Towing a 22" with FJ Cruiser

[Wood Zeppelin]

Hi everyone!

I've been using an older short/mid wheelbase Jeep with a 2000# tow rating to tow my 16 Cruiser. It works ok. I can feel the load, the reduced braking, and I drive more carefully when towing.

I'm looking at going up to a 22 Angler, and instead of the Jeep towing it with my Toyota FJ Cruiser. I really like the FJ, and it's rated for 5000#. However, I don't have any "Seat of the pants" towing experience with it yet. It's wheel base is not a whole lot longer that the Jeep. it does have a wider track width.

Does anyone on here tow with and F cruiser or similar? And how do you think it would handle a 22 (or 19') angler?

[ssobol]

I tow my 22' cruiser with an '08 Nissan Pathfinder. Works fine and I don't have any trepidation with towing the boat long distances. But then I used to tow this boat with a Toyota minivan, which also worked pretty well. The main advantage to the Pathfinder is 4WD for steep and/or unimproved ramps. On the highway there isn't any really noticeable difference in towing performance.

My Pathfinder can tow 6K#. The minivan was 3.5K#. The thing I miss most about the minivan is the interior space compared to the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder loses out here BIG time.

[Wood Zeppelin]

[goikem]

I've towed a ~4000lb travel trailer probably 15k miles with my FJ Cruiser over the last 8 years. Handling on steep and winding coastal and mountain roads is excellent with the weight distributing hitch I have. I always take it easy pulling grades and descending. I added a transmission cooler and some airbags, and it's a great rig - I never feel like it's not designed for the task. One of the reasons I'm hoping to get a 22 Cruiser is because I think it'll be well matched to my existing tow vehicle.

[ssobol]

In the vehicles I've had that I towed things with, air bags in the rear suspension helped the ride quite a bit. I would definitely have them.