what do you pull your boat with?

[Jethro80]

98 dodge ram 2500 with a 360. 8mpg. I would recommend not getting one.

[chub]

I don't think you'll find much difference between cab sizes.

[DaBigDog]

This is my second F150.

The '97 I traded in was an extended cab (2 1/2 doors)... got 16 - 19 MPG empty, 9 - 11 MPG towing.

The '02 I drive now is a crew cab (4 fullsize doors)... gets 18 - 20 MPG empty, 10 - 12 MPG towing.

(I tow 2 ATVs, or a 2001, 17 ft StarCraft with a 90 horse Merc)

With either trailer behind I barely know it's there.

[Nate McVey]

Ok dude,

I drive a 01 Ranger 4.0L V6 4x4 and my wife drives an 04 Escape 4x4. I drive 15 miles to work (all city driving) and get 17-18, highway driving 20-21, pulling the boat (16 ft. aluminum with a 25 horse, 2 batteries, trolling motor and a plywood casting deck) 14-15. The Escape gets 14-15 to work, 19-20 on the highway and 12-13 pulling the boat.....not a huge difference. With both vehicles I can tell the boat is there over every little bump and don't like the decreased stopping power.

I have beat the absolute [PoorWordUsage] out of my truck (mountains of CO and MT, pulled a 6x12 fully loaded trailer from MT to MN and again from Duluth to Bloomington and I'm pretty sure my frame is bent/warped) and she keeps going (187,000). It is my 2nd generation Ranger and I would get a 3rd when this one dies if I wasn't planning on starting a family in a few years.

If I didn't like trucks so much, I would look at a Jeep Cherokee..........

[Pat K]

My last 3 trucks have been a 94 GMC Siera, extended cab long box with a 350. Then an 02 Ranger, extended cab with a V6. Now I have an 06 Tundra, extended cab with a 4.7 liter. All were 4 wheel drive. The worst gas hog of the 3 was the Ranger. Highway was 17 to 18 mpg, same as the Siera had been. Towing it didn't matter if it was my 16' Lund Pro Sport or a 4'X8' utility trailer the Ranger was lucky to get 10 mpg. The full size trucks get 12 to 14 mpg towing.

[pikedreams]

Not sure what size my trucks carbon footprint is but I'm pretty sure it's a triple E. All that matters is it gets me there and back! Fishing and gas mileage just don't equate.

[Musky_Madness]

I would agree with most on here about the F150 vs the Ranger. I own a F150 and my father in law traded in his F150 for a Ranger for the same reasons you've mentioned. Boy was he surprised when he started filling up that tank. His Ranger is thirsty pulling, highway, city, etc. He constantly asks what I get for mileage in mine and he just shakes his head and kicks himself for ever trading down. I would compare this question to the same as the trolling motor or outboard horsepower to debate. Can you ever have enough? I would certainly want more that I could use if I want. Who says you'll always be towing a 16' boat? I'd be willing to bet you'll drive further than 10 miles to start fishing now with gas prices lowering. Wouldn't you want the ability to tow more if you wanted to? With the prices of the two probably pretty close at the car auctions, get the bigger bang for your buck. You've asked and it seems you've gotten a pretty clear response...GO BIG! The decision is up to you but hopefully you won't be on here in a few weeks asking what others get in their Ranger for mileage while towing.

[northernsportman]

for what its worth, ive got an 04 ford ranger 4.0 liter 6 cylinder auto transmission and pull a 16' lund with a 25. I get 15-17 around town, low to mid 20s highway, and pulling i get 15-17 also.

[jwmiller33]

I would agree with most on here about the F150 vs the Ranger. I own a F150 and my father in law traded in his F150 for a Ranger for the same reasons you've mentioned. Boy was he surprised when he started filling up that tank. His Ranger is thirsty pulling, highway, city, etc. He constantly asks what I get for mileage in mine and he just shakes his head and kicks himself for ever trading down. I would compare this question to the same as the trolling motor or outboard horsepower to debate. Can you ever have enough? I would certainly want more that I could use if I want. Who says you'll always be towing a 16' boat? I'd be willing to bet you'll drive further than 10 miles to start fishing now with gas prices lowering. Wouldn't you want the ability to tow more if you wanted to? With the prices of the two probably pretty close at the car auctions, get the bigger bang for your buck. You've asked and it seems you've gotten a pretty clear response...GO BIG! The decision is up to you but hopefully you won't be on here in a few weeks asking what others get in their Ranger for mileage while towing.

