I have a 2006 Kia Sedona minivan. The towing limit is 3500lbs. I have already installed a hitch, electric brake controller and electrical hookups on the van. I still need to add the transmission and power steering cooler. I would like to purchase the KZ Sportsman Classic 19BH. The dry weight is 2,623 lbs. I will be traveling with my pet. I may have one other person traveling with me on some trips. I weigh 135lbs and my pet is 50lbs. The other person I will travel with is about 170lbs. I am going to add a sway controller as well. Do you think the minivan & travel trailer will work? The dealers all say yes but I would like to know if anyone else out there tows with a minivan. Please don't answer saying get another tow vehicle. That is not an option. I know you mean well but this is the vehicle I own & I love it. I cannot afford to buy another vehicle. So, if any of you tow a small travel trailer with a minivan, I would really like some feedback on this travel trailer before I purchase it. Thank you !

I towed a pop-up camper with a Chevy Lumina Mini-Van for over 6 years. The entire weight of the pop-up was around 1500 pounds. Add the weight of our passengers and supplies, propane and all, it probably weight about 2500 pounds. It towed just fine. Eventually, we towed with a 1500 Chevy Suburban, and the Mini-Van lasted for another 5 or 6 years. We finally traded the van for the "Cash for Clunkers" program, only because the air-conditioner was the old-style and couldn't get it fixed with spending a fortune. Time for a new vehicle. I think towing anything much heaver would have been awful on the van, the transmission, and everything else though. I think the trailer you are considering is REALLY pushing your van. It will tow it, but for how long before damage occurs. I think you really need to think smaller trailer if you are unbending on your choice of tow vehicle.

I hate to say it but no. You have to look at frontal area which I'm sure you will be over. The sway control will also add tongue weight which is another problem.I'd look at pop-ups.

Thank you for your reply. I forgot to add that I would like to add an on demand water heater and if possible replace the gas cooktop with an electric one. This would eliminate the need for propane tanks. I have no intention of dry camping the this would reduce the weight of having propane tanks. I could also just hook up the water & electric and not have to worry about the gas hookup.

Re: Pop upsThese are not an option. My parents had one and found they were a lot of trouble to set up. I like to be able to stop when traveling and go inside & take a quick nap and have a meal at a rest top. My pet would also tear through the plastic walls on a popup and I would also not feel safe in one when traveling alone. The walls would not last one day with my pet. I had to put metal screens on my windows at my house to prevent him from jumping through the window screens. I don't plan on driving in mountainous areas and will only use it 5 or 6 times a year. If anyone knows of a lighter travel trailer with bunks and a full bed please let me know. Thank you !

SusanDallas wrote:Re: Pop upsThese are not an option. My parents had one and found they were a lot of trouble to set up. I like to be able to stop when traveling and go inside & take a quick nap and have a meal at a rest top. My pet would also tear through the plastic walls on a popup and I would also not feel safe in one when traveling alone. The walls would not last one day with my pet. I had to put metal screens on my windows at my house to prevent him from jumping through the window screens. I don't plan on driving in mountainous areas and will only use it 5 or 6 times a year. If anyone knows of a lighter travel trailer with bunks and a full bed please let me know. Thank you !This is off topic slightly, but your comments about the dog are sending up red flags. If he has those sort of issues in a house, he is not going to be a good trailering dog. If he's jumping at the windows in the trailer, others RVers and/or the park staff are going to see him as aggressive. If you plan on leaving him alone in the trailer while you sightsee, go out to eat, etc., he is going to draw attention to himself and that's going to get him in trouble. It will end up with you being asked to leave the park. I don't want to seem mean or anything, but you really need to look at his behavior and your intentions with your planned travel and make sure they can be compatible before you go any further.

Towing with a Minivan | Good Sam Community

kknowlton
Explorer II
Aug 08, 2016
We towed a popup with a minivan in the late 80s, and that was all it could handle. And yes, we did have the "towing package" on the minivan, factory-installed.
MitchF150
Explorer III
Aug 08, 2016
No one is gonna be able to tell you what YOU should do.. :)

Until you tow something with something, you will have no idea how good or bad that tow experience is going to be for YOU...

Ask yourself this one question... How do you feel about having to put the gas pedal to the floor at times, and also revving the engine to over 4000 rpms at times to get up some grades.

It ain't gonna be like going to the grocery store towing anything with weight behind it, no matter what the combo is, so I'd say learn the same way we all did... Try it out and go from there.

Sure, you can get an F350 to tow a pop up, but there is a lot in between that works well too..

I'd say your chosen combo will work the Kia pretty good, but if you are ok with that, enjoy... If you don't want to see the tach go over 3000 rpms, you might need to re-think it..

Good luck!

