Towing with a minivan?

Hi all,

This is a neat forum.    We are looking at getting a small travel trailer (or pop-up).  We will be towing with a 2001 Toyota Sienna minivan.  I see that the Trailmanor is advertised as being able to be towed by a minivan.  Is this true?  I see the Trailmanor weights are pretty close to the maximum allowable by our minivan (3500 lbs), and we have other weight limits that appear to be just within spec.

Does the low trailer profile make towing substantially easier?

Thanks!

Mike

The Trailmanor can be towed by many minivans, small pickups, SUVs, just as the advertising says.  There are spec charts on the internet which list the allowed tow weights.  Your manual will tell you what you can and cannot tow, whether or not you should use a WDH (weight distribution hitch), or drive with or without overdrive.  In addition to the dry weight listed by the manufacturer you need to take into consideration additional options such as A/C, awning, etc. and water tanks.  Even with all of the above in mind, you shouldn't have any trouble towing with your minivan with some of the smaller units.

As for ease of towing, you can't beat a Trailmanor.  Most of us do recommend the WDH more for peace of mind than anything else.  If you never look in your rearview mirror you'll never know you're towing a Trailmanor.  

It really is the greatest thing on wheels. And that, my friend, is no exaggeration.   ;D

 We tow our TM with a Pontiac Montana. No problem.
The TM is the greatest camper. You really need look no further. It has everything as far as we are concerned.
Happy camping
Rich and Jean  

Thanks Chris, Rich and Jean,

What are the advantages/disadvantages of the TrialManor's vs. other lite weight hard sided trailers, like hybrids?

Why are they the greatest thing on wheels?  

Thanks,
Mike

You're asking for a stream of replies on this one.  For me, it has all the conveniences of a standard trailer.  I have the 2720SL.  Imagine what a standard or "lite" trailer of this size weighs.  Yet the 2720SL is listed at 2680 plus options.  Think of the size of TV you would need, the amount of gas you would spend, the amount of additional pollution you would create, and the purpose of all of this is to enjoy nature.  TM does it in a kinder way, reducing the noise and air pollution in the process.

Going up mountains is easier.  There are many roads that only allow a 20ft trailer, and many of the TM models closed fit into that category.  But when you get to where you're going, you never have to compromise on space or luxury.  The TM has all the bells and whistles of a standard trailer (except washer and dryer,hahahaha).

It is very easy to dry camp with the TM for all the above reasons, being able to fit into some of these hidden places, and with a battery you can power everything except the A/C.

As I think Hal said, it is nice just to stand outside your TM and look it once in awhile.  It is an incredible piece of engineering.  Wherever you go, people will gather around and watch you open and close your trailer, in amazement.  Have brochures on hand!!!!!

As far as disadvantages, I wish I could use it more often.  Other than that, I have spent 2 1/2 years trying to find one, haven't found one yet.

Wow, you guys are making this sound good!  We are definately going to check these out in person.

....you can set up and remain hitched to the tow vehilce overnight.

You mean you don't have to unhitch the trailer to pop it up?  That would be too cool!    We travel with two little ones and being able to pull over at a rest stop and use the trailer for a pit stop would be great.

Mike  

A few things to consider.  First, you don’t want to be too close to the weight limit of the tow vehicle, since so often you can pack too much in the tow vehicle or the Trailmanor and go over the gross limit.  Having said that, I know the Sienna will have the power to pull one of the smaller TMs with the proper hitch, and would certainly recommend it since I really like Toyotas.

Towing the units is very easy, since it is so aerodynamic and you can see a little bit of daylight over the unit.  I also believe the anti-sway device, coupled with the weight distributing hitch means you hardly know the unit’s behind you.

Regarding opening the unit while hitched to the tow vehicle, we do that when we are stopping for only one night on the way somewhere else, not fort a quick stop on the side of the road.  We also have two little ones, and when you want to leave in the morning, you don’t want to be spending a whole lot of time re-hitching the trailer to the tow vehicle.

Wow!  We just got a big surprise when we took our trailer and weighed it on a truck scale.  We have a 2720 and it weighed 3440 pounds.  The trailer was empty, but the weight includes the propane tanks and batteries.  Our tow vehicle is rated at 3500.  I'm really glad that someone recommended getting the trailer weighed.  We may be car shopping tomorrow . . .

That is exactly what happened to us. I posted it here and told the TM, both said the scales must be off it could not be that heavy. I checked it on other scales and it is.

Our new tow truck is a full sized four door, big v8, 4x4, not that all of that is needed but just incase we desire something larger in the future and we carry a lot of stuff trying not to over load the trailer. A few days of food and clothing, no water - puts it well over the rated limit. We carry a small TV, Microwave, Dishnetwork receiver, the reffer stuff, and bedding in the trailer all else goes in the truck.

There is just the two of us so the back seat of the truck can carry a lot. We also added a camper shell to the bed of the truck to carry tools, blue boy, satalite dish, extra reffer, craft stuff, and extra clothing in tight lidded plastic boxes if we plan on being out for more than a week.

I am happy to report that I love the way the new truck pulls and the only problem I have with it is the 12 mpg gas thing. I guess it could be worse  . . . talked to a buddy that pulls a 21' standard trailer with a Tahoe and he gets 7.9 mpg.

[Denny_A]

My 2619 with all the accessories weighs 3140 # empty.  It has Goodyear Marathon load range C tires.  These tires are rated at 1870 # each, and even though the TM could be loaded up to 4100 #, I am limited to a total loaded weight of 3740 #.  
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Just my 2 cents worth...

TC,

Just a few thoughts on max wts. The max gross weight of the camper is the axle rating limt (it's lower than tire limit) + the portion of the tongue weight which is carried by the Wt Dist Hitch.

Axle limit = 3500 lbs. If the WDH takes, say, 320 lbs (out of 480 total) of the trailer wt, then it can be loaded to 3820 lbs. If no WDH were used, then the trailer could, for the example of 480 lbs Tonge Wt, be loaded to 3500 + 480 = 3980lbs. I.e.; all the tongue wt is borne by the hitch!

The 2619 has a max gross wt of 4032 lbs. TrailManor use about 13+% of total trailer wt to guesstimate tongue weight  when the trailer is fully loaded.  That comes out to about 532 lbs. Axle limit + tongue wt = 3500 + 532 = 4032 lbs.

Bottom line - know the trailer's tongue and total weight.  Subtract tongue weight from the total to determine axle load. Then assume 33% of the tongue wt will be transferred to the trailer wheels with a WDH properly hooked up. Add that to the axle load

Ex: Total Wt = 3810 lbs. Tongue = 510 lbs. Axle load = 3810 - 510 = 3300 lbs.  WDH loads axle 1/3 * 510 = 170 lbs.

Ready to travel Axle load = 3300 lbs + 170 lbs = 3470 lbs.  GOOD to GO!

just my 'arf pence.  ;D