Tow Vehicle

AustinHealey

Just bought a 2020 TAG Boondock. Was wondering what Tow vehicle people are using. Ball socket height on the trailer is 22 inches. So ball height on the tow vehicle needs to be fairly high to tow level and not increase tongue weight with a nose down position. What mileage do you get towing?

lipcio

You can always use raise/drop ball mounts so high of tow vehicle doesn't really matter. Towing capacity does matter but with t@g you can pretty much tow it with anything. I would only consider vehicle ground clearance adequate for places you want to visit.

GigHarborTom

We have an 03 4 Runner. The stock hitch with tow package is just about right on.
Bringing our T@G 6 wide we got 20 MPG bringing home about 100 Mi. Half tank water and no other load. No mountains etc, Don't expect that with a load of camp equip on board.

Fourman110

Started with a Subaru Outback for my Boondock XL. When it was destroyed (saving my kids and my life), I moved up to an Ascent. While you can tow with an Outback, the Ascent does so much better. Stock OEM hitch on the Ascent and it tows really well.

Bob297

I’m partial to trucks and reliability. Thus I stay with Toyota. I must include the 4-Runner also. I would stay with at least a V6, but that is only because of where I live. There are to many variables on gas mileage. If your a true off-roader, there’s only Jeep. But, if you were a true off-roader, you would not have purchased a T@G Boondock. JMHO—means nothing....Off-road teardrops are made for it and costs a lot more $$$. Sorry for rambling....

Edit: I’m conservative on towing. So whatever the tow rating of any vehicle is, I cut that in half. Example—my Tacoma has a tow rating of 6400lbs. So I won’t tow anything over 3200lbs. This is because of the weight of passengers, gear and tongue weight of trailer. Because I’ve had too many blowouts with “made in China” tires on my campers, I increase the tire load rating which has stopped the blowouts I was having. Sorry...I’m rambling again....

AustinHealey

Thanks for your replies. These confirm my feelings that although there may be some small (read tiny) teardrops out there that are safely towable with a small car such as a RAV4, the TAG Boondock is not one of them. Thoughts on a Toyota Highlander as a TV, or should you move up to the 4 runner or truck?

lipcio

I have seen people towing TAG Boondock with Prius
They also had kayaks and bikes and kept telling me it's fine and still below towing capacity

Coulter

We're new to the teardrop community with limited time towing the T@g but you can hardly tell it's behind our Highlander. Plenty of power. It does pull down our mpg but that is going to happen with any vehicle.

Lightningdon

My TV is a 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport, 4X4 with V6 and a manual tranny. Tows great. I like having a bed rather than an enclosed cargo area as you would have in an SUV. I can throw my propane bottle and a grill in the bed and not have the smells, grease, etc in the same are where my passengers are. Same with the wet stuff.

JamesDow

I have a non-boondock 2018 T@G. a little lighter than Boondock.
Tow with a 2012 Toyota Rav4 4x4 4-cylinder. I do not load much in the trailer and am careful loading up the Rav4 so I do not exceed the 1,500 towing capacity and the 1071 payload capacity.

HikinMike

I didn't know if I should put this here or under electrical.

For those of you who watched the reveal of the 2021 F150, you already know. Ford will make a hybrid version which can be ordered with an onboard 7.2 kw generator. Regular engines can be ordered with an onboard 2.0 kw generator. Doesnt appear you need to have the engine running either. I could run everything on my T@G with either option.

willow4303

I have a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. It's a 6 cylinder with manual transmission. I can get my T@G 5w level with the hitch every time! Love my little T@G! I don't put anything extra on or in the trailer, however. I have never experienced any sway from the trailer, even on windy roads and overpasses, and it's easy to forget it's back there, except that's all I see in my rear-view . I get about 19 or 20 mpg if there isn't much climbing; 17 or 18 mpg if travelling mountainous roads. If I take any perishables with me, they get stashed in a Yeti cooler right behind the cockpit in the Jeep.

evpeeling

I tow my 2020 Tag 5W BD with a 2011 subaru forester 4 -cyl. My tow capacity is 2400 and I dont exceed 75% of that. Taking the advice of some others on this forum I also had a transmission oil cooler installed. Without towing I get ~25 mpg; towing the camper I get 19-20 mpg if its fairly flat. Driving through mountainous areas I was getting around 17-17.5 mpg.

ontheroad

2017 T@g with a 2018 Nissan Pathfinder...had a 2017 Nissan Murano but after a few trips with steeper hills and the towing capacity was too close...the Pathfinder will be ready for when we upgrade to the T@b...

GigHarborTom

My son insists on giving me his 1999 1/2 F250 with International Diesel. One heck of a TV. But who needs it for a T@G ? Might be fun, but I am worried about maintenance costs. Wife's new Mazda C5 makes a nice small package.

