Tow Vehicle - Ladies' Choice

[Frank C]

The Rivian has pretty impressive payload and towing specs, but if the real world actual range while towing ends up around 200 miles or so (towing causing a reduction of ~50% of the 400 mile claimed range as mentioned in the above post in other examples) that would be a real pain and not practical for long road trips towing a trailer.  You’d be making long charging stops every 2-1/2 to 3 hours, plus the anxiety of constantly looking for charging stations that have access for a vehicle pulling a trailer.  The charging stations I’ve seen on our long road trips were just set up for single vehicles.   And the charging time to get a full charge would add significantly to your travel time.

I get about 325 miles range with my gas F-250 when towing, and on long road trips out in the mountain west states like Wyoming and Montana, there were times when I wished I had more range than that to avoid the anxiety when the gas gauge gets to a 1/4 tank.  Even gas stations can be few and far between in some of those areas.  I even carry a 2 gallon RotoPax gas container as well just in case.

I love the electric vehicles coming on the market and I think they are perfectly suited for the right applications, but towing a heavy trailer over long distances isn’t one of them yet.

Our next daily driver for around town errands and short trips/commutes will likely be an electric vehicle.  But in that future scenario my daily mileage would be way less than the vehicle range limit, so I could recharge overnight at home as needed when time isn’t an issue, and not have to worry about constantly looking for charge stations.

If you want a great show to watch about long distance travel with electric vehicles, watch the series called “Long Way Up” on Apple TV+.   Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman riding Harley Davidson electric motorcycles from the southern tip of South America to Los Angeles, with Rivian trucks as support vehicles, along with a diesel Mercedes Sprinter van with big solar panels for help in recharging the electric vehicles, but they still had to bring in diesel generators now and then to recharge, and even had an 18 wheeler big rig do a tow charge of the Rivians at one point. 

[Roadlotus]

Thank you all for the detailed responses! I test drove a couple 150s and a GM 1500 and really like the 150. I'll do some more and while I love Toyota, for a daily driver I think the 150 has better gas mileage. Just for my own comfort as a petite person, the 150 felt like a good fit. I'm upping my budget per the good advice here and am VERY conscious of payload etc as I look. New is still much higher than a couple years old with relatively low mileage, so that's where I'm staying right now. The good news is people are indeed turning in their lower mpg vehicles (thank you SeaDawg) and my 2019 Subaru is a desired trade in, so I am confident of finding a good match.

Re the Rivian - I'll watch how it is going and I have at least a year to see what others are experiencing. I know my range will be cut in half which is why I am waiting for the longest-range available now. And there will be more infrastructure down the road (pun not intended) so we'll just see. I hear the caveats. I got in early so I get their earlier pricing which is lower than what people are paying now, so I'll keep my spot in the line...

PS. I checked with Anita re warranty and being full-time and she said they don't ask and you don't say. So it appears to be a non-issue, thankfully.

Again, LOVE the discussion and this is one of the reasons I'm choosing an Ollie:)

[SeaDawg]

With rentals and ownership of many brands over the years, I'd rank (for shorter people my size) Ford and Nissan pretty close. I prefer Nissan suvs as rentals to Toyota, chevy, or dodge, any time.

I especially dislike Dodge truck seats. They are designed, imo, for bigger, taller people (stands to reason for a pickup, right?,) , and ours just doesn't have enough adjustment to let me find a comfortable position, and keep my back and left leg happy.  In my 2005 chevy, I carry and use a back and lumbar support,  even around town. 

My favorite tv driver's seat was my Volvo xc90. But, not my favorite tv, from a power standpoint.  It was anemic, compared to our trucks. Everything is a compromise. 

Longevity, the Ford seats I've had over the years (and often many years) lasted longer than Chevy or Dodge. I've replaced foam in my husband's 2008 Dodge Ram, years ago.  Looking for new foam for back and seat of my 2005 Silverado. Probably not as much of a factor with your lighter weight. And, hey, you may not keep your truck 14 to 20 years, as we often do. 

I think the Rivian will be a cool truck, if you want to stay local. Any ev , until we get 650 mile range without towing, will be problematic.  Especially without tesla's extensive charging network..

That can change, and it will. Good on you on getting in at lower price. But, you may (or may not) find an ICE truck will suit your needs better.

 

[Trainman]

Don't forget the RAM 1500, 2019 and new models, test drive one before you make your decision you just might be surprised by its ride and drive.

trainman

[SeaDawg]

2 minutes ago, Trainman said:

Don't forget the RAM 1500, 2019 and new models, test drive one before you make your decision you just might be surprised by its ride and drive.

trainman

Yes. I haven't driven recent gen Ram trucks. Thank you for that, @Trainman. 

Its important to try everything.  

[ScottyGS]

Hi Roadlotus...   

Welcome and Condolences.   I have read through this thread and other family members have voiced the concern regarding TV that I was thinking.  We tow with a 150 and it does the job fine.  We do watch our payload, but going simpler has proven to be ok.  Though we are not anywhere close to full time.  Here's my advice.... 

