Re: Some Advice for a Rookie.
My advise: Sell the Highlander and get the 4WD 4Runner, 2003 or newer. I am familiar with the Highlander as my brother in law and sister have one. It's a very nice CAR, it is based on the very capable Camray, but IT IS A CAR, SO IT cannot tow like the 4Runner. The 4Runner gets about 10% less gas mileage but is a far SAFER tow vehicle. Plus you will notice an immediate improvement in power and trailer handling.<br /><br />You have front wheel drive and the tow rating is 3500 lbs. Front wheel drive cars ssuucckk as tow vehicles no matter what the weight rating... and the more weight they can tow the more they suck. <br /><br />First for any trailer... if the boat weighs about 2200 lbs, you will put about 500 lbs of cover, food, water, boat gear, junk and fuel in it. On a long trip the boat becomes the place for extra junk. Budget 300-500 lbs for the trailer with brakes and spare tire. The trailer should have a weight rating of about 2800 lbs. Add it all together and that car is towing over 3000 lbs. <br /><br />About front wheel drive and the small V-6 motor. Where do you live and where do you tow? Do you have to tow long distances or tow the boat up a hill? What about any hills that are not paved? Could you ever end up launching it at an unpaved or messy weedy ramp? <br /><br />If so, be prepared to get that Front Wheel Drive in trouble. I own a cottage on an a moderately sloped road on Skaneateles Lake NY. This summer the town was rebuilding the road and left it unpaved (gravel - NOT mud) for weeks. There is a marina at the end of the road on the lake. He offers to launch all cars and minivans on his ramp b/c it is not paved and gets pretty slick. He's seen a fair number of them not be able to hold the boat on the ramp and start slipping in, or just get stuck there in the gravel. You pay $15.00 for this service. I'd use use it with a Highlander.<br /><br />This last summer the marina owner and I got pretty good at pulling front wheel drive minivans and "SUV-Lites" up that gavel road. The front wheels could not get a good grip on the gravel because they were getting weighed down in the rear by the boat and trailer.<br /><br />I helped one Ford Escape, 3 mini-vans, and a Toyota Highlander get up that hill. In all cases I TOWED both the car and trailer (connected) up the hill with my 4WD 4Runner IN four wheel drive. We were too afraid to let the trailers off the cars. None of them were pulling anything that big, none of them I'd consider overloaded the tow vehicle. It's just that about 10-20% of the trailer's weight sits on the rear --- and that lifts the front of the car up. Not off the ground, but just enough to make it hard to get up a hill. So these guys got stuck. The more weight the car can tow, the more weight is put on the rear, and more likely they will be lifting the front wheels when you need traction the most.<br /><br />If that doesn't put some fear into you this should... THE FORD ESCAPE COULD NOT KEEP ITSELF FROM SKIDDING BACKWARDS DOWN THAT GRAVEL ROAD AND THERE'S A CLIFF W/NO GUARD RAIL. We had to push it and wheel chock it... while it was skidding (SSCHHIITT...!) to keep it from going over. Obvioiusly none of my family and friends wanted to sit on the hood to weigh it down. The owner had his wife, kids and mother-in-law walk up the hill. He spun the tires out and tore up his transmission and tires. Then he consented to having me tow him out of there. I did NOT tow him out of the goodness of my own heart, I am not that nice a guy. It's a one lane road with my cottage underneath the cliff!<br /><br />So if you tow a boat with the FWD Highlander, STAY OFF GRAVEL ROADS AND SLIMY BOAT RAMPS. They just don't do it very well.
