Towing with a Minivan

We towed a spree escape, 14rb, smaller and lighter (2200 dry) than yours with a Chevy Equinox, same tow rating. It was just ok, its what we had at the time. We travelled all the way from Ontario through the Adirondacks, Vermont, Mass and Quebec. The only time it felt sketchy was leaving Vermont during the start of the Hurricane with high winds and lots of water on the road. You could feel what one of the earlier posters talked about, less grip because of the front wheel drive. The next year we upgraded to a small pick up with 5500 tow rating and it was night and day different. So from experience , I would say going in, if you have no intention of trading your tow vehicle, I would not chose that travel trailer. We knew we were going to get a new vehicle when we got the trailer. Try a tear drop, or A Liner or fibreglass would be my suggestion.
PS I would not feel confident in a tent trailer with my Jack Russell, if he smelled or heard an animal, racoon, skunk, whatever, he would do his best to find a way out as well. He is a great little camping dog, but you can never train that instinct out of them so always on a lead or inside if we are.

A trailer that size is going to be a serious strain on the van because of frontal area, and may be difficult to control on the highway in any sort of crosswind or heavy truck traffic.

A lower profile molded trailer like Scamp or Casita would be better, but still beyond frontal area limits. A friend of mine towed a 17 foot Casita behind his Grand Caravan for almost ten years, towing carefully. It did eventually wear out the van.

You are not far from the Casita factory and showroom. Visit them, talk to. the sales consultant. Unlike the sales persons at many dealerships, they are concerned about the towing combination. "What will you tow it with?" was one of the first questions when I visited afew years ago.

http://www.scamptrailers.com/, but probably too small for you.

http://www.tab-rv.com/, but probably too small for you.

DW was wanting a small trailer to two behind our Subaru Forester. These were all we could find that were light enough. She gave up on that idea.

A fun anecdote about the differences. My mom drives a Subaru Forester (from back when they were 2,500# rated) and had an 8 foot popup that she towed for years and got about 20 mpg. She recently traded it for a teardrop style trailer (T@G) that is basically an enclosed double bed with a kitchen available when you open the back hatch.

The weight is the same, just over 1,000#, but the T@G sticks up a few feet higher than the pup did (not enough to stand in). They get 14mpg pulling that from a little 2.5 liter 4 banger engine. And this IS a fairly aerodynamic trailer with a sloping back end. The point is that higher trailers push more air and require a LOT more engine power.

In the end, it's your decision. I love minivans and think they're ideal popup tow vehicles and I've done that for tens of thousands of miles. But I'd not tow a full height RV trailer with one. Just not enough margin left.

As long as it falls under your official tow capacities(when loaded), I'd say go for it.

It wont be the best towing experience, but if your just doing weekenders not too far from home it wont beat you down too much

You have too many "non-negotiables". You are going to have to make some compromises. I suggest you seriously consider a hard sided popup (such as a trailmanor) with a wet bath. Seriously, your plan is headed for a bad ending. You will have to compromise somewhere.

SusanDallas wrote:
Hopefully, I will find a lighter trailer with a sloping profile to lessen the wind drag.

Don't kid yourself, any so-called "sloping profile" will make very little difference at all in terms of wind resistance. :E At highway speeds any full height trailer creates significant drag regardless of the front wall profile and those that do have a significantly sloped front wall will also suffer even more restricted space inside the camper. Your problem isn't the trailer, it's the vehicle you're wanting to tow with. :R

You sound determined to do this, but you really need to listen to the very good advice that experienced RVers are offering. Your minivan is marginal at best for towing a travel trailer, and here is why: That tow rating of 3500 pounds does not account for two very important factors; the tongue weight of the trailer, and the frontal area of the trailer. Your vehicle would probably easily tow a 3500 pound boat, because a boat offer MUCH less wind resistance, both to headwind and to side winds. Same goes for a popup.

The age of the vehicle also works against you. Towing is hard, and any mechanical weakness--which you may never even know about in normal use--will likely become very apparent with a ton and a half of trailer hanging from the rear bumper.

The folks telling you this is a bad idea are speaking from experience. Most of us have towed with marginal vehicles or overweight, and we know it's no fun, it can break your equipment, and might end up being unsafe. A rig that is loaded to the max might make it down the road under ideal conditions, but throw in hills, curves, high winds, rain, and other traffic, and you will be looking at a very unpleasant experience at the least. Not trying to scare you, but you have to anticipate bad days as well as good.

I appreciate all the good advice I have received. I have decided to wait until the RV show in Dallas next month.Hopefully, I will find a lighter trailer with a sloping profile to lessen the wind drag. If anyone knows of a travel trailer, not a popup, I could use your input. Sorry for not posting earlier.It has been a very hectic week.

Bobbo wrote:
Experience really is the best teacher. If you don't learn from others' experience, you then learn from your own.

To the OP, best of luck with whatever you decide.

Bingo!
And it's tough to explain to people that aren't mechanically inclined that just "because " it has a tow rating of xxxx, that it may not be a good idea, or even if it was acceptable 10 years ago, you're asking for trouble flogging your old car like it is a new one.
I'm comfortable running older vehicles, and up to their limits, but I take a great deal of care to make sure they function like a much newer vehicle.