We are considering a lightweight TT - something like rPOD or thereabouts. I don't want or like a PU truck. I like the idea of a minivan because of the interior storage capability and easy driving.I notice TowCaps of around 3,500 for most of the minivan models. With a an appropriate TT would I still need a WD hitch? I hate the hassle of WD hitches. Would I need to add lots of 3rd party addons like transmission coolers, or are these cars ready to tow? Any useful comments appreciated. Yes, I know I really should have an F-350 diesel and so on, but that's not what I want or have interest in.:-) <--smiley face!

A weight distribution hitch is more about restoring the weight to the front of the vehicle, that is the steering control, than it it about leveling. Mini-vans are built for a comfortable ride and therefore have soft suspensions. That said any small travel trailer will have enough tongue weight that will require you to use a WD hitch. An Rpod might be doable. What you really have to watch for is the rated payload. Look at the yellow weight sticker in the driver door of your van. There should be something maximum load = x. Subtract your trailer's tongue weight, any cargo you'll carry in your van, the weight of all people and animals. If your cargo and tongue weight goes over the rated payload you have too much weight. Others can explain this better than I am but I hope this helps.

An AWD crossover would give up some of the interior flexibility due to the drivetrain but would bump your tow capacity up to the 4500-5000 range. From a driving comfort standpoint they would be about the same, but with larger tires and a bit more ground clearance they can be a little more flexible in terms of where you can take them. Obviously they're still pretty limited in that regard but they would still be an upgrade compared to a minivan. We towed a 3500 lb pop up quite a few miles behind a 2010 Pilot with no WDH and it was a well matched combo (4500 lb tow rating). One thing you'd want to check out is whether you even can use a WDH with your tow vehicle. I'm pretty sure our Pilot's manual says not to use one.

Most of the minivans have a payload of about 1500#. My wife and I would account for 300# and then we would have about 200# of stuff in the back. Call it 500#. That should leave 1,000# remaining. I think most tongue weights of small trailers in the 3500 range might be 300# or so. That's why I wondered about WD hitches. In a previous life we had a big trailer+Suburban+WDhitch and man, we hated that whole BS about lugging heavy bars and the dirt and grease and time to hookup/setup. I really don't want to be in that world of needing a major hand washing after simply hooking up my trailer.

Thanks for the good comments folks!

Minivan Towing Questions - Sedona, Odessey, Sienna, Et al

brulaz
Explorer
Jul 30, 2017
Jeff10236 wrote:

...
If I recall, the trailer you are now looking at is 4100lbs, correct? How about a Jeep Cherokee? With the base engine and tow package it is good for 6200LBS, the V8 is rated for 7200, and the diesel is 7200 (4x4) and 7400 (2wd). If you didn't like the 4dr full-sized trucks, did you try the 4dr mid-sized trucks? The Toyota and Nissan are rated around/just over 6K. The Chevy/GMC is rated up to 7K, though they are new enough I don't know if they are within your budget or not.

Think the Jeep Grand Cherokee Ecodiesel would be an outstanding tow vehicle for a 4100# trailer. And they've been around for a while so might be available used at a reasonable price.

We towed our old 4000# trailer with a 2009 Toyota Tacoma V6 4dr. Not recommended. Not enough payload or HP, and our model was built more for rock-climbing than towing (very rough ride unloaded).
Jeff10236
Explorer
Jul 30, 2017
Redwoodguy wrote:
Update - Saga Continues

We spent days chasing down the Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Escalade tow vehicle and burned up two full tanks of gas in our Subaru looking. We eventually even added the Nissan Armada. No joy. Anything with under 50K miles, no accidents, and no problems was significanlty over our budget. These TOW vehicles have become precious on the used market.

We then expanded the search to include 4 dr PUPs. Yuck. I drove a Sierra and found it didn't fit me right at all. So we ruled those out again.

The Armada was too cloud like and offered a very puffy-floaty-bloaty ride. And being new it was well over budget.

So, we got exhausted from looking at RVs and TVs and just stopped for now. Rethinking it all once again.

If I recall, the trailer you are now looking at is 4100lbs, correct? How about a Jeep Cherokee? With the base engine and tow package it is good for 6200LBS, the V8 is rated for 7200, and the diesel is 7200 (4x4) and 7400 (2wd). If you didn't like the 4dr full-sized trucks, did you try the 4dr mid-sized trucks? The Toyota and Nissan are rated around/just over 6K. The Chevy/GMC is rated up to 7K, though they are new enough I don't know if they are within your budget or not.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 24, 2017
Harold Fairbanks II wrote:
Grit dog wrote:
And with a 4-5000lb trailer you may not even need a wdh depending how tongue heavy your new trailer is with a full size SUV towing it. Especially if you're eyeing up air ride rigs like denalis and escalades.

This is bad advice. Load leveling air bags are NOT a substitute for weight distribution.

Didn't say they were a substitute, but those light campers may only have like 6-700lbs tongue weight. BUT the light truck springs may still be a bit too squishy where the air ride will compensate with more spring rate.
Don't read too much into my statement.
p220sigman
Explorer
Jul 24, 2017
You may also want to drive the other 4 Dr pickups on the market. They don't all drive/feel the same. A different one may be a better fit for you. With a pickup, you can add a rear bed cover or a cap and have as much passenger room as a non-3 row SUV and more covered storage area. Otherwise, decide which you want to expand, your budget or your search criteria.
JAC1982
Explorer
Jul 24, 2017
Not sure of your price point, but my in laws tow their TT with a Sequoia and it does quite nicely, and it's a comfortable ride with plenty of room. But, if decent Tahoes were out of your range, a Sequoia might be too.

I personally have an Explorer Sport that I love, but again, even used they're pricey and the max tow is 5,000lbs with the tow package.
Redwoodguy
Explorer
Jul 24, 2017
Update - Saga Continues

We spent days chasing down the Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Escalade tow vehicle and burned up two full tanks of gas in our Subaru looking. We eventually even added the Nissan Armada. No joy. Anything with under 50K miles, no accidents, and no problems was significanlty over our budget. These TOW vehicles have become precious on the used market.

We then expanded the search to include 4 dr PUPs. Yuck. I drove a Sierra and found it didn't fit me right at all. So we ruled those out again.

The Armada was too cloud like and offered a very puffy-floaty-bloaty ride. And being new it was well over budget.

So, we got exhausted from looking at RVs and TVs and just stopped for now. Rethinking it all once again.
Harold_Fairbank
Explorer
Jul 22, 2017
Grit dog wrote:
And with a 4-5000lb trailer you may not even need a wdh depending how tongue heavy your new trailer is with a full size SUV towing it. Especially if you're eyeing up air ride rigs like denalis and escalades.

This is bad advice. Load leveling air bags are NOT a substitute for weight distribution.
Redwoodcamper
Explorer
Jul 22, 2017
Good choice. Newer SUVs feel more "carlike" than ever. They basically are a car with unibody construction and independent suspension.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jul 22, 2017
And with a 4-5000lb trailer you may not even need a wdh depending how tongue heavy your new trailer is with a full size SUV towing it. Especially if you're eyeing up air ride rigs like denalis and escalades.
rexlion
Explorer
Jul 21, 2017
You found the right TT, and now you can get the tug you need. Great! RVing is one area where it's appropriate to 'put the cart before the horse.' ;)