Towing with a Toyota Sienna

[Bill]

I think Chap is right. If a car has an automatic transmission, it has a transmission cooler, which is either built into the main radiator, or is mounted near it and looks like a miniradiator. And of course, the air conditioner has a cooler/radiator of its own. Same comments. And some cars, or at least some tow packages, have an engine oil cooler, too.

As ng2951 says, if you can recognize the transmission and find and follow the pipes, it elininates some of the ambiguity, but I'm not sure that, for me, anyway, it would clearly separate the usual AT-cooler from an aux cooler.

Bill

[MariaG]

Maybe this will clarify...my husband (a transmission mechanic, actually) says yes, all automatic transmissions have built-in coolers, but they aren't visible, and aren't the ones needed for towing. The _auxilliary_ coolers needed for towing are the ones that look like a mini-radiator and are generally located in in front of the radiator - in front of the a/c condenser or in between the a/c condenser and the radiator. I hope this helps.

Hi,
We have an '04 Sienna as well, along with a '97 Chevy Blazer. I have a couple of questions, since you have experience using a Sienna as a TV.
Is your Sienna the AWD version or just front wheel drive?
You mentioned the brakes freezing, was this just on sudden stops?
I can see how all that extra weight would overheat the pads pretty quick.

We're hoping to join the TrailManor club soon but we're still trying to see if either of our vehicle will tow the thing comfortably.
Thanks!
-Mike

Originally Posted by tfcmarty

For the last two years I've been towing our 3124KB with our 2004 Toyota Sienna. Here's what I did to prepare the Sienna.
..................
The biggest problem so far has been the freezing up of the front brake calipers, and new brake pads. .............
I've recently moved to a Tundra as my TV, since we will be taking more trips out west.

My '04 Sienna is front wheel drive. I had new brakes installed when I got the TM. I was due anyway, almost. I haven't experienced any problems braking.

Deb

When I look at this link http://www.toyota.ca/NWS/media/pdf/07sienna_e.pdf, it shows that it has a transmission cooler in all models. If you replace the "07" in the link with 08 or 06, you can look at the specs for those years. We always thought are 06 Sienna was equipped to tow our 2619, cooler and all. We would not have bought a larger model TM, because when we did the worksheet for towing capacity, it exceeded in a few spots, like tongue weight. I found the worksheet on this site and if I find it again I will post it.

Found it, I think this is the one I used. LINK

[Mr. Adventure]

The copy of the worksheet attached is how I would use the referenced spreadsheet to calculate a Toyota Sienna with a TrailManor 3023. The Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating for the Sienna (GCVWR or GCWR, depending how you choose to spell it), is not listed in the information provided on this thread. In my Toyota owner's manual, it is listed in the pages about towing and it is exactly 3500# plus the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), so I used that number here. GVWR in my Toyota is the same on the driver's side door label as it is in the brochure, so I'm assuming that we have that right, as well.

So assuming we have the right figures for this vehicle, everything is within spec in our hypothetical example per the spreadsheet attached, with the possible exception of a tongue weight that absolutely needs to be managed with a weight distributing hitch and by loading heavy things forward in the tow vehicle and aft in the trailer.

For my purposes, in most parts of the country, a Toyota Sienna would be a great tow vehicle for a TrailManor. I don't think I would fear occasional visits with this rig anywhere I've been on the Interstate highway system, but people who live in more vertical locations than mine probably need more tow vehicle capacity.

From the Trailmanor web site:
MODERATE TOWING CONDITIONS
Mostly low altitudes, only occasional steep grades, part time service, normal highway speeds - Models 2619 through 3023 need at least 3500 pound tow rated vehicles and Models 3124 through 3326 need 5000 pound ratings.

SEVERE TOWING CONDITIONS
High mountain towing, full time service - all models will perform better with at least 5000 pound rated tow vehicles.

I think your estimate of 200 pounds of stuff is a little low. Perhaps you have no dishes, no pots and pans, no food, no clothes, empty fridge, etc.

I have a lighter TM and I know that mine weighs 3380 on the axle, about 4100 total. Therefore, I carry about 1,000 pounds of stuff. Some of that is the water.

When I go backpacking with my daughter (27) and son (25) we carry 135 pounds with us, and that is no water. That is just a tent, 3 sleeping bags, aluminum cookware, one stove, one water pump, clothes, sleeping pad and freeze dried food.

I would be very surprised if you only have that 200 pounds.

Otherwise, I see no flaw in your calculations.

[Mr. Adventure]

The values for "stuff" were in the spreadsheet, and I didn't change them because they showed 300 pounds of undifferentiated "stuff" in the TV. If you weren't dry camping, you'd probably need only 10 gallons or so of water (6 in the water heater), and you probably wouldn't haul your generator and the gas that feeds it, either.

Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure

The values for "stuff" were in the spreadsheet, and I didn't change them because they showed 300 pounds of undifferentiated "stuff" in the TV. If you weren't dry camping, you'd probably need only 10 gallons or so of water (6 in the water heater), and you probably wouldn't haul your generator and the gas that feeds it, either.

But I also always take:

my free standing cover for the picnic table
6 outdoor chairs
2 outdoor tables
150 feet of white water hose
1 BBQ's
1 fire pit
1 outdoor propane stove
propane for outdoor stove
2 cases of bottled water
2 cases of soda
2 cases of beer

The weight of stuff adds up very fast if you are not careful. I keep the TM loaded at all times. I don't have to stop to plan on how many chairs I will take. I can not predict if the kids (25 and 27) are going to go or not until after I hit the road.

I have no doubt it is possible to travel light, but it takes a lot of careful planning.

I encourage new campers to load it all up for a "typical" trip and weigh it. Then you only have to estimate what you added or subtracted from that.

I was surprised to find out that my "typical" weight is 4100 pounds for a 2720. Since I have a truck, I put the rest of the stuff int he truck. If I didn't have the truck, I would take two cars.