Post your tow vehicle pics here

[doughboy81972]

hello all I figure that I would start this thread so we can all show off our TV's that do the burden work and then are forgoten once you get where you are going. so here is my 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 LB, EC, 2WD

Note from moderator,
Please keep pics to a max 640 width as a favor to those with smaller screens and dial up. "IF" you can not figure out how to make the pics smaller, post them, PM me or hit 'notify moderator' button, say you can not resize pics, and I aka blt2ski/Marty will go in and edit/fix.
Enjoy everyones pics
Marty

>

[nohurry]

Here's a couple shots of my 2003 Heritage Edition F-150.

[spud57]

"Is important how the 265HP tow, but is more important how it stop a BIG heavy load. I know that you mention you have a brake control and the trailer have brakes also, but if you have emergency situation, that could be really different when the weight of what you towing is bigger that the tow vehicle and you can’t control it."

Not sure I can really agree with that analogy. I would think a 1 ton SRW, pulling a 15,000lb 5th wheel which weighs more than twice the TV weight, would have the same challenges stopping if their 5th wheel lost it's brakes as well.

S

[MrUKToad]

I'm conscious that this isn't the thread to get into a debate about tow vehicles, so I'll just thank you for your concern and say that you don't need to worry on my behalf. The combination was set up by a professional with over 40 years experience in towing and I trust his judgement to get it right; he has thousands of satisfied customers who'll agree.

As an aside, if you ever wonder what goes into to setting a tow rating, you might want to read this from Truck Trend magazine:

http://www.trucktrend.com/features/consumer/163_0910_truck_towing_capacity/current_practice_the_rati...

It's not quite as scientific as the manufacturers would have us believe!

[klx650]

I saw a few of these types of people on the road this summer in the mountains and I give them I wide margin. I know those tow vehicles cannot properly handle a panic brake or abrupt lane change without things ending badly and don't even get me started about them trying to climb a hill, allot of them were down to 30 mph and 6,000 rpm. Another thing to consider: are these people running at least D rated tires for towing? How about heavy duty shocks to handle the sway and bounce? Unibody frames and towing a 7,400# trailer?

It always amazes me how people think its alright to overload their tow vehicle (by a factor of more than 2X in this case), then wonder what went wrong when a panic brake or wind gust situation pops up and it all ends badly. To me, it appears they do not care that much for their family to put them in that situation, what I'm more concerned about are all the others on the road whom they are putting in harms way (including me).

I am all for going out and enjoying the outdoors, but people, please ante up and get a proper tow vehicle. If not for your safety, please do it for mine.

Just my unasked for 2 cents.

[Guri]

MrUKToad wrote:

mikenem wrote:
According to the Trailer Life 2012 towing guide...that Sienna only has a 3500# tow rating. What model Airstream is that?

It's a 28' International, tops out at 7,300lbs

The Sienna does indeed have an official Toyota tow rating of 3,500lb but, as I have discovered, tow ratings for minivans (in general) bear no relation to their ability to handle a heavy load; they were set 35 years ago and haven't been altered since, despite major changes in the vans themselves.

It's a bit unfair of me to put that photograph up without some additional information. The Sienna has been modified with the addition of a big transmission oil cooler and a Prodigy brake controller. The hitch receiver, although a standard Hidden Hitch model, has been strengthened to add rigidity and to help the Weight Distribution system transfer weight more cleanly to the front axle. It uses a standard pair of Eaz-lift 1000lb spring bars and a pair of friction anti-sway bars. As you can see, the Sienna sits level, the GAWRs and GVWR are not exceeded, even when fully loaded with kids and kit. Indeed, the Sienna specs stack up well against a lot of half-ton trucks and SUVs, all of which have much higher tow ratings, and the Sienna ends up more stable because of its low center of gravity, good aerodynamic properties and semi-independent rear suspension.

We towed around 6,000 miles last year without any issues at all. We averaged 12 mpg (US) when towing (and 28 when not towing!). We tend to keep the speed at around 60-65 mph, largely because that's the speed limit here in Canada, and that undoubtedly helped with the gas mileage. Sure, we lose a little speed up the hills but that's to be expected, although the Sienna will push out a respectable 265HP so it's not really under powered.

I don't think the Sienna would cope as well if it were not towing an Airstream. Although it's a heavy trailer, it's quite slippery through the air compared to a lot of other trailers and, as wind resistance is a big factor in towing dynamics, the Airstream helps us out a lot.

The dealership that set us up has a lot of minivan customers towing big Airstreams, all of them successfully. There have been no reports of transmission issues with the Sienna (or the Honda Odyssey, or Town & Country) over extended periods so there's no evidence that these vans suffer from pulling these trailers.

Well...I hope the best for you

I can speak by experience. I had a Odyssey for long time and I started with a pop-up tent trailer and that was fine, when I changed my trailer for a 16ft hybrid trailer, the Odyssey towed fine but stopping is an entirely different situation and I can notice that car is NOT made for that. This minivan doesn’t have a solid frame, they have a body-frame and all the load is handled by the whole car, not only by a well designed frame. If in the future your doors start touch the door frame or they don’t close any more you will know why that happened.

