New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

A forum for discussing issues relating to trailers and towing MacGregor sailboats.
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dlandersson
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by dlandersson »

PM me if you'd like to get together for coffee, etc. 8)
March wrote:No, it's not a diesel, Jimmyt.
Mind you, I haven;t exactly measured the difference. I tow from Iowa to the Apostles and back every summer and I kind of stop to fill her up around the same area. I never crunched the numbers--just flew by the seat of my pants. One thing is sure: the newer aluminum two axle trailer saved me about three quarters to one tankful each way, against the old steel one-axle original trailer (but I have always had doubts about its drum brakes...)
When I don't have the trailer and I sort of go long distance... without really doing any precise calculations, that what it seems to me.
I will be driving to Chicago solo in a week or so, and will be able to measure exactly the distance and the mileage, for a change
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March
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by March »

Code: Select all

DIanderson wrote:
PM me if you'd like to get together for coffee, etc. 8)
Thank you! Picking up my mother who is coming from Europe, so there won't be much time. We can do it later, in the next season.
K9Kampers
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by K9Kampers »

March wrote:Picking up my mother who is coming from Europe, so there won't be much time...
Curses, European Metric Time!!...

Image
:D
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dlandersson
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by dlandersson »

Obviously, you don't know Chicago traffic. You may have plenty of time. :wink:
March wrote:

Code: Select all

DIanderson wrote:
PM me if you'd like to get together for coffee, etc. 8)
Thank you! Picking up my mother who is coming from Europe, so there won't be much time. We can do it later, in the next season.
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March
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by March »

DIandersson wrote:
Obviously, you don't know Chicago traffic. You may have plenty of time
I do, man. I do. You're right, I would have plenty of time for coffee and a a five-course dinner at the wheel. But maybe that's not exactly what you had in mind?
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dlandersson
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by dlandersson »

:D :D :D
March wrote:
DIandersson wrote:
Obviously, you don't know Chicago traffic. You may have plenty of time
I do, man. I do. You're right, I would have plenty of time for coffee and a a five-course dinner at the wheel. But maybe that's not exactly what you had in mind?
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BOAT
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by BOAT »

I think the SUV models that are built like trucks seemed to be the most popular for towing and yet still popular for the females to drive.

This was a dilemma I too was facing last year as I had torn down my tow vehicle (a big Sprinter van) to do metal work and interior mods.

I don't know about you guys, but I find female tastes in vehicles mind boggling. They seem to really be hung up on safety, visibility, some sort of rear loading access, and ease of parking. Thus the female generally is looking for a car that is tall in height, short in length, and somewhat slow and heavy. Completely OPPOSITE of what I think men prefer - for me I want a car that is long and low light and FAST. I could care less if it's made of tissue paper or if it even has a seat belt - I want FAST. But, enough about me.

So, my last daily driver for the wife was a compromise that she would drive and i would also enjoy - a big long low fast BMW 745Li. A plenty safe car but not so good for towing and the wife (being female) insisted on more visibility and a lift gate instead of a trunk. (Many women will convert to a pickup truck to get away from the traditional sedan).

I needed a car that could do double duty as a tow vehicle for the boat AND also be a daily driver for my wife. So the first thing you need to do in a situation like this is get the wife to look at pictures of cars online and see what they like and take them to the dealer to drive them to see what the females like to drive.

True to form the wife (being female) gravitated to the SUV models but I found out most of them can't really tow ( some are just cars with a lift gate). When I would show her a real "car" with beef and power that could actually tow 7400 lbs like the Sprinter van (Dodge Durango, Audi Q7, etc) she did not like the "looks") :| :( Okay, so when I turn her loose in the lot she always gravitates to the tall short ones like the Mercedes GLS .

After letting her drive many of these SUV type for many miles she decided the one she liked the best was a Jeep, (not my first choice - as I have never owned a Jeep in my life). I was surprised to find the Jeep Grand Cherokee had real truck tires (not stupid low profile street racing type crap like the Highlanders and such), and what appeared to be a decent 7500 lb tow rate. (My Sprinter van is 9000 lbs). I figured that would be enough as a secondary tow vehicle that could also be used to get the groceries.