A.)  Get the best half ton truck you can.  Use the money you won't be paying on the Rivian.  It's too new, too limited in range, and in my opinion, too limited in towing capacity.  7,700 lbs for a trailer that has a GVWR of 7k... just too close for comfort in my book

OR

B.) Have you considered an elite?  Lower weight means that Rivian might just do the trick.  If you have your heart set on it that is.    Maybe after you've full timed for a while you might go back to land based living in a condo or such and the smaller rig might be just the thing for extended trips. 

In any case, best of luck to you and please let us know how you make out. 

Scotty 

[Roadlotus]

Scotty, the Rivian has a tow capacity of 11,000 pounds. So I’m safe there. But I am upgrading my list for the half ton. This forum has help me rethink it 🙂

[Steve Morris]

On 6/21/2022 at 3:35 PM, mossemi said:

I am presently trying to talk myself out of the new Tundra.

Don’t do it!! 😂

 

Signed, your friendly end-of -an-era LC200 owner. 😜

[SeaDawg]

We also have to remember that the op eventually plans for her tv to be her daily driver, in various conditions. 

My daily driver for over 30 years has been some kind of a truck or truck-like suv. I pretty much learned to drive in trucks. (Other than lessons in my mom's 1963 falcon, 3 on the tree.)

Moving up from our truck world from a Subaru is different,  but fun, imo. 

I love the bigger expanse of windshield,  bigger side and rear windows, bigger mirrors,, and the height that allows my short stature to see further ahead.

What I don't love: more expensive and  bigger tires. Less mpg than my previous suvs.  I don't have a tonneau cover on my Silverado,  so everything is exposed in the rear. I carry tarps, stakes, and bungees..  we of course  have a tonneau cover on the 2008 Ram 1500 . Thats our primary tv. My vehicle is the go get mulch, and garden supplies, move the atv, etc., vehicle. 

She only gets to pick one. The very happy medium. And, comfy drive for us shorter folks.

I've been driving trucks of various sizes since I was 14. Some were great, many awkward to handle  for my size and height. As I've said before,  I hate driving the dodge ram. Ergonomics just aren't there, in the 2008. I'd love to hear more from the women who drive.

But, the true test for the op  is drive everything . 

[mossemi]

On 6/22/2022 at 5:57 PM, Steve and Deb said:

Don’t do it!! 😂

 

Signed, your friendly end-of -an-era LC200 owner. 😜

I hear you loud and clear!

Mossey

[dewdev]

SeaDawg:

You might want to try a newer RAM 1500 truck just for the fun of it. My 2018 drivers seat is very comfortable and very adjustable. Not so much on the passenger seat but still good.

My truck has the air suspension system so I can adjust the height of the truck off the ground. This suspension (so I am told by people at the dealership) provide for a real softer ride than the standard shock assorbers, even in rough pavement conditions.

[Zodd]

Since you are considering the Rivian I thought this video would be of interest to you. They do a great job of providing their stats for each leg of the drive. The range is a just a big challenge.  I don't think they ever drove more then 130 miles at a time. You can do it though, just more stops and longer stops. Capabilities are good, range not so much. When some cities are struggling to support people turning on their AC in the summertime I don't trust them to support everyone plugging in EVs that are trying to pull 100kw or more. 

Towing an Airstream 500 miles with a Rivian

 

 

[Roadlotus]

Zodd,

This is awesome! They are using the smaller battery so more stops. That’s why I’m waiting for the 400 mile range one. I have subscribed and this will be very helpful. Thank you for sharing 🙂

[ChrisMI]

4 hours ago, Zodd said:

Since you are considering the Rivian I thought this video would be of interest to you. They do a great job of providing their stats for each leg of the drive. The range is a just a big challenge.  I don't think they ever drove more then 130 miles at a time. You can do it though, just more stops and longer stops. Capabilities are good, range not so much. When some cities are struggling to support people turning on their AC in the summertime I don't trust them to support everyone plugging in EVs that are trying to pull 100kw or more. 

Towing an Airstream 500 miles with a Rivian

Wow, that was hard for me to watch. I could almost feel the residual stress as they rolled in late at night with 8 or 9 percent left. That equates to less than 10 miles of range… Stopping every 80-100 miles for well over an hour and close to two if everything doesn’t go perfectly?  This was under ideal conditions weather wise and no other charging traffic.  Very enlightening, not something we’re going to try any time soon.

[Trainman]

Being forced to go Green/Electric is not going to work very will with me, forced is the problem, let this change over time as most things do and if it works, so be it. 

trainman

[ScottyGS]

On 6/22/2022 at 5:16 PM, Roadlotus said:

Scotty, the Rivian has a tow capacity of 11,000 pounds. So I’m safe there. But I am upgrading my list for the half ton. This forum has help me rethink it 🙂

I just quickly checked the web page and 7,700 was what was listed.  That will change depending on the model and options etc.   Whatever TV you decide on.. before you buy..  Get out your Sherlock Holmes Magnifying Glass and in a Lawyer frame of mind and read the manual regarding towing very carefully.  The fine print can be a killer.   My comfort level was having about a 30% buffer in capacity.  So, 11,000 lbs. capacity will do that for you.  But check on the need for a WDH.  My guess is you will need one to be compliant.  Most half ton pickups REQUIRE them.   Now that doesn't mean the half tons won't tow an LE2 quite handily without one... but it does mean if there is an accident and you don't have a WDH when it's required... some attorney might have you for lunch.   Good Luck and let us know how you make out.  

