'07 Sienna as a TV?

[Bill]

Originally Posted by ThePair

Were I to do a mtn trip, I would rent or borrow a larger truck. For the flats, I think the Sienna is fine. With my 3.5 yr old twins + dog, it's a perfect vehicle, and makes the camping trip that much easier.

Sounds like a reasonable approach in many ways. However, remember that the vehicle you plan to rent or borrow must be equipped with a brake controller, a 7-way electrical connection and the associated wiring harness, and a Class III/IV hitch.

A quick check of a couple car rental firms such as Enterprise suggests that although they have standard-size and larger SUVs, these vehicles don't appear to be equipped for towing.

Just a thought to add to the pile.

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

I don't think renting a tow vehicle is a viable option.

As Bill mentioned, any vehicle you'd want to rent may not be properly equipped. But furthermore, most rental agencies specifically forbid towing anything with their trailers. If you do, you do so at high risk, as most insurance companies will only cover you and your rental vehicle as long as you have not violated the terms of your rental contract.

Dave

[Bill]

Originally Posted by mtnguy

Zoltan, I am not sure what the tow limit on the Sienna is ...

The '07 Sienna appears to have a tow rating of 3500 pounds.

Bill

Once again, thanks for all your input. I think I'll steer clear of the 2720 until I get a heartier vehicle to tackle my area's steep inclines and oxygen deprived air.

I have seen the trail-mini, however it won't work for my situation since I need more sleeping space.

The Chalet has a model with bunkbeds that sleeps 4 and weighs less than 2000lbs. Maybe I'll check that out...

[ThePair]

Originally Posted by Bill

Sounds like a reasonable approach in many ways. However, remember that the vehicle you plan to rent or borrow must be equipped with a brake controller, a 7-way electrical connection and the associated wiring harness, and a Class III/IV hitch.

A quick check of a couple car rental firms such as Enterprise suggests that although they have standard-size and larger SUVs, these vehicles don't appear to be equipped for towing.

Just a thought to add to the pile.

Bill

Yeah, I figured as much, hence the "borrow" part: I have a friend who is the one who got me hooked on trailering, and they have some kind of larger truck that they use to tow their Hybrid upright. If I felt I had the need, I'd ask to borrow their truck, which I know for certain has the proper wiring and hitch, etc. I also know it's more than enough truck to take my 2720 into the mountains and back.

It's who you know sometimes

Once again, thanks for all your input. I think I'll steer clear of the 2720 until I get a heartier vehicle to tackle my area's steep inclines and oxygen deprived air.

I have seen the trail-mini, however it won't work for my situation since I need more sleeping space.

The Chalet has a model with bunkbeds that sleeps 4 and weighs less than 2000lbs. Maybe I'll check that out...

We also looked at the Chalet XL 1920 as our TV is a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. We ended up with a used 2619. I really like the Chalet, but the biggest issue for us was cost. You basically have to get a new Chalet to get what you want, whereas you can get a several year old TM for significantly less. The price difference between the two would just about allow me to upgrade my car to a better TV (I say my car b/c my DW would not give up the Caravan).

I really went back and forth, but after reading a lot of posts here about towing, I decided to learn all I could about weights and make an educated decision. I weighed our Caravan loaded up for a two week trip to visit the in-laws, took into account the GVWR and all the other weight ratings and found that I had some room to spare (still had 3700 lbs of towing capacity). But the Caravan is different than the Sienna in that it as a 3800 lb tow rating (allowing for two adults and their stuff - whatever that means) and a higher GVWR than the Sienna.

My advice is to do the math and see if it's possible to tow it safely. Even if it is, that doesn't mean you'll be comfortable with it, and thus it wouldn't really be safe. If it isn't, look for a Chalet, but consider the price difference. If you were wanting new anyway, then the Chalet would be a great option. The RPod by Forest River is another good option, though it would introduce wind resistance and lessen your gas mileage. But a new one can be had for around $11K - much cheaper than a Chalet.

Sorry for the long post, but your situation is exactly what we went through. I figured if the numbers worked out, then it was worth a shot (but make SURE the numbers are real life numbers). I may be back here in a couple of months looking to upgrade the TV though.

How do people feel about Trailmanor's assertion that because of their low profile and decreased sway & wind resistance therof, you may be able to tow just a smidge higher than your vehicle's official tow rating. Seems plausible, until one factors in braking-- not exactly the Sienna's strong point.

Hawk; Long posts are great, actually. One question: Do you live near or travel among the mountains?

I live in Denver, so we will be doing a lot of towing in the mountains. I pick up my TM in a couple of weeks so I will be able to post my experiences shortly after that. My parents live close and we trade vehicles from time to time so I can tow it with their Sequoia if I need it going west and use the Caravan for trips east. But we are going to give it a try with the Caravan in the mountains (we'll start with smaller grades and work our way up).

You hit the nail on the head in regards to stopping. Honestly, that's the biggest thing that concerns me. I feel like I can always go slower on flat land or going uphill, but going downhill the low-profile is of no help other than sway control. The trailer does have brakes, but you want to know that your vehicle can stop it if those brakes fail.

To this point my tow experience has been with tall trailers and far more powerful tow vehicles. Sway is no joke. Crosswinds through Nebraska will take it out of you so that's one area where I am really looking forward to the TM.

The Car Show in Colorado Springs is one of, if not the, largest TM dealer and they have gotten really good reviews on their handling of customers. I have spent quite a bit of time with their owners. They even helped me in my purchase of a used TM not from their dealership. They don't think I will have any trouble at all. Now that will hardly hold up in court or in my conscience should something go wrong, but I do trust that they have seen numerous minivans tow TM's in the mountains without trouble.

And let me add: more vehicle is not necessarily better if it isn't combined with common sense. These trailers need to be loaded properly. Because I will be close to my towing capacity, I will have to be very careful in how I load the trailer. I think that's a good thing. I don't care how much capacity you have, if your trailer is poorly balanced or overloaded, you are in trouble. Of course, combine 10,000 lb towing capacity with common sense, and you win.

Another thing we considered was resale value. We are just starting out in this. By keeping our vehicles as is, and opting for a used TM (highest resale value out there), we are hedging our bets as best we can. If we find we love it, we would consider upgrading our TV. If we decide it isn't for us, we feel we can sell the TM relatively easily and call it a "rental." A brand new Chalet or rpod would not necessarily have that same luxury. If we had not found a used TM, we likely would have gone with an rpod because of the lower initial investment.

If you are looking into other options and you want my thoughts, feel free to ask. I am a "researcher" and have been looking for a camper for about 18 months and have looked high and low for the following:
1) hard sided
2) towable by our minivan
3) enough sleeping quarters for our family of four (preferably more for future expansion)

If it meets those requirements, chances are I have seen it or pursued it one way or another.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Zoltan

How do people feel about Trailmanor's assertion that because of their low profile and decreased sway & wind resistance therof, you may be able to tow just a smidge higher than your vehicle's official tow rating.

Zoltan -

I don't think they asserted that this is an OK thing to do - at least I don't read it that way. They seem to say that if you must choose between a well balanced trailer that is a bit over the tow rating, and a trailer that is poorly balanced and sways, but is a bit under the rating, then the former may be a bit safer. But I don't think they recommend either, or give you carte blanche to do either. I certainly wouldn't put myself in either situation.

Bill

See Post #1 in this link for actual experience.
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=10091