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Posts: 23
| Have a 17ft V hull boat with a 115hp motor on it. Was wondering what are some of the better pulling vehicles out there that aren't V8s. A boat of my size and weight doesn't warrant a V8 in the first place but wondering if there are marked differences in various V6 vehicles when pulling with a Ford Edge vs. a Toyota Highlander vs. a Honda Pilot, etc. etc.
Edited by bcrecka 5/24/2012 3:39 PM
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Posts: 3158
| f150 4.2 litre which is a 6 cyl with a 5 peed which equals more torque and better gas mpg
full size PU which means NO cramped leg room and being domestic if you need a part in small town canada they probably have it
bought one new in 89 320xxx
bought one new in 99 260 xxx
in fact Im looking for one if anybody has a good one PM me
Edited by happy hooker 5/24/2012 3:28 PM
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Posts: 23
| Totally see how the F150 is potentially a top choice. However, let me qualify this a bit further (and I'm certain there are many in this situation). The vehicle needs to double as "family" type vehicle the majority of the time. So based on that what are the expereinces/recommendations out there?
Edited by bcrecka 5/24/2012 3:36 PM
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Posts: 177
| I have a nissan pathfinder with a 4.0 liter v6.excellent tow vehicle with a truck feel to it with the ladder frame as opposed to the unibody of some of the vehicles you mentioned and doubles as a great family vehicle the rest of the time |
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Posts: 566
Location: Elgin, IL | A Honda Civic can pull your rig, no problem.
Stopping and controlling the vehicle while towing is a much more important issue.
I think alot of folks spend too much time thinking about the size of the motor, and forget about frame and braking (control) ability. |
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Posts: 201
| If you need a family vehicle a Chrysler Town and Country or Dodge Grand Caravan can pull 3600lbs. If you don't need 3rd row you can't go wrong with a Grand Cherokee. |
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Posts: 267
Location: Right behind you (tap, tap) BOOO | I have an 09' Honda Pilot 4wd with the 3.5 v6 (it's actually AWD with a 4L option) and is rated to 5000 lbs - I tow my 17' Full Windshield Aluminum Fish/Ski with a Merc 115 opti and the Pilot tows it just fine - would be nice if the wheelbase was a little bit longer. When I load up both kids and the wife and head to the lake there are no issues.
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Posts: 1106
Location: Muskegon Michigan | We pull our Starcraft Super fisherman which has a 115 4 stroke on it. The boat is 17 feet 9 inches and has a 96 inch beam. Its a big boat. We used to use a Dodge ram 1500 with a 318 v-8. It was a dog pulling it. Now we have a 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser that has a 285 hp v-6 that pulls it really nice. Gas mileage isn't real good but it has Zero problems as far as power or stability on the road.
The rig we use the most here in Michigan ,in fact are leaving tomorrow morning for half day Musky fishing is out little 1448 Sea ark Jon Boat. Its powered with an older 9.9 hp Merc. 2 stroke and sits on a galvanized t-1000 roller bunk trailor. We pull it with a Chevy Aveo hatchback. 2004 with a 5 speed stick and 108 hp 4 cylinder. This rig has been in use since it was new. 87,000 miles and more then half of those pulling that boat. We just replaced the throw out bearing and while they had it apart checked the clutch. The Mechanic was shocked as was I. No wear visible. Still in great shape. The car is starting to rust a little as its 8 years old. Gets 28 mpg while pulling our little Jon at 60 mph. If we boot it down the hi way at 75-80 it gets a lot less around 21. Without the boat it gets 40 mpg at 60 and 35 at 70. Of all the rigs I have owned this little snot is the most efficient. We can still hit most any smaller lakes in Michigan for under 50 bucks there and back. That equates to more time on the water. Mike |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | I used to tow with a 6 cyclinder Envoy for about 5 years and never had an issue whatsoever |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | Not all V8s get bad mileage and V6s do not necessarlly get better mileage. I have a 1750 Crestliner Fishhawk with a 115 Yamaha 4 stroke. I pull it with our 2007 F150 Crew Cab, (four big doors), with a 5.4 V8. The F150 has loads of power and gets about 16 mpg city and 19 mpg highway when empty. (It is rated at 14/18.). It has plenty of room for a family of four. It gets anywhere from 13 to 15 mpg pulling the boat depending on speed and conditions.
We also have a Chrysler minivan with the large 3.8 V6 and I woudn't even consider pulling the boat with that. The van typically gets about 2 mpg better than the F150 when empty, but would be way underpowered for a boat like ours and loaded down with lots of cargo.
The new F150s get even better mileage than the older models like ours. The GM pickups also do OK mpg wise. Maybe not quite as good as the new F150s, but still decent.
One other thing to consider is how well a V6 with its lighter transmission will stand up compared to a V8 with a much heavier transmission. Transmissions can be real spendy to fix.
Good luck.
