Towing w Midsize Truck

[ttranger]

I currently have an older Toyota Tundra and an older 17' Ranger boat. I no longer need a vehicle as big as the Tundra so I'm thinking of going to a smaller truck like Nissan Frontier or Toyota Tacoma which both offer a 6' bed. The Frontier has a V6 and the new Tacomas have a turbo-charged 4 cylinder. My boat and trailer are less than 2,000 lbs. fully loaded.
I'm a Toyota fan but leery of the new turbo-charged engine. I have no interest in Ford or GM vehicles. What advice or experience can you all offer on this?

[Highcentered]

It's a little 17' Ranger and not a 20-22' lead sled. A midsize will be fine and don't let anyone tell you different. Some will even tell you a 3/4 or 1 ton truck is the only safe way to tow that little boat

On the engine if there was anyone that I feel would get a turbo engine right it's Toyota but it's too early to tell how reliable they'll be over time. I'd trust the Toyota as a whole over a Nissan even though the Nissan looks to be a really nice truck. If you're not going to be putting too many miles on it a year and one of those who trades when there's still plenty of potential life left then buy what you want. If you plan on driving what you get as long as possible then Toyota gets the nod.

[ECobb91]

^what he said.

if someone has an issue towing a 17ft boat with a midsized truck, or even an suv, that’s due to the incapabilities of the driver not the vehicle.

i tow an 18ft boat with a 2014 Dodge Durango with a 6200lb towing capacity and it’s been flawless. Never felt underpowered our out of control even when I had to emergency stop a couple times. Since we only tow less than 10 times a year, I’m almost considering a Jeep Wrangler Sahara with a 3500lb capacity because my wife wants one.

boats are fairly light and have little drag resistance to them. Anyone who says a 1/2ton is required for boats under 20ft just wants to justify the use of a full size. Obviously a full size will tow better, but a capable SUV and Midsized truck are more than adequate.

[wmitch2]

What you want to consider most is, not the towing as much as the STOPPING power of the tow vehicle. Then also consider the lakes you fish most. How steep are the roads to get there and how steep is the ramp ! Climbing the hills and ability to pull the boat out of the water on a steep wet ramp you need some weight and horsepower !

[Highcentered]

What you want to consider most is, not the towing as much as the STOPPING power of the tow vehicle. Then also consider the lakes you fish most. How steep are the roads to get there and how steep is the ramp ! Climbing the hills and ability to pull the boat out of the water on a steep wet ramp you need some weight and horsepower !

I pulled a boat about the same weight as the OP's with a V6 Grand Cherokee that was a 2 wheel drive. It wasn't nearly as scary when towing as many on here assume it would be. Stopped fine. Snatched the boat out of the water fine even on steep ramps. Pulled through the mountains fine. The 8 speed trans really helped on that one. I don't think the fullsize truck that replaced the Grand Cherokee pull any better with the exception of more power under the hood. If traction getting up steep and wet boat ramps is an issue they make tires that help a lot with that and just about everyone has concrete blocks laying around to throw in the bed of a truck. I have a couple hundred pounds of concrete in the bed of my truck against the tailgate because it rides so much better with it.

[jimsch]

Had a Nissan 4cyl Frontier I towed my 518 Ranger with.
Did well except for steep wet ramps made launching exciting.
Pulling out was no issue.

[troutspinner]

Most mid-size trucks today are the same size as full size trucks 20 years ago, you'll be just fine. I have towed a couple of different 16' boats, around 2k lbs. with a Canyon, a Ranger and a Tacoma. In all instances, no different than towing with a full size except backing up in a mid-size is easier.

Unfortunately, mid-size trucks are in high demand right now so don't expect to get much off of sticker.

[davidsa]

I have towed a boat almost 2x your weight with different v6 SUV's (Dodge Durango and Toyota Highlander). Zero issues. Now, I have added a 2nd Gen Sequoia as a 3rd vehicle which is similar to your tundra I assume and it tows the boat like it is not behind me. on a 1000 drive in a single day, this helps. On a normal day drive of 30 miles, not as big a deal.

I'd recommend you look for a certified used toyota Highlander with a tow package. My 2022 will do all you want with a simple v6 and gets 27mpg when I'm not towing. it is a toyota so I assume 300k is a given. or Tacoma if you are set on a truck

[Classicxl]

I pulled a boat about the same weight as the OP's with a V6 Grand Cherokee that was a 2 wheel drive. It wasn't nearly as scary when towing as many on here assume it would be. Stopped fine. Snatched the boat out of the water fine even on steep ramps. Pulled through the mountains fine. The 8 speed trans really helped on that one. I don't think the fullsize truck that replaced the Grand Cherokee pull any better with the exception of more power under the hood. If traction getting up steep and wet boat ramps is an issue they make tires that help a lot with that and just about everyone has concrete blocks laying around to throw in the bed of a truck. I have a couple hundred pounds of concrete in the bed of my truck against the tailgate because it rides so much better with it.

