Anyone tow your Aliner with a Compact SUV?

[Dag1221]

I have a classic Aliner weight of 1800 lbs empty and looked at all vehicles and settled on a Kia Sorento with a v6 280 hp and tow capacity of 5000lbs tongue of 500. But I agree with others keep the toy and buy a small car for around town the toy is a great vehicle.

 

[McCampers]

We tow our Aliner Scout with the larger four cylinder Toyota Rav 4. We do have electric brakes and a heavy duty frame hitch and a transmission cooler. The Rav 4 has never had any problems with stopping or running up steep hills. We know we are at or just above our tow limit, which does cause us to be extremely careful and we never pull the trailer over 65mph. Our Rav 4 has a 1500 pound tow limit and our camper weighs 1484, so if any gear is included we are over. Hoping to get a larger size tow vehicle soon, however the Rav 4 has performed extremely well with absolutely no problems. We removed the dual propane tanks and put a storage box in their place on the tongue that holds our outdoor kitchen equipment. We use the little one pound propane canisters for our outdoor stove and use an electric heater to keep the inside of the camper warm so we did not need the extra 80 pounds of propane tanks. There is a group 24 battery on the tongue. Our Tongue weight is about 150 pounds, depending on what we are carrying in the storage box. We stopped one time and checked our weight at scales and found the trailer as loaded was 1570 pounds on that trip. We try to keep our gear at a minimum depending on where we are going and how long we are staying. With very little extra room in an Aliner we try not to carry an gear that will not be used.

 

[Canvas Cur]

We too have a Scout...Just bought it! Has the Parks package. Aliner says weight is 1480. Our TV is a Kia Sportage with the 2.0 4 cyl. It is rated at 2000# towing. Towed it home just fine. Will be installing the Tekonsha Prodigy wireless brake controller. Will report back after a few outings with thoughts and impressions on the Aliner and the towing experience. Weighs the same as our pup did, and that pulled just fine. Not speedy...but OK.

 

[~erik~]

....Will be installing the Tekonsha Prodigy wireless brake controller. Will report back after a few outings with thoughts and impressions on the Aliner and the towing experience....

I installed that brake controller on our Aliner. It was a pain to get it to work with our Volvo, but once that was accomplished it works great.

 

[Tukee44]

autos towing in CA cannot exceed 55mph.

Have you ever seen any sane person drive at 55mph on an interstate highway. Even the cop would ignore this law.

 

[~erik~]

Have you ever seen any sane person drive at 55mph on an interstate highway. Even the cop would ignore this law.

Just returned from a trip that included driving I-5 most of the length of the state. Trucks are subject to the same 55 mph speed limit as other vehicles towing trailers, so I just drove at the same speed they did: 65 to 70 mph.

 

[bob barnes]

I have a a-liner scout tongue weight around 80# I don't pack heavy I use a 2015 ford edge no trailering stuff I did add a transmission filter and gauge don't even think about changing the transmission filter its inside the transmission stupid! anyway just got back from 6k Texas trip no problems. the 4 cylinder had plenty of power of course we only tow at 55mph much more pleasant and so much easier on the TV!!

 

[bob barnes]

I tow a 09 Sport with my 07 V6 Jeep Wrangler, the manual transmission and 4.88 gearing help, but it also helps to pack light. I'm not winning any races especially up the long hills in SoCal, but with the gearing and the electric brakes it a safe, steady tow even if it is a little slow. It also helps that autos towing in CA cannot exceed 55mph.

sensible man!!

 

[bob barnes]

I tow my 06 LXE (about 1,700lbs fully loaded) with a 2.4l 2006 Chevy Cobalt SS with a few mods (aux tranny cooler, I had the ECM and TCM tow tuned and dyno'd, header, full exhaust, cold air intake, high perf. brakes, suspension, etc.). I've pulled it over 60,000 miles, up and down mountains with no problems. I did replace the automatic transmission at about 300,000 miles (the car now has about 335,000 miles on the original engine) but I think that's pretty good durability, towing or not.

I could only find a class 1 hitch for it, so I must be very careful of tongue weight. A couple years ago I was returning from a trip and hit a very rough, wavy section (woop-de-dos) of interstate which damaged the hitch. After I made it home safely I took it to a welder for repairs and strengthening. He welded it up better than new, adding a piece of steel angle reinforcement. I must watch my tongue weight carefully, keeping it around 170-180 lbs by shifting the load and adding or removing water from the tank and heater as needed, using a bathroom scale before each trip. Though I've loaded it so many times I usually get it spot (or very close) on the first try. If it gets too light - under 150 lbs I notice a little sway from time to time, so there's a very small margin of error before exceeding the 200lb hitch capacity. Do I recommend this set-up for others? No, as I usually tow at 170% of the manufacturer's 1,000 lb recommended towing capacity.

Chip

you have an amazing tv!!!

 

[NMroamer]

My diesel dream is very much foregone. I wonder if anyone has towed with small SUV such as Honda CRV (CVT), Rav4, or Subaru Forester.

I live in AZ desert, so to go camping, I have to climb stiff hills with full AC load. Which type of car should I steer clear?

My current TV is a 2003 4Runner V8. A gas hog but only has 115K miles. I can easily get another 100K out of it.

