Borderline ok tow vehicule

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Hi! I would like to buy a pop-up that weights 1500pounds and my tow vehicule is a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.3. I know the capacity of the van is 1800 pounds but I know that it is Under ideal conditions while the van is practicaly empty. We are a family of 5 + a big dog and I know that the added weight of us 5+ the dog+ the gear would bust the 300 pounds. Now my question is... is it that bad? If the van is a few pounds over weight? The towing capacity is respected but the overall weight would not be... I don't want to be a hazard on the road or bust the transmission. But I bought this Van new and took good care of it so it would be a shame to see it go because I'm only 300 or 400 pounds short. I should mention that I am planning on doing long trips (Canada to South Carolina) yearly.
Thanks!

[Greentreena]

as an owner of a 2008 Grand Caravan 3.8 SXT/6 speed: I will NEVER tow anything with this van. It has gone through 2 transmissions WITHOUT towing a thing.

[popupcamping]

Chuck_thehammer wrote:
have an extra transmission Cooler installed...
AND
have upgraded Front brake pads and rotors installed... maybe calipers as well
look into trailer brakes (electric) also.

otherwise .. upgrade the tow vehicle
if it does not GO.. its an inconvenience .. if it DOES NOT STOP... you know this answer.

Don't do any of this. Pure conjecture that you would need to.

[Chuck_thehammer]

have an extra transmission Cooler installed...
AND
have upgraded Front brake pads and rotors installed... maybe calipers as well
look into trailer brakes (electric) also.

otherwise .. upgrade the tow vehicle
if it does not GO.. its an inconvenience .. if it DOES NOT STOP... you know this answer.

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4x4ord wrote:
I wouldn't be concerned about a thing if I were you. I would hook on and enjoy the trip. That said if you wouldn't be able to enjoy the drive without doing something then I would suggest putting an electric brake controller in the van and puting brakes on the pop up.

You think the weight is not enough?

[4x4ord]

I wouldn't be concerned about a thing if I were you. I would hook on and enjoy the trip. That said if you wouldn't be able to enjoy the drive without doing something then I would suggest putting an electric brake controller in the van and puting brakes on the pop up.

[Oaklevel]

Ist thought is Transmission.........

2nd when you say the popup is 1500 lbs is that empty weight or loaded gross weight????

[mkirsch]

Load everybody up and get it weighed.

You may have more than enough payload left for the trailer tongue, but you will never know until you get it weighed.

We're only guessing here without an actual weight.

[popupcamping]

what a bunch of silly answers. It will be fine. If the transmission pukes tell Chrysler to replace it...guess what....THEY WILL. It has 160000Km warranty. (managed a Chrysler store so I have knowledge, not speculation like the rest).

If it slows on a hill , punch it and put it in 3rd gear. Will it rev...of course..does that hurt a gas engine...absolutely not..they even put protection to stop you from over revving. It will climb any hill at 65mph.


I have a Rav4 with 4 of us and I load the rav up with mini fridge, Bikes, wood and have towed 10000miles over every hill in NH and had the odd moron pull out in front of me as well and stopped perfectly....Listen to people who have done it not the speculators that run rampant on this site.
Brakes, sure why not if it has them. If the trailer doesn't..well that means the D.O.T. and the trailer manufacture didn't feel it was necessary. My 1800lb dry pup doesn't have them.

[dodge_guy]

Chrysler transmissions came a long way by 2010. There are more out there with no issues than without. Being it is a 3.3L i would be more concerned when coming to a small Hill! No power!!!

[blt2ski]

Issue will also be total payload for the caravan. Does it have at least 1500 or so lbs to work with. This would be my swag that the people, hw, dog etc should weigh in at. Or at least it would with 5 of my 6 at younger ages, and 1/2 of my 2 malamutes I had at one time.

Reality is, ANY trailer with yours or my larger family will be tough with a caravan or equal minim van. We put an Astro at its gvwr and above with out trying. Took a SW 3500 with a 9200 gvwr and an empty wt of 6600 lbs to tow a 6500 lb trailer, and we were in the 900-9500 gvw on the axels hooked up ready to go.

People can kill tow ratings really fast and quick. I will also agree with those that said, make sure the pop up HAS brakes! other wise, you will more than likely be in a world of hurt with lack of braking for all the above.

Marty

[rjstractor]

1800 pounds is not much weight. Like another poster said, the same van with a bigger engine is rated for 3500 pounds. As long as you have brakes on a trailer, it won't be dangerous, just possibly a little hard on the drivetrain. Also, the fact that you are towing a popup and not a high profile trailer helps.

[rjkfsm]

Up register the vehicle with the DMV for the higher weight to stay legal. Upgrade the brakes to MOPAR premium pads and install a trans cooler and coil over shocks in the rear. You don't want the van sagging in the rear because that can make it difficult to control.

If you do anything for the long distance drives, do the tranny cooler.

RK

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Erie Tom wrote:
Worried about the tranny. Thinking of the family of 5 and a big dog. Can you stop it to protect the family of five and a big dog. What about the brakes when you need to stop in a hurry. Getting it going is one problem but stopping it another.

The SXT model has the same brakes and is rated for 3500pounds... I think the limit to 1800 is based on the engine/transmission.

[Erie_Tom]

Worried about the tranny. Thinking of the family of 5 and a big dog. Can you stop it to protect the family of five and a big dog. What about the brakes when you need to stop in a hurry. Getting it going is one problem but stopping it another.