JamesDow

I have a 2012 Toyota Rav4 4WD as my tow vehicle. Four cylinder. Never any issues or concerns.

My wife has a 2013 CX-5. I believe it would do just fine as a tow vehicle.

I have a standard 2018 5 wide T@G.

I don't over load the T@G or tow vehicle.

rich67

2013 Jeep Wrangler with manual. I run 35" tires and still get gas mileage in the neighborhood of 14.5-15.2 mpg on average while towing a fully loaded Tag and Jeep...that includes two bikes on a rack and all my gear for a week or more. Without towing anything the Jeep generally gets about 16-17mpg depending how lead footed I am that time period. I have the tow package and the 3.73 gears.

ras

I've got a 2011 4Runner with 3.7L V6. Get about 19 highway without the T@G and 14-15 towing it. Haven't hit the Rockies yet but several trips over the Appalachians. The 2015 Tag has a cargo carrier with about 60 lbs of chairs, rugs, tent in a waterproof cargo bag attached to the roof rack. From the distortion displayed by the bag while towing, I'm sure it has a negative effect. Did about two mpg better with a 2005 Highlander with 3.3L V6 but a suicidal deer killed it. Both vehicles came with factory tow packages.

Campbiker

I tow with a 2021 Toyota Sienna hybrid. Drove 2500 miles, 122 degrees thru the desert, mountains over 9000 ft and down to sea level. Did not know I was towing except when backing up, or going over curbs to get into gas stations. The only problem was the low ground clearance on the Sienna. Had a three inch lift installed and it is great for my purposes. No problems on maintained fire roads.

evpeeling

2018 Toyota RAV4 Adventure, towing capacity 3500lbs, get around 19 mpg towing highway and 30-35 highway not towing

GigHarborTom

2020 Mazda CX5 advertised 2000 Lb tow. Has done great with our 2017 Max. We carry 3 camp chairs and 40 qt cooler in the car. Large Clam awning and side tent in the trailer. But for nostalgia, I do miss my 4Runner the bride traded in....

Tag75605

I tow with a 2001 4Runner. I’ve towed the tag about 8,000 miles, up mountains, flat areas and everything in between. I’ve never had a problem.

Akula1

I'm towing my 2017 T@G XL with my 2019 Chevy Equinox (tow cap:1500lbs), does anyone tow a T@G without a brake controller? Thoughts?

zgfiredude

You are really on the edge in my opinion on the need of the brake controller......I live in Colorado, so I have one. It tows much nicer using one than not in my opinion.....I'd suggest it.

ras

We tow a 2016 T@G5W without a brake controller. Haven't been through the Rockies with it but have crossed the Appalachians numerous times. Fortunately both our 2011 4Runner and 2019 Outback have manually adjustable automatic transmissions and downshifting to control the speed before descending steep grades has worked well for us. If I were towing a T@B, I might consider a brake controller but I don't need one for the T@G. Another point: Without a brake controller, we only brake in the straightaways before entering a curve. We never use the brakes when the TV and the T@G are more than 20 degrees out of alignment w/o trailer brakes unless absolutely necessary.

Chalkman

@HikinMike - We are recently new owners of a not so new 2018 T@G Boondock XL. Wondering what kind of gas mileage you are getting with your 4Runner towing your T@G. We currently have a Subaru Outback and it's been OK towing in the midwest and southeast but think it will struggle as we head west later this year and head to Colorado. Really like the 4Runners. Any watchouts?

HikinMike

@Chalkman; I usually get from 13-11 mpg. Wind is a big factor and I always seem to be driving into a headwind. But, I cant even tell my T@G is behind me. It is a pleasure to tow.

4Runners don't have a lot of punch to them. You really have to get on the gas to accelerate. There are shift modifying adds you can get and they seem to be successful, but I don't have any. All in all, 4Runners seem to be the overlanding vehicle of choice. Great off-road performance and very easy to drive.

Chalkman

Thanks @HikinMike. By the way I get about 15 with the 2.5 Outback as the TV. It does OK for the most part, its rated at 2700lbs/200lb Tongue weight.

HikinMike

Mine is rated 5000/475

EasternSierraRoamer

Chalkman - I have a 2018 Subaru Outback 3.6R (thirty flat six); I live in Southern California and visit Joshua Tree National Park and the Eastern Sierra frequently (plenty of hills and mountain passes). I usually get 16-20 mpg towing at 55-60 mph. I find that anything over 60mph lowers current mpg significantly. The 6 cylinder Outback provides plenty of punch when needed and I have no problem going over significant mountain passes with our 2019 T@g XL Boondock. Hope the info helps out.