Redwoodguy wrote:
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.
I get dirty once in a while but usually it's just a couple of minutes and I'm done.
One thing you need to understand is that staying in the payload isn't what determines the need for the WDH. It's about steering control. The weight of the tongue raises the front fenders and takes weight off the front wheels. The WD puts the weight back on and restores steering control. A 3500# trailer could have a 500# tongue weight, figure 10-15%. 450# on the back of a mini-van will raise the front end enough to make for a scary driving experience.
I'd rather not get into another 10MPG towing situation.
The poster who said he got 17 mpg was towing a pop-up. Very little wind resistance. You are considering a small travel trailer. Very different animal from towing a pop-up. Even an Rpod will drag in the wind. You might not get as low as 10 mpg, but you will not get 17. 12 maybe. It's physics.
We towed a 17ft hybrid with a mini-van and we got about 10 mpg.
kerrlakeRoo wrote:
If you need the easy ride, best suggestion would be something like the Chevy Traverse, 5200 lb tow cap Packages include coolers and hitch and trailer wiring.
Trailer wise you'll be limited, but its better than anything a minivan will offer.
I think this is your answer. A Traverse or one of it's siblings would be a better fit for what you are trying to do. You'll still need a WDH though.
