Towing vehicle for FunFinder 210WBS

[ppcain]

My husband and I are looking at a 2010 FF 210 WBS. We will also need
to purchase a towing vehicle preferably used. My husband would prefer not to buy a truck. Any suggestions???? This will be our first RV and we are both retirement age. Towing wt is about 6000 lbs. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[webslave]

Since you don't want a truck, that really only leaves medium to large SUVs to handle that kind of weight. When we had our 210WBS, we used a Jeep Hemi Commander to tow it with and our 210WBS loaded for 3 months weighed in at around 6400 lbs. A perfect combination; tow capacity of 7400 lbs., Hemi engine with more than enough "umph" to handle any roads we traveled anywhere in the country and more than enough creature comforts to make it a fine daily driver or sightseeing vehicle (if you overlook the poor mileage which comes with being a good tow vehicle). Some friends of ours liked our combination so much they went out and tracked down an '08 Hemi Commander and got a 244RBS and, while we've moved up to a 5th wheel, they are still towing with that combination. Almost any large SUV will fit the bill...we liked the Jeep for the full time 4 wheel drive; always there when you needed it (it took me several years before I could even tell it was using the 4 wheel drive mode) with no buttons or levers to have to engage. The nice thing about the Hemi Commander was the MDS system (Multi Displacement System) where it would run on 4 cylinders instead of 8 when on the highway or in the suburbs/rural areas and the horsepower wasn't needed and it would go back to all 8 cylinders when the extra umph was needed. Saved a bit of gas. The Jeep Grand Cherokee would be the same wheelbase and powertrain along with the Durango pre-2012 or 2013 when they went to the Pentastar V-6 and AWD instead of 4x4. If not a Mopar, then my next recommendation would be a Suburban; again a larger SUV for the tow capacity. Last would be Ford or an import; lots of people like them and I won't bad mouth them, but, I like American designed SUVs and I've never been a Ford guy.

Just remember, most SUVs have slightly shorter wheelbase than a truck and you'll want to keep the SUV heavy compared to the trailer to help compensate for that in emergency situations. Also, high mileage and RVing don't go together; mileage will be poor no matter which vehicle you get if it is properly sized for the trailer when you get over the 4000 lb threshold.

 

[gator-FUN]

You can tow with a variety of cars. The Chrysler 300, the Ford Taurus and even the Chevy Impala. With a custom hitch on these units you can tow a lot of weight. I took a Taurus for a test drive with a 35 foot 10,000 lb trailer. It towed the unit without any issue. If your interested see Can-Am RV. http://www.canamrv.ca/towing/

 

[SilverLiningSkipper]

After our 2003 F-150 was totaled while camping in Alabama, we found a 2005 Expedition NBX in great shape with 5.4L, factory tow, leather, 2-All-4 wd for less than $15k. It handles our 2010 FF X-210 very well and gets just a better mileage than the 150 did. The Expedition also rides a lot better.

The Expedition has bigger tires and is geared slightly lower than the F-150 so it doesn't need to have OD off except at lower speeds in hilly areas. A fuel saver - 10-12 towing mileage vs 8-10 with the F-150. My wife really likes the comfortable ride of the big SUV.

 

[Adk micro camper]

We took a different approach, also recently retired and new to RVing. We wanted to make a minimal investment, to determine if we would really like the experience. We had a few goals: to enable extended traveling, sleep in our own comfortable bed, prepare our own fresh food meals, enable personal hygiene on board. We did not want to buy a dedicated tow vehicle; we wanted to use our existing vehicle. We live in rural snow country, so our ideal existing car is a Subaru, V6, tow capacity 3000#. Needless to say, this limited our available selection of campers, to fit our goals, and not use canvas.
We searched for nine months and found a 20 yr old Shadow Cruiser, Silhouette, 13' box. The table became a queen size bed and we placed a permanent quality futon mattress on it. We spent the first season refurbishing it; installed a new 2 way frig and roof 'super' fan. Dry wt is 1500#, and gross wt is 2500#. We have taken numerous trips of 4500 mile and 35+ day duration.
Is it perfect.....no, but we love it. We would enjoy an indoor table and a dry bath, but the step up in camper size would require a dedicated tow vehicle. We currently get 25 - 30 mpg not towing, and 18 mpg when towing, depending upon speed. We also find a sway bar essential.
We constantly turn heads on the road and in campgrounds, because of our tiny size. My wife calls it her doll house on wheels. We put a bike rack on the back of the camper, and our kayaks on the car roof rack. Kinda pushing the limits for a Subaru Outback, but it enables us to avoid a dedicated tow vehicle, when the camper is used for 6-8 weeks per year. We use it primarily in Spring and Fall, and stay home for Winter and Summer. It is not for everybody, but it suits our lifestyle.
Hope this helps you to some degree.

 

[stephen844]

I am not too far from the Adirondacks as I am in Central Vermont.
I bought my 13' Shadow Cruiser to put onto my 10 acre lot in Bradford, VT as I think it is perfect for those hard to get into locations. I will find out this summer.
For now I have recoated the roof and will start soon on repairing where the ceiling and walls around the bed area were damaged.
I also need to figure out how to work the inverter so that I can test the furnace, water heater and fridge, as I do not have any manuals that came with it.
Small world owning one of these cute campers. And I even have a dear friend who lives in Keene, NY.

 

[twinster2]

Get a used Ford Explorer or Chevy Trailblazer. Either will work great. Use a WDH and/or a sway control bar and you will be all set.

 

[Jim T]

We have a 2009 210WBS and pull it with a 2009 Aspen with the Hemi engine. The gas mileage is not very good, but with the equalizer hitch it pulls great. Plenty of power and stability. Started pulling with a Dodge Dakota pickup that had plenty of power but was too light to get the stability I wanted.