thanks for the input... ya im pretty sure im going to be fishing out of this boat for at least the next ten years or so... i bought it for 1000, and completely tore it down to nothing and rebuilt everything in the boat from the floor up and added a casting deck. i'm still in college this year, and im going to be graduating from st thomas next may, and i am going to have student loans to pay off and then i will soon be getting a house so i will have a mortgage all and then general living expenses so i will not be making any new purchases in the boat department until i get all my student loans paid off. this boat is more then enough for the fishing i do and since i am so busy with school and work and everything, i never have time to run to a lake thats more than 10-20 min away... occasionaly once a summer i will make a trip to mille lacs with a buddy or something and either he will drive and pull my boat or i will suck it up and just cope with the lower gas mileage... i am more concerned about the city/hwy (none towing) gas mileage for the vehicle im looking for because thats 95% of the driving i do.. i can afford to get worse gas mileage when towing.. thats something i'm not as concerned about.. thank you very much everyone for all your input!

[jwmiller33]

p.s. you guys like my new avitar?

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

From what I've seen the smaller trucks, SUV's with V-6's or even 4's, don't seem to get much better milage than full sized P/U's or SUV's in four wheel drive versions.

Atlest the differences aren't great enough for me to trade the extra pulling capability and stopping power, cargo space, etc... .

Yes sir. My Pathfinder (2008, V6) only gets about 15. A full size pickup gets about the same.

[wplatehunter]

I drive a Ford F-150 pulling a 19' Pro-V, and only get 10-11 mpg. If you need a truck for pulling good luck finding one. We all have to pay to play. If you do find one let us know.

[Seabass77]

I am in a similar situation as you. I think there is one vehicle that fits the bill but it's spendy.

The new 08/09 remodeled toyota highlanders. 23-25 MPG not towing but they have a 5000lb tow capacity and the models with the tow package come with a transmission cooler.

If they could do this with a truck, I would buy one. Not super crazy about the looks or drive of the highlander. Basically a 4wd minivan, but it can tow and gets good mileage.

[Big Buck Buster]

1992 Chev Silverado/ 350ci TBI/ Reg. Cab/Long box. Pulling an 18ft. Glastron only 10-12 depending on how hard on the gas/stop and go/ long or short trips.

I will be sticking with GM full Size for all my needs. Had a 96 s-10 Blazer and a 98 GMC Yukon also. The Yukon got better mileage than the Blazer did pulling, and normal driving.

[caseymcq]

This is just from my personal expeirence. Not saying these are hard and fast rules for these vehicles.

I had two Ford Rangers ('01 & '03) First one at best got 23 mpg on the Hwy. The '03, only ~21mpg (at best). Both had the 4.0L SOHC V6.

Towed my boat (Alumacraft Navigator 175 w/ 75hp Yamaha) with the '03 Ranger, 14 mpg

Now, 2004 GMC Sierra 1500 w/ 5.3L Vortec V8. At best on the highway 20 mpg. Towing the boat 16 mpg.

From a gas consumption standpoint, the Rangers weren't too much better than my Sierra.

[Walleye Guy]

I have a 2007 GMC Siera Crew Cab SLT with a 5.3 L V-8 with the cylinder deactivation system (8 to 4). Here are my real world stats. I have 43,000 miles on the truck. I will tell you I coast down hills and to stop signs to try to maximize my mileage. The computer in the truck helps me correct my driving behavior:

No boat highway driving: 21 MPG

City driving 17 MPG

Boat highway driving 16.5 MPG

City driving with a boat: 14 MPG

My boat is a Lund Explorer with a 150 HP Suzuki.

Running the air conditioning costs me about 10% no matter where I am driving or what I am pulling.

Its been a great truck and has plenty of torque and acceleration.

I tink you are better off with a full-size truck than a small or medium sized SUV/Truck.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

I need to sell my Camry and get into a Tacoma so I can pull my boat around (that I will be purchasing this winter). I MAY be able to pull off hauling a 14' John Boat w/ 25 hp motor around with my 94 Camry 3.0 V6 but I worry about backing the car down into the water being how low it is and getting enough traction to pull the trailer out of the water.

