Help how heavy of a trailer can i pull

Sounds like ya just better sleep in the van !

skipnchar wrote:
3500 lb. minus the weight of passengers and cargo carried in the mini van gives you the maximum trailer weight. A more accurate way would be to weigh everything fully loaded and make sure it's less than the GCVWR of your van.

What Skip says - the 3500# max tow rating is with a 150# driver in the van and nothing else.
Your 3500# is reduced by anything over that 150#.
The other number you need to watch is payload. Add all the occupants and cargo to the tongue weight of the trailer and make sure you are under the payload rating as well as the max tow rating.

There are some walled trailers that are in the 2500 lb dry range. They're not big, but have the kitchen and bathroom without all the setup pain of a popup. I really think popups are fun - I say "pain" only because I have a bad lower back and it hurts to mess with one of those these days. We pulled a 20ft Skyline Nomad with a 2010 Toyota Sienna minivan for a year, and it was truly okay. The above advice on long distances and hills is true. If you travel on flat roads or don't tow long distances in the hills, then you'll do fine. Don't count on breaking any speed records - in fact get used to being passed on any incline, and definitely make sure your minivan has the towing package with trans cooler. Another definite is a WD hitch and sway control bar. Lastly, be careful how much you load in the trailer and van for your trip.

3500 lb. minus the weight of passengers and cargo carried in the mini van gives you the maximum trailer weight. A more accurate way would be to weigh everything fully loaded and make sure it's less than the GCVWR of your van.

We towed a popup with our minivan (dodge caravan) several times. I did add a second transition cooler for mt piece of mind. We took it several hundred miles and never had a problem towing, or stopping. I wouldn't go much bigger/heaver then that, I think the camper was at approx 1500lb full plus the gear in the van.

Vehicles are designed to tow up to their listed limit. The closer you get to that limit the more unpleasant the trip will be. If you are only going down to the local campground 30 miles or less away you will be fine up to the limit. If you want to head out cross country it will not be a fun trip. Probably 40% of the 5th wheel trailers I see locally are being pulled by half ton pickups but all they do is go down to the local lake then they go back home and get the fishing boat. A lot of the people on this forum travel long distance with their rigs so they give advice as to the way they travel. I know from experience, a long trip with that tow vehicle will not be fun. Short campouts will be just ok.

allow 20% of your gross capacity = 2800 lbs (does not consider hitch weight, etc)

You can pull up to your tow rating as long as you do not exceed some other rating. I believe Chrysler has a 40sq ft frontal area limitation for its tow rating, which is not any traditional high walled RV. Stick to low walled, popups, Hi-lo, etc.

I would stay around 2500. You won't break any land speed records, and you might end up hating hills.

You should be able to handle some of the smallest tent trailers OK. I would not even consider anything more than that.