People really have no clue today. I pulled my first boat, an old 70's model stick steer Ouichta all over with a 71 Trans Am, 455/4 speed. Pulled an 87 Ranger 375V with a Chevy Astro van 4.3 liter.

[Highcentered]

People really have no clue today. I pulled my first boat, an old 70's model stick steer Ouichta all over with a 71 Trans Am, 455/4 speed. Pulled an 87 Ranger 375V with a Chevy Astro van 4.3 liter.

Yup, according to some on here if you tow a little 12' flatbottom with anything less than a 1 ton dually you're putting everyone around you at risk. And I know for a fact there's a difference between a 2000 pound boat and a 4000 pound boat so can understand their concern since most if not all saying it's a bad idea seem to own a boat with 200+ hp. I occasionally pull my friend's 3500-4000 pound Champion on a tandem trailer with my Ram and it knows it's back there compared to the 2000-2500 pound tin rigs I've had the past 8 years. AND the master cylinder for the trailer brakes isn't working right now so the only brakes you have is the tow vehicle. Don't think I'd pull that boat with a midsize for the stopping reasons everyone talks about but anyone with at least half a brain (or isn't afraid of being viewed as less of a man) knows that a midsize truck is more than plenty for the boat the OP is talking about. Hell I keep circling back around to a Ridgeline for my next vehicle because it checks all the boxes of what I really want in something that will be my only vehicle.

[pantherdad]

Frontier will be just fine. Check fuel mileage they normally are thirsty.

[jpd_hack]

My dad has a 17’ Ranger as well and he has a Tacoma (2013?). No trouble towing or stopping whatsoever. We’ve towed my 19’ Bass Cat with it occasionally and it does fine with it as well. It uses quite a bit more gas while towing than my 2.7 ecoboost F150 and the extended cab is cramped, but he’s never had any mechanical issues with the truck and tows locally 2-3 times per week.

[jrh_67]

I used to tow my 18.6ft boat with a Nissan Frontier and it did just fine pulling it. Now I use a Silverado with a V8 and it's much better at it. The big difference I notice is the stopping power of the full size truck is far superior. If I had to stop too quick in the Frontier it could get a little hairy. I used it for years though and pulled the boat hundreds of miles at a time to fish in multiple states and the V6 frontier pulled just fine. Another thing is the suspension on the back of the older body style Frontier is a little soft so the back end will sag. Most people get around this with airbags. Not sure how the new bodystyle does, haven't tried it but I hear it's all around much better.

Personally for me I'd never use a 4cyl to pull my boat. I'm an old man so I know I'm old-school but it seems to me that the smaller a motor is the harder it's gonna have to work to get the job done. The harder something has to work the shorter it's life span. I know I'm probably wrong and technology has passed me by but I'm an old geezer and was raised to think "there's no replacement for displacement"

[mysuzytoo]

A friend has a Toyota Tacoma and loves it. He pulls two different boats (glass & tin) with no issues. It's a good looking little truck.

[Whiteboat]

If the Tundra is in decent shape and paid off, then keep it. The old Tundras are some ofthe most dependable trucks ever built.

[DaveBrabec]

Depends on how far you tow and if there’s hills. A v8 will get better towing mpg than a Toyota

[javjoe]

I tow a Ranger 198P with a 22 Nissan Frontier. No issues towing on the highway at 70 mph or on any hills.

The 3.8 V6 & 9 speed tranny combo is a really good drivetrain. No issues stopping either!

[71oldbassbassman]

I’ve been towing my Ranger198p for 2 years with my 2022 Frontier no problems. On wet surfaces I put in 4 high to pull boat out but just for safety concerns. I also pull a 3800 lb rv . With electric brake controller. No problem so far . Now your fuel mileage sucks pulling the rv.

[Eric ZX190]

I tow with a Toyota Tacoma with a 3.5 liter V6, with no issues. I did get it with the towing package which increases the towing capacity to 6,400 lbs as long as the trailer has brakes.

[zaprod71]

I tow with a 2021 Ford Ranger. 4 cyl ecoboost. A weeks worth of food drinks, bedding and clothing 32 gallons of fuel in the boat. It works great and stops good too.