Redwoodguy wrote:
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.
A few things to consider:
1. Two trucks of the same make, model, and year, could have very different capabilities. Depending on installed options, power trains, and drive trains. F150 for example, can have as little as 5000 lb tow capacity, as much as 11,000 lbs tow capacity, or anywhere in between. Minivans are no different. They will each have their own numbers for capacities and limitations. There are a few that have limitations on the square inches of frontal surface of a trailer being pulled. There are a few that are not recommended to be used with a weight distributing hitch. You'll need to do some home work (read owners manuals) on every van you may be interested in.
2. If your loaded trailer weight is less than 3500 lbs, weight distribution may not be required. Check the owners manual for the tow vehicle.
3. There is a weight distributing hitch that weighs a total of 60 lbs (including the parts permanently installed on the trailer), requires no lubrication (hands and clothes stay much cleaner), has built in sway control, and has been reported to work very well with smaller trailers. Check out Andersen No-Sway weight distributing hitches.
4. Keep in mind, as you load people and cargo into or onto a tow vehicle (doesn't matter if it's a 3500 truck or a minivan), the max towing capacity and available payload are going down pound for pound. This too, you'll find in the owners manuals.