Edited by Herb_b 5/24/2012 11:46 PM
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Posts: 897
| Musky Brian - 5/24/2012 11:16 PM
I used to tow with a 6 cyclinder Envoy for about 5 years and never had an issue whatsoever
Except that one morning in Canada where we literally got stuck in the sand! But that had nothing to do with lack of power...more like tread and clearance and a bad decision! |
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| all of the mid sized SUVs (Explorer, Trailblazer, Pilot, Xterra, Pathfinder, 4Runner) will pull that boat just fine. some of the larger crossovers like a ford edge or chevy Traverse will too, i believe the edge is rated for 3500lbs and the traverse around 5200lbs , more than enough |
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Posts: 501
Location: S.Wisconsin | Most any thing will work. With that said.. I used to pull my boat with a jeep liberty that had the 3.7 v6 and it worked fine. It was a little iffy if you had to stop fast tho. I now have a 07' silverado with the 5.3 and the gas milage is about the same when not pulling the boat and about 1.5-2 mpg better when pulling the boat. So if you are wanting a v6 just to save on the gas bill I would say that is not always the case. The etra power and weight of a slightly larger vehicle is much more comfortable in my opinion. Good luch with your decision |
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Posts: 373
Location: Maine Township, MN | I agree with the V6 vs. V8 debate these guys are going on about. I used to have an S-10 Blazer w/ 4.3l V6. It got the same mileage I get with my Chevy Avalanche V8. If you're looking for a hauler that is family friendly, Check out the Avalance, Tahoe, ect... |
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Posts: 555
Location: Tennessee | The vehicles ability to handle the weight is alot more important that its torque. I've saw little vehicles tow huge boats but could not properly handle the load. I've noticed at least in GM trucks the fullsize trucks seem to do about as good as a V6 in mileage. Usually with 4 banger you get great mileage and no power. V8 gets you lots of power with poor mileage. V6s usually give you poor power and poor mileage. |
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| Just my opinion but I wouldn't buy a Tahoe\Escalade\Avalanche which are easily some of the worst made vehicles today. Check out their ratings.
If you want something with a V6 you have a few good choices. The Nissan Pathfinder with the 4.0 V6 with the body on frame like a previous poster mentioned would be perfect. Great mileage and plenty of power. Also, the Toyota 4 Runner, Honda Pilot, Acura MDX, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Toyota Highlander, etc...
Most guys who buy full size trucks haul air 99% of the time. I would recommend a body on frame and a V6 with lots of low end torque and trailer brakes.
Good luck!
BTW- The MDX and Highlander or unibody. Not 100% sure about the Pilot.
Most of the foreign V6's today have the same amount of power the American V8s's had from the 90's.
The Pathfinder v6 has 266 HP and 288 torque which is more than the f-150 V6. Not to mention it gets better mileage also.
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Posts: 360
| chevy colorado crew cab |
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | The new Ford Explorer with the 3.5 V6 & towning package is rated for 5,000 Lbs.
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Posts: 480
| 06 sprinter 2500- 25 mpg empty and 21mpg towing, 1200 lb boat, 5200 lb towing capacity, eight passenger seating. |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | The hottest pull vehicle out there now is the F150 Crew cab with the 3.5 V6 Ecoboost turbo. Huge cab with great gas mileage at 19/23 and can pull nearly 13,000 lbs. I test drove one and the 375 hp/420 ft - lbs of tourque is unreal. Basically the gas mileage of a good V6 and the power of a large V8. The six-speed tranny is super smooth and it is the best pickup made by far. Not cheap though. I'd have one if I could afford one.
Edited by Herb_b 5/25/2012 10:21 PM
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| I have a 17' deep v and I pull it with a jeep grand Cherokee and it does pretty well. The 4.0 straight 6 |
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Posts: 5874
| Eco-Boost in a SuperCrew F150! I'd consider my F150 Lariat the "family" vehicle. Much rather take that than the Malibu.
And for guest, the Eco-Boost is a V6, and makes way more HP than that anemic Nissan motor. Best vehicle made today. Ford sells more trucks than Toyota, Nissan, and Honda combined. There's a reason for it. #1 selling PU for 35 years!
Edited by Shep 5/27/2012 12:50 AM
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Posts: 4266
| I pull my Tuffy with a Jeep Liberty. Plenty of horsepower. |
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Posts: 20
| No matter which way you go, v6 or v8, I wouldn't get anything that didn't have 4 whhel drive or all wheel drive. I'd say most fisherman have needed it to get out of a boat ramp at some time or another. |
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| I have pulled a Lund pike 17 with a 140 with a jeep liberty with no problems. The thing that I think needs to be looked at is more of a weight and controll stopping. I would have never been able to pull that without breaks on the trailer.. Way to much weight pushing that small suv around to feel comfortable. Pulling isnt the biggest issue for most stopping may be though. Food for thought. |
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Posts: 1207
Location: Pigeon Forge TN. | Got a Durango 4x4 with 5.9 mag and love it |
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Posts: 2385
Location: Chisholm, MN | I towed a 17 foot Lund angler with my 4.6 ltr v8 f150 until it almost burned out the granny. Traded it for 5.4 f150 and will never go less |
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Posts: 463
Location: Sw Pennsylvania | I bought an 2012 F150 with the 5.0(much more powerful then the old 302) , towing a 17' Alumacraft trophy with 2 hondas on the back, gets around 17 mpg towing up and down the rolling hills of southwestern pa. Gets over 20 mpg on the highway just cruising empty
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Location: sneaking out to get on the water ;-) | Jeep Grand cherokee or if you need the additional room the commander. |
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