informative discussions about towing vehicles have left our heads spinning and feeling a bit overwhelmed, and unfortunately a bit less excited.  Although we have committed to the cost of the T@B 400 which is not insignificant, we are less excited about spending large sums of money on a vehicle to tow it (although we realise that this is just as important to realise the quality, and safety, of the experience).  Ideally we would trade in our CRV for a used vehicle, with as little extra funding as possible, that could do the job and be as environmentally friendly as possible (i.e. best gas mileage - here we respect the Safari Alto's philosophy of a green travel trailer). Although it is fairly flat here in Ontario, we would want something that could take us on a cross continent trip and be able to handle the higher slopes in the west.  If anywhere in this forum someone has compiled a table summarising everyone's experience towing the T@B 400, we would appreciate being directed to it.  Just having a table summarising the vehicle, towing specs, fuel economy, and pithy comments on the towing experience all in one place would be so helpful in trying to weave our way through this.

I'm feeling all your pain. Seems like I jumped into a pool without having any idea about what I was really getting into.  Hope your situation has smoothed out.

johnfconway

Nissan was roundly criticized for keeping the Frontier mid-sized pickup line mostly unchanged from 2005 - 2109. The upshot was that you could purchase equivalently powered and appointed trucks for $15 - 20K less than the competition at the upper end, since they only minimally needed to retool production line. The upper end includes very capable tow vehicles for T@B 400 like Pro-4X, SL and SV trims. You may be able to find a good used one with plenty of towing capacity (with the 4.0 L V-6 engine). At the smaller end of mid-size cabs, probably not a great fit for large person. I'm 6' 0" and 170 lbs. I find it plenty comfortable.

CanyonWren

@Verna  How does that F-150 do with gas consumption towing your 320 Outback? 

Verna

@CanyonWren, I just finished a trip out West a week ago. I traveled just under 4,000 miles, and my average gas mileage was 14 mpg. I saw as low as 11.5 (heading into a 25 mph wind) and as high as 19 mpg in the mountains west of Denver. I’m impressed as my previous Toyota Tacoma would never consistently averaged over 12 mpg. 

I do not intentionally go over 65 mph.  Most of my miles were on two lane state and Federal highways with speed limits from 55 mph to 65 mph, and yes, stoplights in small towns. I really have gotten tired of Interstate driving and will go out of my way to avoid interstate travel. The roads less traveled have much greater scenery, and fewer headaches. 

Mickerly

Having been down this road with other trailers, I have a suggestion. I would start with the weight you want to pull and work from that direction. The T@B 400 is 3000lb empty. You will put 400 to 700lb of stuff in the trailer. You would like some overhead for people and possibly more baggage in the tow vehicle. So, search for tow vehicles with 6000lb or greater capacity. This will give you a small list to pick from. With a small list of vehicles, the search becomes much easier.

RMo

Mickerly said:  So, search for tow vehicles with 6000lb or greater capacity.

I wouldn’t write off 5000lb capacity vehicles as our 2017 Highlander works quite well.

tteam

Whatever you decide to buy, check the vehicles manual for frontal area.  And calculate the frontal area of the 400.  I think I found 50 or 55 sf seems fairly common for mid sized SUV’s.  Not sure what larger SUV’s, like a Suburban have.  

ChrisFix

RMo said:

Mickerly said:  So, search for tow vehicles with 6000lb or greater capacity.

I wouldn’t write off 5000lb capacity vehicles as our 2017 Highlander works quite well.

While moving to 6K+ eliminates a bunch of choices (which admittedly has some appeal!) I would not rule out the right 5K tow vehicles. I would narrow it down to the longest wheelbase vehicle in what ever class I shopped though.
My 2021 400 is 3500 lbs. or less fully loaded...and the TW is less than 350lbs. 5K rated vehicles can pull a 400 with reasonable authority.
I'm towing with a 2020 Honda Ridgeline (5K towing/600lbs. tongue weight) and it is a good all around commuter and works very well for towing a 400 (15K miles in the past year). It isn't perfect though, because like nearly every mid-sized car or truck with a V6 engine, power is created at higher RPMs...so you have to be okay with that. I am, and the Honda V6 will willingly rev all day without issue or drama. But most of the time, I cruise at well below 3K - reaching for higher revs with altitude and climbing. 
And the Ridgeline is rock steady without any anti-sway add-ons, and rides perfectly with the 400 hitched up. It is a confident and comfortable tow with this class of trailer.
I would love a Ridgeline with a 4 cylinder turbo diesel...that would make a perfect T@B tow vehicle.
All that said, I'm in the camp along with many who have towed for some miles, bigger is easier, and perhaps better, particularly if it fits into your non-towing lifestyle, but I'm pretty happy....

dlb

There are plenty of folks towing 400’s with vehicles that have 4500 pound tow capacities who are highly confident in their vehicles ability to do the job.  When the loaded trailer is 3,500-3,600 pounds those vehicles have plenty of capacity to tow.

If you have the tow capacity you want the capability as well.  Make sure you look at the vehicles HP and torque.  There are plenty of vehicles with 300 hp and matching torque numbers (got to love turbos) that will do the job.  No technical need to set an artificial limit that is 2x the dry weight of the trailer.  YMMV….

Mouseketab

I absolutely LOVE my 3.5EcoBoost 21 F-150. I am pulling a 320 (07 Clamshell), Getting 15 in tow mode going about 65, and 22 on the highway about 75. The comfort and technology on this thing is AMAZING!!! It will also tow my next camper. (We see a [used] Avia in our future).

JeffroNC

F150 Ecoboost here. It's our only car and I can live with 20mpg in town. I went across the US with a motorcycle and loading ramp, big generator, two propane tanks, camp gear, bikes, and a spare waste tank. 12.5 MPG at 62 in tow/haul.

I recommend that you ignore the RV and truck salesmen whenever they are talking about towing. The yellow sticker in the door of the truck and the sticker on the RV are what count. Also, you will need to measure your own tongue weight which you subtract from the cargo and rear axle capacity of the TV.

Of course, you can't buy an F150 these days... :-(

Cheryl13

We are pulling our 2021 TAB400 with a 2020 Subaru Ascent with the tow package. no problems at all in the Rockies.

BlueYonder

Our TV for our 2021 400BD is a 2020 Ford Ranger Lariat 4x4, with factory tow package. It is also our daily driver. 22-25 mpg around town and road trips w/o trailer, 11.5-13.5 with, on a mix of interstate and secondary roads and east coast mountains. No wdh or extra anti-sway equipment. Trailer setting takes care of shifting and helps with engine braking on downhills. No hesitation with acceleration on hills or highway merging/passing. Both of us drive with and without the trailer. No problem hauling everything we need. And the color matches or trailer very well.

daviswelding17

We as of yet own our T@B 400 Boondock but our 2020 GMC AT4, 3.0L Duramax crew cab should handle the towing duties just fine when we do finally get it.  This truck gets high 20's to mid 30's at highway speeds(75 to 80 mph), not towing.  We did a 6 hour one way trip recently and got an average of 25 plus mpg averaging 82 mph.  There is plenty of power to boot.  Price tag for this truck is a shocker though.  Max Tongue Weight = 900lbs, Max Trailer Weight = 9000lbs, GCWR = 15000lbs.  I cannot recommend this truck enough if you can handle the price that is.  You could go with a non-AT4 package and save money.  We got the AT4 because it was literally the only one in a wide swath available with the 3.0L Duramax.