[cm1977]

The Escapes don't get that great of mileage. Wife has a 05 and I have used it to pull old boat (16.5 Alumacraft w/60) and got about 13 mpg up to International Falls. Used my Grand Cherokee with a 4.7 V8 and got 15 on a similar trip. Now have a 17.5 G3 with a 115 and made the same trip and still got a 15 and the Escape struggles to move the new boat around at all. Go with a bigger engine, the MPG is not that different unless you go to a crossover.

[wx_nut]

I have a 2002 Santa Fe, and I pull an 08 Tracker.

I would not recommend this setup. Yes, on the highway not pulling anything, I get around 20 to 23. When I pulled my old 82 Crestliner, I would get around 18. When I pull my new Tracker, I get around 13 to 15. It is also unhappy with me when I pull with it. (I have to be careful about how I pull, baby it, etc.)

One thing that you also need to look for is how heavy is what you are pulling, and what is your vehicle rated for. Mine, according to the dealer is rated for 2,400lbs. My boat, when fully loaded with gas is around 1,900 lbs. (Yes, I had it weighed - yes, I know this is different than what the package weight from the brochure states it is.)

We all have to pay somewhere. I recently had a little fisherman added to my family, and I've found that SO + Dog + Mini-Me + boat + everything else = unhappy SO.

I would steer away from the Escapes - they simply do not have the towing capacity for anything much over a 16 footer. My BIL has one, and he almost wishes he had something bigger.

I'm looking at getting rid of my SantaFe as well - I'm looking at either a F150 or a *gulp* Excursion. I have heard good things about the Toyota Tundra and the Dodge Durango's. My dad has a new Durango, and he loves his.

Basically, don't make the same mistake I made - make sure you do it right, and get the bigger Truck/SUV. One thing you might consider is getting maybe a little older Truck/SUV and then going and getting a cheap-o commuter car that you can rack the miles on. If I could go back and do this all over again, that's what I would do - spend some decent ching on the Truck, and then get a cheap-o commuter car that you can drive until she drops.

Good luck.

-wx_nut

(Edited for me being a bad typist)

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Which Santa Fe do you have? They make two engine sizes I believe.

I think how often you tow is another factor. Personally, I wish I had a Santa Fe instead of my Pathfinder. Better suited for around town and would handle the occasional towing I do.

Realistically very few of us fish as much as we would like. As long as you get something that will pull your rig safely smaller (within reason) might be better.

[Rebel9921]

At home : Its either me or the lawn tractor doing all the pulling/backing up...

On the road : 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 Ext Cab 4x4 V-10... Cant say about the MPG yet as the boat isnt done

[fishmon]

Let's face it boating season around here is relatively short you need to take into account what type of driving you will be doing the majority of the time, Personally I have two vehicles a regular cab s-10 short bed pu with a 2.2 liter 5 speed manual that gets 28 mpg on the highway and a 4x4 Ford super duty crew cab long box with the v10, pulling my boat I can pass anything on the road but a gas station.

[KTapper]

2006 Chevy Silverado 5.3 1500. Gets the job done! and get awesome highway mpg.

[Slob_Samurai]

I went from a 2000 Ford F150 4.6 v8 to a 2004 Nissan Murano AWD... (more hp than my truck had)

I tow a bass tracker PT175

For this size boat the murano tows just as good as the truck did and the gas mileage has improved around 5-7mpg.

Beyond just towing capabilities you also need to consider overall comfort. Im my opinion rangers are small and cramped, not something I would want to be in all day. My truck was fun to drive, I loved the high ride, king of the road feel, but she was a gas hog and gas was steep. The murano is a pleasure to drive, smooth to trailer, never slips at a launch, and good mpg.

My only concern is when I upgrade to a fiberglass boat, the increased weight might be strain on the murano...

Good luck in your seach

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Let's face it boating season around here is relatively short you need to take into account what type of driving you will be doing the majority of the time, Personally I have two vehicles a regular cab s-10 short bed pu with a 2.2 liter 5 speed manual that gets 28 mpg on the highway and a 4x4 Ford super duty crew cab long box with the v10, pulling my boat I can pass anything on the road but a gas station.

Good one