'07 Sienna as a TV?

Hello all-

I read the post regarding the Honda Pilot as a TV. I was curious to know what people thought of an '07 Sienna towing the 2720. It has a nice 120" wheelbase, and almost 270 horsepower. Thanks for any information you can provide!

This thread has comments from people who have already or are thinking about upgrading from a Sienna to something bigger:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=9666

Originally Posted by brulaz

This thread has comments from people who have already or are thinking about upgrading from a Sienna to something bigger:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=9666

I instigated that particular thread and let me state that horsepower hasn't been a driver to my decision to upgrade. Once I did a weighing of my loaded Sienna and TM, I had to change things up quite a bit to get back within Sienna specs. I never had "trouble" getting up hills so horsepower wasn't the issue.

I ended up removing two seats from my Sienna and all of the optional cabinets from the TM. While I kind of like the open feel of things with the wardrobe out of there, the storage impact for trips longer than a weekend is significant. The wife and I even lost 95 pounds over the winter to make it easier on the van this summer but after first trip this year I just said no more Sienna trips.

Of principle concern though is the lack of ground clearance and the way the Sienna responds to that load back there. While I never felt things feel were unsafe, I feel like I am pushing things in that Sienna. Even with the WDH, the Sienna isn't level enough for my liking and I don't like the idea of putting even more tension in the WDH to try and level things up further. I have only made about 7 camping trips with the Sienna and none of the trips were longer than about 100 miles from home. I want to take the TM on multi-state thousand milers and the thought of doing that in the Sienna makes me shudder.

I don't have my new TV yet because I am still shopping dealers, but I expect to take delivery in time for next trip around Memorial Day. I reinstalled the hanging cabinets, wardrobe, and microwave drawer last night for first time in several months and have to say it is like a completely different trailer in there. I can't wait to see how the experience of hitching up to a full-size truck differs as well.

Your mileage may vary.

[ThePair]

I'm using an '06 Sienna in the midwest (read, no hills) without any issues at all. Tows nicely for me.

I fully intend to get on a scale this summer, and I'll report back once I have some weights to go by. There are Sienna-specific forums out there that have sections on pulling a trailer; interestingly enough there was one person in the past who pulled a TM 2720SL. He did so for a long, long time, and had many positive things to say about the combination. It's part of the reason I feel comfortable doing so.

Obviously, it's different for each person...

Brulaz: Thanks for the thread link, it was helpful.

M&M: If you're not having trouble towing with the '06's 215 hp, then the '07+ should do quite well with its 268hp setup. However, sounds like that won't help much with rear-end sag & other issues. How is the Sienna with regard to braking/turning whilst towing such a rig? How often do you tow in the mountains? I'm in California too, and I know full well it's tough to get anywhere without some significant incline/decline.

Pair: Would you ever consider a mountain trip?

The more I think about it, the idea of towing at or above the limit has me a bit spooked. I can't imagine relaxing at my campsite after a white-knuckeld/bullet sweating driving experience of pulling almost two tons behind me while listening to two screaming kids and one screaming wife. Are there other folding trailers out there that aren't popups that weigh less?

[Bill]

If there are four of you, it is going to be hard to find something lighter than a TM. A-Liners are light and fold but they are small. Hi-Lo has models that are the same size as a TM, but they are quite a bit heavier. There are tons of popups, of course, but the canvas sides will keep you out of a lot of campgrounds in bear country (Yellowstone, Sequoia/Kings Canyon / High Sierras, etc). And the bigger ones weigh as much as a TM. The Coleman Niagara, for instance, is a really nice pop-up, but the dry weight is 3275 pounds!

You might consdider a lightweight upright - but then you have the extra wind resistance, as well as the possibilty of sway, to contend with.

There may be other possibilities that I am not aware of, but the members here are quite knowledgable.

Bill

[MariaG]

The only other one even close that I can think of is an old Apache - a popup but several models had hard sides. I believe some had portapottis. They aren't made anymore but replacement parts are still available and the units are very sought after - try craigslist or apacheowners.net or apachepopups.com.

[MudDog]

We towed our 2619 with an '02 Sienna for the first year we had it and probably put 10,000 + miles on it including a trip to Yellowstone, multiple trips to Utah and several trips over the grapvine on I5.

We had a WDH and I also installed Airlift 1000's to give a little extra support on the rear suspension. Airbags aren't a license to over load the TV, but they did give a better ride and helped level out the Sienna a bit without having to over-torque the WDH (I took off one link on the WDH after the Airlift 1000's were installed).

For us, power was never an issue. It was more about control and stopping, especially in emergency situations. The Sienna felt small.

My kids are growing every day and the accessories we wanted to take with us grew as well. Between two adults, two kids a dog and a few other things in the back of the Sienna, we were pushing the cargo capacity of the Sienna (to get to the 3500lb tow rating, there isn't much room for anything in the tow vehicle).

We towed once or twice with some water in the fresh water tanks - there was a significant difference in how the Sienna behaved with that extra weight.

We've had the Tacoma since last fall and the 6500lb tow rating and cargo capacity make the experience a lot better. We still have to watch the weight of the TM due to the TM axle/tire ratings, but we can load up the back of the truck with everything we need without having to worry.

Can you tow with a Sienna? Yes....but you'll be severely limited on what you can bring with you.

Zoltan, I am not sure what the tow limit on the Sienna is, but have you considered the Trail-Mini ???

Bill mentioned a lite weight upright, so how about 1 of these: http://www.forestriverinc.com/nd/def...hoice=brochure

The heaviest unit is 2500 lbs. dry, and they are less than 7' wide, so that should help with the wind resistance.

[ThePair]

We have no plans currently on a mtn trip: we've found that the longest we'll drive is ~3 hrs, 4 is really pushing it. From our house, there aren't any mtns that close.

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.