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Explorer VS Highlander
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Bones View Drop Down
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    Posted: 22 Jan 2012 at 7:51pm
I am having a struggle trying to determine which new vehicle to buy. I have it down to a Ford Explorer or a Toyota Highlander. Both seem like they should pull my Pod but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with either as a TV. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Both would be new 2012's.
 
Thanks, Bones
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Kenn View Drop Down
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Points: 612 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kenn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jan 2012 at 12:39am

I would go with an Explorer. These are a few reasons you should:

 
1. Ford offers the electronic sway control.
2. Ford has both the seven and four pin connectors.
3. Ford comes with a cooler when you select a towing package.
4. Toyota markets the highlander more as a crossover rather than a tow vehicle.
5. Ford offers a better interface, especially if you get the navi package.
6. Ford offers better mirrors for towing (built in wide angle mirrors on top outside).
7. Ford also offers rain sensing wipers, which is an awesome feature.
 
if you're going to spend that much money in a TV, you should consider an F-150 with ecoboost. You NEVER have to worry about towing the Rpod. And when you upgrade later, you wont have to change tow vehicles. If you want to know more about the F-150, I will be more than happy to tell you.
 
Either vehicle you choose, good luck and happy camping!

2010 RPOD 176 (Silly-POD), 2011 Forest River Stealth 2612, and 2014 Forest River XLR 380AMP
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marc515 View Drop Down
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I had posted this response in another thread: http://www.rpodnation.com/whats-pulling-your-rpod_topic73_post32772.html?KW=#32772

 
"Just thought I’d share some insight here for folks reading this thread, and are considering purchasing a pod or a new tow vehicle:

 
Our MPG-181 has a dry weight of 2,820 Lbs, and GVWR of 3,800 Lbs. While we may not load to the 3.800Lbs, my guesstimate is we are running about 3,300Lbs as I actually weighed everything (well mostly everything) that went into it for a typical trip. I would venture to say that many of us are well on our way to maxing the gross vehicle weight rating, especially if you are carrying water in the tanks. Simply put, stuff adds up.

When we were looking at the MPG 181, and Rpod 177, we had a Mazda Tribute with the 3,500Lb towing package . We ended up with the MPG as a good deal on it came along first. The Rpod 177 weighs in at about 400Lbs less than the MPG.

 
I read in some tow guide that the tow capacity is computed with a 150Lb driver, and once you add passengers and cargo, the tow capacity goes down! There are sites that have spread sheets where you put in your vehicle and trailer weights, and it will compute what is safe. When I entered the data on a 3,500Lb and a 5,000Lb vehicle, we were over the capacity on the 3,500 vehicle, and borderline on the 5,000 vehicle. **For calculations purposes I used myself, my wife, our dog, 300Lbs of cargo in the tow vehicle, and the 3,800 GVWR of the MPG.

 
So you can see that in our case, a tow vehicle with a 3,500LB towing capacity now has about a 2,920Lb towing capacity; add on a 60Lb WDH, and we are now at 2,860Lbs towing capacity for our 3,300Lb trailer. While these are our numbers, and your numbers will vary, you can see how quickly our towing capacity went down. **Someone please chime in if my tow capacities are incorrect.

So we ended up with a vehicle with a 6,000Lb tow capacity, and I now feel relatively safe. I do understand that some of the Rpods weigh less than our MPG, but safety factors are the same. Here is a good web site which has a worksheet so you can plug in your numbers:

http://www.fifthwheelst.com/before_you_buy.htm


So, the bottom line here is to be sure you capture all weights when looking at the towing capacities; I think these small trailer manufacturers are misleading folks when they indicate smaller vehicles can tow these trailers. Yes they can tow, but pushing the capacity limits is not the safest thing to do. Additionally, from everything I’ve read, a WDH is a real plus for safety.

 
Please don’t anyone take offense; my only aim here is to share some of the insight I gained when doing research for our tow vehicle."
 

We also considered the 2011 Explorer, and it is a very nice vehicle. But after running the numbers, we felt more comfortable with a vehicle with a larger towing capacity which provides an extra margin of safety. In addition to the link above, I also used this worksheet: http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml

 
Good luck in your decision, and Happy and safe camping!
Best Regards,.....Marc & Joan
And....Tucker (our yellow lab)
2011 Heartland MPG-181
2011 Nissan Pathfinder
USMC 69-73
God Bless all our Men & Women in Uniform
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jato View Drop Down
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God's Pod

'11 model 177

'13 Ford Explorer

Jim & Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
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jato View Drop Down
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Points: 209 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jan 2012 at 10:26am
Kenn really summed up pretty well the advantages Ford has to offer.  I do have a '08 Explorer for our 177 and have been very pleased with its performance.  The only add on I did was to install the anti sway bar - it made a huge difference due to the fact the the shorter wheelbase that you have on the Explorer (would be the same issue on the Highlander).  Either way you will have the necessary power BUT I would agree with Kenn on this one.
God's Pod

'11 model 177

'13 Ford Explorer

Jim & Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
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marc515 View Drop Down
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Points: 143 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote marc515 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jan 2012 at 10:28am
Originally posted by jato jato wrote:

Kenn really summed up pretty well the advantages Ford has to offer.  I do have a '08 Explorer for our 177 and have been very pleased with its performance.  The only add on I did was to install the anti sway bar - it made a huge difference due to the fact the the shorter wheelbase that you have on the Explorer (would be the same issue on the Highlander).  Either way you will have the necessary power BUT I would agree with Kenn on this one.
Some of the older Explorers had a higher towing capacity than the newer ones, plus the older Explorers had rear wheel drive. What is the tow capacity of your 2008?
Best Regards,.....Marc & Joan
And....Tucker (our yellow lab)
2011 Heartland MPG-181
2011 Nissan Pathfinder
USMC 69-73
God Bless all our Men & Women in Uniform
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jato View Drop Down
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Points: 209 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jan 2012 at 10:50am
Marc,
I had to go get the owners manual/check out my sticker to check that out because I wasn't totally 100% sure.  Anyway it states I can pull up to 3500 lbs.  Our 2011 model 177 empty weight is 2050 lbs. It is lighter than other 177's because we special ordered ours from the factory in January 2011 to come WITHOUT a/c, entertainment center, and microwave because we normally dry camp where electricity in not available.  BTW what can the '12 models tow weight wise?
God's Pod

'11 model 177

'13 Ford Explorer

Jim & Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
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Bones View Drop Down
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Thanks to all of you for your feedback, I'm inclined to go with the explorer for the reasons Kenn mentioned. Does anyone have experience with a Highlander?
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Bones View Drop Down
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BTW both the 2012 Highlander and Explorer are rated at 5000 lbs tow capacity.
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marc515 View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Bones Bones wrote:

BTW both the 2012 Highlander and Explorer are rated at 5000 lbs tow capacity.
Run the weight numbers before you decide. When we ran the numbers on the explorer, we didn't feel totally comfortable; plus we wanted to leave some wiggle room if we should decide on a slightly larger camper.
Best Regards,.....Marc & Joan
And....Tucker (our yellow lab)
2011 Heartland MPG-181
2011 Nissan Pathfinder
USMC 69-73
God Bless all our Men & Women in Uniform
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