So we bought the Jeep Grand Cherokee with all the towing options Jeep could offer and it has worked well. I still prefer towing with my big Sprinter - but the Jeep does a good job.
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dlandersson
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by dlandersson »

Had a 5.9 Jeep - liked it a lot, but I'm pretty happy with my Mercedes also. Tell your wife she's in good company. 8)
BOAT wrote:so when I turn her loose in the lot she always gravitates to the tall short ones like the Mercedes GLS .

After letting her drive many of these SUV type for many miles she decided the one she liked the best was a Jeep, (not my first choice - as I have never owned a Jeep in my life).
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Tomfoolery
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by Tomfoolery »

BOAT wrote:I was surprised to find the Jeep Grand Cherokee had real truck tires. . . and what appeared to be a decent 7500 lb tow rate. (My Sprinter van is 9000 lbs).
Sounds like you got the V8 hemi, which has a 7400 lb tow rating in the 2WD version. Or the diesel, which has the same. My V6 gas has a 6200 lb rating (6400 lb for the 2WD version). And it tows nicely, too, like the diesel did.

Wish I still had that diesel - drove from Rochester to NYC and back on a single tank of fuel once, almost 700 miles. Arrived home in the middle of the night running on fumes, but made it. Not my smartest move, though. :|

Could use a 3rd row seat, which I've never needed until I got grandchildren, but it wasn't an option. :wink:
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by BOAT »

That's why I really like the Sprinter - the diesel engine is great - and when I tow the boat I don't even know it's back there - it's a great tow truck. Alas, the jeep is gas :( and uses a lot of gas when you turn off all the econo modes and push all the sport towing buttons but it's got power to spare - the jeep tows up hills better than the Sprinter when it comes to just raw power. I guess the important thing is that in the econo modes the wife likes driving it around - she thinks it's just a small station wagon with big tires.

Females are hard to understand.
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paula_ke
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by paula_ke »

A female's choice of hauler! Image
4X4 E250 with F250 drive train plus lots more. Won't slide down that muddy ramp :-)
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BOAT
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by BOAT »

Wow, a 4wd Ford Econoline with a Sportsmobile Pop Top and big tires!! You can't get any better than that! Good Choice!

Please explain the anntenna - that's really cool - I seriously hope that perking lot is not near the launch ramp - way too many overhead street lights to catch the mast on. I assume it's the parking lot for the groceries.

See - vans can be used to get the groceries too! I also take my van to the hardware store. Image
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by paula_ke »

Pic from a year ago when I stopped for coffee while en route to Baja Mexico. Will do the same this year, but later. The only place I get slowed down or even know it is there is the "Grape Vine" on I5 in California. 10 minutes of 2500 rpm in second gear. Van is set up with solar panels on top with two house batteries which I also connect to the boat batteries when on the long slog to Baja. Can't wait to get back to warm waters!!
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by BOAT »

I think my wife would like to talk to you - I can't seem to get her to go to Baja - I have told her all the stories about my childhood living on a boat on the Sea of Cortez with my Mom and Dad and she wants to go really bad but refuses to travel alone on the boat or in the van in Mexico :( - what's really crazy is that her primary language is SPANISH! For my dad and I it was a secondary language and not so good. Her Spanish AND English is flawless - yet I can't get her to go South of the border unless we are on a cruise ship. She wants to go there only if there are other people there with boats like ours. The thing is that she is really fearless on the boat and even off road in the van but why Mexico scares her I know not. Perhaps it's changed too much since I was a kid. I know my last trip to Cabo was a real eye opener - when i was there last in 1972 the only thing there was the Marlin Club and now the place looks like Orange County California. Holy Smokes.
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paula_ke
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Re: New Tow Vehicle; Size Constraint

Post by paula_ke »

Forgot to mention the Antenna. It is a ham radio antenna. The van is set up with short wave so I can chat with friends around the country (world for that matter) while super slabbing to Mexico.
I don't do the big cities in Mexico. My partner and I have a place in Mulege. Nice little coastal community by the Sea of Cortez and Bahia Concepcion with a vibrant Mexican population as well as Canadian and US snow birds. It is just far enough away from Loretto (the closest International airport) so the touristo's never make it that far north.
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