[ScottyGS]

Wow... that was an informing video.  

Electric tow vehicle..   On your next trip I think you should practice unhooking your trailer every time you fill up with gas.  I think that would put the issue to bed in one trip.  

Also wondering where the electricity is coming from at their charging locations.  Might have been a lot of coal used to power that trip. 

And this coming from a guy whose second car is a Prius.  And I love the 45mpg I get from it.   Just not for long trips and towing.  

Scotty

[John E Davies]

13 minutes ago, ScottyGS said:

Also wondering where the electricity is coming from at their charging locations.  Might have been a lot of coal used to power that trip. 

Ta daaaaa!:  https://reason.com/2022/06/24/green-germany-prepares-to-fire-up-the-coal-furnaces/

Washington state wants no more new gas vehicles in just 8 years: https://www.kuow.org/stories/washington-wants-drivers-to-plug-into-clean-cars-by-2030-before-other-west-coast-states

There is a very large "head stuck in the sand" attitude about renewable energy and the reality of completely replacing an "outdated" technology (internal combustion) essentially overnight..

What we really need to solve this mess is a completely new tech like cold fusion.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[Jim_Oker]

1 hour ago, ScottyGS said:

Also wondering where the electricity is coming from at their charging locations.  Might have been a lot of coal used to power that trip

Across the US in 2021, 22% of all electricity came from coal. 39% came from the combo of renewables and nuclear (the remainder came from natural gas). Given how electrical generation is shared across areas (see the use of the "big bathtub" analogy regarding blending of all the sources that feed into a region's grid), there are fair odds that the trip used a mix at least somewhat like this (yes, the mix does vary a bit depending on which part of the country you're in). 

[Jim_Oker]

Having to disconnect the trailer (including the Anderson WDH) to charge every 3 hours or so would be enough to push me to a truck-top camper if I were set on using an e-truck for camping. But we all make different tradeoffs on such things.

[ScubaRx]

20 hours ago, ChrisMI said:

Wow, that was hard for me to watch. I could almost feel the residual stress as they rolled in late at night with 8 or 9 percent left. That equates to less than 10 miles of range… Stopping every 80-100 miles for well over an hour and close to two if everything doesn’t go perfectly?  This was under ideal conditions weather wise and no other charging traffic.  Very enlightening, not something we’re going to try any time soon.

Made me wanna throw up watching all that. Approx 1 mile/Kw, Over an hour to get enough juice to go another 100 plus miles, having to unhook in most cases. I'll stick with our big boy diesel. I'm not really concerned about the price of fuel, I planned for this lifestyle for nearly 20 years and calculated fuel at $5.00/gal into those plans.

Load up....

[ShallowGal]

On 6/20/2022 at 7:13 PM, Roadlotus said:

is the Anderson hitch really that much of a pain? It sounds like it.

"Naw," says a female who has hitched & unhitched the Andersen many times by herself. It has idiosyncrasies.

[Roadlotus]

Hi everyone,

thank you for the awesome feedback. I got a slightly used titan XD. It will haul close to 11,000 pounds so I have plenty of room to spare. I appreciate all the advice and comments. It has built-in sway protection so I don’t think I’ll need the Anderson hitch. I will double check but I believe that is the case.

Happy interdependence day to all!

[John E Davies]

Cool nice looking truck! That appears to be the gas engine? What is the payload according to the driver side door sticker? How big is the gas tank? Do you plan to add a bed cover or canopy? Now you can add the Tow Vehicle info to your signature, 😬

You will most definitely need an Andersen hitch for the LE2 which on average seem to have about a 6000 pound “towing” weight. If you can, keep the tongue light, don’t get the tongue cargo tray and then load a 125 pound generator on it…..  And buying the smaller lithium package will save you at least a couple of hundred pounds of dead weight (lead) compared to the AGM batteries.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Rivernerd]

 

23 minutes ago, Roadlotus said:

It has built-in sway protection so I don’t think I’ll need the Anderson hitch. I will double check but I believe that is the case.

Weight distribution and sway control are not the same thing. 

The Andersen is a weight distribution hitch that helps somewhat with sway control.  I recommend you carefully study your owners manual to verify whether there is a statement somewhere, like this one in my 2019 Tundra 5.7L V8 with tow package owner's manual:  "If the gross trailer weight is over 5000 lb. (2268 kg), a weight distributing hitch with sufficient capacity is required."

Unless you put almost nothing in your Elite II, it will weigh more than 5000 lbs.