Saw a Subaru Forester pulling an Aliner today when I was out running errands. Did not look like it was working very hard. Did not see the model but it had a storage box in front.

 

[Sotovoce]

Does a 2010 ford Escape count as a small SUV? We've towed our 2013 Aliner Expedition with it and are thinking about moving the brake controller back to it for a trip this summer. The Escape is a more comfortable passenger vehicle than our Toyota Tacoma truck. Both tow vehicles get decent gas mileage and handle the Aliner well. The truck has more power for hills, but the Honda CR-V (a very good true small SUV), which it replaced wasn't rated to tow anything.

 

[bob barnes]

My diesel dream is very much foregone. I wonder if anyone has towed with small SUV such as Honda CRV (CVT), Rav4, or Subaru Forester.

I live in AZ desert, so to go camping, I have to climb stiff hills with full AC load. Which type of car should I steer clear?

My current TV is a 2003 4Runner V8. A gas hog but only has 115K miles. I can easily get another 100K out of it.

trun the a/c off!

 

[StarCraft88]

I am pulling an Aliner Scout with a Chevy Equinox V6. I must be doing something wrong because I am getting 10 to 11 miles to the gallon when I am towing the Aliner 1500 lbs + maybe 200 lbs in gear. Does this seem correct? Any suggestions? I don't have anything to compare it to as I just purchased the 2012 Equinox and the Aliner so I have no history. (I guess this wasn't very smart of me to do but I am having that "this is my last chance" getting older type of "do it now or never" thing going on.)

 

[xvz12]

Its not uncommon to lose a third of your gas mileage when pulling a trailer, it's not just the weight, its the air resistance as well, even a PuP or Hybrid presents a considerable amount of air drag.....I shudder to think the fuel economy people get with those huge 5th wheel trailers with their big blunt noses.

 

[bob barnes]

Yes you will lose mpg my 2015 edge gets 30 mpg but hook up the aliner 1200lbs and I lose 1/3 to 20 to 22!! just slow down high speeds will kill you!!

 

[bob barnes]

We tow our Aliner Scout with the larger four cylinder Toyota Rav 4. We do have electric brakes and a heavy duty frame hitch and a transmission cooler. The Rav 4 has never had any problems with stopping or running up steep hills. We know we are at or just above our tow limit, which does cause us to be extremely careful and we never pull the trailer over 65mph. Our Rav 4 has a 1500 pound tow limit and our camper weighs 1484, so if any gear is included we are over. Hoping to get a larger size tow vehicle soon, however the Rav 4 has performed extremely well with absolutely no problems. We removed the dual propane tanks and put a storage box in their place on the tongue that holds our outdoor kitchen equipment. We use the little one pound propane canisters for our outdoor stove and use an electric heater to keep the inside of the camper warm so we did not need the extra 80 pounds of propane tanks. There is a group 24 battery on the tongue. Our Tongue weight is about 150 pounds, depending on what we are carrying in the storage box. We stopped one time and checked our weight at scales and found the trailer as loaded was 1570 pounds on that trip. We try to keep our gear at a minimum depending on where we are going and how long we are staying. With very little extra room in an Aliner we try not to carry an gear that will not be used.

Manufactures put lots of limits on things to protect themselves I bet with careful sensible driving that 4 will go a long time. Just watch your speed, change fulids on time way more often when towing, check it regulary for the smell color test and trailer on!!

 

[KJ Knowles]

Our 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i tows our Aliner Classic (~2000 pounds loaded) with no problems. The Aliner is outfitted with a Prodigy RF brake controller and Hayes Swaymaster electronic anti-sway. It has been a flawless setup for about 3500 miles of total towing, so far. Normal fuel consumption in mixed driving is about 28 MPG. It is my wife's car and she does quite a bit of rush hour stop-and-go driving. Towing the Aliner results in 17-19 MPG.

Just picked up a new Outback 3.6R last week. The extra engine capacity gives me a little more confidence to head for the mountains. It will be interesting to see how the fuel efficiency compares. Now I get to buy my second Outback hitch and wiring in less than a year. :-(

 

[bob barnes]

Have you ever seen any sane person drive at 55mph on an interstate highway. Even the cop would ignore this law.

Me Me I was driving 50 and had a blow out I don't want to think of driving 70mph on any hiway!!!

 

[JoePAz]

trun the a/c off!

Not possible in Arizona. When you are climbing a hill and it 110F outside you can't turn off the AC. Just can't do it. Too hot! The car must do both.


I just got back from towing from Phx to Durango and back. 7 hr tow each way. My Volvo XC70 T6 did fine in temps averaging 85 to 110F. I towed at 65-80 along the way. My Ranger 12 is stickered at 1750 dry with options. I guess it comes in at around 2000 loaded. Tongue as measured loaded is 180lbs. Fuel economy? Not great. I normally get 25 mpg, but towing with 2 bikes on the roof of the car I am looking at 15-17. But I have no lack of power 300 hp /325ft-lbs so that is good.

 

[JoePAz]

Me Me I was driving 50 and had a blow out I don't want to think of driving 70mph on any hiway!!!

Bob..
If you are doing 50mph on an Arizona Freeway with a posted 75 MPH limit you are a hazard. Cars typically go 80 in a 75 and you can get by at 70 ok. Maybe 65 but even then unless you are on hill it get get dicey due to closing speeds.