towing with town and country

I posted earlier but forgot to mention the difference between empty and full ready to camp trailer weight was almost 500 pounds including full water tank, duel batteries. Best of luck. I figured the WD hitdch was just a given. Yes for sure

Set up the WD hitch correctly and you will be fine.

also, get a brake controller.

Thanks!

I once had a similar set up. Best thing I ever did was add a WDH to put the front wheels a little more firmly on the ground. Helps with traction and braking.

That 2600# is "dry". Dry weight is a fictional number. The number you want to look at is the GVWR, which is 3500# for this trailer. I towed a similar trailer, same GVWR with a mini-van. It's doable, it'll be safe provided its setup right, but realistically you'll be limited to short trips on relatively flat terrain.

Most folks who tow "xyz trailer" up to their rated capacity and say its "no problem" have not had the joy and pleasure of towing with a more appropriate tow vehicle.

I speak from experience. I have twice now towed very close to my limits. I knew what I was getting into and what the limitations would be. I can also tell you that there is a marked improvement to towing with reserve capacity and not pushing the limits. I'm not trying to discourage you from doing this, just helping you understand it won't be the best scenario you could have for towing. Most people that do what you are doing will buy a bigger tow vehicle in 12-18 months.

EDIT: Yes, you will need a WD hitch.

My popup weighs more than that and my 2013 tows it great with 4 bikes mounted on top. You might need weight distribution (I don't have it). The 2011's and newer have the 3.6 Pentastar V6 and 6 speed automatic which is a great combination. I cannot speak for the older models.

If you look at the specs for your trailer the weight with cargo is a max of 3500 pounds.

Your town and country has a maximum towing capacity of 3600 pounds. You're really close to the maximum.

You'll be putting a lot of strain on the van so make sure you do the routine preventative maintenance on it.

It won't be a hot rod so sit back and enjoy the scenery especially on hills.

Lot of opinions on this. Mine is based on experience and thousands of miles. We towed for many years with an 01 Dodge Grand Caravan. Our trailer weight was 3,490 loaded and ready to camp. We did install rear air bags. Van did quite well as we traveled from Oregon to Canada and south to Mexico, Colorado too. MPG was about cut in half with trailer. Grades did not slow us as much as head winds. We had the 3.3 V-6 and passed many larger rigs. We did blow a tranny at 84K which extended warranty replaced. Sold the van with 127K. Never overheated. Chantged tranny fluid every season. Shoot me a private message if you have any questions. Pay attention to your factory numbers. You should be fine.