Mitch
johnwalkerpa1
Explorer
Aug 08, 2016
SusanDallas wrote:
I have a 2006 Kia Sedona minivan. The towing limit is 3500lbs. I have already installed a hitch, electric brake controller and electrical hookups on the van. I still need to add the transmission and power steering cooler.
I would like to purchase the KZ Sportsman Classic 19BH. The dry weight is 2,623 lbs. I will be traveling with my pet. I may have one other person traveling with me on some trips. I weigh 135lbs and my pet is 50lbs. The other person I will travel with is about 170lbs. I am going to add a sway controller as well. Do you think the minivan & travel trailer will work? The dealers all say yes but I would like to know if anyone else out there tows with a minivan.
Please don't answer saying get another tow vehicle. That is not an option. I know you mean well but this is the vehicle I own & I love it. I cannot afford to buy another vehicle.
So, if any of you tow a small travel trailer with a minivan, I would really like some feedback on this travel trailer before I purchase it. Thank you !

I don't like to discourage anyone from getting out there but I'm afraid you aren't going to enjoy the experience with the setup you mention. You might be able to just barely squeak by (maybe!) with your weights but your van will struggle and it will not be an enjoyable driving experience. I have had several mini vans and they are great as people movers but not as tow vehicles.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Aug 07, 2016
I would suggest you rethink your plans. First your choice of a Tow vehicle is not too good, you will need a lighter trailer maybe a teardrop would suit you better. It could be towed with a Minivan.

Second. From your description. Your pet is NOT a camping pet. With the actions you describe. It will get you kicked out of every campground you try to stay at. Pets in campgrounds have to be controlled. They can't bother others by barking, or lunging. From your statements. Yours is completely out of control.
toedtoes
Explorer III
Aug 07, 2016
SusanDallas wrote:
Re: Pop ups
These are not an option. My parents had one and found they were a lot of trouble to set up. I like to be able to stop when traveling and go inside & take a quick nap and have a meal at a rest top. My pet would also tear through the plastic walls on a popup and I would also not feel safe in one when traveling alone. The walls would not last one day with my pet. I had to put metal screens on my windows at my house to prevent him from jumping through the window screens.
I don't plan on driving in mountainous areas and will only use it 5 or 6 times a year. If anyone knows of a lighter travel trailer with bunks and a full bed please let me know. Thank you !

This is off topic slightly, but your comments about the dog are sending up red flags. If he has those sort of issues in a house, he is not going to be a good trailering dog. If he's jumping at the windows in the trailer, others RVers and/or the park staff are going to see him as aggressive. If you plan on leaving him alone in the trailer while you sightsee, go out to eat, etc., he is going to draw attention to himself and that's going to get him in trouble. It will end up with you being asked to leave the park.

I don't want to seem mean or anything, but you really need to look at his behavior and your intentions with your planned travel and make sure they can be compatible before you go any further.
SusanDallas
Explorer
Aug 07, 2016
Re: Pop ups
These are not an option. My parents had one and found they were a lot of trouble to set up. I like to be able to stop when traveling and go inside & take a quick nap and have a meal at a rest top. My pet would also tear through the plastic walls on a popup and I would also not feel safe in one when traveling alone. The walls would not last one day with my pet. I had to put metal screens on my windows at my house to prevent him from jumping through the window screens.
I don't plan on driving in mountainous areas and will only use it 5 or 6 times a year. If anyone knows of a lighter travel trailer with bunks and a full bed please let me know. Thank you !
SusanDallas
Explorer
Aug 07, 2016
Thank you for your reply. I forgot to add that I would like to add an on demand water heater and if possible replace the gas cooktop with an electric one. This would eliminate the need for propane tanks. I have no intention of dry camping the this would reduce the weight of having propane tanks. I could also just hook up the water & electric and not have to worry about the gas hookup.
OutdoorPhotogra
Explorer
Aug 07, 2016
I hate to say it but no. You have to look at frontal area which I'm sure you will be over. The sway control will also add tongue weight which is another problem.

I'd look at pop-ups.
DutchmenSport
Explorer
Aug 07, 2016
I towed a pop-up camper with a Chevy Lumina Mini-Van for over 6 years. The entire weight of the pop-up was around 1500 pounds. Add the weight of our passengers and supplies, propane and all, it probably weight about 2500 pounds. It towed just fine. Eventually, we towed with a 1500 Chevy Suburban, and the Mini-Van lasted for another 5 or 6 years. We finally traded the van for the "Cash for Clunkers" program, only because the air-conditioner was the old-style and couldn't get it fixed with spending a fortune. Time for a new vehicle.

I think towing anything much heaver would have been awful on the van, the transmission, and everything else though. I think the trailer you are considering is REALLY pushing your van. It will tow it, but for how long before damage occurs. I think you really need to think smaller trailer if you are unbending on your choice of tow vehicle.

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