C22 Towing: Tundra or Tacoma or Pathfinder?

M

maryvmcclain

New member
We want to buy a C22 Cruiser and live/drive/boats in areas where there are lots of high mountains here on the West Coast. Anyone have experience driving with a Toyota Tundra or Tacoma or Nissan Pathfinder?

We really don't want to have to go the size of a Tundra (or F-150 or whatever), but once upon a time, (10 years ago) we had a Durango V8 pulling a 23 ft sailboat and it still pushed the engine when we had airconditioning on etc.

So, we're concerned about the smaller Tacoma (rated for 6200-6300) or the Pathfinder (rated around 7000).

All comments appreciated... we have to find a vehicle in the next week or so!!
 
I can't speak to the Tacoma or Nissan with personal knowledge. I have a
2010 Tundra 4x4 double cab with the 5.7 ltr. engine, which I pull my 22 CD
with and it does the job extremely well. I am of the ilk that i would rather be
over gunned than under gunned. Highly debatable issue, but whatever
works for the user. I get about 12 mpg pulling the loaded CD. 15,pg in
city driving and 19 to 21 on average on the highway unloaded.

Note, I added a Hellwig rear sway bar (about an hours job if you do it yourself)
and that makes a significant improvement in towing, load carrying and handling.
The Tundra is a great handling rig on the road w/o the sway bar add on, but is
noticeably enhanced with it.

Good luck on and enjoy the new toys!
 
My 05 V6 pathfinder is capable. It is slow up hills but seems generally safe with the disc surge brakes on the trailer. I put air bags in the rear coil springs (oe soft rear suspension) and LT tires which improved towing. (see pic)

I used to tow a 5000+ lb boat with the pathy and the 4500 lb 22 cruiser feels alot safer.
 
I have a 2008 Tundra and pull a C-22. It is great! You barely know the boat is there and it is a very comfortable ride. It is my 5th toyota truck and I have had nothing but normal maintainence repairs,( with the exception of the old tacoma starters). I would jump in the air and click my heels if I were a little more spry. Interestingly the 5.7L V-8 gets better mileage than my old 4 cly. truck.

Bruce Cassal
"Carpy"
 
There are a couple of other threads on this subject, but my experience is that while my Tacoma was rated to pull 6,500 pounds I was white-knuckled when I used it to tow my 22-Classic. Starting and stopping was OK, but cross-winds on the highway were a real eye-opener. I'd never do it again and don't recommend that anyone else does. After that trip I sold this otherwise fine vehicle and bought a used F-250. The F-250 with around 400-450lbs. of tongue weight on the hitch doesn't seem to know there's a boat back there. It's night and day to me. I'd certainly go with the weightier vehicle if you're going to do any long-distance towing or towing at highway speeds in any kind of wind.

Good luck.
 
Lots of info on this site regarding towing and tow vehicles, even the ones you are asking about. The Tundra will do it -- no problem. The Tacoma will do it but, i wouldn't. I sold the Tacoma after a couple of 30+ mile pulls, up and down hills and with curves. My thoughts: If I am supposed to be pulling it, then, #1, I shouldn't get the feeling it wants to trade places at any time. #2, the Tacoma didn't weigh enough to feel comfortable in any kind of side wind for me.

I have pulled my boat with a Dodge 2500, manual 6spd trans, and 4WD and it got 22-24 MPG with the boat back there. If it had not been for the mirrors, I would not have known it wa there. Perfect tow vehicle IMHO.

I agree on the Toyotas. I put 580,000 miles on one and it was still getting 28 - 30 MPG. Wish ai had it back.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I towed my CD 22 with an:
1) Isuzu Trooper - no problems but I did add air springs
2) An older F-250 - no problems but I didn't like the handling - mostly due to loose steering on an old truck (1985 I think).
3) A recently purchased Tundra.

As others have stated, with the Tundra you don't even know it's there. However, I think the Tundra is a bit of overkill for a CD 22 and an SUV rated for 5000+ should do just fine. Of course there are others who only feel comfortable with a much bigger truck, but I never felt unsafe towing with my Trooper.
 
