Towing with a minivan - Page 5

Nasafan · 07-12-2010, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure

My son's Sienna and my other son's Town & Country have much softer springs than my Highlander ("softer" springs are springs that allow further motion to support the same load, and for example, are used in cars vs trucks to provide a softer ride). The obvious choices to raise the rear end: 1) tighten your WDH, 2) reduce your tongue load (carry propane in only one bottle, shift weight forward in the TV and aft in the trailer, don't carry water in the tank), or 3) stiffen the rear springs with an aftermarket product like the air bags used by an earlier poster on this thread.

The WDH works by transferring tongue weight from the rear axle of the tow vehicle forward to the front axle and back to the trailer axle. TrailManors with 15" tires, like the 3023, tend to have lots of trailer axle capacity. TM's with 14" tires, like the 2720's and 2619, tend to start out closer to their axle limits, which may limit how much you can crank up the WDH.

Formulas for towing limits are only as good as the quality of the data we have to put into them. Often the basics are surprisingly hard to come by, where the GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) and the GVWR Gross Vehicle Weight Rating are in different places and sometimes difficult to find. Even then, we're still left guessing at the curb weight we're starting with for the Tow Vehicle, and we have most manufacturers telling us to subtract the tow vehicle loads from the tow rating to figure out how heavy a trailer you can tow, as if we know these exactly off the top of our heads.

The Toyota towing guide I posted earlier in this thread emphasizes attention to axle weight limits while not exceeding a specified maximum trailer weight rating. The good news is that axle weights are objective and obtainable, and the axle weight limits for the tow vehicle are on the driver's side door post. The only good way to get your axle weights is a weigh station, which isn't convenient for most of us until we're actually loaded up and on a trip. But, it's the only way to really know where you stand.

In response to Mr. Adventure, I have the WDH and an Airlift 1000 kit. I was specifically referring to the fact that even without towing, the Sienna has less ground clearance than most minivans that I have eyeballed and the Curt hitch doesn't help. My old grand caravan definitely was higher off the ground in the rear...just the way it's made.

**Bill** · 07-12-2010, 05:22 PM

You might want to consider throwing away the AirLift. It defeats the purpose of the WDH, and disguises the problem that the WDH is designed to handle.

Others disagree, but unless you are doing serious off-roading, I think I am right.

Bill

Wavery · 07-12-2010, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

You might want to consider throwing away the AirLift. It defeats the purpose of the WDH, and disguises the problem that the WDH is designed to handle.

Others disagree, but unless you are doing serious off-roading, I think I am right.

Bill

I don't see the upside in "Throwing them away". Although the WDH makes them rather redundant while towing, they may still be a handy tool when loading down the van with passengers and cargo.

My daughter has a Sienna. She also has 3 kids and a bike rack for all their bikes. The back of that thing sags like crazy. I plan on installing AirLifts for her.....SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! if you're going to "Throw them away".....I know which way you can throw them.....

**Frenchy** · 07-12-2010, 08:01 PM

I was just going by what Dexter says on their site about damaging the rubber "springs" in the axle and it makes sense to me.

**Bill** · 07-13-2010, 09:19 AM

Aww c'mon, Wayne. You take me much too literally about "throwing them away". I was simply making a point about not using them as a substitute for a WDH, as some people do.

Bill

Mr. Adventure · 07-13-2010, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

Aww c'mon, Wayne. You take me much too literally about "throwing them away". I was simply making a point about not using them as a substitute for a WDH, as some people do.

Bill

Bill,
I'm 100% with you on this one. Airlifts are not a substitute for the WDH.

The most important reason for the WDH is to keep from unloading the front axle (where you do all of your steering and most of your braking) closely followed by the second most important reason, which is to keep from overloading the rear axle. Those who would pull fully loaded Trailmanors without the WDH need vehicles heavy enough that 700 extra pounds on the rear axle is no big deal, and 200 to 300 pounds less on the front wheels is a real small percentage of the unloaded front axle weight.

The problem with airlifts is that you'd need the engineering details that only the vehicle manufacturer insiders know in order to have any real idea about how much load carrying boost you really can get from them before you've overloaded something else.

Wavery · 07-13-2010, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

Aww c'mon, Wayne. You take me much too literally about "throwing them away". I was simply making a point about not using them as a substitute for a WDH, as some people do.

Bill

07-14-2010, 07:37 PM

I am just in the homework stage right now. I have a friend with a TM and she loves it. I have a Chrysler Town & Country 3.3L and want to know of others experience in towing with one. I am using this year to learn all I need to know so I can start shopping for one for next summer. The tow vehicle seems a good place to start, so I need to know if the vehicle I have will be sufficient.

MariaG · 07-14-2010, 07:46 PM

We tow with a 3.8L V6 Grand Caravan AWD and only in the flat areas of the midwest, and I feel that it is _barely_ adequate. I would look for a more robust tow vehicle if I were you. We're on the lookout ourselves but money is an issue right now. We're VERY careful what we pack, empty tanks, etc. It works, but I would like to have something with more peace of mind.

Mr. Adventure · 07-15-2010, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TTTraveler

I am just in the homework stage right now. I have a friend with a TM and she loves it. I have a Chrysler Town & Country 3.3L and want to know of others experience in towing with one. I am using this year to learn all I need to know so I can start shopping for one for next summer. The tow vehicle seems a good place to start, so I need to know if the vehicle I have will be sufficient.

I'm a huge fan of Trailmanors for the hard-side RV experience with a minimum of tow vehicle hardware. Scan the forum for info and owner experiences, of course, but I'm thinking you may find difficulty getting on the road within your manufacturer's specs without upgrading your tow vehicle.