Does anyone tow a 26' or 27' with a 2004 or newer Toyota Sienna or other mini-van??

I am interested in possibly getting a trail manor. They seem so much more roomy than the Aliner which is what we were looking at. Has anyone had any experience pulling with a mini-van or 6cyl small SUV like the Highlander?

I am interested in the gas mileage (depending on terrain of course) and any other towing issues anyone has experience with.

I tow a 2720sl with a 2004 Honda Odyssey, it performs well seems to have adequate power slows down on steep inclines as I don't push it. On a recent trip to Western NC and back we did over a thousand miles and averaged 18mpg, towing I think it's closer to 15 - 16. You have to have your rig set up correctly, weight dist. hitch, etc. Also you have to be aware when you are driving and don't use cruise, etc. Other than that I think a Sienna would probably work well as our Odyssey did great this last trip.

[Mr. Adventure]

There are lots of us with good experiences. Here's a good thread on the Sienna in the "Towing Rigs" forum, and you can use the "search" feature to find more.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=6995

and another one:

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=7582

You don't mention where you're from or where you're planning to go. Substantially more than the rest of us, folks out West tend to do more dry camping, go up to higher elevations in the mountains, and bring along their heavy hobbies. For that, a lot of people think you should have a bigger tow vehicle.

Join the forum!

Thanks! I will check out those links. I joined the forum this morning, but for some reason it says trial member. Any ideas why?

We live in Alabama, but plan on travelling in the northeast this fall and in Florida some during the winter and .....who knows where else.... We love the west and spent 6 weeks camping (I'm too spoiled any more for tent camping) out west. We would love to go back and would like to use the Sienna if it could handle the steep grades, etc.

Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure

You don't mention where you're from or where you're planning to go. Substantially more than the rest of us, folks out West tend to do more dry camping, go up to higher elevations in the mountains, and bring along their heavy hobbies. For that, a lot of people think you should have a bigger tow vehicle.

I'm one of those heavy westerners. I finally loaded enough stuff that for the first time I should consider a WD hitch on a 3/4 ton truck. I'd bet a modest amount of money that the number of TM owners with more stuff than me can be counted on one hand.

What ever you choose to do, I encourage you to load it all up for a trip and weigh it. Then you will know what you really have and can choose to leave some items at home if it is "too" heavy. For example, I always carry a full load of water. With proper planning you could eliminate the 400 pounds of water that I carry.

Guessing the weight can become dangerous.

Welcome aboard.

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Thanks! I will check out those links. I joined the forum this morning, but for some reason it says trial member. Any ideas why?

Yes, this forum is supported by user subscriptions $12/yr, and you are on a free 30 day trial subscription. If you join and pay the fee you will have access to more forums and other features. It is well worth the price.

I think the conversion from Trial to Sponsor takes overnight. It is not automatic. Others may have the details, but I think Chris (moderator) has to tweak some indicators for you.
Welcome aboard!
BTW, If you haven't done it already, include your equipment (i.e. TM yr/model and TV) in your signature and show where you live. It helps some with repsonses to know those things.

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

We live in Alabama, but plan on travelling in the northeast this fall and in Florida some during the winter and .....who knows where else.... We love the west and spent 6 weeks camping (I'm too spoiled any more for tent camping) out west. We would love to go back and would like to use the Sienna if it could handle the steep grades, etc.

Assuming you have the tow package, and we have the Sienna information correct (please find for us the Gross Combined Vehicle Rating in your owner's manual and the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating on the sticker on the driver side door post), there should be room for a TrailManor within your weight limits, though it's possible that you might need to travel lighter in order to make it work for you (if you're going to stay in campgrounds with hookups, there's no need to carry a lot of water, for example).

I don't think I'd have a problem using my current setup to go back over any of the 20,000+ RV miles I've already seen, with better gas mileage this time around (except I haven't allocated the budget or the time, of course). I don't think there would be a problem with the pass in Glacier National Park, the other 7 places we crossed the Continental Divide, or anywhere else we've been on the Interstate Highway system, for example.

But, I believe there could be durability issues for lighter tow vehicles if used a lot at high altitudes and for lots of miles (a tow vehicle for 10,000 miles towing per year is a different ball game than towing 10,000 total miles sometime over the life of your tow vehicle).

A good brake controller that's properly adjusted is important. A weight distributing hitch adjusted so that the front wheels are not unloaded by your load or trailer tongue weight is absolutely mandatory, on the theory that steering and stopping are important safety issues (measure the distance from the driveway to the fender before and after hitching, and don't let the number grow). And weighing your loaded rig is a very good idea, as Mr. Beavers pointed out, because it's the only way to ever know for sure exactly what you are doing.

We just pulled a 2720 with our Town & Country. We have the tow prep package though, which upgrade our tow capacity from 2000# to 3800#. We also have a class 3 hitch (which you WILL need-- no dinky class 2) and a receiver w/ bars that was installed at the dealer. I am not familiar w/ all that stuff, but they said we required it @ over 2000#.

That being said, we can usually get 23mpg on the highway @ 70mph. We got an average of 16.8 on our 3800mi maiden voyage through the hill country of Texas and twice through the Ozarks. Some MAIDEN voyage! LOL

The most important thing you can do is find out what your tow capacity is. If it's 3800# like ours, don't go over 3000# for a Trailmanor, 2500# for a standard camper (the drag of the height is almost too much). You need to figure in about 500# for water/waste hauling and another 300# for your gear. We also had a full van w/ fishing gear, chairs, and bicycles for the kiddos. We were gone 10 days so you can figure how much stuff we had, and we were fine.

Also, the storage for a family of 4 was GREAT for such a small camper. We camped with people who had a 30' 5th wheel and they were amazed that we were able to get so much stuff in our vehicles. You will not be disappointed with the purchase of a Trailmanor. We're not!

I brought a 2002 2720 trailmanor in Dallas and I pulled it with a 2007 Toyato Tacoma V6 for 363 miles, I was suprised to get 14 MPG. The Weight Distributing Hitch is the ticket.