The pathfinder has about the same weight and HP as my Honda Pilot, which I have towed 2 different C Dory 22's with. I have gone over the passes out of S. Calif. with no difficulty, but prefer a heavier and more powerful vehicle if you are going to do a lot of mountain towing. We tow the 22 in Florida--and from VA to Florida with no issues. When we take it out West, we will be towing it behind our RV, which has a 10,000 lb towing capacity.

The towing weight of a C Dory 22 can range from somewhere about 3500 lbs, very light to over 5,000 lbs when fully loaded, with cursing gear and fluids.

Wow, I am impressed with a 2500 pickup which will tow a C Dory 22, and still get 22 to 24 mpg--I assume a gas engine?
 
If you remember the Tim Allen series on TV called Home Improvement, he was always saying "more power." I couldn't agree more. Just because a truck is rated at the pull weight doesn't mean that you'll get the same total miles out of it that you will if you never tow. I still stand by rated tow weight being double the actual tow weight. Margin is important. you may only need it once in the next 10 years of towing, but when you need it, if you don't have it, bad things can happen. I also stand by my claim I stated on another similar thread that according to my friend the mechanic, if you tow more than half the miles you put on the truck at the rated tow load, be prepared to replace the xmission at about 60 thousand miles. Regardless of the manufacturer.
 
I pulled my 19' Angler from Ventura , Ca back to Sacramento on Dec 26th. Tow vehicle is a late model Tacoma (V6) with tow package. The 19' angler is about 300 lbs lighter than a Cruiser according to my C-Dory brochure but mine does have a 9.9 Honda and a 90 Honda so adds a small amount of weight. I had no problem pulling it home or stopping and I pulled it over the Grapevine. Of course it would be nice to have a bigger tow vehicle but my opinion is it is not needed as long as you feel comfortable and keep your distance.
 
Dr Bob said:

Wow, I am impressed with a 2500 pickup which will tow a C Dory 22, and still get 22 to 24 mpg--I assume a gas engine?
_________________
Bob Austin
Click to expand...

My Bad, I failed to include the "Cummins" behind that Dodge 2500. My apologies.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I have a 2003 Tacoma with factory tow package and capacity rated at 6500 pounds and had a 22 ft C-Dory. (now sold) Great truck , does the job of pulling OK but is underpowered for the job. So far has stopped OK , no accidents, but is nerve racking as feels like I could easily be pushed around by the boat.

I am very certain that if I was to buy another truck for towing that it would be larger than a Tacoma even though I love my Tacoma. It is just to small for the task. :cry:
 
I pulled my 22 with a Tacoma V6 and I now have a 2001 Tundra 4WD that I tow my 25 with. The Tundra is rated at 7500 if I remember. The new Tundras are rated at 10,000.
 
I would have no problem towing a C-22 with my Tacoma.

Bigger is always better with towing if you don't need to use the truck as a daily driver (i.e. gas mileage).
 
I think that a bigger truck (than a taco) will make your towing experience, especially if going a long distance, much more enjoyable. I would not hesistate towing a CD 22 around port with a tacoma at all though.

On the other hand, I would not be comfortable towing that large of a load in the mountains, around curves with frost heaves, potholes, bears, moose, tourists crowding the center line in rvs, folks stopping on blind corners to take pictures of god knows what, and dodging other idiots in a tow vehicle that is only marginally rated to tow the load.

I would much rather have too much suspension, power, and braking then I would to wish I had more after I wrecked my boat, truck, and risked my life and the life of others barely getting by. But, I know that is really an emotional argument as the tacoma is rated to tow the load. Simply put, it is not enough truck for me to operate in my confort zone. It may however, fit your needs perfectly.
 
I don't know how used pickup truck prices are going in your area of the C-Dory world, but around here (Redding, California) prices of used 3/4 and 1-ton pickups, particularly large ones with Diesel engines, gas V-10's, and Big Block V-8's seem to be reflecting the fuel price squeeze.

I'd be guessing that some big truck owners that really don't need that large a vehicle, particularly if it must be used for commute travel, are being forced to give up the big truck, making them available to those who might need them to tow larger boats more safely.

Of course, the new owners would face the same fuel price/consumption issue, but at least the capital outlay for the truck appears to be more affordable for the present.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
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