It is important how the 265HP tow, but is more important how it stops a BIG heavy load. I know that you mention you have a brake control and the trailer have brakes also, but if you have an emergency situation, that could be really different when the weight of what you are towing is bigger that the tow vehicle and you can’t control it.

When the engineers set up the limit of the towing capacity it is because they know the limitation of the vehicle. If you modify the car and go over factory specification, you are going over the towing capacity and curve weight of the minivan and that is illegal. You can come with a big legal problem because you are over of the limits and that is negligent.

I would like to see Toyota honor the warranty of the transmission or engine if it fails when you show the picture of what you are towing. That means the minivan is NOT designed to handle that.

Personally I won’t put my family in a potential dangerous situation just to show that my minivan can handle it…. Is that safe?... it is safe until something happens and you are going to regret your decision.

My intention is just to try to let you understand what the situation is.
Again, I hope the best for you and the safety of your family.

Regards

[MrUKToad]

mikenem wrote:
According to the Trailer Life 2012 towing guide...that Sienna only has a 3500# tow rating. What model Airstream is that?

It's a 28' International, tops out at 7,300lbs

The Sienna does indeed have an official Toyota tow rating of 3,500lb but, as I have discovered, tow ratings for minivans (in general) bear no relation to their ability to handle a heavy load; they were set 35 years ago and haven't been altered since, despite major changes in the vans themselves.

It's a bit unfair of me to put that photograph up without some additional information. The Sienna has been modified with the addition of a big transmission oil cooler and a Prodigy brake controller. The hitch receiver, although a standard Hidden Hitch model, has been strengthened to add rigidity and to help the Weight Distribution system transfer weight more cleanly to the front axle. It uses a standard pair of Eaz-lift 1000lb spring bars and a pair of friction anti-sway bars. As you can see, the Sienna sits level, the GAWRs and GVWR are not exceeded, even when fully loaded with kids and kit. Indeed, the Sienna specs stack up well against a lot of half-ton trucks and SUVs, all of which have much higher tow ratings, and the Sienna ends up more stable because of its low center of gravity, good aerodynamic properties and semi-independent rear suspension.

We towed around 6,000 miles last year without any issues at all. We averaged 12 mpg (US) when towing (and 28 when not towing!). We tend to keep the speed at around 60-65 mph, largely because that's the speed limit here in Canada, and that undoubtedly helped with the gas mileage. Sure, we lose a little speed up the hills but that's to be expected, although the Sienna will push out a respectable 265HP so it's not really under powered.

I don't think the Sienna would cope as well if it were not towing an Airstream. Although it's a heavy trailer, it's quite slippery through the air compared to a lot of other trailers and, as wind resistance is a big factor in towing dynamics, the Airstream helps us out a lot.

The dealership that set us up has a lot of minivan customers towing big Airstreams, all of them successfully. There have been no reports of transmission issues with the Sienna (or the Honda Odyssey, or Town & Country) over extended periods so there's no evidence that these vans suffer from pulling these trailers.

[mikenem]

According to the Trailer Life 2012 towing guide...that Sienna only has a 3500# tow rating. What model Airstream is that?

[MrUKToad]

Here's one to get you talking....



2011 Toyota Sienna LE. V6, 3.5 liter, six speed auto. She pulls (and stops) very nicely.

[WaltinColo]

'02 Dodge 2500 Quad Cab CTD. Edge Juice w/Attitude.

[Charlie_and_Meg]

Thanks, dmax_83. We needed a new tow vehicle to replace our lightweight 1500 4.8 liter and so took the pick of 2 2500s that our local dealer had on the lot. They were both equipped the same (6.0 Vortec, Z71, tow package, LT tire upgrade, etc). One Graystone Metallic and one Granite Blue. I liked the ebony interior in the gray one and thought the Graystone was a nice color. Added Rhino liner, tonneau, mirrors, running boards and bug deflector and off we go. Having a car payment again is a bummer, but oh well. Spending my kids' inheritance. Hee, hee.

[dmax_83]

^^^ I really like that color, I almost ordered mine in the same and changed my mind to red at the last minute ^^^

[Charlie_and_Meg]

Here is our new 2500HD

[RFOneWatt]

Nice rig! Back in 2009 when I was getting ready to move into a real tow vehicle I was torn between waiting for the 2011's and being a guinea pig with the new engine or buying a 2010 with the 6.4.

I ended up getting the 2010 and now I'm regretting it. (Aside from the fact that I only have about 20 payments left and 8000 miles on the odometer!)

msalyer wrote:
Here's my 2012 F150 HD and my trailer.

[msalyer]

Here's my 2012 F150 HD and my trailer.

[Mickeyfan0805]

Our new (to us) TV...



2006 Suburban 2500 w. 49,000 miles
8.1L engine, 4.1 gears
Brakesmart Brake Controller
and 1,500/15,000 aftermarket hitch

Overkill for our 4,400lb 21' hybrid, but plenty of room to go bigger in a couple of years!

Can't wait to get her hooked up for our first trip of 2012 next month!