Considering A New Tow Vehicle

[jdw174]

I'm considering a new tow vehicle in a couple of months. The one that's really caught my eye is the new Chevy Equinox with the 265hp V6. Drove one yesterday and fell in love with it. The problem is the factory tow package gives me some concern. The hitch is a 1.25", rated for 3500lb. My boat is a 98 Triton TR20, single axle trailer. The greatest distance I tow is 60 miles round trip, but usually only 14 miles one way to Kentucky Lake. I don't have any idea of the weight of the rig and whether or not this would handle it safely. It's a front wheel drive and I have some concerns about the ability to maintain traction on steep ramps if they're wet. I could use some advice here guys

[LoneWolf]

you need at the very least a half ton pick-up with a v-8 and tow package with a posi-trac rearend here in w.va with the hilly terrain and fishing in the late fall with snow storms we all have 4x4.....

[3dees]

that's a class II hitch. I would not pull that boat with it. IMO they are good for PWC's and only small aluminum boats. your rig will probably be pushing the limits of that hitch. what is the truck's towing capacity? if it's 3500 lbs or more and your only going short distances you may be ok. usually they have the same models with class II and class III hitches.

[Daniel Rodriguez]

Front wheel drive is not a good idea...20ft. boat, slippery boat ramps, early morning entries, late night exits on desolate ramps in the middle of nowhere, there is no way i'd do that...

[figure8racer]

If you are willing to spend the extra coin for the all wheel drive model the The last thing I would worry about with the equinox would be boat ramp traction. We have one and it is surprisingly good. I think on a 15 -20 mile trip the equinox would work ok but my concern and reasoning for telling you not to do it is because of the added wear and tear to the tranny and other parts of the frivetrain. That boat would put considerable strain throught the drivetrain. It would probably be fine for a few years but for the price of the equinox new I don't think its worth the risk.

[Grey Wolf]

Never send a boy to do a man's job. This applies to vehicles also.

[slonezp]

Never send a boy to do a man's job. This applies to vehicles also.

I agree

Can the Equinox stop safely with the boat in tow? That should be your biggest concern. The hitch is tow rated at 3500lbs but what about the vehicle? If the Equinox will be your daily driver, and money and space allow, get a used 1/2 ton just for towing.

[jdw174]

First, thanks for your replies. The V6 Equinox (264HP) is rated to pull 3500lb. The only factory hitch available is a Class II. From what I've been able to find/figure, my rig comes in somewhere around the 3500lb mark. After going back over the fine print in the brochure, it appears that the tow package does NOT include any extras like tranny cooler, etc. In my mind, not a good idea to risk it. I'll stick with my '05 PreRunner V6 a while longer......darn it

[tkite16]

Man I dont know.

I have a 97 triton tr21. I got it this spring. I had a GMC Envoy XL with a 4.2 v6 vortec which pulled my old bass traCKER 17FT fiberglass just fine. I made several trips to Texas from Kansas City with no problems. As soon as i hooked up to the Triton I knew it wasnt gonna work. Just bogged it down real bad.

Last straw was the 1st time i tried to pull it to Table rock. I didnt think it was gonna pull some of the hills. I got a new Tahoe and i barely know its back there. Id say at least get a pickup with a v8 if you can.

[Fishing Rhino]

The number one consideration for any towing combination should be, does the vehicle have brakes up to the task? If the tow vehicle struggles to haul it, you've got an aggravation. If the tow vehicle lacks adequate braking, you've got a serious problem when you need to stop quickly.