Towing a minivan on a dolly

[boba]

I am in the market for a new toad. Have a diesel pusher and a master tow 80hd. Looking at minivans but concerned about width. They are 78.1 to 78.8. Manual say up to 78 ok. Anyone out there tow a minivan on a dolly? Could use some real life experience to help me decide. Thanks

[Slowbob]

We have towed a Toyota Sienna on an Acme tow dolly over 15,000 miles. Since the Acme doesn't pivot, there is no danger of damaging the car on sharp turns. The Acme tows great and is very well made. It is the only one that I could find that would tow a 78" wide vehicle without any cautions or caviots.

Given what I know now, I would install the Remco transmission pump kit and flat tow the van if you intend to load/unload often. You have to crawl under it to deal with the safety chains, no fun in the rain. The wheel straps get really filthy. The ramps have to be unstowed, attached, unattached and restowed. You have to carry a spare tire because Acme uses a 10 ply 10" tire that is really only available on the internet.
That said, buying the Acme was way less than half the cost of installing the trans pump, tow plate, braking system and tow bar, so if you are not moving very often it makes lots of sense. You can also tow any FWD vehicle without any mods.

HTH,

Bob

2003 Monaco Exec 43 SDDS. Fulltimers

[BennieH]

We've had our Chrysler Town & Country on our dolly. No problem whatsoever. Never had trouble with turns and width was not an issue. We do have a Demco Car Kaddy SS as a dolly.

[Campinghoss]

I know you already have a dolly but the ACME tow dolly states less than 79 inches width. You also do not have to worry about sharp turns with this dolly. We tow a highlander on ours. You can check out this dolly on line if interested.

[tatest]

I haven't done it, but I've seen it a few times, usually a first or second generation Voyager or Caravan (not the long wheelbase "Grand") or the first generation Odyssey (which is still the size of Honda's minivan for markets in Europe and Asia). Front-drive Mazda MPVs and later Mazda 5 are a similar size, and can be dolly towed. With manual transmissions they could be towed 4-down.

Minivans got really big as more manufacturers came into the business with "hey, our minivan is roomier." Roomier is what the market wanted, large families carry a lot of stuff.

For smaller minivans today, look at the Mazda 5, Ford's Transit Connect or Nissan's NV200, although that may not be available retail as a passenger van, it is for the taxi market. Chevy has come into the market with a City Express, but I don't think they are doing a passenger van.

All of these smaller minivans share the compromise involved with the original Voyager/Caravan: you carry people or cargo, not both. Five passengers with huge luggage space, almost twice as much as a mid-size SUV, or 6-7 passengers and space for luggage of 2-3 people, the way Americans pack for travel.

A lot will depend on how many seats you need. NV200 is only five seats, Mazda 5 (now extinct) was comfortable at six, Transit Connect will carry seven but the rear seat is really cramped.

[boba]

Thanks for all the replies I already have a tow dolly(master tow 80 hd)and a diesel pusher with a 15000 tow limit. I really liked the Kia minivan but the dolly says max width or 78 and the Kia is 78.1. The Honda was wider so I am now looking at the three row of seats suv. It is exasperating as the ones I seem to like best are too heavy or too wide for the dolly.

[CWDoc115]

We tow a KIA Sedona on a tow dolly without problems by avoiding sharp turns & requesting drive through campsites. Currently looking at replacing the KIA with a Ford Transit due to age & quality issues.

PM me if you have more questions. :C

[mmiille]

Not sure if the width is too much. We towed a Dodge Caravan for years with our small tow dolly and a 23' class c. No problems at all. Then towed it with our 34' class a and car caddy tow dolly. Never had any issues. Never could justify paying more to be able to tow with 4 wheels down. Now we have a Santa Fe which is heavier and wider and went to a master tow dolly. Good Luck.

[jvowell1]

I have towed 2005 Honda Oddessy for a couple long trips. Watch sharp turns.

[willald]

We towed a Kia minivan on a tow dolly for a while.

One of the big problems you have with towing a minivan on a dolly, has to do with weight limitations. Minivans are heavy, many weigh well over 4,000 lbs, some close to 5,000. There's only a handful of tow dollies made that are rated to handle that much weight.

Also, many Motorhomes, the weight limit on the hitch receiver is 5,000 lbs. Add the weight of a tow dolly to a minivan that in some cases is getting close to 5,000 lbs by itself, and you frequently will find yourself over that 5,000 lb limitation of the MH's hitch receiver.

Also, as already noted, width and fender clearance can be an issue.

I agree with a previous post - The Acme EZE tow dolly is probably one of the best choices if you are going to tow a minivan on a dolly. Thats what we used, and it worked great. It is one of the few dollies out there that is rated to handle 5,000 lbs, yet only weighs about 400 lbs. That, and the way its designed, pretty well eliminates issues with fender clearance, taking sharp turns, etc.

[kalynzoo]

A recently thought about towing my mini-van Sienna and did a bit of research. Ended up purchasing an Explorer as a toad, kept the Sienna for home. Anyway, the wheel placement on a van makes for a problem on turns...everyone seems to like the Acme Dolly for a van. I called Acme, nice people, and they assured me that the low platform and fender profile was perfect for a van and it was in the weight class.
Good luck on your search.

[carringb]

You should be okay as long as you avoid sharp turns. It looks like its intended for 1/2-ton pickups. Your minivan won't have as much clearance to the fenders as a pickup (due to ride height), but that only matters when making turns.

That said.... Having to constantly worry about turning too sharp could really make for a stressful driving experience. I even get nervous about fender clearance towing my Fiesta, and its has almost 4" of clearance to the fenders. Still looks awfully close when making sharp turns though!

BTW - Have you considered a Transit Connect? It's only 72.2" overall width, and weighs much less than the traditional minivans.

[Executive45]

Don't tow a minivan or anything that's not 4 down, but I'll make a suggestion if you don't already know...installation of a small receiver on the minivan will make your life easier to move the dolly once you've set up...BOL..Dennis