Towing

[Randy Miller]

Anyone towing a Legacy Elite II with a new Ford Ranger or other mid size truck with a 7,500# capacity?

If so, happy with the results?

[Trainman]

Our camping friends have just purchased there 2021 Elite II and are towing it with a 2019 Tacoma pickup. It has all the towing features offered by Toyota and they say it is ok and by ok they have to tow the Oliver around 60 MPH, it pulls hard at 65 MPH and doesn't tow well, per there info to me. They think it would be hard to tow in hilly condition and the mountains would be pretty much out, which they haven't done yet.  Maybe the Ranger, or the Colorado would do better with a higher HP and torque engine, but for myself the smaller pickup would be out for me all the way around. I personally feel uncomfortable with a small tow vehicle, plus it does limit your carrying capacity and storage. Most who purchase the smaller pickups do so because it is there run around town vehicle and a smaller vehicle works better for them, I don't see it that way, but many do.  I personally look at towing as a serious matter and don't want to sacrifice any thing in a tow vehicle that could take away any safety when towing. 

 

trainman

[John E Davies]

I don’t think anybody here has done this, most LE2 owners pick larger vehicles due to lack of payload and cargo room. Do you already own a Ranger, if so, what are the payload and tongue weight ratings? It may be adequate for hauling a boat to the lake for the weekend but for a laden LE2 on a multi-day trip in tough conditions, it will struggle a lot.

The smaller trailer would be a much better match, but you still have the “where do I put all my stuff” problem, exacerbated by the much smaller storage volume of the littler one.

Any small TV that pulls a big load will always be highly stressed, you find yourself wondering if it is going to make that steep grade or break down. Plus it gets you lots of anxious looks from your passengers. Not a pleasant way to travel...

Welcome to the forums.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited April 9, 2021 by John E Davies

[Overland]

I think @Mike and Carol also started out with a Tacoma for their Elite II, so he would probably have some good advice for you.  I think his experience was similar to Trainman's friend's.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Overland

[Overland]

Moved to the towing section

[topgun2]

I have never towed my Oliver Elite II with a "mid-sized" pickup.  However, I did tow previous RV's with a Tacoma.  It was OK in that it never let me down.  It did make it up western mountains and had enough brakes to handle going down those same grades.  However, I never really liked the sound of the engine as it worked really hard on many of the steeper grades.  AND - what I was towing weighed just shy of 4,000 pounds versus the Oliver's 6,000 to 6,500 pounds.  I'm certain that I would have switched (for safety and comfort reasons) to a larger Tow Vehicle but I had already do that by the time my Oliver came along.  My reason for switching earlier was gas!  One time when traveling west on Interstate 70 I was headed into a 40 mph head wind at a vehicle speed of 60mph.  My gas mileage was 4 miles to the gallon!  With the small gas tank that is in the Tacoma I was stopping about every hour and a half for gas and was constantly worried that there would not be a station when I needed one.  I actually really liked my Tacoma but I really do not believe that it makes for a very good tow vehicle for the Elite II in all but the very narrowest of circumstances.

Bill

[topgun2]

Bugeyedriver also towed and Oliver Elite I with a mid-sized pickup for many thousands of miles.  While not an Elite II I would guess that he has some stories to tell - about his towing experience that is.😁

Bill

[BackofBeyond]

I regularly tow with  a JD 3038E - top speed about 5 mph. Good turn radius, wonderful rear vision. Really sucks on the Interstate. But on the other hand - in 4WD  it rocks.....

Sorry - I'm off topic  I thought it was : towing on the farm - - it must be those damn Russian electro pop video's rattling around in my head..... It is not my fault.

RB

 

[Mike and Carol]

3 hours ago, Overland said:

I think @Mike and Carol also started out with a Tacoma for their Elite II, so he would probably have some good advice for you.  I think his experience was similar to Trainman's friend's.

We picked up our Elite II with a Tacoma.  It had the TRD Supercharger, so power was decent.  The problem we ran into was two fold: first, the gas tank isn’t very big and gas mileage was poor.  I was looking for a gas station every 150 to 200 miles.  Second, payload weight was marginal and the bed was small, so we had to be selective on what we loaded.  I upgraded to a Ram 1500 with the 5.7L V8 and got better gas mileage than the Tacoma.  I recently upgraded to a Ram 2500 with the 6.7L Cummins and my gas mileage has improved even more, plus there are no issues with the amount of cargo I load.

[JRK]

I use a Tacoma 4x4 with full tow package/heavy suspension for the elite I. I think that is the max for this truck. I had a head wind from Little Rock to Los Angeles along The entire I40 return trip. Including getting rocked about while sleeping. It did fine. Kept it out of “D”, used 4th gear. Stayed a little more than 2000 rpm most of the way cruising about 65-70. It was ok, had ok acceleration. But I was not in Rockies or sierras. I would not try it with the additional weight of the II. 
when I replace the Tacoma in about 50,000 miles, it will probably be with a tundra or sequoia, or a decent used land cruiser. 
the 2014 Tacoma has been perfect for 155,000 miles. 

[Mike and Carol]

7 hours ago, JRK said:

the 2014 Tacoma has been perfect for 155,000 miles. 

I had two Tacoma’s, a 2009 and 2012.  Both were excellent.  The 2012 was well north of 100K miles when I traded it for a Ram 1500.  It just wasn’t cut out to tow an Elite II.

[SeaDawg]

Since everyone is talking about (older) Tacoma, I thought you might like to watch this video, comparing the Tacoma and a Ford Ranger in a challenge. (Read the comments if you have time. Some good info here.)

The guys used a 5,000 lb true weight utility trailer, so more than the Elite, but less than a II. BUT, a lot of squared off frontal area on the utility trailer.

Do you have a Ranger? I test drove one in 2019, and really liked it as an around town, sometimes tow vehicle.  Some great features, lots of payload for a midsized, (depending on features), and 7500 lbs tow rating. Very comfortable cab and seats. 

I don't know about a II, but I think it could be fine for many Elite owners. Especially if they were mostly flatlanders.

flatlands. You don’t have time to watch the whole thing, slide on over to the 14 minute mark. That's the Ranger part of the test, and the comparison is at the end.

Edited April 10, 2021 by SeaDawg
Add info

[kathief]

Mike and Carol,

We have a RAM 1500 5.7 Hemi and plan to tow an Ollie Elite II with an 11000 lbs tow capacity. We've had various opinions shared with us regarding our trucks ability to tow up mountains (which we plan to do frequently). Can you give share with us your experience regarding towing an Elite 2 up grades. We are running into the same issue many others have had who own half ton trucks, cargo capacity limitations.

[Mike and Carol]

9 hours ago, kathief said:

Mike and Carol,

We have a RAM 1500 5.7 Hemi and plan to tow an Ollie Elite II with an 11000 lbs tow capacity. We've had various opinions shared with us regarding our trucks ability to tow up mountains (which we plan to do frequently). Can you give share with us your experience regarding towing an Elite 2 up grades. We are running into the same issue many others have had who own half ton trucks, cargo capacity limitations.

Both of our 1500 5.7’s towed fine in the mountains.  One had a 10,400 lbs capacity and the latest was a Rebel with a 9,000 lbs capacity.  You have to get used to some higher RPM’s when going uphill, but we never had any issues staying at speed or any overheating issues.   That includes up and down highway 550 (million dollar highway) in Colorado.  I knew I was always at or near the limit of my cargo capacity, but the 1500 towed fine, was comfortable and reliable.  Mike