Who is Chief?

Chief is our new-ish tow vehicle. He is potentially the finest tow vehicle available for our needs–one can never be sure–but so far he pulls the new Toto very competently, when the driver remembers to make wide-enough right turns.

Here is why we acquired Chief before our trailer was completed: we had ordered the trailer, then began casting about for a suitable TV (Tow Vehicle). Lots of reading on the Lance Owners of America forum and on various truck-related sites. Lots of staring at trucks parked side-by-side at dealer lots, hoping to be adopted.

Our research, especially input from other Lance trailer owners, suggested that we could live with a half-ton pickup from most of the well-known manufacturers. It also suggested that we would be happier with something a little more powerful (that is, with capacity specs that would leave us a little wiggle room should we decide we wanted to bring extra stuff, or tote extra people, or return to gorging on pizza).

But the idea of a true heavy-duty truck (F250, Ram 2500, etc.), was terrifying, from a fit-in-the-garage and park-ability angle. And we had been ever so happy with TinMan, the Nissan Truck.

So we zeroed in on The Nissan Titan XD, which is, capacity-wise, a bit more robust than most of the half-tons, but not a full heavy-duty rig. As pickups do, the Titan XD came in a range of trim lines (from stripped-bare to appalling luxury). It was April, 2018, and there were some 2017 models still on dealer lots, handsomely discounted. I searched and searched for the right trim line and colors, and found it in Wenatchee, Washington, the apple capital of something-or-other.

Cemented a deal, rented a car one-way, and drove over the Cascades to Wenatchee. The drive back, in the pickup we now call Chief, was a great experience: nearly every kind of weather (no hurricanes), every kind of terrain, and every opportunity to realize I should have learned the various controls better before heading out. The headlights are where? This is how I shift? Oops, don’t need the wipers now. Okay, NOW I need them. Got home without driving off the road.

We have done some tooling around in Chief, plus one long drive to the Oregon coast and back. The main thing to remember is Don’t Plan to Park In Close. Chief has a surprisingly small turning circle, but it’s still a size Jumbo vehicle. Need maneuvering room! Chief’s gas mileage is okay given its capability, but in every other sense it is not okay. I am going to have to buy carbon credits to deal with the guilt, and more energy stocks to moderate the erosion in our net worth when we stop to fuel up.

Chief is almost as comfortable as our old beloved TinMan, and he remembers my seat and mirror adjustments. He is a little tall and his whip radio antenna wants to gradually carve a fissure in our garage door frame. I am advised to source a shorter, after-market antenna, rather than rebuild the garage.

Chief is named Chief because we saw a movie featuring a likeable dog character named Chief. If you haven’t seen it, we recommend Isle of Dogs.

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